Due to the skyrocketing gas prices and critical global-warming issue, a lot of people have turned to hybrid cars as a means to save money on gasoline and to do their part to save our environment. The hybrid car is an advanced vehicle that combines two or more sources of power to run (usually gasoline and electricity). Built with a highly sophisticated technology, it has an electric motor that works as both a motor and a generator at the same time. It also contains a gasoline engine just like a regular car, but the advanced engine on a hybrid is smartly designed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce a great amount of emissions. In short, hybrid vehicles consume less and pollute less. Right now it is still considered a somewhat pricey vehicle in the market, though it can really help you save money on gas in the long run. Plus, if you care about the environment at all, a hybrid is absolutely the perfect choice of vehicle for you.

There are a number of hybrid cars coming out every year as more and more consumers have started to take a serious stand against gas guzzlers. In this article, there are 3 gasoline-electric hybrids that I would like to recommend: the Smart ForTwo Micro-Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid and Toyota Prius Hybrid. Each of them has unique qualities and different advantages that suit people of different lifesyles. It's up to you to decide which one will satisfy you best.

Smart ForTwo Micro-Hybrid

This cute gas-miser is Daimler AG's most fashionable baby, kind of like the iPhone of the auto market. By driving it, you not only help the environment but also announce out loud that you are a green consumer. That's why I like to call it an "eco fashion statement."

At first sight, you may think the Smart ForTwo is such a tiny car and worry that you might have an uncomfortable ride in it. The truth is the Smart ForTwo is not tiny; it's just short. It is not lower or narrower than an average-size car. Its interior is in fact quite spacious. Normal-size seats. Plenty of headroom. You can be seated in it as comfortably as you will be in a midsize sedan.

With a 71-hp engine, this smart car won't do fast drivers any good. So if you're looking for a speedy exciting ride, forget about the Smart ForTwo. This green car is the ideal vehicle for city drivers who can't speed much anyway. What makes the Smart ForTwo Hybrid most desirable for urban people is its automatic start-stop system. As soon as your foot hits the brake or you slow down the speed when approaching traffic lights, the control electronics will automatically shut down the engine. And once you release the brake pedal, the engine will restart in a split second. This heavy-traffic-friendly function is said to help you get up to 20% better gas mileage. Moreover, equipped with a closed diesel particulate filter, this smart car can reduce approximately 103 grams per kilometre of CO2 emissions, which makes it indeed a very green car.

You may have heard about the regular Smart ForTwo's somewhat jerky gearchange, but you need not worry about that if you decide to go with the Smart ForTwo Micro Hybrid. This savvy hybrid is fully automatic; no gearchange or cluthwork is ever required.

Ford Escape Hybrid

Want to be nice to the environment but can't overcome the SUV craze? That's not a problem anymore. You can drive an SUV and be earth-friendly at the same time. It's quite obvious that gas prices are not going to get any better and a lot of drivers have opted to use smaller cars to save quite a few bucks. To some people, however, size still matters.

The Ford Escape Hybrid is one of the most fuel-efficient SUVs on the market. It is said to consume about 30% less fuel than the regular Ford Escape. Like most hybrid cars, this fuel-efficient vehicle is a gasoline-electric hybrid. It uses both sources of power to run during full acceleration, and switches between the two during frequent stop-and-go traffic. At slower speeds and under lighter load conditions, it can run solely on battery power.

Its 155-hp engine may not sound so appealing to people who love fast cars, but those who have driven it agree that the Ford Escape Hybrid is faster than the regular Escape and unlike some hybrids with stilted power, it can give you a perfectly smooth ride. It has, like most hybrids, a regenerative braking system that boasts a sophisticated fuel-saver technology. In a regular car, when you hit the brake, the energy is lost as heat. In the Escape Hybrid, the electric motor will capture that energy and convert it into electricity to be stored in the battery pack. Whenever you hit the brake pedal, in other words, you are automatically recharging your battery pack.

Normally I am not a big fan of Ford cars, but I do admire this hybrid SUV and Ford Company's effort to make this SUV a green vehicle. They have built this car to be eco-friendly not only in terms of the engine, but also the interior fabric. According to Ford, the seat fabric in the Escape Hybrid is made from recycled plastic and polyester fibers that would have been discarded in landfills otherwise. The cushions are made from a bio-based polyurethane foam, a natural material that can be obtained from oils of various plant seeds.

In 2008, Ford launched a new Escape Hybrid that adds some little tweaks in its former exterior and interior design. Its engine, however, is pretty much the same as its predecessor, except that the transition between electric and gas modes is said to be smoother.

Toyota Prius Hybrid

For over a decade, this simple-looking hatchback sedan has been one of the most red-hot selling hybrids that won a number of awards. It may not appear as chic as the Smart ForTwo, but it is certainly not any less green. It may not be as tough-looking as the Ford Escape Hybrid, but with its advanced stability control system, Toyota Prius Hybrid deserves a 5-star rating in terms of safety. Quite a few Hollywood celebrities have actually chosen to drive this green car, for example Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams and Tim Robbins. The biggest fan of Toyota Prius Hybrid, however, is Leonardo Decaprio. He has 3 of them!

Now a lot people are probably wondering what the 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid will be like. According to the Toyota Company in Japan, the new 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid will be able to run on electric power longer. With 1/4 or 1/2 throttle, the car will be able to run with electric power alone, without any use of the gasoline engine. This means that drivers who intend to use the car mainly for short commutes between home and work can use very little gasoline each day or maybe none at all.

The 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid will be available in 3 models: standard, base and touring. The standard model is equipped with keyless entry, a tilt steering wheel and a music system with six speakers. Optional equipment such as a rearview camera, Bluetooth, GPS and fog lights are also available.

Urban hipsters who are merely in need of a vehicle and pretty low on cash for gas should really go with the Smart ForTwo. For people who often take a long road trip with their big family and look for a robust vehicle, the Ford Escape Hybrid will absolutely make sense. As for finicky drivers who search for a perfect combination of fuel efficiency, performance and practicality, the Toyota Prius Hybrid will be a great choice.