Ford given Greenest Car Manufacturer of the Year Award 2008 by  

Green-Car-Guide.com

Over the last year,one manufacturer has, according to the Green-Car-Guide, stood above the rest by giving us cars that look good,drive well,and can squeeze the extra mileage out of  one gallon of fuel. Perhaps, most importantly in the current  economic climate, this manufacturer's cars are affordable.

Ford has many low emission models to choose from anyway,but during a year that included record oil prices and concern about CO2 emissions, Ford has made a special effort to give us energy-efficient models.

Let's leave the last word to the Green-Car-Guide: "Hooray to Ford - and the Season's Greetings to all our visitors! Despite oil prices coming down, the issue of CO2 emissions will not go away in 2009. So keep on top of the latest low emission cars next year, keep visiting Green-Car-Guide.com

Vauxhall's ecoFLEX is a model low emissions option

Vauxhall claims to offer the most low emissions models , with  a range of 366 variants each producing less than 160g/km of CO2.

Across the whole Vauxhall Astra ecoFLEX (seen above) range no car emits more than 119g/km.

The Vauxhall Insignia ,and 2009 European Car of the Year unveiled at the British International Car Show held earlier this year, will also have a green option next year, with its 2.0 litre diesel engine which puts out under 140 g/km of CO2.

Worth also looking at the Corsa and Agila - also in the ecoFLEX range- for great savings for the company driver with the Corsa falling within the lowest 13 per cent diesel band (BiK),and the Agila 10 %.

It just leaves me, at this time to thank you, if you have been a regular reader, and to wish you a Very Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year! Look forward to having you along next year which will be interesting and challenging in the motoring world.

A new green car for less than a grand series: No.4 Fiat 500- below £8,000

Fiat recently stunned customers and industry commentators alike when it announced the launch of an entry-level price of just £7,900 for the 1.2 litre Pop in January. The price is largely courtesy of the government reducing VAT. Prior to the VAT rate being reduced to 15%, the list price in the summer was a creditable £8,100. 

The Fiat 500 has been featured on these pages and is an award winning city car.

All other cars in the Fiat range benefit from the VAT cut: The Panda range,for example, starts at £6,859 for the 1.1 Active. You can see more details on these and other good value low emission cars at the Green Car Guide click here

Best in class for fuel consumption,low emissions,and equal best for low insurance:the new Subaru Forester Boxer Diesel

The Subaru Forester Boxer is a very good 4x4.  Subaru say three key benefits of the vehicle are:

• lowest emissions in its class
• best fuel consumption in its class
• equal best insurance in its class

For full details you should go to Green-Car-Guide now

A new green car for less than a grand series: No.3 Hyundai i20 supermini

Continuing our series of new green cars for less than a grand ,here is the Hyundau i20, a new supermini.

Meeting the demand for low-emission and high economy, the i20 range includes the entry level 1.2 litre 'kappa' petrol "Classic"which is expected to be the range's highest seller, when the 5-door version goes on sale next January. There will be a 3-door version available in April next year. Both versions will cost less than £10,000. This competes well with other mainstream rivals on price, and trades on  exceptional levels of space ,quality and safety.

This little Hyundai "Classic" is equipped with air-conditioning,six airbags,active head restraints,remote locking,electric front windows, and an aux-in socket. There will also be the mid-range "Comfort" (also sub £10k but with the 3-door starting at £8,995, £800 dearer than the "Classic") with the added spec of 15-inch alloy wheels,body colour,rear electric windows,full i-pod integration,steering wheel mounted audio controls,a trip computer and a six-speaker system. . All the cars come with a very re-assuring Five Year Unlimited mileage warranty.

The 1.2 litre petrol i20 has a CO2 rating of 124g/km, less than many of its rivals, and will give you 54.3 mpg on the combined cycle. There is a 1.4 litre petrol "Comfort", 133g/km and 50.4 mpg on the combined cycle.

There are other models in the i20 range, both petrol and diesel, and two  larger engines at 1.4 litre size. The diesels rate at exceptionally low emissions levels 116g/km (64.2 mpg) and 118g/km (62.8 mpg)for the 75PS and 90PS CRDi engines respectively. These will set you back a little over a grand, though, at list price.  

All cars come with a re-assuring Five-Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty. This range is worth checking out, but do confirm details of the vehicles on offer with your car dealer. Remember,too,that Hyundai expect to deliver for sale the 5-door versions from January next,the 3-door are expected from next April.

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 archive in right hand column at "October 2006"