About Cars

Cash for Clunkers reality check: Why 2 MPG is a good thing

2009-11-13T11:15:19Z

There's been a lot of talk in the news recently about how many people used Cash for Clunkers to swap old F-150 for a new F-150, yielding a fuel-economy increase of between 1 and 3 MPG. The conclusion, according to the pundits, is that the program was a failure. And my conclusion is that Microsoft should invent a way for me to reach through my monitor so I could grab said pundits' collective collar and do a little 'splainin. Read more...

Cash for Clunkers reality check: Why 2 MPG is a good thing originally appeared on About.com Cars on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 11:15:19.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Test drive: 2010 Lexus HS 250h

2009-11-12T03:55:46Z

There are a lot of people who think Lexus' new HS 250h hybrid is nothing but a tarted-up Toyota Prius with leather seats and a sedan shell. I actually thought that myself, to the point where I spent a full two days trying to come up with a funny way to combine "Lexus" and "Prius" into one word. (I failed. So far as I can tell, it can't be done. Anyone have Robin Williams' phone number?)

But a week of test-driving made it clear that the Lexus HS 250h is anything but a fancy Prius... which, as it turns out, is kind of a shame. Find out why in my 2010 Lexus HS 250h test drive and review. -- Aaron Gold

Photo © Aaron Gold

Test drive: 2010 Lexus HS 250h originally appeared on About.com Cars on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 03:55:46.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Test drive: 2010 Toyota Prius

2009-11-10T00:01:35Z

There are two different schools of thought regarding the Toyota Prius hybrid. Some see it as the future of transportation -- a roomy family car that uses about half the fuel of a typical mid-size sedan. Other see it as the anti-car, a joyless, soulless form of transportation completely lacking in the character which car fanatics love so much. Personally, I can see both side of the argument -- and apparently so can Toyota, because they've attempted to imbue the all-new Prius with something the old car lacked: Personality. Has it worked? Find out in my 2010 Toyota Prius test drive and review. -- Aaron Gold

Photo © Aaron Gold

http://cars.about.com/od/toyota/fr/10_prius.htm

Test drive: 2010 Toyota Prius originally appeared on About.com Cars on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 00:01:35.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Opinions wanted: When will the auto industry recover?

2009-11-09T01:02:22Z

I often go to press previews for new models. Before we drive, we're given a technical presentation, and most of these start with a "State of the Company" section. Naturally, all the talk has been about when the auto industry will recover. Some say recovery is just a few months away; others say things won't get back to normal until 2014 at the earliest.

So, I'm curious: When do you think the auto industry will recover? And by "recover", I mean that sales bounce back -- if not to pre-2006 numbers, at least to a level consistent with the growth we were seeing before the bottom fell out of the economy. Vote below, and if you'd like to elaborate on why you think what you think, by all means please click the "comments" link. -- Aaron Gold

Opinions wanted: When will the auto industry recover? originally appeared on About.com Cars on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 01:02:22.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Revisiting the Chevy Camaro and Hyundai Genesis Coupe

2009-11-06T04:41:45Z

As we head into winter, I'm focusing on our upcoming Best New Cars of 2010 awards. I have a feeling it's going to be a long list -- 2010 may be shaping up to be a bad year for car sales, but it's a great year for new models. I've got contenders lined up two at a time for test drives right through the end of December, and I recently spent some time revisiting couple of hopefuls that I haven't driven for a while. Read more...

Revisiting the Chevy Camaro and Hyundai Genesis Coupe originally appeared on About.com Cars on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 04:41:45.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Fiat discusses the future of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep

2009-11-05T03:13:21Z

Yesterday, Fiat and Chrysler held a marathon press conference to discuss Chrysler's future. Read more...

Fiat discusses the future of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep originally appeared on About.com Cars on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 03:13:21.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Vote for the Internet Car and Truck of the Year

2009-11-04T02:41:57Z

The Internet Car and Truck of the Year is now down to the final round of voting! For those unfamiliar, there are actually two Internet Car and Truck of the Year awards: The jury's pick and the consumer's pick. You, the consumers, have narrowed your choices down to three finalists in each category:

Cars: Chevrolet Camaro SS, Ford Taurus SHO, Ford Shelby GT500
Trucks/SUVs: Audi Q7 TDI, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford F-150 Raptor

Meanwhile, the jury of twelve Internet journalists -- one of which is yours truly -- has selected slightly different finalists. On the car side, we're choosing between the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Ford Shelby GT500, and the Mazda3. On the truck side, we're also chosing between the Equinox and the Raptor, and the third contender is the Volvo XC60.

I think I know which truck I'm going to vote for, but I'm having a heck of a time picking a car. For me, it's between the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Mazda3 -- don't get me wrong, the GT500 is an awesome automobile, but I'm thinking about the direction our country needs to go in terms of the vehicles we drive. I've just spent a week with the Fusion Hybrid, and I think it's remarkable -- great hybrid drivetrain, fantastic SYNC system, and I averaged 37.2 MPG without even trying. But I also love the Mazda3, because it's the first compact car to offer pretty much all of the amenities you can get in a large car -- and buying a smaller car is a great way to save money and use less fuel. I honestly have no idea how I'm going to choose between them.

Meanwhile, you can cast your vote by visiting the voting page. Voting closes at 5 pm EST on November 13th. Need more information on the vehicles? You'll find information on the cars here and information about the trucks and SUVs here. -- Aaron Gold

Vote for the Internet Car and Truck of the Year originally appeared on About.com Cars on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 02:41:57.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour test drive; help Basem pick a long-term Triumph

2009-11-03T09:01:11Z

Jason Fogelson is the guy who runs About.com's SUVs site. We often disagree on whether a vehicle should be considered a car (and therefore reviewed on my site) or an SUV (reviewed on his). I expected the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour to be one of those vehicles, but when Jason asked if I could attend the Accord Crosstour press preview on his behalf, I figured the review was mine, all mine, what with possession being 9/10ths of the law and all that.

As soon as I saw the Accord Crosstour in person, I knew that my test drive would belong on the SUV site -- even though it's only a couple of inches longer and wider than the Accord sedan on which it is based, it feels like a significantly bigger vehicle. However, I think it's an SUV that will appeal to car people. Now, I know the Accord Crosstour has been much maligned in the press due to its looks. But having seen it in person -- and driven it in person -- I can tell you that there's a lot more to this vehicle than meets the eye. Get the story in my 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour test drive -- which, of course, is hosted on Jason's SUVs site.

On an unrelated note, Basem Wasef, who runs our motorcycles site, is about to take on a long-term Triumph bike -- and he's asking the readers to vote on which Triumph model should be the subject of his twelve-month test. If you're interested in motorcycles, be sure to check out his long-term Triumph poll. -- Aaron Gold

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour test drive; help Basem pick a long-term Triumph originally appeared on About.com Cars on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 09:01:11.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

2010 Honda Insight twelve-month test: October 2009 update

2009-11-02T03:16:29Z

October was our first full month with our long-term Honda Insight. When we first picked up the car from Honda, I was frantically trying to figure out how we could rack up 20,000 miles in a year. I'd even thought about driving the car from Los Angeles to the Detroit Auto Show in January (note to self: buy snow tires). My wife -- the Insight's primary custodian -- kept telling me not to worry about it. Now here we are, one month into our year-long test drive, and Robin's already racked up over 2,300 miles. And we're not just talking about a whole lot of runs to the grocery store -- Robin has already used the Insight as a family car, a moving van, and a pickup truck. Find out how things are goin in my long-term Insight October 2009 update. -- Aaron Gold

2010 Honda Insight twelve-month test: October 2009 update originally appeared on About.com Cars on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 03:16:29.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

2010, 2011, 2012 tidbits

2009-10-30T01:13:11Z

A few tidbits of information about new 2010, 2011 and 2012 cars have come down the pike in the last couple of days, so I'm just going to lay 'em all on you at once. Here we go:

Acura announced a new Sport Wagon version of the TSX. They haven't released any photos, but this picture of the European-market Honda Accord Touring should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Honda showed a newer version of the CR-Z hybrid concept at last week's Tokyo auto show, and knowing the way Honda does things, this one is probably very, very close to the production version (which we'll see at the Detroit show in January). Honda confirmed that the CR-Z will have a 6-speed manual transmission.
Also at the Tokyo show, Toyota rolled out the FT-86 concept, which is said to be the rear-drive sports car that Toyota has been developing in conjunction with Subaru. The rumor mill points to a Subaru-sourced 2.0 liter "boxer" four-cylinder under the hood. The name is derived from AE86, the internal code name for the last rear-drive version of the Corolla, which now has a sizable cult following.
Volkswagen has confirmed more details about the Jetta TDI Cup Edition and the future of the Passat once their new mid-size sedan (NMS) debuts. Details in my Volkswagen: What's new for 2010 article -- Jetta on page one, future Passat on page two.
Lexus showed their LFA supercar at the Tokyo Auto Show. The quick specs: 10 cylinders, 4.8 liters, 552 horses, 202 MPH, and around $350,000. Lexus will hand-build 500 of these babies over a 24 month period beginning in December 2010. Take a closer look at this photo of the Lexus LFA. On a much less interesting note, they announced updates to the 2010 LS 600hL. You'll find details in my Lexus: What's new for 2010 article.
Nissan has announced a "Krōm" version of the Rogue. Photo here and details in my Nissan: What's new for 2010 article.

2010, 2011, 2012 tidbits originally appeared on About.com Cars on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 01:13:11.

Permalink | Comment | Email this