Which Hybrids Are Worth the Green? Cars.com Names Best Hybrids for the Money
April 09 2009 - 12:26PM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Since their emergence into the
market, hybrid vehicles have been popular with consumers. With so
many options now available, Cars.com editors have put together a
list based on vehicle size that identifies which hybrids offer the
best value for the money you'll spend on them. "Even with money
saved on gas, and federal tax incentives to defray purchase costs,
hybrids are still more expensive than conventional cars," said
Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen. "Cars.com put together its
list of Best Hybrids for the Money for hybrid shoppers looking to
go green without spending too much green. The list highlights the
hybrids in each vehicle segment that stand out from the pack and
really deliver the most for your money." Cars.com's Best Hybrids
for the Money In a Class By Itself: 2009 Toyota Prius MSRP: $22,000
(2009) Gas mileage (city/highway -- combined): 48/45 -- 46
Efficiency-cost rating: 2.09 To understand the Prius' longtime
appeal, look no further than this list. It's ahead of the 2010
Honda Insight hybrid (2.07), which is a smaller car. A few gas-only
models -- including the two-seat Smart ForTwo (3.0), the Nissan
Versa 1.6 sedan (2.9) and the Toyota Yaris (2.62) -- are affordable
and efficient enough to outrank the Prius, but they can't compare
in terms of size. (We don't have third-generation 2010 Prius
pricing yet, but the combined mileage increase to 50 mpg means
Toyota could boost the price by thousands without hurting its
ranking.) Regardless of size class, the Prius earns our top
efficiency-cost ranking of all. Compact Cars: 2010 Honda Insight
MSRP: $19,800 Gas mileage (city/highway -- combined): 40/43 -- 41
Efficiency-cost rating: 2.07 The lowest-priced hybrid as of its
debut, the 2010 Insight is intended to compete with efficient
non-hybrids. One could argue that it does, as its rating beats that
of the Chevrolet Cobalt LS (1.92), which has the best
efficiency-cost ranking among cars in the traditional gas-only
compact class. Though it's not as nice inside, the Nissan Versa
hatchback and its low, low price of $13,100 compete in the
subcompact class. The Versa is, however, technically large enough
inside to be called a compact, and the base model has a
jaw-dropping 2.14 rating. 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid MSRP: $23,650 Gas
mileage (city/highway -- combined): 40/45 -- 42 Efficiency-cost
rating: 1.78 The Civic Hybrid's place on this list is tenuous: It
costs more than the Prius despite being smaller, and the cheaper
Insight has comparable cabin size and more cargo space. The Civic
Hybrid's efficiency-cost ranking is lower than that of the regular
Civic (1.89) and some other compacts. All the same, it's a proven
entity and one of the most efficient cars sold, with plenty of
appeal for traditional hybrid buyers. Will the Insight eat into
Civic Hybrid sales? You bet it will. Midsize Car: 2010 Ford Fusion
Hybrid MSRP: $27,270 - $1,700 federal tax credit = $25,570 Gas
mileage (city/highway -- combined): 41/36 -- 39 Efficiency-cost
rating: 1.53 Our midsize-sedan entry, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid,
comes in well ahead of the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid, which has an
efficiency-cost rating of 1.30. Note that the Fusion Hybrid
benefits from a $1,700 federal tax credit if bought between April 1
and Sept. 30. The credit then decreases to $850, until it expires
March 31, 2010. Tax credits have already expired for prolific
hybrid sellers Honda and Toyota, but that's not the deciding
factor; the Fusion Hybrid's efficiency cost would spank the Camry
Hybrid's even if calculated with the lower tax credit (1.48) or
none at all (1.43). The Fusion is the only car model on the market
whose hybrid ranks higher in efficiency cost than its gas-only
version (roughly 1.35). The Fusion Hybrid's sibling, the Mercury
Milan Hybrid, has a higher sticker price that ranks it well below
the Fusion Hybrid, at 1.35. Compact SUV: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
FWD MSRP: $29,645 - $1,500 federal tax credit = $28,145 Gas mileage
(city/highway -- combined): 34/31 -- 32 Efficiency-cost rating:
1.14 The Ford Escape gets the compact-SUV slot because it's priced
lower than its sibling, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (1.12). The
Mazda Tribute Hybrid actually ranks higher (1.16) due to a lower
starting price, but it's sold only in California. All three models
are good choices. They are the most efficient SUVs on the market,
though the recently improved non-hybrid Escape and Tribute outrank
them in efficiency cost (1.22 for the Tribute), as does the miserly
Jeep Patriot (1.43). Like the Fusion's, the hybrid SUVs' tax
credits halve Sept. 30. Note that all-wheel-drive versions of these
models already get a lower, $975 credit to begin with. Midsize SUV:
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD MSRP: $34,700 Gas mileage
(city/highway -- combined): 27/25 -- 26 Efficiency-cost rating:
0.75 Being the only midsize non-luxury hybrid SUV helps the
Highlander Hybrid land this position. Its size and price show in
its sub-zero efficiency-cost rating. Though it ranks behind some
gas-only midsize SUVs, starting with the Dodge Journey (1.00), it
ranks above the regular Highlander with all-wheel drive (0.65). It
doesn't quite catch the Highlander with front-wheel drive (0.78),
but the hybrid is only offered with all-wheel drive. Luxury SUV:
2008 Lexus RX 400h FWD MSRP: $42,080 (2008) Gas mileage
(city/highway -- combined): 27/24 -- 25 Efficiency-cost rating:
0.59 The RX hybrid rated is a 2008 model; Lexus skipped the 2009
model year pending the 2010 RX 450h, which comes mid-summer 2009.
Because of higher prices and typically lower mileage, luxury models
don't rate as high in efficiency cost as do non-luxury models of
the same size. That's the case with the 2008 Lexus RX hybrid,
especially because it's less efficient than the 2010 model, which
the EPA rates at 32/28 -- 30 mpg. Thanks to the bump, it's likely
that the 2010 RX 450h will take the 400h's place on this list when
its pricing is announced, even if the price is substantially
higher. Pickup Truck: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid RWD MSRP:
$38,020 - $2,200 federal tax credit = $35,820 Gas mileage
(city/highway -- combined): 21/22 -- 21 Efficiency-cost rating:
0.59 As a full-size pickup truck, the Silverado Hybrid has lower
mileage and a lower efficiency-cost rating than the smaller
hybrids, but that doesn't change the end result: a significant
improvement in efficiency over non-hybrid trucks, especially in
city driving, where the difference is almost 50 percent. The
Silverado LS RWD is priced lower, but its accompanying lower
mileage (14/19 -- 16 mpg) puts it just shy of the hybrid in
efficiency for your dollar, with a 0.58 rating. The low-priced
Silverado work truck is more efficient than the LT (15/20 -- 17
mpg), so its rating is 0.88, but the Hybrid is not incapable of
work; it can still haul and tow. Full-Size SUV: 2009 Chevrolet
Tahoe Hybrid RWD MSRP: $50,455 - $2,200 federal tax credit =
$48,255 Gas mileage (city/highway -- combined): 21/22 -- 21
Efficiency-cost rating: 0.44 Once you account for its higher price,
even with a tax credit the Tahoe Hybrid RWD's efficiency-cost
rating is a relatively low 0.44, but it's the lowest-priced of GM's
full-size hybrid SUVs, a category that also includes the GMC Yukon
and Cadillac Escalade hybrids. Its story mirrors that of the
Silverado Hybrid: It grants a substantial mileage improvement over
non-hybrids, especially in city driving, but it trails the gas-only
Tahoe LS in efficiency cost. (Ironically, the XFE -- extra fuel
economy -- version of the Tahoe is priced high enough to negate its
1 mpg advantage. Both rate 0.43.) In terms of the full-size market,
the Ford Expedition beats the Tahoe Hybrid's price by enough to
deliver better efficiency cost, at 0.47. Luxury Car: 2009 Lexus GS
450h MSRP: $56,400 Gas mileage (city/highway -- combined): 22/25 --
23 Efficiency-cost rating: 0.41 It's very likely that the 2010
Lexus HS 250h, a small and affordable hybrid model due to go on
sale late this summer, will run away with the luxury car
distinction, but for now that honor goes to the hybrid version of
Lexus' 2009 GS sedan, which is a midsize car. The GS 450h beats the
gas-only GS 460 V-8 (0.38), but it can't touch the V-6-powered GS
350's 0.49 rating. Methodology: In evaluating Best Hybrids for the
Money, Cars.com devised an efficiency-cost rating to reflect
overall bang for the buck. The formula takes each vehicle's
combined city/highway mpg rating and divides it by its base MSRP.
The resulting number is then multiplied by 1,000 to determine the
efficiency-cost rating. Editors accounted for federal tax
incentives, but not for equipment levels, quality judgments, cost
of ownership or any inaccuracies in EPA mileage estimates. About
Cars.com Cars.com is the leading destination for online car
shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from
consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to
buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive
pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo
galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection
of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car
buyers in control of their shopping process with the information
they need to make confident buying decisions. Launched in June
1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is
owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC),
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI),
Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO).
DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT: Jackie Brennan, Associate Public
Relations Manager, +1-312-601-6229, mobile, +1-219-577-6106, , or
Steve Nolan, Public Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, mobile,
+1-630-310-2468, , both of Cars.com Web Site: http://www.cars.com/
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