Hybrids and driving in the Midwest

I'm about to head to the airport and return home to Los Angeles. I've been in and around Madison, WI the past few days for a wedding. Since I was in a different area, I paid close attention to what people were driving in this area of the U.S.. While Buicks were far more common than the Camrys and Accords that I see during my daily commutes in Southern California, I still saw a number of hybrid cars.

Granted, I didn't do much driving and Madison is somewhat of a liberal town, but I saw at least one Toyota Prius every time I drove somewhere. In addition the Honda dealership next to my hotel boasted that more than 30 hybrids were in stock according to television commercials. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to stop in so that I could test drive the new Civic hybrid.

I was also surprised that more people didn't drive SUVs. These people definitely have more reasons to need the vehicles, considering their weather. Yet I think SUVs, especially the big ones, are actually more common in Southern California than in Madison, WI - something which I found very surprising. Heading to Madison, I thought I would be more likely to see a Ford Escape hybrid, or a Toyota Highlander hybrid rather than a Prius, but I was wrong.

Interesting trip and I guess I learned that SUVs were made for freeways, not rough driving conditions.