Town Car Blends Old-school American Luxury

Ethanol is derived from plant material, corn mostly. Because its raw materials come mostly from U.S. E85 ethanol produces fewer harmful exhaust emissions than conventional gasoline. They also position E85 ethanol as a support for American jobs and agriculture. They also argue that the home-grown fuel helps the nation’s trade balance and reduces tax dollars and military resources needed to secure our supply of foreign oil.American automakers, stung by criticism that they lag their Japanese rivals in production of gas/electric hybrid vehicles, have embraced E85 ethanol under the umbrella of energy conservation and independence. U.S. refineries, ethanol is touted as a renewable energy source that has the potential to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Proponents add that utilizing this renewable energy source helps stretch the earth’s finite supply of fossil fuels.

Added expense and reduced convenience are the primary drawbacks of driving a flex-fuel vehicle on E85 ethanol, and you also may feel limited in the variety of vehicle types available to you. In the expense category, E85 ethanol users need to buy more fuel and fill up more often than they would using 100 percent gasoline. That’s because E85 ethanol fuel contains less combustible energy as gasoline per unit of volume.

Yukon is pitched as an upscale alternative to Chevrolet’s Tahoe, and like the Chevy, is a Best Buy value. And like all of GM’s large SUVs, Yukon is redesigned for 2007. Yukon XL seats up to nine and offers curtain side airbags for all three seating rows. As Suburban is to Tahoe in the Chevy lineup, Yukon XL is the longer wheelbase version of the GMC Yukon. The E85 ethanol flex-fuel 5.3-liter V8 is standard. All Yukons offer rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive that can be left engaged on dry pavement and includes low-range gearing. The E85 ethanol flex-fuel 5.3-liter V8 is an $800 option on 2WD SLE models and is standard on other Yukons.

E85-compatible vehicles (bottom) and indicates the same. The Ford F-150 pickup is an example. Some flex fuel versions of engines are optional at extra cost, but it’s the same charge as for the conventional gas version of the same engine. Its base price is $18,220, but that’s with a 202-horsepower 4.2-liter V6 engine, which runs only on conventional gasoline. The surest ways to determine whether you may already have an E85 ethanol flex fuel vehicle is to consult your owner’s manual or check for an identifying sticker inside the fuel door.

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