Kelley names 2008's greenest cars. Or, another reason to buy a way-cute Mini Cooper.
Having owned exactly two cars in my life, I have consulted the Kelley Blue Book Web site exactly once: To take a guess at how much my Volkswagen Jetta could fetch when it was totalled last year. (Note, I wasn't driving it when said total happened. Ironically someone totalled their hybrid by driving into my parked car.)
In any event, I would imagine that many U.S. drivers are looking at the concept of car "ownership" a little differently with the news this week that Ford will dramatically raise its leasing terms while Chrysler will ditch the business altogether. After all, it's hard to give that gas-guzzler back now, isn't it? You're stuck with it, and I imagine people will start getting more finicky about what they're willing to take. If you're a car dealer, are you REALLY going to want to take back a car three years from now, considering all the activity going on in alternative fuel technology?
So, here's a bit of fortuitous timing: Kelley has just launched a new section on its Web site dedicated to providing information about the greenest cars out there. It offers information about alternative fuel technologies including hydrogen, electric flex fuel/ethanol and so on. The Green information section also provides information about the latest Green models and the editors have come up with, yes, a list of the Top 10 Green Cars.
OK, and now that I'm reading this list I'm even more upset that I didn't convince my husband to opt for a Mini Cooper, one of the four fuel-powered models that made this list, which gets up to 37 miles per gallon on the highway. (My mother would beg to differ, but maybe that's because she has last year's model. So, maybe I am better off anyway even though my Acura doesn't make this list.)
Anyway, there are the usual hybrid suspects here, including the Toyota Prius (averaging 46 miles per gallon), plus one model each from Ford and Chevrolet. Back in "regular" cars on the Top 10 list, there's even a new Mercedes diesel model listed, even though that has gotta hurt at the gas pump.
A useful Web site for those in the buy.