2016 is In and These Top Green Cars are Out

At Luxuria Magazine we love green cars, whether they are hybrids or pure electric we love the way they are revolutionising the automotive industry. Doing so, whilst also cleaning up the act left behind by the big carbon polluters, making us less dependant on filthy rich oil tycoons and all for the sake of making this world a better place for the grandkids and endangered pandas. Really, what’s not to love?

As 2016 is finally here, we’ve turned around and have begun to notice that Tesla does not have a monopoly over the market of pure electric plug-in and nor does the Toyota Prius have a mainstay position as the family hybrid. 2016 seems herald a great variety of green cars that are now on the market with different features, technologies and designs. Ready to be scooped up as they appeal in unique ways to every whim and fancy.

Check out our favourite top three green cars that we expect will continue on this path of shaking up the automotive world, and do so in fantastic fashion.

Lexus LS 600h

How about a hybrid car that also happens to be a four-wheel-drive with the size proportions of a stately executive saloon. The Lexus LS 600h may look conservative and conventional, but it is quite distinctly not. This grand luxurious car is built with a 5L V8 engine, achieves a maximum speed of 249 km/h and has a luxury price tag to boot with a cost just short of £100k.

While according to some drivers their critique of the Lexus LS 600h is that this car looks conservative and it moves like an old geezer too. But then if you’re an old geezer yourself this shouldn’t be a problem, as at conventional speeds this car drives as smoothly as you could hope. Just don’t let your twenty year-old-something get behind the wheel as this car steadfastly refuses to approach corners at anything close to exhilarating speeds.

Perhaps not for the young, the Lexus LS 600h does prove one thing and that is that the new and innovative green car market is not just geared for alternative types, the vegans, nerdy tech heads or those with licence cards that are still glossy from the printers, but it is also geared for those squarely in the luxury market. The luxury interior of the Lexus LS 600h is phenomenal, the hand stitched, ottoman upholstered seats ventilate, massage and recline to an almost flat bed. There is a multi zone climate system that you can adapt, a self park function that impresses and like all the best electric cars this one has a creepy silence as it starts to pick up speed.

BMW i8

Selling at over £100K and thereby beyond the budget of most of us, the BMW i8 leaves us with yet another thing to desperately covet. With supercar looks to raise more eyebrows than a Ferrari and unquestionably more exciting to drive than the Audi R8, this car has been unfairly gifted with it all.The BMW i8 drives in a hybrid mode with its small but powerful 1.5L turbo three cylinder engine that produces 231 bhp, while the electric motor puts out an additional 131 bhp that is tied into a large plug-in electric battery for further potency. This impressive and multifaceted powertrain is all meshed into the confines of the carbon fiber exterior that wraps up a highly sleek and sexy supercar. Perhaps proof positive that boring engineers actually do have a sense of aesthetic style.

The i8 treads lightly on planet earth with a carbon count of 49g/km of CO2, while the drive is still that of a true sports car. When put the i8 into the sports mode, it is exceptionally agile, fast, has superb traction and delivers a fantastic roar. If you didn’t know any better you would never believe that it was an eco-friendly green car, let’s face it, as it races to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, it’s hard to believe it even when you do know better.

Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid

Still fresh on the green scene is the Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid and this force of mobile energy boasts some highly impressive tech features. As a hybrid, the engineering mechanics is comprised of a 3.0L V6 turbocharge the produces 328 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque that operates alongside the electric motor the provides another 107 hp (or 80kw). The hybrid motor is powered by electricity from the lithium-ion battery, that is stored, albeit not so conveniently in the trunk. Fully charged this Mercedes hybrid will travel only on electric power for around 28km, which is comprable to the BMW i8. The power combination of its powertrain propels the S500 from a 0 start to 100km/h in a sports car fashion of 5.5 seconds and a maximum capped speed of 249 km/h.

Impressive? Perhaps, but what we really loved about this car was its tech, and it was the intelligence features that keeps this machine ahead of the pack as one savvy smarty. The Mercedes S500 hybrid is built with four driving modes that include "E-Mode" for electric-only, "Hybrid" which incorporates the petrol engine, "Charge" prioritizes the use of battery charging, and "E-Save" holds the battery's charge when an extra serve of power is needed. With these options in mind, the S500 hybrid analyses driving conditions taking into consideration a prediction of the likely route based on the last 8 km and decides on the best combination of gasoline power, electric power or regenerative power that is best to be used for the road ahead. Drivers are able to monitor this whole “thought” process via the dashboard screen while the pressure from the accelerator pedal also adjust to evenly distribute power.  

While these cars are perhaps our favorite new green cars that 2016 has brought in its wake, almost all car brands are entering their flagship green models into the market. The automotive industry is an exciting place to be at the moment as these cars revolutionise the automotive world keeping it greener and fresher more than ever before.