Month: August 2016

A Little Sport to Go With Hybrid Drive Is it possible for a hybrid car to also be a sporty car? The answer is...it depends. It depends on what your expectations are when it comes to hybrid fuel economy, and what your definition is of sporty when applied to cars. Enter the ... Read More...

A Fact-based Analysis Few recent innovations are as potentially world-changing as the electric car. However, although hailed by most as an environment-saving invention, some others criticize them as a false hope. Fortunately, the electric car has also attracted a wealth of scientific research, and it's in this research that we discover ... Read More...

Spacious Interior, Peppy Engine, Excellent MPG Up until this year the Volkswagen Jetta was powered by turbocharged 1.8L and 2.0L gasoline engines or the 2.0L TDI turbo diesel. The TDI is no longer offered, and VW has expressed some ambivalence about whether it will return. It definitely is absent for this ... Read More...

The No Brainer Gets a Remake For decades the midsize family sedan commanded the largest share of the U.S. car market. For the past 14 years, the Toyota Camry has ruled the midsize roost, a position it continues to hold through the first six months of 2016. Included in the Camry’s ... Read More...

Another Tool for Fleets If you are someone who manages a commercial fleet of vehicles, whether that is trucks, tankers, ambulances or taxis, managing the amount of fuel you use is incredibly important, especially with the volatile nature of the price of oil and the limited resources. However, managing, checking and ... Read More...

Luxury & 40 MPG Lexus, the upscale division of Toyota, has gone big into hybrid technology, which is good for consumers looking for improved fuel economy to go along with luxury appointments. Lexus has six hybrid models, with the 2016 Lexus ES 300h being its midsize car luxury offering slotted between ... Read More...

2016 Is Half Over: Here Are the Top 10 Companies in the Fray We update this list regularly because the market is changing so quickly. The new models we've driven have caused us to rethink the Top 10. Picking the Top 10 electric car makers now involves making some choices as the ... Read More...

And Are They Expensive To Replace? Most gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle drivers will at some point ask these questions: How long do hybrid batteries last? Are they expensive to replace? Short Answer: It depends on the make and model of your car, whether you have a warranty, whether you can get cash or ... Read More...

An Eclectic Group of Overachievers Our definitions first: In this blog we're talking about all-wheel drive cars or car-based sport utility vehicles (SUVs) also known as crossover utility vehicles (CUVs). Some might call them the modern station wagon. They're designed for hauling people and stuff to destinations that either require the ... Read More...

Premium Interior with Head-turning Style Nissan gives you a choice of four SUVs or crossovers, with the 2016 Murano—size-wise—slotting just above the compact Rogue and below the full-size Pathfinder. With so many sizes, has Nissan confused you or made your life easier being able to find one that fits your lifestyle ... Read More...

A Primer on Hybrid Battery Care When the first gasoline-electric hybrids vehicles began arriving in 1999 and 2000, early adopters did their research and were quite knowledgeable about the then-new and revolutionary transportation mode. But the mass market was confused; these new cars had an additional battery to provide electricity to an ... Read More...

Volvo Steps Up with its Flagship Wagon Volvo has been on the edges of the mainstream for some time, an intermediate-size manufacturer with a dated image and uncertain future. The 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 marks a new direction and stakes out new ground for where Volvo says it wants to go. ... Read More...

VW’s Seventh Generation Versatile Hatchback Forty-one years ago Volkswagen introduced the first Golf; over those four decades it has evolved and matured into the hatchback that all others in the segment are compared against. The 2016 Volkswagen Golf TSI is rated as a compact, but in reality it is a not-so-small car ... Read More...

Plans for Buy-backs and Penalties Announced So, those of us in the U.S. who love diesels can finally exhale. And those of who think EVs are the cars of the future (in this case the same person), some applause is in order. The U.S. Department of Justice, the state of California ... Read More...