Daily Driver
After she returned the Equinox to GM, Tiegs went back to driving her two cars, which are both hybrids -- a 2007 Saturn Vue and a 2007 Lexus GS 450h.
Tiegs rates her GS 450h a 9. When she sees other Lexus drivers on the road, she doesn't understand why they would buy the regular version over the hybrid, as a vote for the environment.
"It's very fuel efficient," she says, of the Lexus. "I probably get 36 on the highway and maybe 26 in the city. It's a wonderful car very high-end -- it is a luxury car and it does drive beautifully."
The story behind her purchase of the Saturn Vue is that Tiegs was at a GM event and sat next to GM group vice president Gary Cowger. "He offered, 'If you ever need anything, give me a call,' so I called him and said, 'I want a hybrid, what do you suggest and how do I go about it, I'll buy it.' I called him in the spring, he said they were not coming out with it until the fall. So GM let me drive other cars throughout the summer, and then I got my hybrid. I was thrilled."
Tiegs rates her Saturn an 8. "That really is a utility car, so I use it for dogs and groceries and moving big objects around," she says.
Consumers now have more options for greener cars, and Tiegs avers she'll always buy green. "I will never go back and get a gas guzzling car, I don't care what it looks like, it has to be safe," she emphasizes.
Tiegs echoed a sentiment Adam Carolla brought up in his chat with Celebrity Drive, in which he hoped gas prices would go up so it clears up the roads for enthusiasts to enjoy, only Tiegs' wish is a greener one. "When gas prices go up, I'm actually cheering, saying, 'Yes, go higher, go higher,' so that people start demanding an alternative."
Tiegs describes a recent party at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which she attended at the end of Oscar week. She was surprised at someone's reaction. "I pulled up in one of my hybrids. As I walked down the red carpet, a fellow asked, 'What car do you drive?' His face kind of fell a little bit at my answer, and he said 'Do you ever drive a sports car?' He couldn't put two and two together."
Tiegs thinks automakers will produce greener cars, especially if consumers clamor for them. "With this economy, they are going to want fuel efficient and they will start to demand it. It's a slow process and the more we talk about it and if we get one person to change, that'll help. I can't wait for the electric car."
Her next purchase might be an electric car with fuel backup. "You go 40 miles, 60 miles, some small amount you can go on the gas that you put in the car. Then what happens is the electric part kicks in and starts to make the engine work, so you can go somewhere like 340 miles," she enthuses. "That's the car I want. The prototypes are just coming out now."