Colorado's Subaru obsession impacts emissions

With a just a few clicks, a handy-dandy new tool lets you feel a little better — or a little worse — about your car's environmental impact.

The interactive tool, called Carboncounter, charts the greenhouse gas emissions and costs of 100 popular models. We used the tool, developed by MIT's Trancik Lab, to compare the greenhouse gas emissions of some of Colorado's best-selling new cars and a few of America's top-selling models.

As it turns out, Colorado really is the Land of the Subarus. But that's not necessarily great for the environment.

The stereotype that every Coloradan drives a Subaru holds strong, judging by AAA Colorado's most recent list of the state's best-selling cars. Five of the top 10 are Subarus, with the Outback and Forester taking the top and second spots, respectively. Colorado and Washington are the only states in the country where a Subaru is the top-selling car, according to IHS Automotive numbers.

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While Coloradans like the all-wheel drive aspect of Subarus for recreating and navigating snow, as far as greenhouse gas emissions go, Subarus could do a lot worse. They could also do a lot better.

Three of Colorado's top-selling Subaru models — Outback, Forester and Impreza — are on the CarbonCount tool. The Outback and the Forester are in the center lane for emissions of mid-size and compact SUVs. The Impreza has lower emissions in general but more than a lot of other hatchback models.

It's the same story for most of Colorado's best-selling cars. They're nowhere near the environmental impact of pickups, minivans and full-size SUVs, but they fare worse than the compact and mid-size sedans that rule auto markets in many other states.

Look at it this way: America's three most popular cars are greener than all but one of Colorado's best-sellers. That's because America's three best-selling cars are sedans, which have better fuel economy than the SUVs that Coloradans favor.

It could be worse, though. The most popular car in all Colorado's neighbor states except Arizona is the Ford F-series pickup, which is in the top tier for greenhouse gas emissions. The F-series doesn't rank in Colorado's top 10, nor do any pickups, minivans or full-size SUVs.

The cars that fare best for climate impact are electric and hybrid models, even when you consider emissions associated with electricity generation and production, which the tool does.

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Here's the list of top-selling cars in Colorado:

1. Subaru Outback - mid-range emissions

2. Subaru Forester - mid-range emissions

3. Toyota Highlander - high emissions

4. Honda CR-V - mid-range emissions

5. Subaru Legacy - not charted

6. Subaru Impreza - mid-range emissions

7. Toyota Rav4 - not charted

8. Honda Accord - mid-range emissions

9. Toyota 4Runner - high emissions

10. Subaru Crosstrek - not charted

And America's three best-selling cars:

1. Honda Civic - mid-range emissions (but lower than all Colorado's charted top-sellers)

2. Toyota Camry - mid-range emissions (but lower than all Colorado's charted top-sellers except for the Honda Accord)

3. Toyota Corolla - mid-range emissions (but lower than all Colorado's charted top-sellers)