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From eighteen, down to three and now we have the winner. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=177872)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Honda_Civic_Hybrid1.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – Jan. 4, 2009

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid – EPA rated at 40 mpgUS city, 45 mpgUS highway and 42mpgUS combined on the 08 EPA.

The membership and moderating staff votes have been tallied.

What a year. A special fuel efficient Diesel is finally available across the 50-states in the form of the world renowned VW Jetta TDI. The Toyota Prius has performed what seems like miracles from one coast to another with various media outlets seeing how one can achieve 99.9 + segments time and time again. Finally a sleeper of sorts, the Honda Civic Hybrid. Not only did most find it to be one of the most comfortable fuel efficient automobiles available but its recent achievement of 68.5 mpg across all 48-States in an early winter drive set it apart.

Why did we include models that have been on the market for as long as 5 years? Because little has changed across the entire fuel efficient model lineup to render many of the original 18-models obsolete. In fact, many of the models that have been on the market for years are still far better to own and drive than lesser models introduced within the past 6-months!
The initial 18 vehicle nominees included the following:
2009 BMW 118d
2009 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fiesta and Focus Econetic TDCi’s
2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, Civic iCDTi, Clarity and Fit
2009 Mazda2 CD
2010 Mitsubishi MiEV
2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid
2009 Smart ForTwo ED
2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid, Corolla, iQ and Prius
2009 VW Jetta TDI

Voting closed with the Jetta TDI, HCH-II and Prius-II (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18323) surviving the initial round.

Round two not only highlighted the finalists in finer detail but also selected CleanMPG’s 2008 Green Car of the Year (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18412).

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/CleanMPG_Car_of_the_Year.jpg

Let me be the first to introduce our 2008 “Green Car of the Year”, the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid.

Voting results were as follows:

2009 HCH-II: (29/73)*.75 + (6/14)*.25 = 40.51%
2009 Prius-II: (26/73)*.75 + (4/14)*.25 = 33.86%
2009 VW Jetta TDI: (18/73)*.75 + (4/14)*.25 = 25.64%

Moderator votes

Kacey Green -- HCH-II: Originally embarrassed by the HCH-II which morphed to envy, and then to pride.
Laurieaw -- HCH-II: Honda seems to have been least affected by pushing FSPs are great for setting world records.
Lightfoot -- HCH-II: HCH's near-Prius FE and amazing emissions rating make it greenest to me.
Msantos -- HCH-II: This year definitely belongs to the HCH-II.
SlowHands -- HCH-II: This car proved its capabilities in several CleanMPG fuel economy events this year.
xcel -- HCH-II: Super Clean and most fuel efficient new car available in the US for highway driving.

Delta Flyer -- Prius-II: The tie-breaker is the PHEV conversion capability of the Prius.
Diamondlarry -- Prius-II: 100 mpg tank this summer clinches it.
Msirach -- Prius-II: Prius-II’s success tells me Toyota will continue to lead in fuel efficient vehicles.
Right Lane Cruiser -- Prius-II: Anyone can achieve great FE in a Prius-II.

Bestmapman -- TDI: It is a great car that even comes with a 6 speed manual transmission. Got to love that.
Brick -- TDI: I think that as a total package, the TDI is the most well-rounded of the bunch.
Lamebums -- TDI: You can drive 70 mph and still get 50 MPG, which is a huge plus.
PaleMelanesian -- TDI: Props to VW for going ahead with the diesel business, while others are hanging back.

With the 2008 Green Car of the Year now complete, it is time to consider which vehicles will be included in our 2009 Green Car of the Year to be selected in December of this year. Many of the initial 18 will still be on this year’s list with a few all-new vehicles that many of us simply cannot wait to read about and drive. Those vehicles will include the upcoming 39 mpgUS combined, 2009 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the upcoming 2009 Honda Insight-II and Prius-III.

Looking forward to December's competition.

Congrats Honda Engineers!

I can just hear Kasey talking to a prospective buyer at the dealership (Midlands Honda just off I77 in Columbia, SC) "Did you know the Honda HCH II was voted the best Green Car of the Year by CleanMPG?" 'Really?" says the prospect.

"Yeah, it beat out 17 other competitors...which color would you like?" (as he hands them a pen and a contract)

"Oh, I almost forgot a Honda HCH II just set the Guinness Book of World Records for best fuel economy in a new car across the the entire 48 continental United States, that car was here on this lot back in November" (Hands the buyer the keys to his/her new car as he opens their door.)

And it's only 9AM!
NEXT! - Dale :flag: (capitalist flag)

Hi Dale:

___Now that is funny :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I like that dale! :D

If I knew you worked there I would have stopped in on Friday and said Hi. I was passing though on my way home to Pittsburgh from Naples. :(
Well I will be coming by again around Easter maybe then. ;)

Hey Kasey do Clean MPG Members get special pricing if we ask for you?
I guess I could buy a HCH or Insight II there and have it delivered
in Pittsburgh. Would they let you do that?

Was on vacation and didn't get to vote. My comments:

If the question is "Best Green Car on the Market" I think it's practically a draw between the HCH-II and the Prius-II. Both have great green cred (fuel economy and local-pollutant emissions) and it pretty much comes down to personal preference.

If I had to choose one as my primary family vehicle, the Prius would be a tight squeeze but doable. With its smaller and inflexible trunk setup, but HCH is simply not doable.
On the other hand, as a commuter and non-family roadtrip car I'd pick the HCH for its better highway fuel economy and the fact that it doesn't have the Prius' hyperactive traction control (which IMO could too easily leave me stranded in places where I do NOT want to be stranded).


The TDI is arguably less green, since it only meets the minimum 50-state requirement, gets marginally lower fuel economy and diesel emits 15% more GHG per gallon than gasoline. Also, the maintenance implications of its being a Volkswagen strike major points against it, and let's not forget the environmental impact of all the replacement parts it will need if it is to stay on the road as long as the average HCH or Prius. On the plus side, VW driving dynamics (read: handling) trump both of the hybrids hands-down, and neither of the hybrids comes anywhere near the SportWagen version of the Jetta TDI in terms of carrying capacity.

The TDI may not be the greenest car on the road, but it is still one of the greenest cars on the road, and easily the greenest car that was new or substantially revised during the 2008 calendar year -- which to me that is the automatic and irrevocable implication of an "of the Year" label. Hence my final vote would have gone to the TDI, as it did during the first round. Now that we should genuinely get lots of great new green vehicles in 2009, here's hoping the mods change the rules for "2009 Green Car of the Year" to align with most other "of the Year" competitions.

:D - Dale

gotta thank MSantos who talked me into the HCHII. Not only best green car, but best car period on the market.

Now if I can coax 40mpg city and 45 hwy or average over 42 mpg, I will have equalled the green car of the year? :D

Congrats honda. That is a very..very incredible achieement.

Hi Ricardo:

___Maybe next year we can include the 99 Avenger :D

___Dan, because this was our first year, I allowed all the “Great” vehicles into the initial voting. If I narrowed it down to just new vehicles and than further to new vehicles available in the US, that would mean the Corolla, Fit and Jetta TDI would be the only thing in the list. Next year there would only be the FFH, Insight-II and Prius-III. Year after that, maybe one or two others... There simply are not enough green cars hitting the market in any given year to give us a real choice so allowing some of the best of the best even if it has been a few years since their launch is a good thing imho.

___I launched this idea while on the 48-Contiguous State drive and had little time to get it up and running after I got back. Later this year, I should have more time to allow the members to list their own “Green Car of the Year nominee” to broaden the list further. From there, I think the method that we used is a good one. I just hope we can get some seat time in the Insight-II, Prius-III and FFH for a good overview. My Insight-II seat time was very limited and not in “my hood” so its results although relatively speaking were fantastic, was not (will not be) a full review by any means.

___With that, the Jetta TDI will most certainly be back on the list this coming fall/winter to go after the “Gold” once again.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hey Kacey do Clean MPG Members get special pricing if we ask for you?
I guess I could buy a HCH or Insight II there and have it delivered
in Pittsburgh. Would they let you do that?
Yes, I am authorised to extend special pricing to members of CleanMPG and the Midlands Hybrid Club. We to work out shipping arrangements too.

The Insight II doesn't have any established pricing at our level yet so no special pricing either.

My management doesn't believe in "Market adjustment fees" or "Dealer availability pricing" so I am able to take deposits for the waiting list, typically I also administer our waiting lists.

Cars with deposits don't get any dealer installed equipment installed when they arrive other than what the customer specifies.

When I put myself on the list for the first unclaimed '09 HCHII HYBLNav, I don't like splash-guards, so I didn't get them, if I'd waited for the car to show up on the lot, it would have had splash-guards, wheel locks and window tint (I did ask for the tint, I assumed blue leather would get nearly as hot as black leather).

Thanks for the reply Wayne.

Somehow, I think that even if it is allowed in the 2009 competition, the Jetta TDI won't qualify as the greenest when it's up against the Insight-II, Prius-III and FFH. Which is fine. May the greenest car win.