Should You Buy a Hybrid, Diesel or Electric Car?

Look at the highway fuel numbers of the newest hybrids and diesel vehicles. The Toyota Prius gets about 50 mpg during highway driving and the Chevrolet Cruze diesel is rated at 46.

However, the Cruze Diesel is also an excellent companion on the highway thanks to improved sound deadening, borrowed from the Buick Verano. If you’re spending a lot of time on the highway getting to and from work, a diesel powered vehicle will work wonderfully. Diesel-powered cars also tend to return reliably better fuel economy ranging over a variety of driving styles.

Unlike a diesel motor, hybrids are also significantly quieter in the city. With instant torque response, they’re apt at keeping pace with city traffic. Look at the Honda Insight, which is a mild-hybrid and unable to drive on pure electric power alone. Yet it can still get over 40 mpg in the city, making it an excellent choice for those living in urban environments.

If you’re interested in even more fuel efficiency, the Toyota Prius c gets over 50 mpg in the city, and while it’s quite slow with just 100 hp, you won’t need much more when driving around town.

Range limitations will keep you relatively close to home, but depending on where you live, there can be generous tax incentives to going electric.

There are plenty of choices for the urban driver too, so if you frequently carry a few passengers or cargo with you, an ideal choice is a four-seater hatchback like the Ford Focus Electric, which gets up to 76 miles on a single charge, or the Nissan Leaf which goes as much as 75 miles. The Honda Fit EV is a good choice too, since it’s a bit smaller and can travel up to 82 miles but still retains its four doors.

If you’re not interested in backseat space, the Fiat 500e and smart Electric Drive are perfect for city dwellers thanks to their micro-sub-compact size and excellent recharge time.

In the case of the Toyota Prius Plug-in, Ford Fusion and C-Max Energi models, the cars use a powertrain much like a traditional hybrid but feature a larger battery. Charge these cars up and you get a limited range of continuous emissions free driving. Once that range is depleted, the car acts like a normal hybrid, using minimal fuel and recapturing energy from deceleration to use with the car’s electric motor.

All of these options are capable of staying fuel-free within the confines of your daily commute, should you charge them every night. However, you can use the secondary power source to tackle longer trips.

The diesel powered Jeep Grand Cherokee is a big, comfortable and capable vehicle but for those looking for a more premium feel or more passenger space can move up to the Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec or the Audi Q7 TDI crossovers.

Its main rival is the Toyota Highlander hybrid, which can achieve 28 mpg in city or highway driving. Even smaller crossovers are getting in on the hybrid action, with the new Subaru XV Crosstrek slated to get a hybrid powertrain in the future.

Interested in a hybrid in your premium crossover? That can be arranged. The new Infiniti QX60 Hybrid is on the way and the Lexus RX450h has been a staple in the segment for a while now too, making that family road-trip a lot more comfortable and environmentally friendly.

A hydrogen-powered car is perfect for the environmentally conscious early adopter who wants a zero-emissions vehicle but doesn’t want to be limited by long recharging times. The Honda FCX Clarity is the main vehicle in question and can travel 240 miles on a single tank, quite a bit more range than the usual pure EV and its available right now. More hydrogen powered vehicles one the way from Mercedes, Toyota and Hyundai, although many of them are in the “pilot” phase where the manufacturer is gauging consumer reaction to test how viable they really are for the mass market. Recently, Toyota stated intent to deliver a hydrogen powered car to the public in 2015.

Hydrogen vehicles are like EVs that don’t need to be recharged via an electrical outlet. Instead they have an on-board hydrogen fuel cell, which converts hydrogen to electricity.The only by-product is water.

They also take about as long to refill as a regular gas tank. The catch is that there are very few hydrogen fueling stations.

Both the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 are plug-in hybrids capable of driving exclusively on electric power, albeit for short distances. They’re also extremely capable, with the Porsche 918 recently shattering the Nurburgring lap record for a production car. The Porsche is also expected to get about 72 mpg on the European fuel economy cycle, which is still outrageous fuel economy for any car, let alone the fastest one to run the “Ring.” Enthusiasts are also expecting similarly stunning performance from the P1, which succeeds the infamous F1. McLaren believes that everyday driving should net about 25 mpg.

Hybrids are a solid first choice because they’re quiet and give the impression of more power, for less fuel. The Lexus LS600h is a luxury limo meant to take on the likes of the V12 powered BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class. It succeeds – at least in terms of fuel economy- netting an EPA-rated 20 mpg combined, compared to 14 mpg in the Mercedes and 15 mpg in the BMW. Of course, the Lexus is lavishly appointed like its German competition. It’s not the kind of fuel economy that would impress the green crowd, but it could help save a few bucks at the gas station.

Mercedes and BMW also offer a hybrid powertrain in the S-Class and 7-series, but instead use a hybrid motor in co-operation with a six-cylinder engine, to achieve eight-cylinder power with better fuel economy.

Many luxury automakers have a specific driving experience, which is far from vague. Porsche is able to combine a luxury car with a hybrid powertrain and continuing to deliver an engaging driving style with its Cayenne and Panamera Hybrids.

Europeans really dig diesel fuel. Audi is now offering several TDI models, including the A6, A7 and A8, while Mercedes-Benz offers a diesel engine in its E-Class and S-Class. BMW is even starting to offer diesel versions of its sport sedan, with a four-cylinder diesel version of the 3 Series.

When it comes to luxury cars and EVs, a new player has emerged on top. The Tesla Model S is gaining a lot of traction thanks to its impressive 260 mile range and impressive interior and exterior styling. They are on the expensive side, starting at 71,070 and running well into six-figure territory with optional equipment.

Other luxury automakers are getting in on the EV craze and 2013 saw the introduction of the new BMW i line of vehicles. The i3 and i8 vehicles are not based on any other BMW in the lineup and are developed with the focus of delivering a BMW driving experience without an internal combustion engine. Like the Tesla, the luxury EV segment is quite expensive. The i3 costs $41,350, and the i8 carries a whopping tag of $135,700.