Automotive Reviews

Subaru Legacy, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

When discussing the Subaru lineup the first thing often mentioned is the all-wheel drive capability, because a foul-weather vehicle is always desirable in many regions of the country. Every Subaru is equipped with a traction-grabbing advantage that makes many drivers like me anxious to take a journey into the high country. However, this review of the Subaru Legacy Limited will be restricted to uninspired trips around South Placer County in Northern California. Sound dull? Some weeks are like that, especially the days following Christmas this year when the weather was damp, dreary and staying indoors seemed like a pretty enticing thing at the time. Despite the lack of driving challenge, I did learn more than a few things about the

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It's Fast, It's Light, It's A Car & It's Made With Wood

The 4.6 meter-long, two-seater “Splinter” car, is made from maple, plywood and medium density fiberboard (MDF). It has a 4.6-liter V8 petrol engine and a six-speed gearbox. According to designer, Joe Harmon, age 27, his new vehicle weighs 1,134 kilograms — 240 kilograms less than the lightweight Porsche 911 GT3. Despite its power, it will achieve 20 mpg. “Wood is a truly amazing material to work with,” Harmon said. “It has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminum or steel, and it possesses a versatility that makes many different types of construction techniques possible.” The car is due is expected to available to the public later this year. The design company, Joe Harmon Design, has not announced a price for the

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Keep On Truckin': Americans keeping cars (and trucks) longer

In 2007, 41.3 percent of all cars were 11 years or older, compared with 40.9 percent the year before. The median age for trucks and sport utility vehicles rose 4 percent to 7.1 years. Dave Goebel, a consultant for Polk’s aftermarket team, said those numbers are starting to reflect a surge in truck and SUV purchases in the mid-to late 1990s. Purchases of new cars fell 3 percent in the U.S. in 2007 as a combination of factors, including high gas prices and the housing crisis, weighed on consumers and led many to put off buying new cars. The Service Contract Industry Council, a trade group for providers of extended warranties, said it also sees evidence that people are keeping

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Consumer Reports Selects Its Top-10 Cars For 2008

Small sedan: Hyundai Elantra, Cost: $18,000 — “The Elantra is a well-rounded small car that provides good fuel economy, a comfortable ride and an interior that’s quiet, roomy and well-equipped.” (TheWeekly Driver.com comment: I drove a 2007 Elantra about 1,000 miles from San Jose to Los Angeles to Sacramento. It performed surprisingly well, particularly over the ominous Grapevine on Interstate 5.) Midsize SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe, Cost: $22,000-$31,000 — The recently redesigned Santa Fe performed better than the Honda Pilot in Consumer Reports’ testing. “It provides a quiet and roomy interior, excellent fit and finish, a refined powertrain, a relatively good ride and an optional third-row seat.” Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, Cost: $27,000 to $39,000 — The Silverado

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Chevy Malibu, 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review

Chevrolet wants the Malibu to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and that’s a hefty task. With its hybrid, new for 2008, the Malibu features GMC’s “mild hybrid system” rather than its dual mode full hybrid system. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars And when compared to other hybrid offerings, the Malibu goes in reverse before it finds forward gears. The reason: Early mileage reports for the hybrid are about two percent higher than to 22 to 27 mph for the gas engine Malibu. That’s little to boast about particularly when you’re trying to compete established brands. The hybrid’s configuration is a 36-volt electric motor

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VW Beetle To Ford Model T: The Top-5 Best-Selling Cars In History

Personally, I liked to see more Model-Ts. But according to the automotive news web site, Automoportal.com, the Model T and the Corolla have a lot in common. Both are among the top-five best-selling cars in history. Here’s the list of the top-five best-selling cars in history and a comment on each vehicle: AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars 1. Toyota Corolla. It’s now more than 40 years and it’s been manufactured in nine generations and more than 35 million have sold.  It’s topped the all-time bestseller list since 1997. 2.  Ford F Series Pickup. So far, 25 million have been sold. At a rate of 1 million

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Dodge Dakota, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

When regularly faced with full-sized chores, a full-size pickup is ideal. Small trucks later came along for those who still enjoyed the versatility provided by a pickup, yet preferred a vehicle that wasn’t a headache to maneuver and park. What has changed gradually is the emergence of mid-size trucks. And in the mid-1980s, Dodge was the first to design — a a new brand of pickup — the Dakota. It was introduced to admirably fill the gap between big and small. It could still carry a decent-size load, while also providing more refined ride than its heftier, older relative, the Dodge Ram. Dodge remains innovative in the mid-size truck class, becoming the first manufacturer to put a powerful V8 engine

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Ford Edge, 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review

A crossover is an automobile with a sports utility vehicle appearance but built upon a more economical and fuel-efficient unibody construction. But what is the Edge — a mini mini-van, a newfangled wagon or a SUV? Like other crossover SUVs, the Edge is hard to pinpoint. The Edge is categorized as a mid-sized crossover SUV and it shares the same platform with the Lincoln MKX and Mazda CX-9 crossovers, the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ sedans. And the Edge bridges the gap between minivans like the now discontinued Freestar, and truck-based sport utility vehicles such as the Explorer. The Edge is priced just below the Taurus X in Ford‘s crossover SUV lineup. The Edge debuted at the 2006

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General Motors' latest shocker: $38 million loss in 2007

How’s it possible to loss $38.7 million in a year? Not even General Motors is like sure exactly how it happened. But the world’s largest automaker has annnounced that’s the amount it lost in 2007. As a result, GM will again offer a new round of buyback offers to 74,000 hourly workers, all of whom are represented by the United Auto Workers. GM said the loss largely was due to a third-quarter charge related to unused tax credits. The 2007 loss topped GM’s previous record in 1992, when the company lost $23.4 billion because of a change in health care accounting, according to Standard & Poor’s Compustat. Excluding the tax charge and other special items, GM lost $23 million, or

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Ford Edge, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

Looking for answers, Ford did a couple of things right last year, introducing a two solid crossover sport utility vehicles that were well received. Neither the Ford Edge or its Lincoln cousin, the MKX, could halt the overall slide, but they made a difference at a time when a success story or two were desperately needed. And I must admit, a first glance at the 2008 Edge drew an appealing nod of approval and driving this car-like SUV was a pleasure as well. Keep in mind my week was spent with the all-wheel drive Edge Limited. Unveiled as a 2008 model, is is most expensive of the three available models at $32,070. The SE version, the base model, goes for

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Mazda 3, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

Although I was unaware of its popularity among women, I was about to find out as the two of them gushed over the subcompact vehicle. I’ve learned through some subsequent research that women do indeed think highly of the Mazda 3. It possesses the cute factor, which means females universally like the look of the Mazda 3, especially the bright red one driven here for a week. And though I don’t have the research to back up this statement, my guess is that men find the Mazda 3 appealing as well. Perhaps you’ve heard of the term “zoom-zoom? Well it’s not just some clever marketing ploy. The Mazda 3 definitely has some major zip. In fact, it has so much

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Recall Woes Continue For Sweden's Volvo

A Volvo spokesperson the issue is could occur 82,000 cars worldwide. The modules can be exposed to water (from rain) and sale (from snow) which can cause corrosion. The recall is in “corrosive markets,” where inclement weather is more prevalent, including the United States, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, China and France. Last November, Volvo, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., recalled 56,000 cars due to two separate problems linked to airbags and engines. And in December, Volvo said it had recalled 125,000 trucks in North America due to the danger of short circuits in the lighting system that could cause fires. At the same time, Volvo recalled 49,500 cars worldwide due to a technical problem with diesel filters.

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Pontiac, Citroen Get Dubious Honors In Top-10 All-Ugly Car List

Car lists are subjective. There are best sports cars, best luxury car lists and even an extreme list like the Top-10 Ugly Cars. And since everyone is entitled to an opinion, the “All-Ugly” list is a lot of fun. Thomas Bey, writing for the web site, www.Bankrate.com, has compiled the latest Top-10 Ugly Car list. The criteria for Bey’s new list is two-fold” 1. “The ugly cars are production vehicles sold in the U.S. at one time or another; 2. “No more than one car from a manufacturer will be on the list.” Here’s Bey’s list in reverse order and a brief comment of each vehicle. 10. Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible — “To hell in a handbasket” is an expression

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CarMax Makes Fortune Magazine's Top-100 List, But Only Employees Really Know

The recruit, face painted, a full pack strapped to his back and rifle in hand, shouts out, “Good morning, first sergeant.” I’ve never been in the military, but from the stories I’ve heard from friends who served, it’s not quite what the commercial represents. Which brings me to the announcement this week of Fortune Magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies To Work For.” Only the employees of the companies know for sure. But in terms of the automotive industry, the Fortune list may provide an insight into part of the problem for the workforce employed by auto working manufacturers and their affiliated companies. Only one automotive industry company, CarMax, made the list — at No. 46. Based in Richmond,

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Hyundai Earns Three Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Awards

For the first time, three Hyundai models have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award. The Hyundai Veracruz and Santa Fe received awards in the midsize SUV segment and the Hyundai Entourage in the minivan segment. All winning vehicles are recognized for their ability to protect people in front, side and rear crashes. This marks the third straight the Entourage has received the highest honor — the IIHS Top Safety Pick award in the minivan category. All three vehicles also earned five-star crash test ratings, the highest government rating under NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program, for both frontal and side impact. Top Safety Pick awards recognize vehicles that do the best job of protecting people

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Subaru Debuts Redesigned 2009 Forester At Detroit Auto Show

Subaru of America, Inc., has introduced the redesigned, third-generation 2009 Forester, a crossover built on the manufacturer’s strong reputation for safety, dependability and versatility. The 2009 Subaru Forester expands that reputation. It features a bolder, more SUV-like design, and advancements in safety technology, comfort, and driving dynamics. The unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show occurred about three months before the Forester will arrive at dealerships nationwide. As with all Subaru models, the 2009 Forester comes equipped as standard with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. The new 2009 Forester again blends positive SUV attributes, including a high seating point and interior versatility with passenger car comfort, handling and fuel efficiency. The 2009 Forester is built on an all-new platform featuring a 3.6-inch longer

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