Mean and Thirsty
MSN Autos – March 22, 2006
The vehicles earning the lowest Green Scores from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
High-performance sports cars, ultra-luxury sedans and powerful trucks all rely on high-powered engines to deliver performance and towing capacity—but that performance comes at a price—landing these vehicles at the bottom of the list in the annual Green Book from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
Each year, ACEEE rates vehicles on their overall impact on the environment, with vehicles earning the best scores dubbed the "Greenest," and those with the worst scores labeled the "Meanest."
At the top of the "Meanest" list for 2006 is the Dodge Ram SRT10, powered by the same 500-horsepower 8.3-liter V10 engine used in the Dodge Viper SRT10 sports car. The Ram SRT10 received a Green Score of 12, compared to the top score of 57 earned by the gasoline-electric hybrid Honda Insight.
The Green Score is a numeric value of a vehicle's environmental friendliness assigned by ACEEE. Not based solely on fuel economy, the Green Score also takes into account tailpipe emissions and emissions of gases that cause global warming. The higher the Green Score, the more environmentally friendly the vehicle is overall, based on the ACCEEE evaluation.
The Ram SRT10's position at the top of the list made us wonder if the ability to create large volumes of tire smoke contributed to the low score received by the performance pickup. While the SRT10 may not haul much cargo, it is as fun to drive as any exotic sports car, and just might be worth the disdainful stares from the hybrid-driving members of your neighborhood block watch.
A true exotic sports car, the Lamborghini Murcielago is second on the list, powered by a 580-horsepower 6.2-liter V12 engine that is rated at 13 mpg on the highway. It received a green score of 16.
Two ultra-luxury sedans, the Bentley Arnage and the Maybach 57S are next on the list with green scores of 17, the same score earned by the Dodge Durango and the Dodge Ram 1500 when equipped with the 4.7-liter V8 engine and 4-wheel drive.
The Hummer H2 and the GMC Yukon XL 2500 4WD both earned green scores of 18, an improvement over last year's scores of 13 and 14, respectively, while the Chevrolet Suburban 2500 4WD improved to 19 from last year's score of 14.
The new 620-horsepower Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, the replacement for the Ferrari 575M Maranello and the most powerful V12-powered Ferrari ever offered, also received a green score of 18, along with the Ford F-250 Super Duty and the Volkswagen Touareg V8.
Meanest Vehicles of 2006 with Green Score
1. Dodge Ram SRT-10 - 12
2. Lamborghini Murcielago - 16
3. Bentley Arnage - 17 mpg
4. Dodge Durango 4.7 V8 4WD - 17
5. Dodge Ram 1500 4.7 V8 4WD - 17
6. Maybach 57S - 17
7. Hummer H2 - 18
8. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano - 18
9. Ford F-250 Super Duty 5.4 V8 4WD - 18
10. GMC Yukon XL 2500 4WD - 18
11. Volkswagen Touareg V8 - 18
12. Chevrolet Suburban 2500 4WD - 19
Source: ACEEE's Green Book Online
The higher clearance between the ground and bumper increases drag. In pickup trucks, the back has a lot of drag - best solution is to put tarp over it.
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