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Toyota has begun to make some of the cars in their Lexus division as hybrids.

However, to an environmentalist, they may not make sense. The Lexus GS 450h produces over double the greenhouse gas emissions compared to a Toyota Prius. According to the government's fueleconomy.gov website, the 450h produces 7.0 tons of greenhouse gases per year (for an average driver) compared to the Prius (3.4 tons/year).

The Prius has emerged as the choice of many people who are environmentally aware. In fact, there's a new trend: the multiple hybrid car family. Even families like that of former CIA director James Woolsey own not one, but two hybrids. You could buy 2 Priuses for the price of a GS 450h. Or a Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic Hybrid

Another benefit of a car like the Prius over the GS 450h is range. According to the EPA, the Prius will go about 589 miles on a tank of gas. The GS only goes about 402 miles on a tank. One reason some people who can afford any car they want buy a hybrid is for the extra range between fill ups. People whose time is important to them often don't like waiting around at the gas station. Here the Prius excels.

Another area where the Prius is superior is that it runs on regular gas. Toyota recommends Premium gas for the GS. Premium fuel is a wasteful use of resources.

Perhaps the biggest reason to consider a "real" hybrid is the sense of appropriateness. Americans aren't saving the environment by buying big houses and driving cars that waste resources, both the resources used to make the car and the fuel to move it. It's time to think more modestly. Sometimes, small really is beautiful.

Note: with the money you'd save buying a Prius over the GS, you could arrange to have over 200,000 trees planted. That's right, some tree planting programs, like Trees for the Future in Silver Spring, MD can plant that many trees with the money you'd save.

Other hybrids:

Ford Escape Hybrid

Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Saturn VUE hybrid

more hybrid cars