Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Nissan, New Auto Critiques

What Are You Willing To Sacrifice For A Low Price?

The compact car industry is white-hot. The new Ford Concentrate, Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra have lifted the segment to new levels of refinement even though at the identical time improving fuel economic climate to 40 miles per gallon on the highway and beyond. Rather of turning their attention back to trucks and SUVs, producers are going even smaller. Automakers have begun pouring vast resources into the smaller subcompact segment, and the result has been a wealth of all-new models. The Chevrolet Sonic, Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta are all-new or updated and vastly superior to prior subcompacts that nonetheless linger in our memories like an unpleasant aftertaste.

Nissan has put its subcompact under the knife, too, as the 2012 Versa functions all-new sheetmetal, revised powertrains and a fresh interior. The prior Versa was recognized for becoming bigger and less pricey than its competition, and its sales reflected that – it’s been the most well-liked model in its segment. But we’ve been curious to learn if this newest redesign might help or hurt the Versa’s standing, so we borrowed the keys to a leading trim 2012 Nissan Versa SL Sedan for a week to find out.

Continue reading 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan [w/video]

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, New Auto Critiques

An Aveo By Any Other Name Is, Indeed, Sweet

Regardless of whether General Motors likes it or not, the Sonic story starts in 2004, when GM decided to import a inexpensive, crummy small econobox from Korea. A item of its newest subsidiary, Daewoo, the Chevrolet Aveo had few charms. But it was obtainable as a 5-door hatchback, 1 of the couple of on the market at the time, and its starting sticker cost was under $ 10,000. It was adequate of a pitch that the automobile sold – and stuck around.

Some of us really created a modicum of affection for the small piece of junk. It is not each and every new automobile that you can use and abuse and care not a whit about. If GM had marketed the Aveo as a disposable item, meant to be driven challenging and left for dead, it may well have disappointed fewer men and women. Rather, the Aveo was famously named the “Least Satisfying” car of 2007 in a Consumer Reports survey.

Hundreds of thousands of Aveos have been dumped here over the years, often into rental auto fleets where they would have even greater chance to reflect poorly on GM. The company sold some 48,000 Aveos in 2010, over 28,000 in 2011, and stragglers on dealer lots continue to find new homes even as you read this. So it really is no wonder the “new” GM doesn’t want us talking about the Sonic as its replacement. But that it is. And thankfully, it really is a great 1. We’d even be willing to call it wonderful if GM would operate on a few of the details.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ

2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Crossover, Ford, New Automobile Evaluations

EcoBoost Finds Right Mix Of Power, Efficiency

The sport utility automobile became an endangered species not lengthy following fuel prices began to skyrocket. But while automobile buyers changed their shopping habits, they didn’t actually stray that far from the SUV formula. Several of today’s hottest-promoting vehicles are crossovers essentially the very same tall wagons as the SUV, but with a lighter unibody chassis.

Among other items, the CUV promised to deliver superior efficiency, and although some improvement has been evident, in a lot of circumstances, the genre’s fuel savings have failed to impress. A great case in point is the Ford Edge. When Ford’s two-row CUV entered the marketplace in 2007, it managed only 24 miles per gallon on the highway, and several buyers struggled to hit 20 mpg in mixed driving cycles. There had been plenty of factors for its unimpressive efficiency. Most crossovers remain substantially heavier than a comparable 4-door sedan, and with plenty of frontal region, they do not specifically slice via the wind. But possibly the largest problem has been unevolved powertrains.

Ford thinks it has the answer to that problem in the form of its new EcoBoost two.-liter 4-cylinder engine. Ford is employing the compact, turbocharged mill in a variety of crossovers, such as the 2012 Ford Edge, and we sampled a well-equipped Edge Limited to see how successful the Blue Oval’s engine downsizing method is going.

Continue reading 2012 Ford Edge Limited EcoBoost

2012 Ford Edge Limited EcoBoost originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Lexus, New Car Critiques

New Updates Soften Japan’s Super Sedan

Mid-course corrections are a typical occurrence when speaking about high-flying commercial aircraft and oceangoing freighters – both are usually pushed off track by errant winds and strong currents. But when it comes to automobiles, a mid-course correction can be a sign that a thing was wrong the moment a new model was unveiled.

The Lexus IS F was introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The compact, high-efficiency sports sedan was a fresh Japanese option to the Audi RS4, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. However, in spite of a full suite of performance enhancements that lifted it above and well beyond the standard IS, the 416-horsepower rear-wheel-drive sedan arrived lacking the refinement and efficiency to correctly battle its competition.

Lexus reviewed the circumstance, noted it was not on the proper path and made a series of corrections this past year. The 2011 IS-F 4-door boasts a host of improvements, both inside and out, promising a smoother ride, better handling, improved ergonomics and a freshened exterior. So is the Lexus IS F firmly back on track?

Continue reading 2011 Lexus IS F [w/video]

2011 Lexus IS F [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spending budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, New Car Evaluations

Is 42 MPG The Ultimate Answer To The Ultimate Question?

On paper, it sounds like an enthusiast’s dream. Begin by trimming almost 100 pounds from the curb weight of the base Chevrolet Cruze. Then drop the optional turbocharged engine underhood, bolted to a six-speed manual transmission. Lower the suspension and mount some lightweight, forged alloy wheels. Finish it off by sticking a little spoiler on the decklid, along with a special badge.

Exactly where do we sign up?

But the automobile we’ve described is not the stuff of boy racer fantasies it’s not even a efficiency car at all. No, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco is not meant to run circles around the competition on an autocross course as considerably as it is designed to pirouette its way around the Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel economy test. It is the greenest machine to wear a Bowtie this side of the Volt, boasting a highway fuel economic climate of 42 miles per gallon. But that heady figure is accomplished without having the benefit of any advanced hybrid powertrain technology. The Cruze Eco is an impressive package that proves GM’s smarts and provides the company further green bragging rights. That said, we’re not entirely confident it’s the Cruze we’d park in our driveway.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Subaru, New Car Reviews

Going Mainstream With The Beauty Of All-Wheel-Drive

Subaru found itself in an interesting position when the North American auto market imploded back in 2009. While most manufacturers were busily darting about trying to stop their sales from bleeding out, the quirky Japanese automaker actually posted gains in both market share and earnings during the recession.

It was a dark time for most dealers. Salesmen began eying the fairest compacts on their lot for sacrifice in an attempt to appease the sales gods that had abandoned them, and showrooms began devolving into tribal law in earnest. Meanwhile, we’re guessing many Subaru dealers watched through gold-rimmed monocles from across the street with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

But what happens when the national financial ship rights itself and social order is restored once again? Will buyers still shun emblems of excess and continue to opt for practical, economy-minded Japanese all-wheel-drive wagons and compacts? If the 2012 Subaru Impreza is any indication, the company may be concerned its products aren’t quite mainstream enough to retain conquests acquired through the dark days of ’09. The 2012 Impreza is more comfortable, quieter and offers a more attractive interior than ever before, but those gains come with sacrifices that risk alienating the model’s longtime fans, ourselves included.

Continue reading 2012 Subaru Impreza

2012 Subaru Impreza originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Infiniti, New Car Evaluations, Luxury

Go Big Or Go Residence

I did something terrible the other day. I drove to the hardware shop and purchased incandescent light bulbs. I stood there in the aisle for a couple of additional minutes, staring at the compact fluorescents mocking me in their “be green” packaging, thinking about the a number of burned out incandescent bulbs in my basement and questioning how lengthy the new ones I held in my hand may possibly last. Much better grab yet another box, just to be confident – government mandate has incandescents being phased out starting in January. I kept from creating eye get in touch with with the cashier although I paid and slunk out to my car.

So I’m a hypocrite, a self-professed environmentalist who cannot even do this 1 basic factor to save the planet. But I am just not interested in spending a weekend replacing all the dimmer switches throughout the lower level of my home, and compact fluorescents don’t work in those fixtures.

Which brings us to the 2012 Infiniti QX56. From a particular perspective, this 16-mile-per-gallon, V8-powered, physique-on-frame SUV is an incandescent light bulb – a holdover from last decade, just before the enactment of necessarily draconian fuel economy standards. But as my esteemed colleague Zach Bowman wrote in his Initial Drive of the QX, “you can’t tow 8,500 pounds with a Toyota Prius.” Neither can you fit a driver and up to seven passengers into 1, not even the new Prius V.

I’d like to point to the technological marvel that solves the fuel-efficient family tow rig conundrum, but the solutions accessible right now are restricted. We’ll get to those alternatives presently, but for now, let’s agree that new technologies has a way of only solving portion of the issue. So in this case, if you want to tow massive stuff and you’ve got a huge enough brood that you want 3 rows of seats – and you are prepared and willing to invest large cash – the QX is as great as it’s going to get.

Continue reading 2012 Infiniti QX56 [w/video]

2012 Infiniti QX56 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford, New Car Reviews

The Pony Car’s Best Ambassador

Despite extolling their many carnal virtues for years, we know that there’s still a sizable group of enthusiasts who have never managed to wrap their heads around the idea of owning a pony car. We’ve heard all the excuses before, from complaints about refinement, Jurassic underpinnings and muscle-straining inputs to shopworn stereotypes about the people who drive them. Thing is, if we’re being honest, many of these same notions have troubled us as well – even those of us who have triumphed over our prejudices and actually bought one of the things.

Well, boys and girls, Ford finally has a four-wheeled answer for the naysayers and skeptics: The Mustang Boss 302. Just as bacon is the gateway meat for wayward vegetarians, the orange crush seen here is the four-wheeled, applewood-smoked come-on for pony car doubters. Better still, unlike that tasty bit of swine dining, it’s nearly guilt-free.

The 2012 Boss 302 may carry the namesake of Ford’s legendary 1969 competition car, and it might work a treat on racetracks, but Ford has made sure it’s an honest-to-Detroit everyday proposition, not just a weekend warrior for waxing overconfident BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG preeners.

Continue reading 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Ford, New Car Reviews

Bringing The Shelby Name To The Masses

The Shelby name doesn’t come cheap. Vintage Shelby Mustangs and Cobras can command six or sometimes even seven figure sums. The current Shelby offerings are much cheaper – the GT350 is priced around $ 70,000 while the Ford-built GT500 is a little less expensive with a base price just short of $ 50,000 – although we still wouldn’t consider them attainable to the average guy with a mortgage and 2.5 kids.

Shelby sees that as a problem. The majority of its customers are the people who craved a GT500 or Cobra back when they were kids in the 1960s. Those customers are getting older, and like many other automakers, Shelby has decided to reach out to younger buyers. At the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Shelby announced the GTS, a new model designed to be attainable to the masses. The GTS would be available in both V6 and V8 form and, with a package price of $ 9,995, could be had for less than $ 33,000 in base form. “It’s a car that reaches a younger buyer while acknowledging the economic realities of our times,” said Shelby American president John Luft at the time.

We have to wonder, though. Are younger buyers interested in buying a Shelby Mustang? Will people actually buy a Shelby with a V6? We aimed to find out for ourselves and picked up a V6 model in Race Red with White Le Mans stripes at Shelby’s facility in Gardena, CA for a week-long test.

Continue reading 2012 Shelby GTS

2012 Shelby GTS originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Minivan/Van, Chrysler, New Car Reviews

Meaningful Updates Rekindle A Once Top Competitor

If you woke up today hoping to read a minivan review, then it’s your lucky day. We know that sliding doors and third-row seating aren’t the most exciting traits, but the minivan needs love, too. In fact, the entire minivan segment was all but ignored for nearly a decade as automakers responded to our fevered clamoring for more sport utility vehicles and crossovers. The good news is the minivan is back, and every option in the segment has been completely redesigned or updated within the past two years, including the Chrysler Town & Country.

Chrysler is, of course, the company that invented the modern minivan. But while Team Pentastar can lay claim to being the segment’s father, many soccer moms and dads have long since migrated to the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. In fact, while the Town and Country emerged as last year’s best-selling minivan, it won’t repeat that feat this year. Its sales so far this year are behind both the Odyssey and Sienna, the latter of which may be the new best-selling minivan if the Dodge Grand Caravan doesn’t finish up strong.

Why has the Town and Country slipped? The competition’s fresher designs and higher build quality are at the top of the list of reasons. To dig a littler deeper, we got an adequately equipped base model 2011 Town & Country Touring to see if Chrysler’s redesigned mainstay is doing enough to regain its place at the top of the minivan hierarchy.

Continue reading 2011 Chrysler Town & Country Touring

2011 Chrysler Town & Country Touring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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