2011 Lincoln MKT

If you like the Lincoln MKX crossover, but you’re finding it to be a bit small, you may want to take a look at the Lincoln MKT. The 2011 MKT is another luxury SUV from Lincoln/Ford but does have 3rd row seating and that bit of extra space some SUV drivers needs. This SUV may not be as green as you’d like but fuel economy is not too shabby for the passenger and cargo room it provides.

The Lincoln MKT was loosely based on the Ford Edge. It has much more luxury and style than the Edge and is also much bigger. It has a longer wheel base and is wider overall. The MKT comes in a dark eggplant purple, metallic dark red, or black. It has a large front grille, skinny headlights, and a sleek rear end.

The interior comes with blue lights around the foot walls and center console cup holders. New for 2011, the middle seats can be upgraded to two captain’s chairs or a bench row. A center refrigerator is also an option for this model year.

Cargo room continues to be outstanding in the MKT. With the 3rd row seating the MKT acts similar to a minivan giving almost 18 cubic feet of cargo space. With the 3rd row down, the cargo jumps to 36 cubic feet. If you fold the 2nd and 3rd row seating down, you will get over 75 cubic feet of storage.

Under the MKTs hood is an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 engine that gets around 355 horsepower. The V6 fuel economy comes in at 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. This may not be the best gas mileage but is fairly eco-friendly for such a large SUV that totes three rows of seating. The 2011 Lincoln MKT starts at $57,775, quite a hefty price tag but may be worth the luxury.

The Infiniti FX

In a category with other luxury crossover SUVs the FX comes in two styles, the FX35 and the FX50. Either model has a good amount of power but only the FX35 gets fair fuel economy. The FX50’s V8 engine doesn’t allow it to get around the block without refueling. Inside and out, the Infiniti FX has great style and safety ratings.

The FX35 has a 3.5-liter, V6 under the hood that gets 303 horsepower. It comes standard in rear-wheel drive but can be upgraded to all-wheel drive. The standard rear-wheel drive gets around 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. Not the best numbers but still greener from the old 2008 model. The all-wheel drive bumps those numbers down but does allow for 2,000 plus pounds of towing capacity. Either way, the FX comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The FX50 has even more power but does not even show a hint of green. This SUV is hiding a 5.0-liter, V8 engine that gets 390 horsepower. It only comes in AWD and lowers the fuel economy down to 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Its power is mighty but may not be worth its poor gas mileage.

The FX35 has quite the exterior style. The front grille is trim and the bi-xenon headlights resemble glaring eyes. It comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels that are upgradable to 20s. The 2011 models will have power lift gates, new for this year.

The interior is everything you’d expect from a luxury SUV with a luxury price tag. Leather seats with quilted inserts, reclining rear seat, Bluetooth, and dual-zone climate control are just a few of the standards. It is also an option to get heated and cooled front seats.

Safety is just as good as the rest of this SUV and includes, front and side airbags, traction control, and optional forward warning system. We’d like to see Infiniti working on making the FX35 a bit greener but overall it’s a dream crossover. The 2011 Infiniti FX35 starts at $41,600.

Green for the Green

There are plenty of eco-friendly SUV options that sell at a reasonable price but it’s true that many are quite expensive. Many people buy these SUVs to have the greenest luxury around. If you love extravagance, here are three green 2010 SUVs that really take a lot of green to get.

The Lexus RX hybrid10 is a luxury green SUV starting at $42,685. It has a 3.5-liter V6 engine that gets around 295 horsepower. Adding all wheel drive bumps the price another $2,000. Adding features such as a moon roof, and LCD display, and navigation with traffic updates brings the total to over $52,000. There isn’t much this SUV doesn’t have and it gets 28 mpg in the city and 26 mpg highway.

Next on the green luxury list is the 2010 Chevy Tahoe hybrid. Chevy prides itself as this hybrid is a full-size SUV with 332 horsepower and 367 lb-ft of torque. It gets 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. The Tahoe hybrid starts at $50,720. To get its extras such as power sunroof, entertainment system, spare wheel, and chrome door handles the price gets closer to 60K.

One of the biggest and most expensive hybrid SUVs is the GMC Yukon Denali hybrid. This upgraded version of the Yukon starts at over $58,000. This hybrid has GM’s Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT) and Energy Storage System in conjunction with a 6.0-liter V-8 gasoline engine. Its fuel economy comes in at 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Adding on sunroof, rear entertainment and navigation, a rearview camera, security system and all the works gets this Yukon priced at over $66,000.

The high price on these hybrids is not only because they are the definition of luxury, but because of their greener hybrid engines without the loss of power. Each of these SUV’s non-hybrid brothers are already costly so why not go for the total package and choose the cleaner model.

Lexus RX10

The most affordable ‘luxury utility vehicle’ made by Lexus is the RX series. It doesn’t lack in luxurious extras but the cost is significantly lower than any other SUVs offered by this stylish auto company. The consumer has two choices, the Lexus RX 350 or the Lexus RX 450 hybrid (RX 450h). For 2010 Lexus’ is referring to these vehicles as the RX10 and the RX hybrid 10. With all the nicknames, letters, and numbers it’s a bit confusing but we really are only discussing two vehicles here.

The base model, the RX 350 is a crossover with a more car-like look than a SUV. It also has been reviewed as handling more like a sedan. Very sleek in design, the 2010 RX 350 comes standard with a 3.5 liter, V6 engine. Test drivers say the 2010 model has a lighter feel and overall handles better than previous years, yet it comes packed with 275 horsepower capability.

The RX 350’s hybrid brother is the RX 450 hybrid. Same standard design, but the 2010 model has a smarter hybrid with better efficiency, lighter in weight, and a water cool system. It also comes with a 3.5 liter, hybrid V6 engine. With hybrid and gas power combined, the RX10 hybrid gets a boasting 295 horsepower. This is quite an increase from previous year models.

The big question for the buyers is whether or not to buy the hybrid or base model. The base model’s fuel economy is around 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. The hybrid (RX450) blows the base out of the water with 32 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Most of the time the price difference is astounding but in this case the base starts at $37,250 and the hybrid starts around $41,660. With not much difference in price but laying out huge numbers in fuel economy, the hybrid takes the cake.

The Greener 2010 SRX

The 2010 Cadillac SRX has received a few updates making it just a bit greener and more likeable to the eco-friendly drivers out there. Cadillac calls it a “luxury utility vehicle”, but it really is just another upscale 5-passenger crossover that some say past models look a bit wagon-ish. But, the 2010 model has been completely redesigned. It is now up for competing with the BMW X3, Lexus RX 350, Audi Q5 and any other top of the line mid-size SUV. The new changes may bring this crossover Cadillac to #1.

The SRX was introduced in 2004. It has had a few changes over the years, like an upgraded interior back in 2007, but this is the first model year that the SRX is getting a new look on the outside and under the hood. Cadillac has shortened the new SRX so the wagon look is out. Along with that, so is the optional 3rd row of seating, making it a 5-passenger vehicle. It is much more stylish and probably worth losing the extra seating.

The engine changes are huge. There will no longer be a V8 option. Cadillac has decided to go a little greener by giving the SRX a standard 3.0 liter V6 direct injection engine which brings 265 horsepower capability. The direct injection engine allows fuel efficiency to improve around 15% from previous models. Coming this fall will be an optional 2.8 liter Turbo V6 that boasts 300 horsepower. The standard is front wheel drive with an all wheel drive option. Fuel economy is an estimated mid 20’s.

Of course, being the image of luxury, the 2010 SRX will come with lots of it. It has a programmable power lift gate, side lighting, available ultraview sunroof, integrated iPod connectivity, Bluetooth capability, XM radio, OnStar, DVD-navigation, and second row fold down seating with plenty of adjustable cargo room. All this for a base price around $34,000 but expect more for maximum luxury.