An influential guide to low-pollution, fuel-sipping cars by the Automobile Club of Southern California has a new favorite: the Lexus GS 450h.
The $62,000 sedan is something of a souped-up, luxurious cousin to the Toyota Prius.
“What Lexus has done over the years is to take a little different tack,” said Steve Mazor, manager of the Automotive Research Center in Diamond Bar, where cars were tested for emissions and fuel efficiency. “The idea is to get a car that really performs like a sports sedan and really gets better fuel economy than other sports sedans … but very, very clean tailpipe emissions at the same time.”
The winner on a no-less-significant list for best value is the Nissan Versa, a no-frills, strictly gasoline-propelled sedan.
“It’s a $14,000 car that does everything pretty well, including its mileage,” Mazor said.
The automobile club’s 2012 Green Car Guide makes considerable concessions to American priorities and tastes.
Fuel economy and emissions certifications are weighed alongside comfort and handling, with vehicles put through their performance paces at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
The guide — posted online this month and distributed via AAA affiliates in 19 states — does not incorporate the current suite of state incentives and federal tax credits for plug-in and other zero-emission vehicles, which can reduce the initial purchase costs by as much as $10,000, along with HOV-lane privileges and potential savings on a car charger at home. (Not everyone can recoup the federal credit, its authors reasoned, and California incentives stop at the state line.)
Read more at: http://www.thesandiegouniontribune.com/news/2012/sep/20/tp-lexus-model-takes-title-as-markets-greenest-car/
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