Go Go Green Cars

Until recently people were trading in there SUV’s for more fuel efficient compact vehicles. With the price of fuel rising dramatically many people were passing up SUV’s. Nowadays you can find a variety of fuel efficient and eco-friendly SUV’s and Crossovers. Below are a few of the most popular vehicles that give you the extra space and comfort of a SUV and the added benefit of being fuel efficient.

Ford Escape Hybrid- The Ford Escape Hybrid was one of the first mainstream hybrid SUV’s to be produced. It was first introduced in 2005 and offers the power of a V6 engine with the fuel economy of a 4 cylinder vehicle. It is the most fuel efficient SUV on the market today. Both power sources work together to provide maximum performance. It contains a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors. It has electronically controlled variable transmission (CVT). The Ford Escape gets close to 30mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

Toyota Highlander Hybrid- The Toyota Highlander Hybrid was the first hybrid to offer all wheel drive and offers seating for seven. It was first introduced in 2006 and is an excellent midsize crossover vehicle. This vehicle has versatility, fuel economy and high levels of safety features. It gets about 27mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

Jeep Compass- The Jeep Compass doesn’t look like other tough off road Jeep vehicles and has a car based design. It is a small SUV that is easy to drive and also fuel efficient. It has a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine and a five speed manual transmission. It gets around 23 mpg in the city and 28mpg on the highway.

SUV’s have came a long way since their inception. They were once consider gas guzzlers and were not very ecofriendly. However, today you can have all of the comforts and extras that a SUV offers and still be driving a vehicle that is fuel efficient with lower CO2 emissions.

Since the automakers are all on the quest to produce vehicles that have high fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions there are an abundant of diverse vehicles to choose from. Greener vehicles are becoming more mainstream from entry level to luxury cars. There has even been an increase in clean diesels, which offer the driver more power along with better fuel mileage.

The Green Car Journal has chosen the 2010 Audi A3 TDI for the prestigious title of the Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year. For the second year in a row a clean diesel has taken top honors in the annual award program. Last year the award went to the VW Jetta TDI.

The competition for top honors was tough and among a lineup of stellar vehicles including three hybrids and a clean diesel. The other green cars that were contenders included the Honda Insight Hybrid, the Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Toyota Prius. The other clean diesel in the running for the award was the VW Golf TDI.

The judges of this year’s award liked the rakish styling and 42 mpg highway fuel efficiency of the Audi A3 TDI. This vehicle has a 50% improvement over the A3 gasoline model and has relatively low CO2 emissions. This model is also approved by Audi for operation on up to B5 biodiesel fuel.

The Audi A3 is an entry level luxury car that has a variety of distinctive features, including 17 inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and a sporty appearance. The Audi A3 looks like a hatchback; however, the EPA officially classified it as a small station wagon. Audi on the other hand describes it as Sportback. No matter what it is called, the Audi A3 TDI is a fuel efficient and low emissions winner of the 2010 Green Car on the Year award.