Cars to make the pulse race

For the first time in more than a decade domestic automakers have something to shout about

By David Elkins

Two and a half years ago, I leased a Volkswagen Beetle with a 1.8 litre diesel engine. My intention was to purchase it when the lease runs out this August and eventually convert it to biodiesel. My bet is that as fuel prices continue to rise � we still pay substantially less than Europeans and much of the rest of the world � alternatives like biodiesel will become more prevalent. The fuel is either a mixture of diesel and vegetable oil or pure vegetable oil and is already powering buses and commercial vehicles in many Canadian cities. It's designated according to the amount of vegetable oil in the mix. Biodiesel 50, for example, is half and half; biodiesel 75 contains 75% vegetable oil.

Conventional diesel engines can be converted to burn the alternative fuel for just a few hundred dollars. Enterprising environmentalists here and in the US actually collect their own fuel from fast-food outlets who discard old cooking oil. Biodiesel 100 is entirely pollution free, and the exhaust smells like smoke from the fryers at McDonalds.

I'm not quite ready for that extreme and, for the time being, biodiesel fuel outlets are few and far between. So lately I've been thinking about other ways to cut my use of gasoline and be environmentally responsible. On one count, the Beetle has been a revelation. The mileage is phenomenal. Though I have yet to calculate exactly how many kilometres I get per litre, during this exceptionally cold winter and with almost exclusively city driving I filled up only once every couple of weeks. Just as impressive, the car started on the first crank on even the coldest mornings. Diesels, though, are polluters, so unless I do convert to biodiesel, an alternative might be better.

CARS WITH SPLIT PERSONALITIES
Naturally I've been drawn to the hybrids which run on a combination of a gas-driven engine and electricity. Honda and Toyota have had models for a couple of years. The latter's model, the four-seater Prius, has been extensively redesigned this year and is so popular that it's back-ordered three to six months. The cars commonly get 40 miles to the gallon (roughly six litres per 100km) in city driving and run 50% cleaner than exclusively gas driven vehicles of similar weight.

Now it's confession time. My second vehicle is a 1991 Ford Explorer. One of the first SUVs, after 13 years of devoted service and over 400,000 kilometres it's still running like a top. The upholstery is shot and on rainy days it smells of wet dog but it's a great car and I'm reluctant to part with it. Not only that, I need a four-wheel drive. I have a country place that has a 1.5 kilometre community road leading to it that's so bad, the low slung Prius simply couldn't navigate it. What to do?

Scarcely was my mind in gear on the matter when the new Ford Escape made its appearance at the auto shows currently being held around the country. It's North America's first hybrid SUV and comes complete with promises of good mileage � 17 kilometres per litre � and a substantial reduction in pollution. Though it's priced higher than a conventional Escape, it puts owners at the vanguard of the movement toward less oil dependant vehicles � a direction in which the planet must clearly go. Before the lease on the Volks expires in August, I'm going to trek down to the Ford dealership to test drive the Escape. It's beginning to look to me that trading two vehicles for one makes a lot of sense.

NEW AT THE SHOWS
Ford's not the only company with exciting additions to their new car line-ups this year. Toyota has an addition to the hybrid line in the luxurious Lexus RX400h introduced at the Geneva auto show in March. The manufacturer promises the fuel economy of a four cylinder family sedan in a 3.3 litre V6 that goes from zero to 100km in less than eight seconds. GM's likely to introduce hybrids later this year or early next. In the meantime, they have an interesting new compact family car, the Chevrolet Cobalt, which comes in a coupe model that can be dressed up to the nines. The elegant and pricey Buick Velite is a certain head turner.

Also in the luxury category, the redesigned Chrysler 300 is worth a look. The company gets it right when they call the appearance 'noble.' Its lineage can be traced to the Mercedes, many of whose parts it uses. Traditionally, the Chrysler has had a big following among physicians and this model could be the one that brings you back into the fold. The six cylinder model is reasonably priced given the vehicle's presence. On the other hand, you could throw caution to the wind and opt for the brutish Hemi V8.

Other cars worth of a look: the redesigned Acura RL; the new Ford Five Hundred which resembles the Audi A6; the Land Rover LR3 which replaces the Discovery is a more elegant, Ford-designed SUV that owes more to the Ranger Rover than the more adventurous Defender; and the sure to be much-coveted Mini Cooper ranks top. Watch for it in August.