The company's Lafayette, Indiana plant recycles 99 percent of the waste it generates, and the other 1 percent is sent to a waste-to-energy plant. That's an impressive achievement to which more auto companies should aspire.

The Outback emits the least air pollutants of any SUV, although other SUVs are rated higher by the EPA in greenhouse gas emissions. Subaru has teamed up with customer Interface, a company that manufacturers environmentally friendly floorings, to plant trees that will absorb C02 equal to the amount that each wagon they purchase will emit during its first 60,000 miles.

Actions such as planting trees or purchasing carbon offsets are well-intentioned, but in this case Subaru could do more by offering either a hybrid or diesel version of its vehicles. The company has intentions of producing diesel vehicles, but they are a bit late in jumping on the bandwagon.