Exclusive car hire with a conscience: eco-friendly luxury cars

Exclusive car hire is big business. Car rental companies in South Africa annually spend vast amounts of money updating their existing fleets to include the luxury vehicles demanded by both tourists and locals alike. As the world gets more and more environmentally conscious, this raises the question of fuel economy. Is it worth driving that big, impressive car if it means that you are going to end up with a carbon footprint the size of a small African country? Luckily, driving an executive car rental and being a good, green citizen no longer needs to be mutually exclusive attributes.

Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEV’s) are becoming a common sight on our streets, but the fact of the matter is that luxury consumers look for power and speed, areas which hybrid vehicles (however cool they might be) don’t particularly excel in. Vehicles that pack more punch under the hood don’t have to compromise on fuel efficiency. While we wait for high-end hybrids to become more commonplace, there are at least some luxury models that offer respectable fuel economy. These include the following:

Lexus RX400h. Classed as a sports utility vehicle (SUV), the Lexus RX400h boasts economy fuel consumption of 33/28 mpg. The gasoline engine is aided by a maximum of two additional electric motors, one driving the front wheels and connected to the Continuously Variable Transmission gearbox, the other driving the rear wheels. With Lexus Hybrid Drive, only the front motor and gasoline engine are used under normal driving conditions. The rear motor is only used under full-throttle acceleration or if the front wheels lose any traction. When the car is stationary, decelerating or driven at very low speeds, the petroleum-driven engine switches off automatically and the vehicle runs completely on electricity. This robust beauty also has the distinction of gaining recognition of the J.D Powers and Associates 2006 “Automotive Environmental Index of the top 30 most environmentally-friendly vehicles” in the United States of America.

Audi A4. Confident, strong and sexy, the new Audi A4 sedan will impress from the very first glance all the way to its superior driving characteristics, precision and ease of handling. A compact executive car, this beauty’s fuel consumption clocks in at a modest 23/34 mpg. The Diesel Particulate Filter, featured in all Turbo Diesel Injection models, also cleans the diesel used to propel this potent vehicle for environmentally friendly emissions.

Volvo V70. Sporty enough to impress onlookers, and spacious enough to ferry about the family in comfort, the Volvo V70 is a mid-size, five-door station wagon / estate with a reserved fuel consumption of 22/29 mpg – making it one of the most fuel-efficient luxury family vehicles on the market today.

Other fuel efficient luxury vehicles include the BMW Z4 3.0, Audi TT, Jaguar XJ8, Lincoln Mark LT and Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI. So, now you know. Next time you rent a car in Cape Town or Johannesburg for business, or consider exclusive car hire for an airport transfer, make the environmentally friendly choice. After all, not caring about Global Warming is so last season.

I am considering a luxury car rental and came across some interesting executive car hire options online.