Website car comparison including Mirage

[RedDE5Spd]

http://greenercars.org/highlights_byclass_cc.htm
This one made me

as did this:
http://greenercars.org/highlights_greenest.htm

It might not be a feature write up or world class award, but it's something in a positive light.

[Daox]

Nice find. Its cool to see the Mirage butting heads with the hybrids.

[grsupercity]

you should do a non hybrid in class. Mirage, spark, mazda2, fiat 500, scion iq

[Canoehead]

Good find. Thanks. I am a bit confused about ULEV and LEV standards - seems the Yaris beats the Mirage there, despite burning more fuel - I'm guessing that is NOx, SO2, CO and such?

Also, the Bin 5 thing - It should be that better mpg = lower Bin number, but the Civic Natural Gas is down in Bin 2 - is that the other emissions again since natural gas burns cleaner?

Edit - I clearly am missing something on the "Bin" thing. On the site above, I clicked "meanest Vehicles" and the BUGATTI VEYRON, the second worst, is also Bin 5 LEV, same as the Mirage (but probably faster).

[Daox]

This is a good explination of the emissions standards:

http://autos.jdpower.com/content/con...n-vehicles.htm

LEV-Low-Emission Vehicle
This standard was the required average for all light vehicles sold nationwide for model years 2004 and beyond.

ULEV-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle
Vehicles with this designation are 50 percent cleaner than the average new model-year vehicle.

SULEV-Super Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle
Vehicles with this designation are 90 percent cleaner than the average new model-year vehicle.

PZEV-Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle
Vehicles that meet SULEV tailpipe emissions standards, have a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty and zero evaporative emissions.

AT PZEV-Advanced Technology PZEV
Compressed natural-gas or hybrid vehicles that meet SULEV standards for tailpipe emissions, have a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty, zero evaporative emissions, as well as include advanced technology components.

ZEV-Zero-Emissions Vehicle
Electric and hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles that have zero harmful tailpipe emissions and are 98 percent cleaner than the average new model-year vehicle.

[Canoehead]

This is still meaningless to me. I get that "Ultra-low" is lower than "low", but what exactly is being measured? Is it the emissions per liter burned, irrespective of how many liters are burned?

How does this system that classifies the Mercedes G-class (>5000lbs, 544 HP, 13.8L/100km combined, 322gm/km CO2) as the same as the Mirage (<2000lbs, 79HP, 5.3L/100km, 100g/km CO2) make any sense? The Mercedes is, by any of the measures given, more than twice the vehicle.

Are they maybe considering smog-forming emissions only? Even still, I would be shocked if that Mercedes G-Wagon produces less NOX or SO2, for example, than something like the Mirage.

[RedDE5Spd]

I don't totally understand how some of the ratings are determined, I mostly think about the fuel economy numbers; not necessarily the smog/pollution impact. It's important, but if a car gets 40+ MPG I have to assume it has lesser smog impact than a car that gets 15-25 MPG mile for mile driven.