Low Tech Meets Low Compromise in the Battle for Fuel Efficiency
It’s not as if Chevrolet has never attempted this before. Take a mainstream small car, make some powertrain tweaks and attempt to turn the vehicle into a hyper-mileage car that passes as conventional transportation. As General Motors’ entry-priced brand, Chevrolet has a long history–not all of it memorable–at marketing highly efficient vehicles. Some notable–scratch that, tragic–examples include the Chevette diesel, the GEO Metro XFi, and the Cobalt XFE. None of these vehicles set the sales charts on fire (a scant 324 diesel Chevettes were sold in 1986), so does Chevrolet’s latest hyper-miler, the Cruze ECO, have any chance at succes? Read more…
We can’t understate the importance of the new seventh generation Camry. Since debuting in 1983 Toyota has sold 15 million around the world and moved enough in this country to claim the car sales crown for 13 of the last 14 years. So when it comes time to redesign the goose that lays the golden eggs you can bet Toyota does their homework. What they always discover is that Camry fans want more of the same, only better. They want roomier, quieter, safer, smarter and more efficient and that’s exactly what Toyota has given them with the 2012 Camry. Read more…
The good news about the new Acura TL is that it’s a nicer version of the Honda Accord. The bad news? It’s a nicer version of the Honda Accord. That’s the contradiction of the TL, which has been refreshed — and made a lot prettier — for the 2012 model year. It takes a fantastic, fun, ultra-reliable Accord and spiffs it up for the luxury market, packing it full of cool gadgets and adding sound-deadening materials to make it quiet on the highway. Read more…
If you’ve been on the hunt for a new midsize family sedan you’ve probably already read our Hyundai Sonata review, but if you haven’t, allow us to sum up our thoughts on the Korean new kid. We loved everything but the artificial steering and messy handling, especially the unbeatable value and stellar fuel economy. So we had high hopes when the Sonata’s kissing cousin from Kia appeared on our schedule recently. The Optima shares almost everything mechanically with the well-received Sonata but wraps it all in completely distinct sheetmetal and tunes everything to suit Kia’s corporate Mazda-wannabe driving philosophy. We’re going to tip our hand a bit and tell you upfront that Kia has built a better Sonata and the competition has one more midsize contender to worry about. Read more…
Watch as Gernand takes a rally car out on the track for a couple of hot laps. Well, sort of. When we say “hot” we mean the mercury in the thermometer was pegged, and when we say “rally”, well, he drove a Subaru Legacy 2.5GT. So really, he took a family sedan out for a rather sedate spin. We’re blaming the boost gauge for our delusions of rally grandeur! Read more…
We have a 2011 Kia Optima in the fleet this week. We also managed a day’s reprieve from the rain. So with plenty of battery power in the camera Executive Editor Dye set out for the track to have a go in the Optima and bring you the details on why you shouldn’t be overlooking the sporty family sedan from South Korea. Read more…
Once upon a time, Volkswagen was known for selling simple and inexpensive cars. The unconventional simplicity of the automaker’s designs carried over into the brand’s straightforward nomenclature designating its vehicles as the Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Somewhere in its history, VW decided to be more than just the company that provided Beetles and Microbuses. Read more…
Audi seems destined to repeat BMW’s formula from the ’90s by making one sausage at 3 different lengths. Just as the 3, 5 and 7-Series sedans were clones of each other in sizes small, medium and large, so too has Audi developed a lineup of A4, A6 and A8 sedans that are nearly indistinguishable. We aren’t implying that’s a bad thing. Audi’s clean, tidy lines contribute to a timeless design that has served the company well. Read more…
Honda isn’t quite ready to debut the new ninth-generation Civic lineup yet, but that didn’t stop them from teasing us with mildly exaggerated coupe and sedan concepts. If you visually downsize the wheels, relocate the center exhaust tips and install an interior you’re looking at the 2012 Civic that will debut in a few short months. Read more…
For more than a year Volkswagen has promised a larger midsize sedan to replace the long lived Passat name. The car was to be designed to fit US consumer’s tastes and buying habits and be built in a brand new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Code named the NMS (for New Midsize Sedan) Volkswagen had the industry waiting with baited breath for the official name of the Passat replacement. Our collective breath was held in vain only for VW to reveal that the NMS would be designated – wait for it – the Passat. Read more…
