NADA picks America's top five cleanest conventional gas autos
With Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, it's inevitable that automotive conversations will take on a green tinge. While hybrids are an obvious hot topic, it's not the only way to tread lightly on Mother Nature. NADAGuides.com have named what they think are the top five cleanest conventional vehicles, basing the scores on a combination of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution levels and fuel economy. Surprisingly or not, the list is primarily comprised of domestic vehicles. The press release is posted after the jump, and hit the gallery to see the results in order.
Batteries Not Included - NADAguides.com Announces the Top Five Cleanest Conventional Gasoline Cars for Earth Day 2009
-Top Five Vehicles that Save Consumers Money While Saving the Environment-
COSTA MESA, Calif., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- This Earth Day, NADAguides.com, the leading provider of pricing information and market research for new cars, used cars, classics, RVs, motorcycles and boats, announces its Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars of 2009, simply suggesting that hybrids aren't the only choice for those who wish to minimize the environmental impact of their driving. NADAguides.com is a huge proponent of hybrid and alternative fuel technology, but given that the industry will be highlighting hybrids for Earth Day the company wanted to show that there are conventional vehicles that can help cut down on air pollution. To provide consumers with an alternative to alternative fuel vehicles, the NADAguides.com Market Data Analysts evaluated fuel economy and emissions data and determined that the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, MINI Cooper, Pontiac G5 and Hyundai Elantra are the Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars of 2009.
"It is no surprise that on Earth Day the automotive world will be focused on the latest and greatest hybrid vehicles, but the fact remains that consumers are still overwhelmingly buying and driving conventional gasoline cars," said Michael Caudill, spokesperson for NADAguides.com. "The Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars show that consumers have options for vehicles that are easy on the environment without the higher price point of emerging hybrid technology."
Despite improvements in production efficiency and material costs, the prices of gas-electric hybrid vehicles remain considerably higher than those of their gasoline-only counterparts. The base price of the all-new 2010 Honda Insight, designed to rival the fuel economy of the Toyota Prius for about $2,000 less, is still expected to retail for nearly $2,000 more than the MINI Cooper, the most expensive car on the NADAguides.com top 5 list.
The Chevrolet Cobalt LS, Ford Focus S, Pontiac G5 and Hyundai Elantra GLS all qualify for PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle) certification, while the MINI Cooper is designated as an ULEV (ultra low emissions vehicle). Several independent tests have shown that the exhaust coming from the tailpipe of a PZEV vehicle is often cleaner than the surrounding air in many metropolitan areas. In fact, four of the five cars on the list put out less air pollution than some hybrid vehicles.
NADAguides.com chose the Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars based on a combination of scores from three criteria: Greenhouse gas emissions, smog-producing air pollution levels and combined miles per gallon.
Vehicle Combined MPG Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Base
Emissions (pounds/year) MSRP
(tons/year)
2009 Pontiac G5 30 6.13 0.99 $16,980
2009 Chevy Cobalt LS 29 6.34 0.99 $15,660
2009 Hyundai Elantra GLS 28 6.57 0.99 $15,120
2009 Ford Focus S 28 6.57 0.99 $15,520
2009 MINI Cooper 32 5.75 4.13 $18,550
Greenhouse gas emissions include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane gas (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and represent vehicle combustion by-products that contribute to global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions are expressed in tons per year based on 15,000 miles of average driving. These figures are directly proportional to the vehicle's fuel economy and type of fuel used.
Smog-forming air pollution includes nitrogen oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), various carbon-containing compounds (including hydrocarbons), formaldehyde (HCHO) and solid particulate matter. These compounds, which contribute to smog and other health problems, are measured in pounds emitted per year based on 15,000 miles of average driving.
Combined fuel economy is calculated from EPA city/highway miles per gallon figures, based on 55 percent city and 45 percent highway driving.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aprime 4:07PM (4/07/2009)
Not exactly scientific unless the specs of the Cobalt coupe (/G5) really differ from the LS, eh.
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Joe K. 8:09PM (4/07/2009)
The Cobalt LS may be the sedan since the G5 is coupe only... Just a thought, probably not the reason, but maybe...
bill jackman 4:14PM (4/07/2009)
Nice background on the pic of the G5.
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Edmond Dantes 4:17PM (4/07/2009)
Are you sure this wasn't the top five most boring cars?
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chconline 4:17PM (4/07/2009)
I have lots to disagree on... but let's not start a flame war. But seriously, the list. Sigh.
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bill jackman 4:27PM (4/07/2009)
Just a general comment, but why can't manufacturers offer an engine shutoff mechanism for fairly new vehicles? Wouldn't stopping the engine when the car is at a stoplight help pollution in urban areas? Aren't there simple gas-saving and pollution-reducing things like this that we can do to current vehicles, rather than create an entirely new set of "hybrid" vehicles that the majority of people aren't even willing to buy?
And why does the new Insight look just as ugly as the Prius? Why can't there be hybrid mechanicals AND good design in a reasonably priced gas-electric vehicle? (Volt doesn't count since it's going to be more than $40k equipped.)
Oy.
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why not the LS2LS7? 4:31PM (4/07/2009)
There's an engine shutoff control right there on the steering column.
Automatic stop-start stinks. No one wants to wait 3/4 of a second after they press the gas before they start moving.
Swede 4:46PM (4/07/2009)
No, auto start stop does not stink. It works very well.
nardvark 4:48PM (4/07/2009)
I think the real answer is that there's no incentive for them to do so. It wouldn't affect EPA mileage ratings, which is all they can sell to the public. In order for it to be worth their while, there would have to be an incentive to lower overall emissions a relatively marginal amount.
chconline 4:57PM (4/07/2009)
"Why can't there be hybrid mechanicals AND good design in a reasonably priced gas-electric vehicle?"
The Civic Hybrid?
It didn't really sell because people who owns hybrids wants to be like "OMG I HAVE A HYBRID I AM SO GREEN" and not just another Civic on the street.
James Mooney 4:31PM (4/07/2009)
Impressive that 3 of the 5 are built by American car companies.
The G5, in my opinion, is MUCH better looking than the Focus. That Focus just didn't come together right...
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Nixapatfan 4:32PM (4/07/2009)
Funny thought Amercan car companies only made gas guzzlers that destroy the environment?
LOL all the eco weenies and Japanese car lovers(maybe they are one and the same) will be whining like the little babies they are.
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Max 5:29PM (4/07/2009)
And of course this is an unbiased study eh?
Julius 6:13PM (4/07/2009)
Umm... this is coming from the same people that dealers use to figure out trade-in value (National Automobile Dealers Association). Don't know where the bias would be...
Joe K. 8:11PM (4/07/2009)
NADA is rarely used for trade-ins, mostly its for financing with banks for used vehicles. Galves is the wholesale book used for trade-ins.
BoxerFanatic 4:40PM (4/07/2009)
Exactly how is stop/start cleaner?
To start the engine, it takes more fuel than to idle an engine, and way more fuel than to coast an engine.
This greenie stuff is really getting tedious. Honestly, it is wearying.
Just sell a good car, really, does it need to be more complicated and convoluted than that?
When they can build cars that do well what CARS are supposed to do well, then maybe they can figure out how to make them even "better".
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nardvark 4:47PM (4/07/2009)
I think that Mazda's new start/stop system gets rid of these problems, since it uses direct injection and stops the cylinders at a specific location, it knows exactly how much it needs to get things moving.
Sean 6:23PM (4/07/2009)
The figure I heard is idling for a minute is the same as turning the engine on about 3 times. Gonna idle for more than half a minute? Probably worth it.
nardvark 4:52PM (4/07/2009)
Not that it was the highest thing on my list of priorities, but when we were cross-shopping the Focus with its import competition, the fact that its emissions are squeaky clean didn't hurt its case. It's a hard conversation to have with most customers though, as they aren't terribly interested in the difference between different types of pollution, and assume that fuel efficiency always equals low pollution (they correlate strongly, but not 1:1).
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Martin 5:08PM (4/07/2009)
Are the mini one and mini d not available in the US? surely they're both more planet friendly than the cooper, the d does 50+ mpg!
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