Here Are Some Hybrids You Probably Forgot About

Acura’s last attempt at a full size luxury sedan, the RLX, was never a popular or a big seller. Toward the end of the models life, Acura tried to inject a bit of sportiness to liven up the RLX by adding a Sport Hybrid model. Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 got paired with dual electric motors and a trunk mounted lithium ion battery back combined to give the Sport Hybrid 377 horsepower. That all got paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Acura’s SH-AWD system. Performance was decent. It could hit 60 in just under five seconds and get 28 mpg combined. None of this was cheap though. The RLX Sport Hybrid cost nearly $63,000. It was discontinued in 2021.

The Silverado and its GMC Sierra sibling were some of the first hybrids ever offered by GM when they hit the market in 2004. Like many of the hybrid cars of the era, they were “mild hybrids.” An electric motor was placed inside the transmission’s flywheel, which acted as more of a start/stop/alternator for the 5.3-liter V8. When the truck came to a full stop and then needed to get going again, a 48V batter powered the electric motor. There was also a regenerative braking system that stored powered in three 14V batteries under the rear seat. The result was a half-assed effort at a green truck that only produced modest fuel economy gains.

The Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and its Dodge Durango Hybrid twin were doomed from the start. They debuted just as the world economy imploded in 2008. The specs were ok for the time. Chrysler went to GM for its two-stage hybrid setup to pair it with their 5.7-liter Hemi V8. With dual electric motors, total system output was nearly 400 hp. The result though was an expensive setup that wasn’t worth it for the gains it gave.

Fuel economy improved over the standard Aspen/Durango to 13 mpg/28 mpg highway but it was still V8-like at 19 city/20 highway. And the hybrid option added $4,000 to the price. Production stopped after just two months, resulting in one of the rarest Chryslers ever made.

Cadillac introduced a plug-in hybrid version of its CT6 luxury sedan for the 2016 model year. Cadillac paired a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 with dual electric motors, a CVT and an 18.4 kWh battery pack. The result was what Cadillac described as V6 like performance with electric efficiency. Total system output was 335 hp and 432 lb-ft of torque. It could hit 60 in 5.2 seconds and had 30 miles of all-electric range. It was expensive though at just over $76,000. And all the battery tech intruded in its trunk space. It was discontinued for the 2019 model year.

The Ford Escape Hybrid is still around. Its just that now it’s a near $40,000 plug-in hybrid. However the first generation Escape Hybrid had the distinction of being the first hybrid SUV offered for sale.

The hybrid setup in the Escape was so similar to Toyota’s that the two companies had to come to a patent agreement between them. Ford used a 133 hp Atkinson cycle I4 and an electric motor. Performance was comparable to V6 powered Escapes at the time but it was very efficient. Front wheel drive versions got 30 mpg city/28 highway/30 combined. Even going for all-wheel-drive didn’t hurt efficiency with those versions getting 28 city/26 highway/27 combined. The Escape Hybrid lasted two generations before it was dropped with the third-gen Escape. Mazda also received a version of the hybrid system for its nearly identical Tribute Hybrid.

Honda’s first try at the Accord Hybrid was unexpected. It changed the image of hybrids and showed that they didn’t have to be boring, weird looking appliances. They could actually be fast and decently fun to drive.

The Accord Hybrid appeared on the seventh generation Accord. Honda paired its third generation of its Integrated Motor Assist system to its excellent 3.5-liter V6 with cylinder deactivation. Total system output was 255 hp and mpg ratings of 29 city/37 highway, besting even the four cylinder Accord. And it was quick. Its 6.6 second zero to 60 mph time was just .1 second off the V6 powered Accord. When the Accord weirdly grew for the eighth generation, the Accord Hybrid was dropped and it wouldn’t appear again until 2014 for the ninth generation.

The Infiniti M hybrid was another example of an automaker trying to show that hybrids could have a bit of performance while being efficient. Introduced on the second generation of its M sedan, Infiniti paired a 302 hp 3.5-liter V6 with a 67 hp electric motor and a 1.4 kWh battery. The result was 360 hp and a decent increase in fuel efficiency. Its 27 mpg city/30 highway rating was close to four-cylinder numbers. It wasn’t cheap though, costing nearly $62,000 loaded and it had weird drawbacks, like a small trunk due to the battery and touchy brakes because of the regenerative braking system it used. It did however hold the Guinness World Record for the fastest-accelerating hybrid.

Lexus first placed hybrid tech on its GS sport sedan with the third generation GS. Dubbed GS450h, it helped usher in the era of alpha-numeric car names that didn’t correspond to the car’s actual specs. That 450h wasn’t refering to a 4.5-liter V8. Lexus combined its 3.5-liter V6 with an electric motor for a total of 340 hp and touted the performance of the 450h as comparable to the V8 powered GS. Sixty mph came in just over five seconds. It was decently efficient too getting 22 mpg city/25 highway. The GS hybrid made its way onto the fourth and final generation of the GS before it and the GS itself were discontinued in 2020.

While there is still an LS hybrid, it doesn’t seem as special as the fourth generation LS and it’s LS600h. It was the epitome of Lexus luxury and technology at the time. Lexus touted V12 performance with V8 economy.

Debuting for the 2007 model year, Lexus paired a hybrid drive system with two electric motors to a 5.0-liter V8 for a total of 438 hp. The whole setup was complex as it also had a CVT and all wheel drive with a limited slip differential. This made for an extremely heavy hybrid at just over 6,000 pounds. And with all the hybrid tech, it wasn’t that efficient getting just 19 mpg city/23 mpg highway. It was also one of the most expensive cars Lexus ever made, costing just over $135,000 fully loaded.

The Pathfinder Hybrid was one of the few instances when Nissan played with hybrid tech. Introduced on the fourth-gen Pathfinder for 2014 its powertrain setup was unique. It paired a supercharged 2.5-liter I4 with a 20 hp electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the CVT. The same powertrain setup landed at Infiniti in its QX60 Hybrid. The result was 250 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, nearly as much power as the V6 Pathfinder. It was more efficient than the V6 as well. With all-wheel-drive, Nissan said owners could expect 25 mpg city/27 mpg highway. However it was dropped after just one year on the market. With a $3,000 premium over the standard Pathfinder, it could be that buyers thought the extra money for the hybrid wasn’t worth the fuel economy gain.

Another instance of Nissan playing with hybrids, the Murano Hybrid is so rare that I couldn’t even find a picture of it. Nissan introduced a Murano Hybrid for the 2016 model year, using the same powertrain setup as the Pathfinder Hybrid, which was canceled a year before the Murano Hybrid hit the market. You could have the hybrid in front-wheel or all-wheel-drive configuration, though the latter was only available on higher trim levels. Nissan only sold about 600 in the U.S. and it was never heard from again after 2016, making it one of the rarest vehicles Nissan has ever offered in the U.S.