Ten high-end cars that pollute the least
No need to buy small and cheap to help out the environment
 | The midsize Lexus ES 350 and sportier GS 350 boast good fuel economy (19 mpg city/27 mpg highway) with low emissions for midsize luxury sedans. |
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What comes out of a car’s tailpipe is just as important as what goes into the fuel tank.
Fuel economy gets lots of play because of rising fuel costs, but exhaust emissions from motor vehicles have a huge impact on the planet and people’s health.
Internal combustion engines emit a host of harmful gases as a result of burning fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel, and ethanol. These highly toxic smog-forming emissions include carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other particulate matter that create the dark smoke seen billowing from diesel trucks and the gray haze hanging over large cities.
In addition to those pollutants, which are harmful to human health, vehicles also emit what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls “greenhouse gases,” with carbon dioxide (CO2) being the main offender. Motor vehicles are the largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for 51 percent of total emissions, according to the EPA.
Burning one gallon of gasoline emits 20 pounds of CO2.
CO2 and other greenhouse gases aren’t as immediately harmful to plants and animals, but scientists believe that they are causing global climate change as they collect in the earth’s atmosphere.
We have assembled a list of luxury vehicles that emit the fewest pollutants according to the EPA. (Click on the “slide show” link below to see the full list.)
Hybrids fare well in both rankings. Three Lexus hybrids top our list of luxury vehicles that pollute the least.
But with hybrids often costing more than their conventional counterparts, is it worth it to shell out extra green to get a greener car?
At least 1,049 people think so.
That's how many affluent motorists took delivery of the $104,000 Lexus LS 600h L sedan in 2007. This model is the most expensive hybrid available and ranks third on our list of the 10 least-polluting luxury vehicles, behind two other hybrid Lexus models, the GS 450h sedan and RX 400h SUV, which grab second and first place, respectively.
The large and ostentatious Lexus LS 600h L, with its potent V8 engine and electric-motor powertrain, certainly isn’t a poster child for eco-friendliness. Especially considering that it averages only 2 miles per gallon better than the conventionally powered LS 460, which gets an estimated 19 mpg overall.
“Lexus hybrid buyers are very interested in comparative fuel economy and emissions, but they are not willing to sacrifice performance or luxury,” says Greg Thome, Lexus’ communications administrator. “We're appealing to a buyer that, in many cases, might not have seriously considered a hybrid in the past — we're finding that LS 600h L buyers are cross shopping $100,000 models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.”
None of the competing sedans from other luxury automakers are currently offered as hybrids, but that’s about to change. Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche have all announced plans to unveil hybrids, some as soon as 2009.
For now, though, Lexus is the only one offering luxury hybrids, and that’s why it took the top three spots in our list of luxury vehicles that pollute the least.
Looking at tailpipe emissions alone, hybrids have a clear and immediate advantage. The hybrid LS 600h L emits 70 percent fewer pollutants than the gasoline-only LS 460, and 90 percent fewer pollutants than similarly powered sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, according to Lexus.
The main reason hybrids are so superior to conventional combustion engines when it comes to polluting is that a hybrids can automatically shut down their combustion engines in stop-and-go traffic when they’re at their least efficient and polluting the most. Some can even drive at low speeds using only battery power.
For those who shun hybrids, there are certain things to look for in conventionally powered vehicles that can dramatically reduce emissions — smaller, more efficient combustion engines, for one.
After the hybrids, cars with four- and five-cylinder engines come next on the list of luxury vehicles that pollute the least — cars like the Audi TT (fourth place), Volvo S40 (tied for seventh), and BMW 128i (tied for eighth) also made the cut.
Surprisingly, several sports cars — which tend to favor performance over efficiency — made the luxury-vehicle list, including the Porsche Boxster and Cayman in seventh place, the BMW Z4 3.0si, which tied for eighth place, and the Infiniti G37 Coupe, in tenth.
According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Avoider Study, which surveyed why consumers favored certain vehicles, while gas mileage played a prominent role in vehicle purchasing decisions, wanting an environmentally friendly vehicle was one of the least-cited reasons for choosing a particular model.
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But if the industry's interest in eco-friendliness continues to grow, more and more models will likely be available as hybrids, and more consumers will be buying them. J.D. Power expects over 1 million hybrid vehicles to be sold in the U.S. by 2012. By then, there will be more than 80 hybrid models to choose from, according to Omotoso, from small cars to SUVs to pickup trucks, and everything in between.
“Environmental consciousness tends to come from wealthier, college educated people,” Omotoso says. “But as terms like ‘global warming,’ ‘dependence on foreign oil,’ and ‘carbon footprint’ become more common, more and more consumers at all income levels will factor in the environment in their vehicle purchase decision.”
You don’t have to pick the most-expensive hybrid or the smallest car on the lot to do your part. “Even marginal improvements in fuel economy can go a long way,” says Catherine Milbourn, press officer for the Environmental Protection Agency.
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