How about I like the technology? When I bought my Prius in 2004, it was the first non GM vehicle I ever owned. When I bought my Tahoe 2-mode hybrid a few months ago, it was the first 'real' hybrid GM offered.

I do have a cabin in the mountains, at the end of a steep dirt road. My Prius does not have enough clearance to even get there - particularly in a foot of snow. The Tahoe 2-mode hybrid 4wd, however, does a great job. Fuel economy on the trip from Dallas to New Mexico is much better than the 1999 4wd Suburban I replaced. I can still pull a trailer with the boat or my antique car. The HiHy and FEH can't do this. I can still fit the kids and all our gear for a week of skiing or camping, including the bikes.

As far as my daily commute - I drop off a kid at daycare, park the truck and then take the train to work. The Tahoe gets 20 MPG for this short trip. The 2001 Impala which I also traded only got about 15mpg for this trip (it did great on the Highway - over 30mpg, but I usually took the Suburban or the Prius, depending on the nature of the trip). So for my circumstance, I replaced two less fuel efficient cars based on my personal use with a single SUV that gets better fuel economy for every aspect of my personal use.

My wife drives the Prius - the train does not go from our house to her office. We use the Prius for all other driving, it is the family car.

Once the youngest is old enough to ride the bus to school, I can ride a bike to the train station. The Tahoe will be used like my old suburban in that it mostly sits in the driveway except for long trips and occasional trips to Home Depot/nursery/bike trials.

Would it be better if the Tahoe 2-mode hybrid was a plug-in or fuel cell - yes, but that isn't available now. It is an improvement over what I drove before. By choosing the hybrid SUV and not a similarly equipped conventional SUV, I'm endorsing the technology. I hope that the auto mobile industry will continue to improve and create more and better choices.

YMMV
Tom