Modern Motoring - Grading Canada's eco-minded vehicles for 2023

Images via Blake Jennings | Drive Marketing Group unless otherwise noted.

It’ll surprise exactly no one to learn that today’s carmakers are looking to the future and plowing untold resources into hyper-efficient new vehicles. Whether those efforts take the form of fuel sipping gasoline engines or the steady march of technology in electric vehicles – or a blend of the two thanks to innovative hybrid powertrains – there’s a huge push in the halls of automotive engineering to be at the front of the class.

This month’s EcoRun, an annual soirée in which Canada’s automotive journalists gather to sample the latest eco-minded vehicles on sale in this country, saw nearly twenty machines from about a dozen manufacturers sip their way across 800 kilometres of Okanagan Valley over the span of two testing days. We gathered some standouts from the Class of 2023, vehicles which checked the right boxes in terms of their primary field of study – economics – while also posting good grades in a few extracurriculars. 

After all, it’s good to be a well-rounded student.

Graduated with Distinction: Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid 

The little Niro is gifted new styling while retaining its unique place in the Kia lineup, standing apart from rivals by offering a trio of powertrain options – all with varying degrees of electrification: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric. The Niro plug-in which accompanied us on our West Coast drive pairs a 1.6L engine with a 62kW electric motor and 11.1-kWh lithium-ion battery, good for a total system output of 180 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft of torque.

So equipped, the Niro PHEV can travel roughly 55 kilometres without lighting engine, a trick which will help owners with similarly sized commutes slash their fuel bills to a pittance. In other scenarios, the electrified gubbins pitch in to assist the 1.6L engine helping us routinely beat NRCan’s 4.8L/100km combined fuel economy estimate. Some particularly light footed EcoRun drivers limboed under the 3.9L/100km mark during 100-kilometre test loops, an extraordinary feat for a crossover with good passenger space and decent cargo room. 

Named to the Dean’s List of SUVs: Range Rover PHEV SE

Some students, whether by dint of circumstance or hard work, find themselves at an elevated level compared to peers. Enter the big-daddy Range Rover and its plug-in hybrid powertrain, fresh for 2023. With a sticker price deep in six figure territory, this SUV retains the rarified air of its hulking predecessors but infuses the experience with about 70 kilometres of all-electric driving, a silence which pairs perfectly to its sumptuous cabin which oozes luxury from every crevasse. The turbocharged engine plays nicely with its electrified dance partner, providing well over 400 horsepower every time its pilot buries their right foot into the RR’s deep-pile carpet.

Most Likely to Succeed: Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
Images via Toyota Canada

A strong family name can provide a leg up on the ladder of success – just ask anyone with the surname Earnhardt or Irving. When marketers at Toyota decided to pip the Corolla name for the brand’s new crossover, they imbued this well-designed little crossover a wealth of built-in popularity. With standard all-wheel drive, fuel-sipping electrified powertrain, and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range, we can confidently predict Toyota will have no trouble finding success with this Corolla Cross Hybrid.

Most Improved: Toyota Prius Prime

The venerable Prius, a name synonymous with hybrid cars thanks to years of leadership in the segment, has showed up to this year’s grad party completely yassified and ready to turn some heads. Fresh styling shuns the old car’s science project looks, while a smarter plug-in hybrid powertrain promises over 70 kilometres of all-electric driving. Its 2.0L engine, electric generator, and electric motor combine to produce 220 net system horsepower – nearly a hundred more than the prior generation. And while this author is not a proponent of changing oneself simply to fit in with the crowd, ditching the old car’s oddball dashboard design produces a much more usable interior space. Most improved? You bet it is. 

Named to the Honour Roll of 4x4s: Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe  

For decades, Jeep has been endowing its Wrangler with the type of off-road cred associated with the gnarliest of mountain goats. As we shuffle towards an era of hyper-efficiency, it has also managed to stuff a few electrons behind the SUV’s seven-slot grille. A turbocharged gasoline engine tag teams a 17-kWh battery and motor/generator units to belt out 375 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft of torque. In the right conditions, it’ll deliver up to 35 kilometres of all-electric range and we easily saw 10.0L/100km average economy (1.7 better than its official rating) without even trying.

But the crew at Jeep made sure this thing can still get the job done off-road. Skid plates are hove underneath to protect expensive bits, 42 degrees of approach angle, knobby all-terrain tires provide scads of grip, and over 10 inches of ground clearance. It can even ford up to 30 inches of standing water thanks to intensive protection of the electrical gear on board. One more bonus? This thing even qualifies for some of the financial largesse being thrown at electrified vehicles by Daddy Government. Let’s hit the trails.

Recipient of Future Studies Scholarship: Toyota Mirai

Some students plan for studies beyond graduation, choosing to focus their efforts on a particular field they enjoy, or think will be in demand. The hydrogen fuelled Mirai is prepping itself for a future in which cars may be powered by the most abundant element in the known universe. Engineers have been working on hydrogen powertrain for some time but are currently hamstrung by refuelling challenges: primarily transportation and storage of the stuff. 

Once pumped into the car at a filling station, a process which takes no longer than standard refuelling, hydrogen from the fuel tank and air from the intake grille are blended in a secure fuel cell. There, a chemical reaction creates the electricity which powers the car. Use that scholarship wisely, Mirai; when convenient hydrogen storage is invented, you’ll be at the front of the class.