The Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Style has scooped the top award at What Car?’s first-ever Green Awards.
Its green credentials saw it beat off 23 other contenders to take the top accolade, in categories ranging from green supermini to green sports car.
The results of the Awards were announced in the Greener Driving Pavilion at the British International Motor Show, currently running at ExCel in London.
Presenting the Awards, What Car’s group editor, Steve Fowler, said: “This Focus shows you don’t have to slum it to do your bit for the planet. It’s proof that outstanding efficiency and lower emissions can be achieved without using prohibitively expensive technologies.
“Beside the environmental benefits, it’s family-friendly, great to drive, fuel efficient and safe, too, as its five-star Euro NCAP rating goes to show.”
Citro‘n won two Green Awards, for MPV (Grand C4 Picasso) and family car (C5), while Honda’s British-built CR-V picked up the award for the greenest 4×4, proving that not all 4×4s are gas-guzzling monsters. The CR-V emits just 171g/km - less than many mainstream hatchbacks.
Another British-built car, the Mini Cooper S, picked up the award for the greenest sports car.
At different ends of the market, the Fiat 500 1.2 Pop was named best Green Supermini, while the Audi A8 2.8 V6 FSI SE collected the gong for the greenest luxury car.
The special Editor’s Award went to BMW for its Efficient Dynamics technology, while Toyota picked up the Technology Award for leading the way with future hybrid technology, this time in the form of plug-in hybrids. Toyota plans to have a plug-in Prius on sale by 2010.
“Fuel prices have certainly focused the consumers mind on more economical, and by default, greener options. One thing is for sure, the choices available are expanding all the time, and it’s encouraging to see a clear pattern of change from the manufacturers,” said Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct, the awards co-sponsor.
6 Comments
For me, the BMW 123d boggles the mind.
201bhp, around 55mpg combined, and CO2 emissions around 125g/km!
It’s witchcraft I say!
let us hear it for the humble electric milk float. green vehicle of the year 1928-2008, good old ernie!
what green a focus? youre joking right? what about smart cars or hybrids or other really low co2 cars?
Hardly green some models of the Ford Foci emit near 200 kilos Co2 per km which is worse that most land rovers!!
Green Guru - maybe we should all invest in horses to take us from A to B? It would also reduce usage of lawnmowers as the horse could be kept to pasture in everyone’s back garden, for people who require a 2 or 3 seater they could invest in a camel or elephant
I suspect that the award went to the Focus 1.6TDCi Econetic model (I’m not sure, as I don’t read What Car?; it’s a car mag for people who know nothing about cars). But with a little tweaking of aerodynamics, using low rolling resistance tyres, and low viscosity transmission oil, the Focus Econetic will do >65mpg with CO2 emissions of 115g/km.
Just one model of Focus emits >200g/km of CO2 - the ST model which accounts for very little of all Foci sold. The next worst are Foci with the 2.0 litre petrol unit at 179g/km. The Land Rover with the lowest CO2 emissions is the Freelander 2.2 TD4 with 194g/km.
For the average family, a Smart Car is not a smart choice as it seats just two, has little luggage space, and emits just 3g/km less than the Focus Econetic.
Hybrids are more harmful to the environment - taking into consideration production and disposal costs - than normal cars, and rarely achieve the manufacturers mpg claims in real world driving conditions and roads.