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Subcompacts and Hybrids<br />
You didn’t like paying for gas even when it was cheap, so consider these<br />
two options for using far less of it: a hybrid motor and/or a tiny, Eurostyle car.<br />
Drive clean and save some green with these <strong>sm</strong>art rides. —E.A.<br />
Automotive<br />
Chevrolet Aveo LS<br />
$14,275 • chevrolet.com<br />
We can forgive a car for being terrible if it at least has<br />
some character (DeLorean!) or for being soulless if it<br />
has a spark of innovation (Edsel!). But when a cheap<br />
car is simply imported, slightly tweaked, rebranded,<br />
and dumped on us, well, don’t expect us to get excited.<br />
With its drab interior, creaky construction, and awkward<br />
styling, the Aveo feels like it was the last little<br />
car in line when Momma ran out of love.<br />
WIRED The 103 hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine,<br />
though anemic, is <strong>sm</strong>ooth. Reasonably comfortable<br />
ride. Earned five out of five stars in frontal crash testing.<br />
TIRED Its 28 mpg is well below what a car with these<br />
specs should achieve. Utterly joyless inside and out.<br />
Honda Civic Hybrid<br />
$24,350 • hondacars.com<br />
Honda’s hybrid boasts our favorite engineering trick<br />
of the bunch: The electric motor is folded right into<br />
the 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine, so the powerplant<br />
is barely bigger than a conventional Civic’s. And this<br />
new-generation Civic Hybrid can run on electric power<br />
alone. Takeoffs aren’t quite as spirited as in the Prius,<br />
but the Prius doesn’t have Tron-like disk rims that<br />
let you imagine you’re flying.<br />
WIRED Instrument cluster feels like a jet fighter’s.<br />
Compact but beefy steering wheel. 43 mpg = sweet!<br />
TIRED 110 horsepower, but without the off-the-line<br />
pickup of the equally powered Prius. Honda’s next<br />
challenge: more grunt for less gas.<br />
Nissan Altima Hybrid<br />
$26,415 • nissanusa.com<br />
Arriving late to the hybrid game, Nissan licensed<br />
much of its technology from Toyota. Still, it’s really<br />
good technology. The Altima hybrid, which averages<br />
a respectable 34 mpg, nets a spunky 198 hp from its<br />
combination of a 2.5-liter engine and a 105-kilowatt<br />
electric motor. Nissan promises to start generating its<br />
own tech soon, but this Altima is one helluva stopgap.<br />
WIRED Connection package rocks a Bose stereo,<br />
Bluetooth, and cell phone voice commands. Zippy<br />
enough to make you forget you’re saving the planet.<br />
TIRED Continuously variable tran<strong>sm</strong>ission takes<br />
some getting used to (we never did). Interior a bit<br />
spare for 26 grand.
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