Editorial: Green cars for the middle-class: A market segment left wanting?
I have been having an ongoing email conversation with a man who lives in California about the state of the green automotive choices for someone who fits into the middle-class kind of vehicle, but who wants a sense of style in their car and some driving pleasure. Past vehicles owned by this potential buyer include a hand-me-down Volvo 850 and a Mazda Miata. He is in the market for a new car, and as a reader of AutoblogGreen, would like something environmentally friendly, and possibly a bit "up-market" in appearance. He would also prefer a hatchback for practicality. His claim is that there are no stylish, mid-priced vehicles that fit his needs on American roads today. Is he right? The only logical thing to do is to look at each option, weigh the pros and cons of each and make the best decision possible. Maybe our readership can help pick out a non-economy car that offers style, driving pleasure and is reasonably green.
Please, continue after the break, and help out a fellow reader make a wise decision.
The Toyota Prius, Camry hybrid and Accord hybrid can certainly be considered middle-class types of cars, and they have an enviable record for reliability. They also can be considered cars marketed in some way to the "green-set". But, lets take a minute to consider each one of these choices independently to see what they offer an enthusiast.
The Prius has, shall we say, love it or hate it styling. Also, it is certainly not an enthusiasts choice, unless you are enthused by trying to eke out the best possible mileage from your vehicle. So, it might not be the best choice for someone who enjoys a sporting ride, especially if you don't care for its look.
Onto the Camry, then. Again, middle-class is right where the Camry shines, right? Sure, as in the middle-class family-mobile, right? But, how many enthusiasts want to be seen in a Toyota Camry, the best-selling (same as everybody else) car in the United States?
So, the Accord is a better enthusiast car than the Camry, without a doubt. However, the hybrid version is more about performance than economy, and it carries a significant price. Additionally, many complaints have been heard regarding the usability of the powertrain in stop and go type driving, which is common in California. And, again, they are pretty commonplace on American roads.
What about the Aura hybrid? I think that it is a pretty good option to consider, to be honest. Our purchaser, however, is not so sure about the reliability of vehicles coming from General Motors. Even with the higher numbers coming from consumer ratings magazines, their past could still be haunting them here.
That takes care of the obvious hybrid choices, so what else is there? VW is not selling their turbo diesels quite yet in the Rabbit, and the engine choices in that car currently are the 2.0 turbo, which is not a particularly green choice at 24 mpg combined under the new 2008 EPA testing procedures and requires premium gasoline, or the standard 2.5 liter which only returns 22 mpg under the new 2008 EPA testing procedures. Not great... Audi offers their A3, but at a higher cost and with the same 2.0 turbo engine as VW.
Our buyer does not like the looks of the Versa, and adds that the price goes up quickly when appearance options are chosen to make it appear more upmarket. He also hates the center guage cluster in Scions current offerings and may need to purchase his vehicle before the next-generation Scions, like the new XD and the totally revised XB hit the market.
The Mazda lineup offers the Mazda 3 and Mazda 5, neither of which can hit 30 miles to the gallon. The Miata is great, but seats only two, and not much else.
That leaves the Honda Fit, Civic and Civic hybrid, the Mini Cooper, various Suzukis, Kias and Hyundais, the Toyota Matrix and the Volvo C30. The buyer thinks the Fit is too small and feels cheap, and thinks that his only real choice might be a Civic or to move downmarket to Suzuki, Kia or Hyundai and lose out on style points. The Matrix is getting kinda old these days. What about a used VW turbo diesel, like the last generation Golf?
Any takers on this connundrum? Are there really no good choices for a mid-priced, stylish and green choice in America? Our buyer wishes for more of the choices that are available in Europe, especially the diesel version of the C30. One reason why he is hesitant on the Volvo is that the only engine choice in America is the least-efficient, highest performing option in Europe. Is that right, or should we get the other options available to us too?
P.S. My choice is the C30 with the stick-shift or the new Mini.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
waitingforvizzini 1:41PM (4/25/2007)
Saturn Aura Green-Line
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Edmundo 1:43PM (4/25/2007)
If this person is OK with a Prius or Camry, then how is the Versa too expensive? I just practically maxed out the hatchback, and it came to $18k. The Camry Hybrid starts at $26. I love the Versa, and am considering it as my next car (I currently drive an 06 xB which will become my spouses's soon).
Altenatively, the Civic Hybrid is big on refinement and MPG, and costs $23.
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blake 1:59PM (4/25/2007)
I also drive an 06 xB. :) GO BOX :)
But really.. 2 words (or rather one mishmash of letters)
ev-1. cept GM thought it best for their bottom line if they crushed them. Think about it, tire smoking performance... full torque off the line, completly green. As long as a car still has all the nasty fluids and chemicals in the engine bay, it won't be green. (Save maybe the radiator fluids colour!)
Lets create a demand for a plug in Electric vehicle. no not the volt, that is barely electric.(4o miles? what?). The technology is there, but the big (Insert number here) refuse to put this wonderful tech on the road. Come on.. the volt? Too little to late. Hydrogen fuel cells are a carrot at the of a stick that the car companies dangle in front of consumers.
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Edmundo 2:06PM (4/25/2007)
@blake:
Woohoo! go xB!
yes, we need more fuel choices, but remember, the industry is 100 years old, and is deeply entrenched in the fossil fuel model. The various electric/alternative cars are cool, but the big X can't sustain them. the EV1 from GM was awesome, but they were forced to support it for (5 or 10, not sure here) years; this would have made it ridiculously expensive for the company. I am just as much of a green-car-enthusiast as anyone, but I can't ask a company to bankrupt itself just to maintain electric cars. There must be a better way, so that we can keep factory workers' jobs AND reduce our environmental footprint. Hydrogen tech looks promising, but it is a long way off.
for now, as consumers, all we can do is choose the car that gets the most MPG and does what we need it to (go from point A to point B, haul a boat, move tons of lumber from place to place). it would be great if EVERY CAR were mandated to have a hybrid drivetrain...but we can only ask so much from American Corporations.
//end of rant//
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Kendall Tawes 2:26PM (4/25/2007)
Edmundo
I agree that car makers need to make profits but recent studies show that greener vehicles might actually boost profits for companies if they know how to manage the business properly. Sadly the current American system is quite awful and favours larger and more polluting autos. But if Auto makers can make more profits than in the US abroad and still be massively more efficient then it only goes to show how dumb and ridiculous the US automakers are.
To answer the question of the article I am sorry to say but there is no perfect option in America for a fuel efficient but comfortable car. You either have to go with the least fuel efficient version of the Mini or C30 but hey if you buy the manual and are a careful driver you might be able to squeeze out a few more mpgs. I however am planning to go abroad and buy a foreign car and bring it back to the states. Since I live in Virginia it shouldn't be too much trouble for it to conform to to emission standards here as there are none.
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kert 2:50PM (4/25/2007)
Get a porsche and convert it to an EV. with lithium and AC drive, so you have performance and are upmarket.
Will probably cost around the "midrange" and be as green as it gets.
or just get an AC-Propulsion converted Scion
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Rick 2:50PM (4/25/2007)
First, yes, we US-ers get CRAP options as far as small COOL sub compacts. Europe seems to get them all. The 4 door Yaris, Mazda2, etc. The Versa is ugly and the Yaris has little options.
THere is no subcompact, cool car and anything close is well over $15k with any necessary options.
However, I disagree with the Mazda5 not getting 30mpg, there are quite a few people who have topped 30mpg with their 5. It's a mini van with a 3rd row for pete's sakes, so to get anything in the 20s is excellent.
Tell your purchaser to wait a year as the market looks poised to improve with the Ford Something coming, possibly the Mazda2, and a few others (hopefully, a new Fit design)
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Rick 2:50PM (4/25/2007)
The Prius is nice looking, but come on, mid $20k for that tiny little thing hybrid or not!? Don't think so. Then tach on the $7k needed to replace the engine/tranny and it doesn't make a good used vehicle either.
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blake 2:48PM (4/25/2007)
Hey Edmundo, I, I think autoblog green posted it a while ago but there was a conversion for a manual transmission xB, but it was like $50,000 on top of the price of a normal box. I love the environment, but I don't make that kind of serious bank yet. YET :) Heehee
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Don 2:55PM (4/25/2007)
I've got a suggestion: tell your friend to quit whining like a sissy and make up his mind already.
Geeze. He's like a girl in his decision making.
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Peter 2:56PM (4/25/2007)
Tesla Roadster! But seriously, how about a used Golf TDI? They return over 40mpg and there's a lot of space in the back of the hatchback. With great low end torque and a compact package, it should be decently fun to drive.
If it must be a new car, I recommend the Mazda 3 hatchback. At 28/35, it's EPA ratings are exactly the same as the Accord Hybrid, but it costs about $10k less and is much more fun to drive.
Or if you really want to have some fun, keep a car around for when you need it but get a motorcycle for commuting. Most sport bikes return mileage in the 40s but will outperform any "green" car without breaking a sweat... except maybe the Tesla.
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MikeW 3:09PM (4/25/2007)
The Mini is good. The base version has valvetronic, and the turbo version has direct injection.
The mx-5 6 speed automatic has a substantially taller top gear for superior highway mileage.
The civic hybrid has a compromised trunk compared to the base civic, but is still much larger than the natural gas version. From EPA 12 cubic feet in 4 door, 10 in hybrid, 6 in CNG
Why doesn't Hyundai have a 5 speed automatic with the 2.4 in the Sonata, when the Kia Optima does?
How much of a premium will the new Malibu have to get the 6T40 6 speed autoomatic?
The '07 IS250 is 24/32, also the A4 2.0 multitronic, but those aren't cheap cars.
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Tim 4:12PM (4/25/2007)
Maybe in a couple of years when the new crop of diesels arrive from abroad...?
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rnode 4:43PM (4/25/2007)
Prius too boring, but Accord Hybrid okay, except not green enough. I think your friend isn't serious about wanting a greener car, or he'd find the best one that comes close to fitting his desires, and commit.
Or, he can whine and wait for the perfect car. Not to mention wait on lower gas consumption and lower emissions.
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Tony Belding 5:33PM (4/25/2007)
I do think it's odd that this entry begins by complaining that there are no good options, then continues down a whole laundry list of available options, ruling each one out for reasons that, in some instances, seem rather weak.
Particularly the Aura hybrid. . . Is your friend really crossing it off his shopping list just because it's made by GM? I've heard the stories about how GM's reputation on "the coasts" is in the dumps, but I didn't really believe it had gotten that bad. Here in Texas that attitude doesn't exist. And yes, I am still happy with my Bonneville that I've been driving for 12 years now.
Here's what bothers me: My old Bonneville is a full-sized car by today's standards, with a V6 engine, and it was rated 19 MPG city, 29 MPG highway. The Aura is rated 28/35 (under the old system, for a fair comparison). That's not really a lot of progress to show after 12 years and after going from a V6 to a 4-cylinder hybrid. For city driving it's a significant (about 50%) improvement, for highway driving it's rather less impressive.
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Brad Kent 5:51PM (4/25/2007)
Wait for the BMW 1 Series, which is rumored for spring 2008. I hope they bring out a diesel in North America. The 120d does 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and has 38/57 mpg or 6.2/4.1 l/100km
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Chris M 6:20PM (4/25/2007)
First thing he should do is list the "must haves" and "must not haves". That should help him to narrow down his options. (And get the facts on the cars, don't rely on rumours and myths spread by others)
Among the "musts" is availability - it does no good to want some great foreign car that is not available here. If he is on a budget, it "must" be at an affordable price.
Then he should list his "wants" and decide which are the most important to him. Fuel Economy? Low Emissions? Performance? Size? Safety Ratings? It is likely he will have to compromise, as it is highly unlikely he will get everything he wants in one car.
Don't be swayed too much by the desires and preferences of others, when it is your car it should fit you.
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jopi 7:40PM (4/25/2007)
This is a segment that I am interested in seeing more options in. The Volvo C30 should definitely be offered with smaller more efficient engines in the US. Scion and Toyota (or even Lexus) should offer the interior materials and features available on their larger models.
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TDI-Nick 8:22PM (4/25/2007)
2005 Mercedes E320 CDI sedan running biodiesel. 35mpg on the highway, safe, and elegant.
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shmooopy 9:30PM (4/25/2007)
Hey, this is about me so thanks for the suggestions...
First, for clarity, I have been looking for a hatchback. So the Aura, Accord, Civics - these are not hatches - but thanks anyways - I agree they seem like good cars.
As a single guy, well, I just don't see myself in the Prius.
I am sure I will find something, my point was not that there are no options, just none that I am really excited about at this point.
Really, my main frustration related to the trend I am finding. Cars I think are cool, I think are targeted to me don't have great mileage. Like the Scion TC, Rabbit/Golf or the c30. These are the cars I would ideally like but the US version have a lot of horsepower and not so great mileage. The Mazda3 is really nice, but it too, if you look at how they adjusted the mpg for 2008 gets 22/30.
In Europe you have a different story. A car like the Golf or the c30 or the A3 for that matter can be ordered with a smaller more efficient engine. For Europe the c30 has *8* different engine options. http://www.volvocars.de/modelsMY07/c30/techSpec.htm You can pick your horsepower/mpg tradeoff, diesel or gas and get a car spec'd the way you like it and still be green. There are 5 gas options and 3 diesel. The 3 diesels range from 34 to 48 ave mpg. That seems much better to me, so I have been sending Volvo email asking for more options.
Maybe I'm whining but I think there is a growing number of people out there who would want a car that is fun, has nice options but also that gets better mileage. I would be happier with a 48 mpg diesel c30, even if it did not accelerate like the 220 hp version they will send to the US.
Ok thats my rant.
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