Top 11 'Green' Machines (CARS)

 

1- Ford Fiesta

Want to know a car's resale value? Pull out the Kelley Blue Book. Want to know its environmental   impact? Turn to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's Green Book. Published annually, the nonprofit organization's Green Book ranks the incoming crop of new vehicles from most to least eco-friendly. The ACEEE rankings are formulated by crunching some obvious data, such as fuel efficiency and tailpipe pollution, along with some more complex numbers, such as the environmental impact of building and powering a car. The one major surprise this year: Chevy's much-hyped Volt didn't make the top 10. But Nissan's electric vehicle, the Leaf, did, along with a pair of economical little fuel misers from Motown. Here's the full ACEEE list — is your car on it?



 2- Honda Civic GX

You probably don't hear a lot about "the other alternative fuel," but cars running on compressed natural gas, such as the Honda Civic GX, have been on the road for a long time. The Civic GX has been the Green Book leader for the past seven years, but this year it shares the crown with the Nissan Leaf. Although exceptionally clean, the GX is sold only in California, New York, Utah and Oklahoma.



3- Nissan Leaf

Sharing the Green Book's highest score for 2011 is the all-electric Nissan Leaf. The Leaf is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that users are expected to charge primarily from small wall stations installed at their homes. A fully charged battery will take the Leaf roughly 100 miles with zero tailpipe emissions. When evaluating the Leaf, the ACEEE factored in diverse data, including the impact of producing the battery and the emissions from generating the electricity used for charging.




4- Smart Fortwo Cabriolet And Coupe

The fuel-sipping fortwo cabriolet and coupe from smart ranked just below the Leaf and Civic GX. The manual-transmission fortwo earns an EPA fuel-economy rating of 33 mpg city/41 highway — on premium fuel, mind you. The ACEEE says that the electric version of the smart fortwo would have topped the Green Book list but that it was omitted because only 250 will hit the road this year.

5- Toyota Prius

The ever-popular Prius has slipped from second to fourth place this year. The iconic hybrid still offers the best fuel economy you can get in a gasoline car — 51 mpg city/48 highway — but it is facing hotter competition from fully electric and plug-in models. Prius lovers will be happy to hear that Toyota has announced plans to add both a larger and a smaller hybrid model to what will become a family of gas-electric cars under the Prius banner.





6- Honda Civic Hybrid

Despite playing second fiddle to the Prius, the Honda Civic Hybrid has been a formidable player on the "green"-car scene since its U.S. debut in 2002.


 The Civic Hybrid combines a nickel-metal hydride battery with an inline 4-cylinder engine to get an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 40 mpg city/43 highway.

Watch Video:  2011 Detroit Auto Show: Honda Civic

7- Honda Insight

Honda reincarnated the Insight in 2009, transforming it from a tiny 2-door hybrid into a sedan similar to the Toyota Prius, only a little bigger. While it lags behind the Toyota in fuel economy, the Insight is more affordable and slightly more energetic on the road than its rival. Plus, the interior lives up to the high standards Honda sets for vehicle quality. It also did very well in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests, earning a five-star rating for driver protection in front- and side-impact tests and four stars for passenger
protection in front- and side-impact tests.



8- Ford Fiesta SE

 

A rising star in the Blue Oval's catalog, the Fiesta looks as if it could raise the bar for quality and fun in the compact-car segment. The Fiesta SE trim with the SFE (Super Fuel Efficiency) package squeezes out 29 mpg city/40 highway, thanks to a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, 6-speed dual-clutch transmission and various body tweaks meant to optimize aerodynamics and keep weight to a minimum.





9- Chevrolet Cruze Eco

The Chevy Cruze Eco ends up tied with the Hyundai Elantra and MINI Cooper for the last three slots on the ACEEE's list. Like the efficiency-tuned Fiesta, the Cruze in its Eco trim has minimized drag and weight with body modifications and low-rolling-resistance tires. While surpassing the Fiesta in highway efficiency — the Cruze gets 42 mpg highway — Chevy's compact offering sips a bit more fuel in the urban commute.





10- Hyundai Elantra


Another option on the greener side of things is the affordable Hyundai Elantra. Reviewers seem to agree that this economical car is surprisingly fun to drive despite its low price tag. The 2011 Elantra's fuel economy crept up from last year's model to reach 29 mpg city/40 highway, and the sedan also stands out by offering a host of optional features you won't find on other affordable small cars, such as sleek leather seats and a proximity key with start/stop button ignition.

11- MINI Cooper

While it may not be as affordable or as fuel-efficient as the Cruze or Elantra, the MINI Cooper surely has more fun and looks better having it. And as proof that the nonhybrid gasoline engine keeps getting better, the MINI delivers an energizing ride and 29 mpg city/37 highway with a 6-speed automatic transmission. MINI is leasing 450 fully electric versions of the MINI Cooper, the MINI E, but there's no word on when, if ever, they will hit the market.

Top 11 'Green' Machines (CARS)