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.
[Read more →]
Journal names Green Car of the Year finalists
October 30th, 2008 · 2 Comments
By Tom Kessler
Green Car Journal editors have chosen the five finalists for the 2009 Green Car of the Year award. They include two “clean” diesels — the BMW 335d and Volkswagen Jetta TDI — the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, and the Euro-bred smart fortwo. The winner will be announced Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
According to the Journal’s experts, the five models are important milestones for their manufacturers. The VW and BMW clean diesels signal the advent of highly efficient, advanced diesel sedans that meet emissions requirements in all 50 states. Ford’s Fusion Hybrid is the American automaker’s first hybrid sedan. Saturn’s Vue 2-Mode represents the first time GM has used its two-mode hybrid system in a V-6 front-drive platform. The smart fortwo is fuel efficient micro car from Europe that just made ti the U.S. in recent months.
[Read more →]
Tags: · BMW, Ford, GM, green cars, Saturn, smart fortwo, Volkswagen
