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Green Test Drive: BMW 335d
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
Cars that deliver 30 mph typically don’t deliver much else. Acceleration is, at best, peppy. You can buy fuel efficiency, but you can’t find a thrill.
 The 2009 BMW 335d is a breakthrough automobile: great fuel economy coupled with great performance.
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Tags: · BMW 335d, diesel engines, energy efficiency, Green Test Drive, high mileage cars
Green Test Drive: Mazda3
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
Do I believe in love at first sight? Yes, I’m certain it happens all the time. Like when driving the 2010 Mazda3 to the grocery store.
We had just made a left out of our subdivision, accelerated sharply, hit a big sweeping country-road sort of curve and coming out the other end – less than two miles into a week-long test drive – I said aloud: “I like this car.”
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Tags: · Clint Williams, Emissions, EPA SmartWay designation, Green Test Drive, Mazda3
Green Test Drive: Nissan Versa
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
If you like to keep things simple, you’ll like the 2009 Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan. This is a thrifty commuter car  for those who have embraced voluntary simplicity.
Nissan introduced a bare-bones edition of the subcompact Versa last fall to bring to market a new car with a starting sticker price of less than $10,000. To hit that price point, Nissan replaced the 1.8-liter engine with a smaller 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The company also stripped away the gadgets and do-dads many drivers have come to expect.
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Tags: · economy car, gas mileage, Green Test Drive, Nissan Versa
Green Test Drive: Volkswagen Jetta TDI
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
The variables that go into calculating the economics of driving a car will make your head hurt. The considerations include purchase price, depreciation, fuel economy, maintenance costs and insurance. Does the extra you pay for hybrid technology now pay off in savings at the pump over the long haul?
Anybody have a calculator?
But here is the bottom line for most car buyers: What’s it like once you slide your tush behind the wheel?
By that matrix, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI measures up pretty well.
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Tags: · Green Test Drive, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Green Test Drive: MINI Cooper S
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
The MINI Cooper S proves fighting global warming can be fun.
 This distinctive, diminutive cult car is fuel efficient, getting an EPA estimated 34 miles per gallon in highway driving.
But people considering a MINI Cooper – especially the turbocharged S edition – aren’t primarily interested in mpg. They’re more concerned with gpg – grins per gallon. The Cooper S offers plenty.
The turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine roars with 172 horsepower. Coupled with a clickity crisp six-speed stick shift, the tiny car is quick, quick, quick. The spec sheet says the 0-60 mph is 6.7 seconds, but it feels much faster because of the scale – just as 25 mph in a go-cart seems so much faster than the same speed in the family minivan.
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Tags: · Clint Williams, Green Test Drive, high mileage cars, Mini Cooper
Green Test Drive: Chevy Aveo
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
 Some people buy a car looking for thrills. Others want a little prestige under the hood. A lot of folks, though, just want something to get them to work and to the grocery store as cheaply as possible.
The 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 Hatchback is a car for those people.
The Aveo5, and its sedan counterpart, get an EPA estimated 34 miles per gallon in highway driving and you can expect darn close to 30 mpg in your typical mix of run-around-the-suburbs driving. Aveo meets the ULEV II emissions standard.
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Tags: · Chevy Aveo, Clint Williams, Green Test Drive
Green Test Drive: 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
 By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
Heated and cooled leather seats? Of course.
Touch-screen navigation system? Natch.
Killer Bose sound system? Satellite radio? Blind spot alert?
Check, check and check.
The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid offers all this and another luxury: a clear conscience.
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Tags: · Cadillac, Escalade Hybrid, GM, Green Test Drive
Green Test Drive: Suzuki SX4
By Clint Williams
With highway fuel economy of 30 mpg, the Suzuki SX4 certainly conserves gasoline. And, more importantly these days, this compact sedan conserves cash. A comfortably well-equipped SX4 – complete with standard touch-screen navigation system – rolls off the dealer lot for l ess than $16,000. That makes it financially competitive in its class, and as economical as most cars featured in our “30(cars) Over 30(mpg)” gallery.
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Tags: · Clint Williams, energy efficient cars, Green Test Drive, Suzuki SX4
Green Test Drive: Honda Civic Hybrid 2009
By Clint Williams
Let’s be honest: For most folks, conservation implies sacrifice. Maybe even a little discomfort. Turn down the thermostat to save energy, your feet are cold.
There is no sacrifice involved driving the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. Not after you write the check, anyway. In fact, Honda this year is adding some nice touches. The most important addition is electronic stability control, now standard. Options now include leather-trimmed interior, heated seats, navigation system, XM satellite radio and Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®.
The Civic Hybrid is powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and a 15 kilowatt electric motor, producing a combined 110-horsepower. That horsepower is harnessed by a smooth continuously variable transmission. Acceleration is best described as adequate, but this isn’t a sports car.
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Tags: · Clint Williams, green cars, Green Test Drive, Honda Civic Hybrid
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The 2009 BMW 335d is a breakthrough automobile: great fuel economy coupled with great performance.
