Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

What you really need is a large, comfortable eight-passenger sport utility vehicle, right? Well, it doesn’t matter how much you

Classy looking SUV, the Aspen Hybrid is fuel efficient and clean too. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

might need one of  these wholly practical people movers, even if your driveway is a trail up the side of a mountain, it’s about the least politically correct thing you can do nowadays… that is, unless it has Hybrid noticeably stenciled on the outside.

Chrysler is less obvious about announcing its largest ute’s green status than GM and its Tahoe, Yukon and now Escalade hybrid family, choosing to place relatively discrete “HYBRID TWO-MODE HEMI” badges on each flank and the rear liftgate. I have to say that the rocker-panel length “HYBRID” decal GM offers might be a bit garish, but it certainly wipes the open scowls off of peoples’ faces when you drive by. Then again, always having been a bit of a rabble rouser and really not caring all that much about being judged by others who don’t know my situation, I’d probably opt for the subtlety of the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid.

It’s a really attractive vehicle too, hybrid or not. I wasn’t sure what Chrysler was going to come up with when word leaked out that a blue-ribbon version of Dodge’s Durango was headed our way, and I have to admit that the end result is

It's big, but not too big. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

better than I predicted. Its softened exterior lines, chrome embellishments and general elegance places it more in Cadillac and Lincoln territory than anywhere else, mirrored by an interior that is likewise much better than I initially had expected.

The Durango was, let’s face it, pretty utilitarian inside prior to its most recent update that coincided with the Aspen launch. Instead of hard plastic surfaces the Aspen receives soft-touch composites in all the right places, and the leather, wood grain and chrome accents give it an upscale ambiance now expected of top-line Chrysler vehicles, complemented by one of the most feature-packed audio systems available in anything on four wheels, an Alpine system with 386 watts of power, a 6.5-inch touch-screen interface accessing a USB-loadable 30-gig hard-drive, auxiliary and iPod ports, UConnect hands-free connectivity, navigation and backup camera, a six-disc CD changer, and the list goes on.

Come on in, it's nice in here. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

The Aspen gets all the regular luxury goodies expected in this class, plus it’s loaded with safety equipment too, such as four-wheel discs with ABS, electronic traction and stability control, side-curtain airbags from front to back, and a tire pressure monitoring system that will light up in the chronograph-style gauge cluster if there’s a problem.

In this particular Aspen, that gauge cluster has been modified with a hybrid display where the tachometer used to be in order to show the real-time efficiency of the Two-Mode system, reminding that what is under the hood, or more correctly under the hood, under the transmission tunnel and below the second row seats, is more interesting than any of its other features. That’s where Chrysler stowed the battery pack that stores energy to be used by the electric portion of the hybrid drivetrain. Ironically the two-mode hybrid system was developed

Nice wood grain and aluminum trim, plus top-tier infotainment. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

in partnership with GM, so basically it’s the same system that the Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade use, other than its internal combustion engine and some of the components to connect the two. The technology partnership also includes Daimler, of course, being that it was initiated when Daimler was called DaimlerChrysler and the German and American firms were joined at the hip, and Mercedes-Benz rival BMW, of all companies, which will soon offer a hybrid version of its X5.

So what exactly is a two-mode hybrid system? Starting from the beginning, the internal combustion engine (ICE), in this case Chrysler’s 5.7-litre V8 with MDS cylinder deactivation, is attached to a thoroughly advanced two-mode low/high-speed electronically variable transmission rather than the regular five-speed automatic. The transmission houses two sets of planetary gears and two electric motor generators modulated by a pair of computer-controlled clutches. Mode 1 sees the planetary gears getting fed electric power to assist the ICE, like most hybrids that have been on the market for years, whereas the electronically variable transmission offers multitudes of gearing ratios to optimize power delivery and minimize fuel usage. In Mode 2 the electric motors are bypassed completely when the MDS-enhanced V8 is under lighter loads, and therefore more efficient. There’s more to it than that, of course, but anymore in-depth and this story will serve more as a technical manual than the road test review it is intended to be. Suffice to say that never before has a hybrid drivetrain been capable of such impressive fuel efficiency on one hand, and such heavy loads on the other. Toyota, a forerunner along with Honda in hybrid technology, has struggled for years to integrate its Hybrid Synergy Drive system into its Tundra pickup truck due to an inability to make its conventional CVT (continuously variable) gearbox haul and tow to the levels needed in the pickup truck class. No such problem for the Two-Mode hybrid system,

Lots of leather and lots of room. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

already in use in GM’s pickup trucks and soon to be incorporated into Dodge’s Ram. The tow rating for the Aspen Hybrid is 2,722 kilograms (6,000 pounds) with the optional towing package ($525 and the only option available), not as muscular as the 3,946 kilo-rated (8700-lb) regular Aspen that also needs a tow package to achieve this rating, but still very capable. Both Aspens are good for a 716-kilo (1,580 -lb) payload capacity.

One oddity about the Two-Mode system that is worth mentioning is the transmission’s lack of a reverse gear. When selecting the “R” the Aspen Hybrid actually uses its electric motors to back up the car, powering the motors with the ICE if battery power is low and extra charge is needed.

As

Third row fits three across and is good on head and leg room compared to others in this class. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

interesting as all of this technical information is, what matters more is how it feels on the road, and to that end you’ll be hard pressed to tell you’re driving a hybrid at all, other than when you start it up it’ll be silent, and when creeping around in parking lots it once again will be totally silent, and purely efficient plus non-polluting. When sitting at stoplights, again it’s silent, as the engine shuts off to save fuel and reduce emissions, automatically restarting as soon as you lift your foot off of the brake pedal, and when hitting the throttle it pulls like a locomotive, albeit faster at takeoff and a heck of a lot quieter at speed.

It’s a really refined SUV to drive on the highway, with fairly low wind noise and excellent sound deadening from road and engine noise. The suspension has been tuned for comfort, although it’s quite capable in the corners if you don’t forget that this is an SUV, not a 300C SRT8. And the seats are good too, no matter which position you’re sitting in,

Even with all seats in place, there's loads of cargo space. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

front, middle or rear, with the lattermost two allowing enough leg and headroom for all but tall adults, and reasonable access via a middle seat that easily flips forward and out of the way. Rear storage is fabulous at 1,937 litres (68.4 cubic feet) when those back seats are folded into the floor thanks to the battery pack being below the second-row seats, as mentioned, and electric motors crammed into the transmission casing, and still about as commodious as the largest passenger trunk when they’re upright with 569 litres (20.1 cubic feet). Fold both rear rows flat and there’s an awe inspiring 2,900 litres (102.4 cubic feet) available to fulfill your furniture shopping dream weekend. And this from a vehicle that is slightly smaller than its main rivals, benefiting around-town driving and parking.

Driving around town is where the Aspen Hybrid really makes up its efficiency gains too, something I pleasantly experienced first-hand. It’s EPA rated at 19 mpg in city traffic,

V8 power and V6 fuel economy... the best of both worlds. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

the equivalent of 12.3 L/100 km, and while this isn’t as thrifty as most hybrids on the market the Aspen is a full-size SUV that otherwise chugs away on fuel at the rate of 16.8 L/100 km (14 mpg) in the city, also per EPA specs. On the highway the difference between the two SUV’s EPA ratings might be a bit anticlimactic after talking about its efficiency in the city, being that there’s only a 2 mpg spread between the regular Aspen and the Hybrid, from 11.8 L/100 km (20 mpg) to 10.7 (22). Still, that means that it ties the GM hybrids for best fuel economy in the class, although the Aspen comes standard with all-wheel drive, whereas its GM rivals are standard with rear-wheel drive.

So SUV lovers, it’s finally true. You can have your cake and eat it too with Chrysler’s new Aspen Hybrid, and right now the discounts can make it an even sweeter reality. At the time of writing Chrysler is offering Aspen Hybrid Limited, regularly $55,995, for $48,371. So now you can go out and buy the full-size SUV you need with the luxury you want at a price that’s a heck of a lot more affordable, all without environmental guilt. Good job Chrysler.

Specifications (Aspen Hybrid Limited):

• Price Range (MSRP): $55,995 – $56,520
• Price as Tested: $56,520
• Destination Charge: $1,350
• Body Type: 5-door SUV
• Layout: front engine, AWD
• Engine: 360 hp, 390 lb-ft of torque, 5.7L, OHV HEMI V8 + twin-electric motors
• Transmission: two-mode low/high-speed electronically variable
• Battery: Sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
• Dimensions (L/W w/out mirrors /H/WB): 5,133 / 1,930 / 1,875 / 3,028 mm (202.1 / 76.0 / 73.8 / 102.4 in)
• Curb Weight: 2,556 kg (5,637 lbs)
• Tires: 265/60R18
• Seating Capacity: 8 passengers
• Cargo Volume: (behind 3rd row / 2nd row / 1st row): 569 / 1,937 / 2,900 L (20.1 / 68.4 / 102.4 cu-ft)
• Ground Clearance (min): 181 mm (7.1 in)
• Payload Capacity: 716 kg (1,580 lbs)
• Towing Capacity: 2,722 kg (6,000 lbs)
• Fuel Economy (EPA est.): 12.3 / 10.7 L/100 km (19 / 22 mpg US)
• Fuel Type: premium recommended but not required
• Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 comprehensive - 60/100,000 powertrain – 96/160,000 hybrid components
• Direct Competitors: Cadillac Escalade Two-Mode Hybrid, Chevy Tahoe Two-Mode Hybrid, Dodge Durango Two-Mode Hybrid, GMC Yukon / Yukon Denali Two-Mode Hybrid
• Web Site: www.chrysler.ca