Eco-Friendly Car of the Year

As a nominee for Cars.com's Best 2012, the Volkswagen Passat has clearly impressed us as a roomy, high-quality sedan. The TDI clean-diesel version is also our Best New Car for Green Drivers. Rated at an EPA-estimated 30/40 mpg city/highway with an automatic transmission, the Passat TDI is an alternative to the base gasoline model, rated 22/31 mpg with an automatic. The Passat TDI wins this award both for its execution and because of what it represents: an efficient alternative to hybrids — whose driving quirks are objectionable to some buyers — and to plug-in cars that are priced higher and have inherent limitations. Thanks in part to the media frenzy and exclusive government support that electric cars enjoy, diesel still struggles to get its due, despite changes that have made the technology as clean as gasoline while being more efficient in an even comparison. As a midsize sedan, the Passat brings to the United States' best-selling car class a high-efficiency, long-range option that's otherwise absent outside of luxury brands. The 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI reminds everybody that flowing electrons aren't the only answer to the automotive efficiency question, or even the best one for many buyers.