Though hybrids continue to increase in popularity, and availability, our choice for Best Car for the Environment is the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Volkswagen’s new 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine is the only powertrain that burns cleanly enough to meet our strict criteria for this category. We’ll consider only those vehicles that rank, on a nationally-available basis, at least 9 out of 10 by the EPA for exhaust pollutants and at least 5 out of 10 for greenhouse gas emissions*. A number of vehicles meet these criteria in California and New England, including every hybrid on the market, but only Volkswagen does it nationwide – and with a motor that runs on regular unleaded gas. Like any five-cylinder engine, the one under the hood of the VW Jetta grumbles in an unrefined manner, and with just 150 horsepower on tap this car isn’t going to win any drag races. But with prices starting at about $18,500 for the Value Edition and EPA fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, environmental consciousness won’t break the bank. If you want to create a cut-rate luxury car, add both option packages to get alloy wheels, a sunroof, premium sound, leather upholstery, wood interior trim, and a rear sunshade. Comfortable front and rear, the 2006 Jetta 2.5 has a big trunk and receives excellent crash-test scores. We’re not taken with the Jetta’s styling, but the car is decent fun to drive and possesses a stout Germanic feel that eludes small cars from America and Japan. But what’s important here is that the Jetta 2.5 pollutes just as little in Louisiana as it does in Los Angeles – which cannot be said for other Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) on the market. And with recent evidence that global warming is altering ocean temperatures and currents – Hurricane Katrina, anyone? – maybe we all ought to have a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 in the driveway. – Christian J. Wardlaw * models equipped to meet BIN-2 or SULEV-II emissions with Underhood Label ID 6VWXV02.5257.
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