Look up in the air! It’s a $94,000 Maverick flying car

The Maverick LSA design, touted with its logo, “Maverick: The Flying Car That Does,” has been developed as an easy-to-operate air and land craft. According, Beyond LLC, which has granted the manufacturing rights, it’s intuitive, safe to fly, drive and easily maintained.  Beyond Roads LLC will facilitate the development of a commercial market for multi-medium transportation vehicle. Here are some basics: Base price $94,000.00. FAA Certified S-LSA (Special – Light Sport Aircraft), E-LSA (Experimental – Light Sport Aircraft or E-AB (Experimental Amateur-Built) 190 horsepower, injected, 2.5-liter Subaru engine Dual Drive – transaxle/propeller. Public road licensable. Robust suspension for “off-roading.” Highway

Read more

REVIEW 2014 Ford Escape: Sporty, utilitarian

Switching from a sporty car to a more practical crossover vehicle doesn’t have to be disappointing. The 2014 Ford Escape compact crossover sheds the previous generation’s boxy look and blends slick styling, decent utility and sporty driving. The Escape is among Ford’s top-selling smaller trucks and comes with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). All versions are four-door hatchbacks with rear-door openings that should be a little wider for easier entry and exit. All ride on a 105.9-inch wheelbase and have a fairly long 178.1-inch length. The turning circle is 39 feet, which isn’t great but is decent for

Read more

Peugeot unveils hybrid air engine with 125 mpg

,

It’s not the first time the idea of a modern car running on compressed air has emerged.  But it’s a recent first and this time it’s Peugeot. The french automaker has introduced a concept car that features a new Hybrid Air engine system which combines both a traditional petrol engine with compressed air. The new engine system is capable of running only on air for 80 percent of its driving time. As a result, fuel economy is estimated at 125 miles per gallon. The Hybrid Air system is expected to be installed into some existing models like the Peugeot 208

Read more

2014 Ford Escape: Enduring crossover leads the pack

Now in its 15th year and second year of its third generation, the 2014 Ford Escape remains a versatile compact sport utility vehicle or crossover. It’s among Ford’s five SUVs. Since its redesign in 2013 and its highest-selling year (nearly 300,000 units), Ford didn’t mess with a good thing for 2014. The only changes include the addition of a rearview camera and navigation Sync system as standard on all trim levels. Additionally, the highest-level titanium trim no longer gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine as standard and the SEL trim was discontinued. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Every vehicle segment has

Read more

Apple in your navigation system? Call it CarPlay

,

Apple has introduced CarPlay, which the manufacturer claims is an “incredibly intuitive way for iPhone users to make calls, use Maps, listen to music and access messages with just a word or a touch.” CarPlay allows users to easily control the car’s native interface or push-and-hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate the Siri voice command without distraction. Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay to their drivers this week. BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota

Read more

First Corvette swallowed by sinkhole emerges, drives

The first of eight Corvettes swallowed by a sinkhole in the National Corvette Museum has been removed by construction crews and was driven about 20 feet after its emergence. With visitors, staff, media at the museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and an international audience watching via a live stream, the 2009 “Blue Devil” ZR1 was rescued. The car was in good shape and started after a few attempts. “It’s wonderful… just seven more to go,” said Mike Murphy, construction manager for the project. “That’s a GM product for you. They take a licking and keep on ticking.” The crews have

Read more

The $6,800 Elio 3-wheeler will have a hitch — a traveler

The anticipated arrival of the Elio three-wheel vehicle with a nearly 700-mile range and an estimated 84 mpg, has created vast public interest. With a top speed of more than 100 mph and its innovative styling, it’s no wonder why more than 10,000 pending buyers have placed deposits ranging from $100 to $1,500. According to the manufacturer, Elio Motors, based in Phoenix, Ariz., the Elio will feature an eight-gallon gas tank and will be made with 95 percent American parts and by an American labor force. Interest in vehicle has resulted various pending owners’ websites and forums. One of the

Read more

Coming soon, 3-wheel Elio: $6,800, 84 mpg, 100 mph

If Paul Elio’s plans materialize, his company, Elio Motors, will introduce in early 2015 a three-wheel vehicle, the Elio. It will cost $6,800 and achieve 84 mpg. The vehicle (it’s not a car) will feature an eight-gallon gas tank that will take the vehicle 672 miles and have a top speed of more than 100 mph. The company plans to use 95 percent American parts and American labor. The Elio will be built in the abandoned Shreveport Louisiana assembly plant. It will be sold at specialized retail centers in the top 60 markets across the United States and will be

Read more

2014 Chevrolet SS: Muscle car, family sedan and fast

The 2014 Chevrolet SS, a new car for the U.S manufacturer but assembled in Australia, is a five-passenger, full-size sedan with muscle car overtones. It is Chevrolet’s first rear-wheel drive V8 sedan available to the general public in 17 years since the fourth-generation Chevrolet Caprice and the seventh-generation Impala SS. The vehicle was unveiled during Speed Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, in February 2013 and became available in the United States last June. A 6.2-liter V8 engine with 425 horsepower, rear-wheel driver and a six-speed automatic transmission powers it. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive The new Chevrolet SS is among

Read more

2014 Tesla Model S innovation detailed in video

The 2014 Tesla Model S and its older siblings have been bombarded with awards. In its latest honor, The Tesla was Consumer Reports’ top pick overall among 10 categories of cars, light trucks, and SUVs. The top-10 list was selected from more than 260 vehicles the organization has recently tested. The magazine considers the Model S a “technological tour de force, while pricey, is brimming with innovation.” Consumer Reports rated the Model S with a score of 99 out of 100, becoming the magazine’s best car ever tested. “If it (the Tesla) could recharge in any gas station in three

Read more

2014 Toyota Tundra: spacious, lots of stuff, lousy mileage

Manufactured since 1999, the Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup restyled for the first time in seven years for its 2014 editions. It’s offered in five grades: SR, SR5, Limited and premium grades Platinum and “1794 Edition.” Three cab styles, two-door Regular Cab, four-door Double Cab and four-door CrewMax are all available in 4×2 and 4×4. The Weekly Driver Test Drive I first drove the new Tundra at a regional press preview last fall in Cle Elum, Wa. On that occasion, I drove the CrewMax 4×4 Limited for only an hour through several small Northwest cities. More recently, during my

Read more

General Motors recall lapse could cost carmaker millions

General Motors could face millions of dollars in civil penalties as the aftermath of publicly apologizing for responding quickly enough to a safety issue linked to 13 deaths and 31 accidents. The financial ramifications could occur if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines the automaker neglected to inform regulators. The NHTSA is also facing criticism for not demanding GM act more quickly to recall more than 1.6 million vehicles, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The recall is linked to the cars’ ignition switches, which GM says can be accidentally turned from the “run” position

Read more

Tesla honored again, Consumer Reports’ best overall car

For the first time in four years, Consumer Reports has named a top overall pick in its annual best vehicle list. The winner is the 2014 Tesla Model S electric car. In 2010, the last time an overall pick was selected, the Lexus LS 460L received the honor. The magazine’s 10 top picks this year included five Japanese nameplates, including Honda’s Accord and Odyssey, Subaru’s Impreza and Forester and Toyota’s Prius hybrid. German manufacturers had two vehicles on the list, the BMW 328i and the Audi A6. American manufacturers were represented by Tesla and the Chrysler Ram 1500 pickup truck.

Read more

2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Thrifty, sleek, quiet

Volkswagen is an old hand at selling diesel-engine cars in America, having offered them in the 1970s and 1980s. Many VW auto diesel owners loved them, although the automaker’s latest diesel is far advanced from the old ones. Volkswagen has made its top-selling Jetta sleeker, larger, roomier, quieter and more refined for 2011, and the automaker’s four-cylinder turbodiesel engine makes the 2014 Jetta TDI model especially attractive. Auto diesel engines long have been popular in Europe, partly because of extra-stiff fuel prices. I easily cruised at 100 m.p.h. on a high-speed German autobahn during the media introduction of the 2010

Read more

2014 Toyota Venza: wagon? SUV? All good

The 2014 Toyota Venza, like its older siblings, is positioned uniquely. It’s neither a wagon nor a true sport utility vehicle. Rather it’s a crossover with the all-wheel drive functionality like a wagon, cargo room like an SUV and the characteristics of a near luxury sedan. The result is a combo-car with a combo name. Plenty of theories abound what Venza means, including the Spanish translation, Conquer. Toyota says the vehicle’s name is a compilation of the words Venture and Monza, the Italian racetrack. It all makes sense, since the Venza is a compilation of car styles and sizes. Refreshed

Read more

2014 Ford Focus: Euro-styled fuel sipper

Now 15 years old and in the third year of its third generation, the Ford Focus remains strong in the highly competitive compact field. The 2014 edition is much the same as last year’s model. The only significant change is a new Sport Appearance Package for the SE trim level. It includes sport cloth seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and an available rear spoiler. Early in its tenure, the Focus reached annual U.S. sales of more than 286,000. The numbers slipped sharply with the second generation to 160,000 in 2009. But with the third generation restyle and

Read more