Top 10 Fuel-Efficiency Surprises

 

The Lexus hybrid line, not as much green as a shade of straw yellow, was as “responsible” a luxury car as you could order until Mercedes announced that, for 2008, the E320 BlueTec—currently only available in 45 states—would be cleared for sale in all 50 states. An upgraded exhaust-filtering system that further reduces emissions from the diesel is to thank for the E320’s newfound compliance.

 

Mercedes beat Volkswagen back to the nationwide diesel market with the full Mercedes experience—rattle-free, pampered quietude, and effortless speed—while consuming considerably less fuel than the comparable gasoline-powered model. The current car gets six more miles per gallon in the city and eight more on the highway than the E350, yet it still makes the run to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The 50-state tweaks should not affect those numbers one whit. We won’t bother you with a horsepower figure because it doesn’t matter when you have 400 pound-feet of torque—more than the BMW M6—on tap, thanks in part to a variable-geometry turbocharger.

 

Although the BlueTec E320 is the only, and therefore the most compelling, vehicle in the luxury-diesel segment, it’s about to get interesting with Audi and BMW ushering in their own über-powerful compression-ignition offerings in the near future.

 

 

Bet you didn’t know Nissan sells a hybrid. It’s been on sale since early 2007, but only in states sharing California’s stricter-than-thou environmental regulations. So those of you living in the blue states of California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, take note.

 

Nissan’s hybrid program was birthed at a rocky financial moment in the company’s history, and CEO Carlos Ghosn, usually lauded for making good decisions, decided the public wanted CVT transmissions more than hybrids. When that proved not entirely accurate, playing catch-up meant licensing Toyota’s proven Hybrid Synergy Drive, which includes the transaxle, inverter, lithium-ion battery, and control unit, and coupling it with a detuned 2.5-liter four-cylinder from the base Altima. City mileage goes up by 12 mpg to 35, and highway mileage improves slightly to 33.

 

The Nissan’s obvious competitor is the Toyota Camry hybrid. Rather than looking like a bloated digestive organ on roller skates, however, the Altima Hybrid is attractive, even sporty-looking. It’s as quick as the base Altima, running to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. The hybrid is swift where it counts, boasting the Altima’s stiff chassis, sporty suspension tuning, quick steering, and excellent brakes—all of which encourage eco-tourism to local mountain roads.