Sedans

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2012 Toyota Camry gets duties as Daytona 500 pace car

The 2012 Camry Pace Car, a specially equipped 2012 Toyota Camry SE that will start the field for the 54th Daytona 500 next February 26, will be on display Nov. 1-4 at the 2011 SEMA Show Toyota exhibit. It will be the first time a non-GM, Ford or Chrysler nameplate has paced the Daytona 500. The Camry Pace Car is based a 2012 Camry SE, which features a 268 horsepower V6. It is specially equipped with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires mounted on BBS RS 8.5 x 19 wheels, a StopTech Big Brake Kit, TRD custom stainless steel exhaust and Tein adjustable suspension. Safety equipment includes a roll cage, four-point Simpson racing seat belts, Whelen LFL Liberty LED lightbar, and

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Toyota Camry, 2012: More car, lower prices for most models

Toyota is spending a reported $150 million to market its seventh generation Camry, the newest version of the best-selling car in the United States for the past nine years. The marketing campaign includes 30-second spots in the current World Series, with the new commercial continuing through the 2012 Super Bowl. But what current television commercial, which details the “reinvention” of the Camry, doesn’t detail is the new price structure for the Camry, including a unique concept. In many instances, the 2012 Camry versus the 2011 Camry is more car for less money. The 2012 Camry is offered in four model grades: entry-level L, LE, XLE and SE grades. The XLE and SE are available with four-cylinder or V6 engines. The

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Toyota Camry, 2012: Reinventing the wheel in 30 seconds

The 2012 Toyota Camry is now in the beginning stages of its heavy marketing campaign, as witnessed by several commercials, including the 30-second ad featured below, broadcast during the World Series. Toyota is reportedly spending $175 million to promote the 2012 Camry. In this instance, the commercial is creative, compelling and humorous. In 30 seconds, the viewer sees the “magic” in the construction of the Camry and the same wonderment of creating the appropriately sized dog for the guy driving the car. It’s clever, for sure, although some critics, say Toyota’s new slogan, “It’s Ready. Are You?” is too close to a new Boy Scouts promotion. Regardless, the commercial for the 2012 Toyota Camry “works” on several levels. To receive

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Toyota proclaims 2012 Camry ready, but are you?

With the marketing proclamation, “It’s Ready. Are You?,” Toyota has launched its multi-media marketing campaign for the 2012 Toyota Camry, the seventh generation of the popular sedan. The best-selling car in the United States for nine straight years and in 13 of the past 14 years, the 2012 Toyota Camry features a more spacious and refined interior as well as improved dynamics and technology. The 2012 Camry is among the first Toyota vehicles to offer Entune. Owners will be able to download a collection of mobile applications and data services via touch screen or voice command, including Bing, IHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable and Pandora. The marketing campaign includes six TV spots, launching with “Built” during NBC Sunday Night Football. The spots

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Toyota Avalon, 2012: New year, no changes from 2011

One year after its redesign, the 2012 Toyota Avalon arrives unchanged with a 268-horsepower V6 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission and an EPA highway estimate of 29 miles per gallon. Avalon’s 106.9 cubic feet of passenger space and 14.4-cubic foot trunk put it in the EPA’s “large car” category and it’s about nine inches longer than the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata. Grades and Features The 2012 Avalon is available in two grades, Avalon and Avalon Limited. Both are equipped with leather-trimmed interior, eight-way power driver’s seat, back-up camera, dual zone automatic climate control with air filtration, moonroof and 17-inch alloy wheels. The Avalon Limited in addition features heated and cooled front seats, an eight-way front passenger’s seat

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Honda Civic Natural Gas 2012: more states for October debut

Honda has announced the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas will have an MSRP starting prices of $26,155 with the manufacturer hoping to expand the only natural gas car made in the United States to 200 dealers across the country. Formerly called the Civic GX, the Natural Gas will go on sale October 18th at dealerships in 38 states. The car, set to be built in Indiana, was previously only available in California, New York, Utah, and Oklahoma. Honda claims the Civic Natural Gas emits almost zero smog-forming particles and is the cleanest internal-combustion vehicle certified by the EPA. It will receive a decal that qualifies for single-occupant access to HOV carpool lanes in several states across the country including California.

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Audi A6, 2012 gets top safety award selection

The 2012 Audi A6 has been selected as a large luxury sedan Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after a good performance in all four of the IIHS’s safety evaluations (front, side, rollover and rear crash tests). In the IIHS evaluation of roof strength, the A6 withstood a force equal to 4.9 times the car’s weight. The roof strength test evaluates how well the occupant compartment holds up in a rollover crash. Vehicles that have a strength-to-weight ratio of 4 or higher earn a “good” rating. Electronic stability control (ESC), previously a requirement to earn Top Safety Pick status, is standard equipment on the A6. ESC is required by federal regulation to be standard equipment

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Toyota Camry 2012 set for early dealer debut

Two weeks earlier than expected, the Toyota Camry 2012 is expected to arrive at dealerships in mid-September, according to the manufacturer. The Japanese manufacturer with a new plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, said the advance sales of the top-selling Camry is feasible because the “sell-down of the 2011 Camry is going extremely well.” In its monthly sales meeting, Toyota reported selling 30,185 2011 Camry models in August compared with 30,764 in August 2010, a drop of 5.7 percent. Jeff Bracken, vice president of sales for Toyota’s U.S. division, said North American production of Toyota models will return to normal levels in September, for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. With most of Toyota’s North American

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Acura TSX Sport Wagon, 2011 car review

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is new to the luxury segment of Honda. The manufacturer has added versatility to its lineup, with a sleek new design, and more interior space: cargo areas to storage bins. The manufacturer hopes to offer an alternative to the more expensive wagon options from Audi and BMW. The Sport Wagon is equipped with the TSX 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. And it’s a limited supply offering for a debut vehicle; Acura will produce only 4,000 units in North America. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a new design, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon drew immediate attention. The guys who checked me out of the car agency at the Denver

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Toyota Camry, 2012: More spacious, more powerful

Toyota has launched the seventh-generation Camry, the perennially best-selling sedan. The Japanese manufacturer hopes it will again fare well in the competitive car segment that includes top rivals Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and Chevrolet Malibu. If history repeats itself, the Camry will sell well. More than 15 million Camry models have sold worldwide since the car debuted in 1983. The 2012 Camry features increased interior room and will offer improved driving and a quieter driver, according to the manufacturer. “The all-new 2012 Camry blends an evolution of the car’s values, such as comfort, efficiency, reliability and safety, with a more appealing design and engaging driving experience,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. All

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Dodge Charger, 2011 car review

Six years ago, the Dodge Charger re-emerged from its famed muscle car heydays during the 1970s. For 2011, with a redesigned exterior and interior the Charger has now become a borderline oxymoron: a sedan sports car. The Charger name has been featured on several different Dodge products since its debut as a concept car in 1964. The latest addition is the new 3.6-liter V6. It replaces the outgoing 2.7-liter and 3.5-liter V6s. With an increase to 292 horsepower, it’s as if the muscle car returned alright, but in a refined version. Key Takeaways Test car: the 2011 Dodge Charger with the Rallye Plus group and the new 3.6-liter V6 making 292 horsepower. $25,127 MSRP and $34,955 as tested. 0-60 mph

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2011 Infiniti G37 Review

Want something different from the usual sports/luxury sedans? Try the often-overlooked Infiniti G. It’s from Nissan‘s upscale division and compares favorably with other sports/luxury cars. The 2011 G sedan comes as the G37 with a 3.7-liter V-6 that produces 328 horsepower or as the new G25, which has a 2.5-liter V-6 with 218 horsepower. That engine is from Nissan’s Japanese-market Skyline model. Key Takeaways Test car: a G37x AWD Limited Edition with an engine start/stop pushbutton, a sound system and a dash-mounted color monitor display. 328 horsepower from the G37’s 3.7-liter V-6, and 218 horsepower from the new G25’s 2.5-liter V-6. 0-60 mph in 7.3 seconds for the G25, nearly two seconds slower than the G37. $32,000 to $35,000 for

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Honda Accord, 2012: Better gas mileage, more models

The 2012 Honda Accord, perennially among the best-selling cars in the United States but facing increased sedan competition, will include a new trim, better fuel economy and minor technology improvements. The Accord sedan has earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest score of 5 stars. The car scored a 5 for overall frontal crash safety, overall side-crash safety and rollover resistance. Sedans for 2012 are the 4-cylinder Accord LX, LX-P (Premium), SE, EX and EX-L, and the 6-cylinder Accord EX V6 and EX-L V6. Coupes are the 4-cylinder Accord LX-S, EX, EX-L, and the 6-cylinder Accord EX V6 and EX-L V6. The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System is available on all Accord EX-L models. Engines and Transmissions There are 4

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Honda Civic again gets poor rating from Consumer Reports

The 2012 Honda Civic, redesigned for its ninth edition, has drawn extensive criticism from Consumer Reports, the independent review publication that as recently as 2007 gave the perennially top-ranked small sedan its top score. The publication’s biggest complaint was the Civic LX’s cheap plastic interior, numb steering, weak stopping power, road noise and flighty handling. A lack of  Bluetooth and outside temperature display in the $19,405 LX sedan dropped its score from a “very good” 78 to a “mediocre” 61. Consumer Reports also didn’t list the Honda Civic among its recommended vehicles last year, but its score wasn’t as low. The 2012 Honda Civic’s score was the second-lowest among a test of 12 small sedans, with  redesigned Volkswagen Jetta scoring

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Hyundai Azera 2012: Redesigned sedan set for LA debut

The redesigned 2012 Hyundai Azera, the poorest-selling of the hot-selling manufacturer’s models which will be available early next year, will be unveiled in November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. “We’re in the final stages of ride/handling tuning for the 2012 Azera, and it’s dialing in nicely,” said John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, on the company’s Twitter account. Hyundai Azera Specs Not Available Hyundai has not released details of the new design, but a company spokesperson to the automotive site Inside Line that the Azera will get get the “fluidic design language of the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra and Accent.” Some automotive websites have reported the Azera may get a new 3.3-liter direct-injection V6 producing around 300 horsepower.

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Honda offers greenest car in U.S. and it's a (natural) gas

With the ever-increasing debuts of green cars, Honda, not Toyota, Nissan nor Chevy is still at the industry forefront. But Honda’s marketing division just hasn’t done the PR spin as well as the manufacturers touting the Prius, Leaf and Volt. Nonetheless, the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, formerly known as the Civic GX NGV, costs about half the price to operate that gasoline cars. And for eight straight years, the Civic GX NGV has named “Greenest Vehicle” by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). According to a report on Forbes.com via the Mother Nature Network, there are estimated 117,000 CNG vehicles on the road in the U.S., although the majority are commercial trucks. The Honda Civic Natural

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