The Greenest Vehicles of 2007.
At the top of every environmentalist’s wish list is an eco-friendly vehicle. With this in mind, automobile manufacturers have raced to the drawing boards anxious to roll out their version of the green machines.
To see how they stack up, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has put the latest models to the test. Their “Best of 2007” list includes the year’s top-rated subcompact, compact, midsize, and large cars, as well as minivans, vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles. Let’s check out this year’s greenest and meanest automobiles, as reported on the ACEEE’s Green Book website.
The Greenest
The vehicles in this category were ranked the highest in their class based on fuel efficiency and low-emission standards.
- Subcompact and Compact: The Honda Civic GX and Civic Hybrid came in at the top of the compact vehicle category, as well as the Toyota Corolla, Kia Rio, Ford Focus, Mazda 3, and Hyundai Accent. For subcompact cars, the Mini Cooper Convertible, Chevrolet Aveo 5 and Cobalt, the Volkswagen New Beetle, Toyota Yaris, and the Pontiac G5 rise to the top.
- Midsize and Large: The Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra and Altima, and the Kia Spectra shine in the midsize category. Best of the large cars are the Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Impala, Toyota Avalon, Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, and the Buick Lucerne.
- Wagons: The greenest wagon awards go to the Ford Focus Wagon, Subaru Legacy 2.5i Wagon, Honda Fit, Pontiac Vibe, Suzuki SX4, Audi A3, Dodge Caliber, Toyota Matrix, and the Volkswagen Passat Wagon.
- Minivans and Large Vans: For something with a little more space but still easy on the environment, check out the Toyota Sienna, Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest, Chevrolet G1500/2500 Van, and the GMC G1500/2500 Savana (Cargo).
- SUV’s: Sport Utility Vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re looking for one as big on style as well as fuel economy, try the Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Subaru Forester, Jeep Compass, Saturn Vue, Jeep Patriot, Toyota Highlander, Ford Freestyle, Pontiac Torrent, Lexus RX 400h, Nissan Xterra, BMW X3, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, and the GMC Yukon.
- Pickups: The Ford Ranger, Mazda B2300, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Sierra Classic and the Silverado Classic in both the C1500 models as well as the Hybrid get the job done in an Earth-Friendly way.
The Meanest
The vehicles in the “Meanest” category had the worst overall scores in terms of fuel efficiency and emission output.
- Volkswagen Touareg
- Mercedes-Benz GL320 CGI
- Lamborghini Murcielago
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Bentley Arnage RL
- Mercedes-Benz R320 CDI
- Mercedes-Benz ML 320 CDI
- Maybach 57 S/62 S
- Bentley Azure
- Ford F-250
- Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab
- Lincoln Navigator
