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I forgot just how quiet hybrids are. Like, silent. As in, so silent when you start one, you turn it off and try again because you think nothing happened. So silent that it's like a party trick I perform for Lovely Rita and Ali at the parking garage downtown. Check this out! It's RUNNING. No, really!!

With all the attention Toyota and Honda are getting for their hybrid programs, it's worth reminding you that Ford introduced the first hybrid SUV, the 2005 Escape Hybrid, and that the hybrid Escape won the prestigious North American Truck of the Year award in 2005. Ford used knowledge gained from the Escape Hybrid project to construct a hybrid-powertrain Fusion sedan with class-leading fuel economy and refinement.

To understand the Camry Hybrid's position in its segment, you need only realize that both the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima's powertains are based on Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (Nissan actually licenses the technology, Ford's setup is independently developed but essentially identical). If that's not enough, recall that the Camry has been the best selling car in America for eleven of the last twelve years. Clearly, the Camry is the car Nissan and Ford designers had at the center of their sights. Unfortunately for Toyota, both have been quite successful. While the Camry Hybrid is still a strong choice, its age is starting to show.