Thank you Rich for your thoughts.

You are right that I have been indoctrinated to think I need more power than I probably need but the problem I have is one of relativity. When I'm on the road (I live in Los Angeles) I like being able to make fast maneuvers to avoid aggressive drivers. I know that I should take the high road (forgive the pun) and never engage with other drivers but I do like knowing that I can pass someone quickly or go up a hill without feeling the engine struggle (when I had my first car I always lamented at how feeble my car was at climbing hills). Just to know that the power is there is enough-- the rest of the time, I'd be happy to have a very energy efficient, low emissions car.

Change begins with me, however, and my reluctance to engage in radical change is testament to the difficulties of making positive environmental changes across society. In the mean time, I'm hoping that a Lexus with decent mileage and low emissions is a start.... I hope.