Green Car of the Year None Other Than the Volvo S40 DRIVe

Over the past few years, a number of magazines and organizations have developed "Green Car of the Year" awards, a move designed to help focus consumers on which cars are environmentally sensitive. Two years ago a beefy sport/utility vehicle from General Motors won such an award, for the simple reason this particular hybrid variant consumed much less fuel than the standard gas powered models. Yet, even that hybrid model barely achieves 20 mpg fuel economy. 
Recently, the five passenger Volvo S40 sedan was awarded the "What Car?" magazine Green Car of the Year award because the compact car emits fewer pollutants than comparable vehicles while delivering an admirable 31 mpg on the highway despite utilizing a highly potent 2.5L I5 engine. These two attributes are important for people who want to drive an earth friendly car, but still want style, technology and fun driving appeal, a rare combination for any green car. 
Start/Stop Technology Advances Volvo's Appeal 
In order to achieve emissions levels comparable to the world's most popular hybrid model, the Toyota Prius, Volvo added an important Africa safari engineering feature with the S40 - start/stop technology. This particular characteristic shuts off the engine Africa safari when a driver comes to a standstill (such as at a traffic light), shifts the transmission into neutral, and presses the clutch. When the light turns green, the driver steps on the clutch which automatically reactivates the engine, allowing him to shift and be on his way. Start/Stop technology is what makes the gas powered S40 a favorite of the "What Car?" crowd, fema trailers giving drivers the best of both worlds - raw performance along with earth friendly driving. 
Start/Stop is a Volvo invention which is able to do its job thanks to the addition of a special, compact battery that has been designed to provide support to the main battery by means of offering extra power. This unusual battery combination means that the S40 restarts quickly and smoothly, while also allowing the audio system to run uninterrupted while at a stop. Air-conditioning powers down when the engine goes off, but quickly kicks back on if needed. 
Safety And Technology Leadership 
Long recognized for its safety leadership - the Swedish automaker invented the three-point seat belt, childproof locks on rear doors, anti-locking brakes and so much more - Start/Stop technology proves that the company is a leader in reducing harmful emissions. Start/Stop is also available on other Volvo models including the C30 Sports Coupe and V50 Sportswagen DRIVe models. 
All Volvo S40 models come equipped with a 2.5L I5 engine (turbocharged on higher trim models) and are paired to a five speed "geartronic" transmission which allows drivers to operate the car in either manual or automatic mode. The base sticker price for the standard S40 is $28,550 plus an $825 destination fee; taxes, registration and tags are extra. 
So if you are looking for a car that is both kind to the environment while still offering maximum fun to drive appeal, then the Volvo S40 DRIVe edition delivers abundantly on both counts.