Posted in Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Sub Compacts, Toyota on Dec 19th, 2008
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released encouraging results of a crash test for compact cars. Compacts have become increasingly safer in recent years due to improved equipment. Stronger structures and side air bags are eroding one of the more compelling reasons not to buy a compact. Top scorers are […]
Posted in Ford on Dec 16th, 2008
It appears that the strongest of the Big Three is Ford. Yesterday, Ford gave Congress the most encouraging picture of its financial situation of the 3. That’s not to say things are good or they wouldn’t be on Capital Hill. But in looking at their auto lineup, they also may be closer […]
Toyota lists 5 models among the top 10 most researched hybrids on MSN Autos. The list is 1. Totoyta Prius 2. Honda Civic Hybrid 3. Toyota Camry Hybrid 4. Ford Escape Hybrid 5. Nissan Altima Hybrid 6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid 7. Lexus RX 400h 8. Mercury Mariner Hybrid 9. Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid 10. Lexus 600h. […]
Consumer Reports released the results of its 2008 Car Reliability Survey. The winner was the Scion xD. CR surveyed 1.4 million people who were asked to report any serious problems in 17 trouble spots that they had in the last 12 months. CR used the data to formulate “predicted-reliability ratings” for new cars. Hybrids scoring […]
Just got back from my daughter’s high school program where I sat next to Ellen, an old friend from our neighborhood. Her husband Don is an electrician with his own business. We each have three children, all the exact ages. Ellen told me that Don needed a new truck for his business and was looking […]
Posted in Ford, Fuel Savings, Green Cars, hybrids on Oct 29th, 2008
Replacing the function of the behemoth SUVs on the new American highway in a way that is affordable won’t be easy. Will the compact SUV’s take away part of the pain? I don’t know but perhaps the Ford Escape Hybrid is a step in the right direction. It makes sense with a MSRP of $26, […]
Posted in Ford, Fuel Savings, Honda, Toyota on Sep 12th, 2008
After recently writing about advantages of the Toyota Scion, I thought I’d pass along a little update I read this morning. Dan Strumpf, Associated Press, reports that the Scion’s sales have continued to slump. August U.S. sales were 20% below last year even though they increased 2% year to date. But he also adds that […]
Posted in Ford, Fuel Savings, Honda, Toyota, hybrids on Aug 26th, 2008
The Honda Civic Hybrid is rated at 40 mpg in city driving and 45 mpg on the highway for $22,500.
Toyota Prius Hybrid can be had for $22,000 - $24,000 and gets 48/45 mpg. Notice that the city miles are slightly higher. That’s where the electric drivetrain does more work.
Ford Escape Hybrid will run in the […]
Our previous blog centered on Ford’s 2009 compact SUVs, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, earning 5 Star ratings from the National Highway Safety Administration and bettering the 4 Stars averaged by Toyota’s compact SUVs, the Toyota Highlander and Toytoa Prius hybrids. David Finnegan from Ford was quoted in The Detroit News as saying, “Safety […]
Don’t you hate those teaser headlines. Well, I guess we can get away with a little blatant homerism seeing that the Olympic spirit is pretty high right now. Bryce G. Hoffman reports in The Detroit News that Ford’s 2009 compact SUVs earned 5 Star ratings from the National Highway Safety Administration, better than the 4 […]