BEING green doesn’t mean sacrificing the ‘cool ride’ part of your persona. The Green Guide runs a rule over ten eco-friendly cars so you can leave smaller carbon tyre-prints as you cruise around Andalucia in style. In ascending price order:
1. Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion 1.4 TDi: > 12,000 euros
Without using hybrid technology, Volkswagen has made a sleek car with very low C02 emissions. The ‘BlueMotion’ tag means this vehicle is the most eco-friendly model in its range.
2. Smart Fortwo CABRIO CDI Passion 2dr: > 15,500 euros
Everyone has seen Smartcars cruising around town looking cute and quick. Now, the Fortwo model lets you be cute, quick, and green as you drive through city streets. The Cabrio model includes a roll-down top perfect for the Andalucian summer.
3. Mini Cooper D 1.6: > 19,000 euros
The renovated engine on this Mini Cooper handles just as well as the normal Cooper but boasts impressively low C02 emissions and comes with a diesel particulate filter. One of the coolest features is the Auto Start/Stop, which saves energy by cutting the engine when you stop at traffic lights, and restarting it in an instant when you start driving again.
4. Honda Civic Hybrid: > 21,500 euros
The Civic Hybrid combines the get-up-and-go of a 1.6-litre engine with the fuel economy of a 1.1-litre engine. Honda refers to this speedy model as the “first-ever ‘no compromise’ alternative-energy car.”
5. Lexus HS 250h: > 26,500 euros
No need to give up the glamour when you go green. This model gives you a quiet hybrid ride while still possessing all the important cutting-edge Lexus features such as hard-drive-based navigation and natural language voice-command system.
6. Audi A8 2.8 V6 FSI SE: > 60,000 euros
Audi’s updated luxury A8 model boasts very low C02 emissions but also new and improved wing mirrors, LED taillights, power steering, and air-suspension systems. With plenty of space and state-of-the-art equipment, you won’t need to make many sacrifices for a reduced carbon footprint with this Audi.
7. Mercedes S400 Hybrid: > 67,000 euros
Of all the cars that are partially gas-powered, the Mercedes hybrid is the world’s most efficient. Oozing style, this vehicle makes it possible for consumers to enjoy the famously classy luxury sedan while cruising in an eco-friendly fashion.
8. BMW X6 ActiveHybrid: >69,000 euros
Billed as the “most powerful hybrid vehicle,” the ActiveHybrid lives up to its name with a sporty look and an efficient engine that uses its powertrain feature to perform at its most efficient level no matter what your speed may be.
9. Lexus LS 600H: > 96,000 euros
From zero to 60 in 5.5seconds, without leaving a trace of pollutants? It seems too good to be true. But this spacious hybrid can make it happen with all the right equipment, including a continuously variable transmission (CVT) gearbox that lets you change through an infinite amount of gears between maximum and minimum values.
10. Tesla Roadster Sport: >104,000 euros
If you want to drive an eco-friendly car but just can’t bear to give up the quintessential head-turning sports car flashiness, look here. The Roadster is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first electric vehicle that can travel over 200 miles on a single charge of its battery pack.
