Gas-guzzler

A "Gas-guzzler" commonly refers to a vehicle that gets poor fuel economy.

The term came into wide use to describe the "gas guzzler tax" provisions of the Energy Tax Act. When talking about the environmental effects of driving gas-guzzlers where not absolutely needed, along with the term also might be the term climate-wrecking, such as "a climate-wrecking gas-guzzler" or a "a gas-guzzling, climate-wrecking vehicle".

Gas-guzzlers are often SUV's or other semi-large vehicles, mostly them that aren't trucks or other very heavy vehicles, but qualify as light trucks, so they do not need to obey the minimum fuel economy regulations.

Common examples of 'gas-guzzlers' include:

• Chevrolet Suburban - now renamed GMC Yukon XL
• Ford Expedition EL
• Hummer H2
• Lincoln Navigator
• Lexus LX470
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Toyota Sequoia
• Nissan Armada
• Land Rover Range Rover
• Mercedes-Benz GL450
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Volkswagen Touareg - the V10 Diesel model in particular
• Porsche Cayenne
• Mercedes M-Class
• Infiniti QX56
• Jeep Grand Cherokee

These vehicles are typically made in the United States by the major motor corporations Ford and General Motors. However incresing pressure on manufacturers to make SUV's with better fuel economy has caused these companies to scale back on both engine and vehicle size. Gas-guzzlers are powered generally by a large V8 engine which greatly contributes to poor fuel economy. One classic example of this is the now discontinued Ford Excursion which was offered with a 5.4L V8, 6.0L V8 or 6.8L V10. Hummer has itself taken great strides towards improving fuel economy. Its latest Hummer the H3 is powered by a 3.5L/3.7L inline 5 whereas its predecesor the H2 was powered by a V8. This increasing trend in Amercian manufacuturing to scale back large SUV's is in part due to two main reasons:

• Oil prices which greatly influences the price at the pump
• Increasing competition from foreign (typically Asian) SUV manufacturing companies including Toyota and Mitsubishi - both located in Japan

The increasing trend is to make engines smaller yet more efficient, for example removing a V8 and replacing it with a supercharged V6, which results in much better fuel economy but not compromising on power or ability to carry heavy loads. Also many gas-guzzlers are so large that they become unwieldly in countries outside the US such as in Europe, Asia, Australia and Oceania which results in poor sales figures in these countries in comparison to vehicles such as the Nissan Patrol or the Toyota Landcruiser. There are many examples where an American company has attempted to market an SUV and been met with a poor market reception including:

• GMC's attempt to market the Chevrolet Suburban in Australia
• Ford's attempt to market the Ford Explorer in England

Gas-guzzlers however are not just SUVs. For example many pickup trucks also have poor fuel economy including:

• Ford F-Series
• Dodge Ram
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Avalanche
• Toyota Tundra
• Nissan Titan

However, not only these vehicles efficient at guzzling gas they also generate a large amount of horsepower which makes them an attractive option for people who need to carry heavy loads in a working environment. The Ford F-250 in particular has gained a legendary name for its power, durability and off-road ability. As a result of this, Ford F-250s are often found in rural areas in North America, Australia, and New Zealand to name a few.

Gas-guzzlers and 'eco vandals'

Gas-guzzlers have in fairly recent history also been the target of 'environmental vandals' in other words vandals who specifically target SUV's because or their large fuel consumption and subsequent environmental damage.

Alternative fuels

Gas-guzzlers are not only seeing a scale back in engine size and weight but also in the type of fuel used to power it. For example hydrogen fuel technology is being adopted by some SUV companies such as Hummer in order to provide for the consumer a vechicle with a much cheaper running cost.

Tax

The U.S. government has even impossed a gass guzzler tax. Most of the lage SUV's metinoned above a re all subject to this tax, however the cars that have a substantial tax on the fuel consumption are high performence sport cars, commonly reffered to a supercars. A list of some these veichles:

Saleen S7 Ferrari enzo Bugatti Veyron Koenigsegg Ccr