Honda: Be careful with those superlatives

In Honda's television commercial for its Pilot sport-utility vehicle, the company calls itself "The Greenest Automaker in America."  Obviously, the word "greenest" is open to many interpretations.  Some years ago, you might have thought that it meant Honda manufactured the most cars that were painted green.  But these days, the word conveys a different meaning: ecological, friendly to the environment, using less energy or built for alternative fuels.

Now, I couldn't read the fine print on my television - it was too small, and, even if the commercial was in high definition, I don't have it yet.  Yet the claim of "greenest" doesn't pass the fresh-cut grass smell test.  Is Honda aware, for example, of an American automaker called Tesla Motors?  All its cars are completely electric and can outperform most models in the Honda line-up.  They cost more, but they charge up quickly and have a range of over 200 miles.  Meanwhile, even the most efficient Pilot (the two-wheel-drive model) gets an average of only 19 miles per gallon.  That's not bad for a 3.5-liter behemoth, but, given the selection of hybrid SUVs on the market, it's not exactly green, either.