Automakers make a big splash about their most environmentally friendly cars, but what about the worst offenders in the lineup? In addition to examining which cars are the greenest, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy also complies a list of which cars are the most harmful to the environment. These cars get some of the worst mpg’s out there and let off the highest levels of pollution. Dominating the list, to no one’s surprise, are large SUV’s and other heavy cars. So which vehicles made the list this year?
Here are the top ten most environmentally unfriendly cars in 2016 according to the findings from the ACEEE.
10. The Bentley Continental GT/Flying Spur
It’s never been a great mystery that cars like the Bentley Continental consume gasoline like there’s no tomorrow, but regardless, the ACEEE found that both the Continental GT and the Flying Spur were pretty equal in terms of being “bad” for the environment. These massive cars are outfitted with 6.0-liter V12’s and get about 12 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on highways. The ACEEE gave these two vehicles a green score of 26, making it the tenth most environmentally unfriendly vehicle out there today. But again, this is largely because these cars consume so much gas, and I suppose if you can afford a Bentley, you probably aren’t worrying about how much gas costs.
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9. The Lexus LX 570
8. The Mercedes-Benz GL 63 AMG
The GL 63 AMG is the most expensive and the most premium version of the standard GL SUV from Mercedes-Benz. As you will quickly see, some of the most environmentally unfriendly cars out there are not only SUVs, but SUVs that have been equip with powerful, sports car-like engines. With it’s 5.5-liter biturbo V8 engine, the GL 63 AMG is quite fast….but it also sucks down gasoline. It gets about 13 mpg in cities and only 17 mpg on the highway, which is why it received a green score of 25.
7. The Ford Transit Wagon
The Ford Transit Wagon/Van is one of the more popular and capable commercial vehicles out there, whose potentially purposes are nearly endless. However these large and cumbersome vehicles are fairly inefficient when it comes to being green. These vehicles only get some 14 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on highways, which earned the Ford Transit a green score of 25.
6. The Toyota Sequoia
The Toyota Sequoia is one of the beefiest vehicles out there on the roads to day, and it routinely makes these lists as its one of the most environmentally unfriendly cars you can drive. The ACEEE gave the Sequoia a green score of 25 as it gets a pretty dismal 13/17 mpg in cities and highways.
5. The Mercedes-Benz G550
The Mercedes G-Wagon is personally my favorite SUV of all-time, and I’m not even an SUV guy. But regardless of how I feel about this car, the base G550 is not the car to drive if you are eco-conscious. While the standard 4.0-liter biturbo V8 is impressive, it likes to drink a lot of fuel. You can expect a pretty low 13 mpg on the highway and only 14 mpg in the city, so the gas station will be your new best friend in this car. Because of those facts, the Mercedes-Benz G550 earned a green score of 25.
4. The Bentley Mulsanne
The Mulsanne from Bentley is an impressive vehicle in virtually all aspects. It’s good looking, roomy, very fast, and filled with the finest luxury features imaginable. However like other cars of this nature, it’s not exactly green. The Bentley Mulsanne received a green score of just 23, as it gets an extremely low combined rating of just 14 mpg which you can blame on it’s heavy body and it’s thirsty (yet still really impressive) 6.8-liter V8. Is it an amazing luxury car that many dream of owning? Yes. Is it very environmentally unfriendly? Also yes.
3. The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG
The G63 AMG is the upgraded version of the G550 from Mercedes-Benz, as it offers consumers a range of premium upgrades, namely a larger and more powerful engine. The G63 is outfitted with a 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8, and since the base model scored so poorly on these tests, it’s no surprise that this version is even worse. Drivers can expect at best, 12 mpg in the city and only 14 mpg on highways, which is probably why it earned a green score of just 22 from the ACEEE.
2. The Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana G2500 Passenger Van
The ACEEE ranked the Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana Van as the second most environmentally unfriendly car in 2016, giving it a green score of just 22. Now this vehicle is extremely capable and equipped for what it was created to do. You can fit 15 passengers in it and it can even toe up to 10,000 pounds. In terms of vans, the Express/Savana is a solid performer. But in terms of green vehicles, it isn’t. It gets about 11 mpg in the city and just 16 mpg on the highway. Vans are in an unfortunate spot in terms of being environmentally friendly. They need large and powerful engines to perform, however these engines burn through gas quite fast.
1. The Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG
Coming in at the number one spot for the most environmentally unfriendly vehicle in 2016 is the Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG. In case you forgot, that means that every single model of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV has earned themselves a spot in the top ten, so theoretically these are some of the worst cars in terms of being green. This particular version of the G-Class is the fastest as it has a 6.0-liter biturbo V12. While it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in an incredible 5.2 seconds, it’s not the best car for the environment. It gets a dismal 11 mpg in the city and just 13 mpg on the highway, so the green score of just 20 from the ACEEE makes a lot of sense. If you are passionate about the environment, do not get a G65 AMG. However at $217,900 dollars, it’s not like there are many of these vehicles on the road.