“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.”

Remember this famous line from Obama’s speech during his campaign in Oregon about 8 months ago? I’m sure you do since after this controversial speech, he got a lot of criticism especially from those who have SUVs. I just wonder if he’d say the same now that gas prices have fallen down.

If you will recall, a couple of months back, gas prices were soaring high. With this, some SUV owners were left with no choice but to keep their vehicles in the garage so as to save bucks. A few greatly considered selling their big ride and decided to buy a smaller car, while others chose to keep their SUVs because they need larger vehicles to fit the whole family in, to haul supplies from the store to their home, to move items, and to carry their equipment for work or for leisure.

The high gasoline prices really created a big impact to owners of these gas-guzzling SUVs. And so when Obama said, “We can’t drive our SUVs…”, a lot of SUV owners resented him for saying so, most especially when they saw him riding in an SUV, right after giving a speech about the dangers of SUV gas consumption.

So, now that he is already the President of the United States, and with the gas prices down, do you think he’ll say the same thing?

Image courtesy of: sayanythingblog.com

Go Honda go!

The Honda CRV still rules the SUV scene. With 219,160 vehicles sold in the past year, this gorgeous Honda model is considered the most popular SUV on the road. And why would it not be on the top? With really great features like the 4-wheel drive and EPA fuel economy estimates of 27 mpg (miles per gallon) on highways and 20 mpg on local roads, this CRV sure caught the fancy of many SUV shoppers.

Coming in second is the Toyota Rav4 with 172,752 vehicles sold.

Why turn your back on that gas guzzling SUV if you can find one that is fuel-efficient? Be guided by this list of the most fuel-efficient 2009 SUVs. These SUVs are ranked according to their MPGs (Miles Per Gallon) both in highway driving and city driving. Meanwhile, the estimates for annual fuel cost are based on the assumption that the vehicle travels 15,000 miles per year (45% highway travel and 55% city travel) and that fuel costs around $3.75/gallon for premium, $3.88/gallon for diesel, and $3.48/gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Check these out:

1. Ford Escape Hybrid - City: 34MPG ; Highway: 31MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $1634

1. Mazda Tribute Hybrid - City: 34MPG ; Highway: 31MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $1634

1. Mercury Mariner Hybrid - City: 34MPG ; Highway: 31MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $1634

4. Toyota Highlander Hybrid - City: 27MPG ; Highway: 25MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2010

5. Saturn Vue Hybrid - City: 25MPG ; Highway: 32MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $1864

6. Jeep Compass - City: 23MPG ; Highway: 28MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2088

6. Jeep Patriot - City: 23MPG ; Highway: 28MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2088

8. Chevrolet HHR - City: 22MPG ; Highway: 32MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2010

9. Ford Escape - City: 22MPG ; Highway: 28MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2177

9. Mazda Tribute - City: 22MPG ; Highway: 28MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2177

9. Toyota RAV4 - City: 22MPG ; Highway: 28MPG ; Annual Fuel Cost: $2177