Green Ratings for City Cars
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04. 3.06
Time Out, London’s weekly guide, has rated the best of the current batch of small cars by using green criteria. These scores were based on fuel efficiency,carbon dioxide emissions and the very subjective views of the writer. The Best for Performance award, five stars out of a possible six, goes to the ubiquitous BMW Mini for being “easily the best-handling vehicle”. Best for Families is the Smart Fortwo. Time Out considers it be the “definitive city car—superbly built, comfy and spacious and great to drive”. Not to forget ease of parking. It is the cheapest of the lot at £6,810. The Nissan Micra C+C also receives 5 stars for having the most supple suspension, ample power—and being available in pink.Best for the environment is the hybrid Toyota Prius, as noted in TreeHugger previously. It is one of the few cars, along with the Smart Fortwo, which is exempt from the congestion charge in London. However it is also the most expensive, at £17,795 for the no-frills model--the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has just bought one.
G-Wiz (covered In TreeHugger here) is the quintessential London car—it runs on battery power, reaches 40 mph and goes for 40 miles on a 50 pence charge. It is very odd looking but there are important benefits: it is exempt from the congestion charge, owners pay zero road tax, get low insurance rates and free parking in the centre of town.In the lowest range are the Chevrolet Matiz, Mitsubishi Colt and Peugeot 1007.These are basic but still considered as good for town driving, with acceptable fuel consumption. ::Time Out
what to they mean "Best for the Environment"?
Suerly mileage isn't all that there is.
I've got my sights set on a Honda Fit for later this yerar. ;-)
Chris
The Nissan Versa and the Toyota Yaris also look promising, although the wait is longer.
Since when is the Toyota Prius considered a small car?