Automotive Reviews

Super Bowl XLV commercials: Audi touts A8 via kids' book

It’s no secret the automotive industry is back. The buzz around the current North America International Auto Show provides a prime example. And on Feb. 6, a more expensive example will be showcased in Super Bowl XLV. At last count, eight automakers —  Audi, BMW, Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen — have purchased advertising time. Several other automotive-related companies have also purchased commercial time. According to a report in AdAge, several automotive advertisers have purchased multiple 30-second commercial slots, others will have one-minute spots — the most expensive ad rate in any communications medium. Super Bowl commercials are often as much of the anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday as the game. Automakers, like other advertisers, release commercials

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Ferrari owned briefly by John Lennon set for Paris auction

A restored 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe, one of the least desirable models of famed Italian sports car but one briefly owned by former Beatle John Lennon, will be auctioned in February. The light-blue Ferrari is expected to attract a final bid of more than $200,000 in the Feb. 5 auction, according to Bonhams’ auction officials. The Ferrari 330, sometimes called the four-eye model, is not often considered a coveted model by collectors. The car was said to be Lennon’s first vehicle purchased after he passed his driving test in Britain. He purchased it at age 24 for 2000 pounds. Lennon was murdered in 1980. Restored closely to original specification, Bonhams said the exterior paint is a deeper hue

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 car review

Under any of its sorted names around the globe, the Volkswagen Jetta has been around since 1979 as a small, family sedan. It’s been called the Atlanta to Vento, Fox to Sagitar. But the Jetta is the current name in the United States and the 2011 edition adds to the car’s more than 30-year legacy. The 2011 Jetta is newly designed with larger exterior and interior dimensions and new styling. As Volkswagen‘s best-selling car, it’s more than 3.5 inches longer and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the 2006-2010 Jetta. Trim levels include S, SE, SEL, and the diesel-powered TDI. The Weekly Driver Test Drive For my week with the 2011 Jetta, I drove the 170-horsepower 2.5-liter 5-cylinder, which remains

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Chevy Volt gets reality check, like maybe its own TV show?

Clever 30-second television ads during the Super Bowl and other major telecasts are fine, and General Motors will return next month with spots for the biggest one-day event in sport. Sponsorship of pro sports is fine, too. General Motors is back this season sponsoring the PGA Tour after ending its relationship with embattled Tiger Woods, then world’s top-ranked player, as its spokesman for Buick. But GM has bigger plans. According to Steve Tihanyi, GM’s director of sports and entertainment, the carmaker is seeking to capitalize on the increasing popularity of reality TV. According to a Reuters interview with Tihanyi at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM is in discussion with a reality TV producer about the inclusion

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Kia Optima tops BMW, Honda, Chevy, Nissan for Cars.com Best of 2011 award

Kia, the once not-so touted cousin of the equally once not-so lauded Hyundai, has joined its midsize brethren in the honors line. Cars.com has given the Kia Optima its “Best of 2011” award. The editors of the web site cited the Optima’s outstanding fuel economy overall driving. Hyundai, which owns Kia, has received its share of honors for its Sonata and other vehicles in the Korean manufacturer’s lineup. The editors of Cars.com said: “With its value, sharp packaging, outstanding fuel efficiency and lofty features, the Optima gives all family-car shoppers a shot at something far more compelling than the segment represents.” The BMW 5 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt (recently named North American Car of the Year), Honda Odyssey and

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Volkswagen debuts bigger, cheaper, greener 2012 Passat

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat, a close sibling of the resigned Jetta in 2011 but larger and with a substantially lower price than last year’s model, was unveiled at the Detroit auto show. The vast changes will include a transfer of manufacturing locations to the new U.S. VW plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The new Passat is VW’s latest attempt to infiltrate the former dominance in the midsize family sedan market shared by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. In addition to its U.S. production, Volkswagen has dropped the Passat’s starting prices to around $20,000, about $7,000 less than the previous model. According a report in USA Today: “VW says it hasn’t cheapened the car for the lower price, and hopes to

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Honda says it's a gas, will offer Civic natural gas model nationwide in 2011

Some automotive industry experts believe Honda has been complacent in recent years with the Accord and Civic among the top-five best-selling cars in the United States. But while the Japanese manufacturer has rejuvenated its efforts the new Honda Civic hybrid, it’s all remained at the forefront in another “green” area — natural gas. Honda is among only a few companies that sell a natural gas-powered car in the U.S.. But Honda will soon do better than that. It’s natural gas-powered version of its new Civic sedan will soon be available in all 50 states, according to carmaker  representatives at the Detroit auto show. Currently Honda sells around 1,500 natural-gas Civics each year. But they’re currently only in California, Oklahoma, New York

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Toyota debuts two new Prius models at Detroit Auto Show

The Toyota Prius outsells all other hybrid cars combined. But Toyota knows its competitors have plenty to offer, which is why the carmaker debuted two new hybrid models at the Detroit auto show. The roomier Prius v and compact Prius c concept were introduced to complement the Prius and stable of 14 Toyota hybrid vehicles available globally. Toyota is also planning 11 more hybrid or other “green” vehicles during the next two years. Last year, sales of the Toyota Prius, first available in the U.S. in 1997, increased 36 percent last year to 140,928 units. “Prius has become to hybrids what Kleenex is to tissues and Levi’s are to jeans,” Bob Carter, Toyota brand’s U.S. chief, said at the media

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Hyundai Veloster compact debuts at Detroit Auto Show

The Hyundai Veloster, a compact sport coupe first showcased as concept car by the South Korean manufacturer in 2007, has debuted at the Detroit Auto Show and is scheduled for sales in the summer of 2011. Hyundai says the Veloster, whose name is derived from the combination of the words “velocity” and “roadster,” will feature a direct-injected 1.6 liter 138-horespoqwe 4-cylinder engine, 6-speed manual gearbox, and 40 mpg fuel economy. A 6-speed dual-clutch transmission is also available as an option. The transmission is the first dual-clutch transmission developed by Hyundai. A turbocharged 210 horsepower version of the same engine will be available in the future. The car will be unique in the U.S. market because it has one door on

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Porsche debuts new single seat hybrid sports car

Porsche unveiled its 918 RSR, single-seat hybrid coupe based on the 918 Spyder that debuted last year, at the Detroit Auto Show. Its will be produced in limited numbers next year. The 918 RSR has butterfly doors, a carbon-fiber body and a roof-mounted air intake that spins as the car moves. The racing stripes and the number 22 honor the Porsche 917 that won the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. The engine of the new Porsch gets 767 total horsepower using flywheel technology at the wheels and a six-speed racing transmission with paddle-shifters at the steering wheel. It’s based on the same configuration found in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS hybrid. Wolfgang Durheimer, Porsche‘s chief of development, introduced the

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Ford Explorer 2011 car review

The Ford Explorer dominated the SUV market in the 1990s, but lost most of its ground by the middle of this decade. The redesigned, carlike 2011 model may make it popular again. The new three-row Explorer is larger, but lighter. It shares underpinnings with the Ford Taurus and Flex and trades its rear-drive layout for front-drive, while its trucklike body-on-frame construction gives way to a unit-body platform. Four-wheel drive continues to be available. The old Explorer’s trucky dynamics are gone. So is the V-8, replaced by a 3.5-liter V-6 that generates 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. It works with a responsive six-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted manually. There are lowered initial gears for better off-the-line acceleration

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Ford counters Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt with Focus Electric

Ford Motor Company has unveiled the Focus Electric — the automaker’s first all-electric passenger car. The zero-CO2-emissions, gasoline-free version of Ford’s popular small car is the flagship of the company’s growing fleet of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles coming to North America and Europe by 2013. The Focus Electric will launch in late 2011 and offer a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles, according to Ford. A full recharge is expected to take three to four hours at home with the 240-volt charge station — half the charge time of the Nissan Leaf. Ford will be partnering with Best Buy and the Geek Squad for installation and servicing of a two-part charging

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Toyota Sienna 2011 car review

The minivan is now sexy, hip and cool — at least that’s manufacturers want you to believe. It started with a new advertising campaign for the 2011 Toyota Sienna. Instead of screaming kids and exploding yogurt cartoons the new minivan is all about rapping parents and their posse of cool kids in their “swagger wagon.” So does the new Sienna live up to the cool, rock style its “swagger wagon” reputation? No. It’s still a front-wheel drive minivan with seating for an entire Cub Scout troop. But Toyota, like the rest of the automotive industry, has made the minivan more burly, more manly. It starts with the look and styling of the new generation of minivans. Toyota and Honda have

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 Car Review

The Jetta is Volkswagen’s top-seller, so the 2011 version has been substantially redesigned in the face of increasingly stiffer competition. The new front-drive Jettta sedan is sleeker, longer, roomier, quieter and more refined. Older Jettas have attracted customers across a wide range of age groups, being equally appealing to men and women. Volkswagen has found buyers believe the Jetta costs more than it does. That’s one reason it has lowered the price of the base 2011 model. The new Jetta was a blast to drive on winding Highway 1 along the winding Pacific coast during a San Francisco-based media preview of the car. The new compact Jetta looks like a costlier upscale European model. It has an extended wheelbase and

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Porsche Boxster Spyder 2011 car review

Porsche is among few automakers that can successfully charge more for a model with fewer features than a less-expensive model with more features. One of the classic Porsches is the 1950s Speedster, which was a bare-bones soft-top. It was fairly inexpensive (for a Porsche) to attract more American buyers. And its lighter weight helped it win races. The 1950s Porsche 550 Spyder was even more bare-bones, but was a successful competition car not really designed for comfortable road driving. Actor James Dean raced a Speedster and later got killed on a rural California road while driving his new 550 Spyder to a race in which he was to compete. Now we have the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder, a throwback to

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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet 2011 car review

Mercedes-Benz four-seat convertibles always impress, although most have bland styling. The 2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet four-seat convertible radiates that old Mercedes luster with rakish styling. The new E-class two-door Cabriolet comes as the $56,850 E350 or $64,800 E550. They have a fabric soft top, when the trend has been to retractable hardtop convertibles. But that’s OK because this new Mercedes has a thick soft top that provides good protection and a quiet interior. Mercedes offers two retractable hardtop models, but they’re the SL and SLK two-seat sports cars. The E350 Cabriolet convertible is slower and softer than the E550 Cabriolet. It’s powered by a V-6 with 268 horsepower, at it’s no slouch. It propels the E350 from 0-60 mph in

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