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The upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show will feature the announcement of the fifth Green Car of the Year award, which honors the automobile that is consumer ready and shows the best environmental leadership. Here’s a quick overview of the finalists:
AUDI A3 TDI
This sporty compact hatchback is based on the VW Golf and is the first Audi to make it as a top contender for Green Car of the Year. Touted as a highly efficient, small luxury car, the A3 TDI engine packs a 140 horse power, 236 lb-ft torque, in-line 4-cylinder turbocharged clean diesel engine with common rail direct injection and piezoelectric injectors. The Audi A3 TDI emission control system claims to reduce particles and nitrogen emissions by up to 90 percent, fulfilling the world’s most stringent emission standard, California’s ULEV II.
Honda Insight
This hybrid sedan gets 40 miles per gallon in the city and 43 on the highway thanks in part to its Eco Assist system. The sophisticated feedback system is designed to make you a more efficient driver while the big green ECON button kicks the car into a high efficiency mode by modifying various vehicle systems to minimize energy use and maximize fuel economy.
Toyota Prius
The 2010 Toyota Prius is in its third-generation and remains a popular hybrid model. The 2010 Prius gets 51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 on the highway. The Prius also focuses on different driving modes for better fuel economy, with an EV mode for battery power only, ECO for reduced gas pedal sensitivity and power mode, which uses the Prius’ full potential. Competition between the Prius and the Insight is certainly heated as these two foreign car makers battle for the hybrid throne.
2010 Mercury Milan
The Mercury Milan is another hybrid which gets 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on the highway. The Milan is distinguished by its 47 mile per hour top speed on electric power only, a speed unmatched by any other hybrid. The Milan also accepts both gasoline and E75, which helps cut back on carbon emissions.
VW Golf TDI
The VW Golf TDI packs a TDI Clean Diesel Engine that decreases up to 95 percente of all sooty emissions. As a 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, it outputs 170 horsepower and 177 lbs-ft torque. The VW Golf TDI gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 miles per gallon on the highway.
The winner of the Green Car of the Year award will be announced on December 3. The finalists were picked by Green Car Journal but the jurors for the final decision include Jay Leno, Carroll Shelby, Matt Petersen, Carl Pope, Jean-Michel Cousteau and the editors of Green Car Journal.
