The end of the world as we know it is upon us yet again. Vehicles powered by fossil fuel are the new dinosaurs. Everyone from the research boffins to the man in the street is looking to find appropriate ways to keep mobile through the next few years of crisis. Somewhere amidst all the talk of peak oil and the panacea of nuclear-powered private vehicles, there has to be a patch of middle ground. Those who are really feeling the pressure have to be those who like to travel the length and breadth of this country, with its vast distances, rough roads and mountain passes. These are the much maligned SUV owners, the guys who reckon they can truly justify a big offroader because the vehicles should be inherently tougher and can carry more people and stuff in comfort. Trouble is, if you own an SUV, the fuel bills are now truly spiralling out of control. For a time the punters of diesel were smiling. At nearly R12 a litre the smiles have been wiped right off their faces. Petrol at over R10/litre is no picnic either, especially when you’re using a litre every four kilometers or so.

You are the guys crying out for answers. We feel your pain. Pared down to basics, there are just two answers: one, we could go in search of another planet where oil barons are tame, food is plentiful and dancing girls in skimpy outfits cater to our very need. Or, ahem, we could work clever and choose from the currently available alternatives.
Ever optimistic though, we headed for Sutherland where the search for other planets is a continuous one. We had rounded up a vehicle from each of the power camps: a Hummer H3 powered by a 180kW, 3.7 litre petrol (unleaded), weighing in at 2231kg (plus a shedload of chromed accessories); a facelifted Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland with a 160kW 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel under the hood (good for generally available 500ppm diesel) and carrying 2135kg; and last the new green hope, a Lexus RX400H, a clever self-sustaining hybrid combining a 155kW 3.3 litre petrol V6 with a 123kW electric motor driving the front wheels and a 50kW electric engine driving the rear. All this in the most compact package in the line-up, but still tipping the scales at 2040kg.
Our test would take us a highly varied 700km route on tar from sea level at Cape Town along the N1 through to Matjiesfontein, then left on the scenic R354 to Sutherland, situated at a power-sapping 1500 metres above sea level – equivalent to much of the highveld. From there we hit the dirt and some ancient rocky passes, heading west into the Tankwa Karoo area, skirting the Springbokvlakte, before heading south on tyre-shredding shale roads towards Ceres and on to the tightly twisted Bain’s Kloof Pass.
A stringent real world test then, throwing up some real world fuel consumption figures.