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Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Toyota Prius V, Honda Odyssey, Ford Escape Hybrid

Kiplinger has been published for 90 years and now for the 61st time it's publishing its annual buyer’s guide of best value new cars. Kiplinger’s Best in Class and Best New winners are based on rankings that weigh performance, value and safety. Half the score comes from performance and value and about a third from vehicle safety. The remaining score is based on Kiplinger test drives of the cars, during which we assess design, comfort and dashboard layout. Sedans are ranked within price categories while crossovers, SUVs, minivans and wagons are not broken up by price but scored on a

Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Ford Focus (Under $20,000), Audi A7 (More than $50,000)

BMW X6, 2012: sturdy crossover has keen craftsmanship, hefty price

Now approaching its fourth birthday, the BMW X6 is touted as a Sports Activity Coupe. It's a mixed, odd offering — a small, luxury sport utility vehicle meshed with a high-performance sports coupe. It's built with the X5, it similar sibling (they share platforms) in Greer, South Carolina. In addition three standard offerings, including a turbocharged V8, a hybrid X6, called the BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid, debuted in 2009. The Weekly Driver Test Drive In its assessment, U.S. News & World Report noted: "If you’re in the market for a practical SUV, the BMW X6 definitely isn’t it." Rarely has

Ford gets jump start, first carmaker to unveil 2013 NASCAR model

For the third time, Ford has simultaneously launched production and NASCAR versions of a new model. The latest is the 2013 Fusion. It joins the first dual launch of Ford Torino (1968) and then in 2006 when the Fusion was selected the first time. With the announcement, Ford became the first manufacturer in NASCAR to unveil its 2013 car. "The NASCAR Nation is made up of car enthusiasts, and NASCAR fans certainly love to pull for a brand or make of car second only to being able to pull for their favorite driver," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "Today is

Rare Mercedes-Benz Gullwing fetches nearly $5 million in auction

Hagerty Insurance, the company that among other specialties, track sales at vintage car auctions, compiled a list of vehicles sold last week at the Arizona auctions houses known for their unique collection of old, unique cars. Barrett-Jackson announced it sold more than $92 million of vehicles in its annual year-opening auction describes as "rare, high-end collectible vehicles, exotics, customs, classics, hot rods and resto-mods." But rival Gooding took auction house honors in individual sales honors. Its 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing sold for $4,620,000. Here's the rest of the list of top sellers: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder

Snow, car crashes and drivers' stupidity plentiful in Bountiful, Utah (video)

The dangers of driving in the snow aren't always readily apart. And even when what appears to be a rather tame slightly declining road in Bountiful, Utah, becomes increasingly dangerous, drivers and pedestrians just don't seem to get it. And so it was. Driving in the snow is downright nasty In this five-minute video, filmed by Rhee Braby, the driving nightmare begins slowly with a few cars hitting curbs. Then there are about a half-dozen accidents, cars skidding into yards and any number of vehicles careening out of control. But does everyone heed the warnings of citizens and policemen trying

Toyota Highlander, 2012: Tackles family, weekend duties with ease

The 2012 Toyota Highlander is a three-row crossover that offers a choice between four-cylinder and V6 power, front-wheel drive (FWD) and full-time, four-wheel drive (4WD). The Highlander Hybrid, with EPA fuel economy estimates of 28/28-mpg city/highway, provides a nice blend of performance and fuel economy. The 2012 Highlander is available in Highlander, SE and Limited grades with either front-wheel drive (FWD) or full-time four-wheel-drive (4WD). A 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 is standard on the Limited grade and available with other models. All Highlander Hybrids are equipped with four-wheel-drive with intelligence and are available in Highlander and Limited grades. Standard engine for

Danica Patrick won't race Indy 500, will compete in Coca-Cola 600 in 2012

Danica Patrick, who as a rookie seven years ago became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500, will not compete in the event this year, opting to focus on NASCAR racing and the same day Coca-Cola 600. Patrick, who late last season announced her decision to focus on NASCAR racing, had left the Indy 500 as an option. Now, Patrick who finished fifth in the 2005 Indy 500 and a career-best third in 2006, has furthered distanced herself from Indy cars. "I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500 that is, and maybe it will be

Formula 1 ticket waitlist opened for U.S. return at Circuit of the Americas

The return of Formula 1 racing to the United State is still about 10 months away, but reservations for the waitlist for tickets to the debut event Nov. 16-18, is now available. A refundable deposit of $100 will secure a place for waitlist, which opened Jan. 21 and will close Feb. 13. If you sign up for the Select Seating waitlist and decide you are no longer interested in purchasing a suite or select seating, the deposit, paid via Paypa, will be refunded. Following the close of the Select Seating enrollment period on Monday, February 13, individuals on the waitlist

Volvo, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz dominate 2012 safest cars list

With its auto content, Forbes.com likes lists. Its current offering, like much of its other car content, is subjective — the safest 2012 cars. Infiniti, Mercedes-Benez and Volvo, with three selections, dominate the list. The subjectiveness of the list is not a criticism. It's subjective via the criteria used to make its choices, which, seem like the right criteria. One of the strongest considerations is the designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). For 2012, a total of 69 cars, 38 SUVs and three pickups made the non-profit's Top Safety Picks list, including 18 new recipients. To qualify

Buick Regal GS, 2012: Fast, handsome competition for Audi, Acura

Buick’s fast 1965-74 GS (Gran Sport) muscle cars were far more luxurious than some rivals. The 2012 Buick Regal GS revives the “GS” name in fine style. This time around, though, the mid-size GS is a fast, handsome rival to foreign sedans from Audi and Acura. The new Regal GS has a decidedly European feel because it was largely engineered by General Motors’ Opel unit in Germany. It thus has a taut, supple ride, confident handling and a refined demeanor. The 2012 Regal also is offered with an 182-horsepower four-cylinder, which makes it feel a little underpowered, and a turbocharged

Chevrolet Sonic, 2012: Supple ride in automaker's best-ever economy car

The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the best subcompact car the manufacturer has produced. But, looking at Chevy history, that may not be saying a lot. Its tinny, troublesome 1970s Vega is still remembered by many as being one of the worst small cars from Detroit. However, it’s a different auto world now. The Sonic is derived from General Motor’s German Opel Corsa and provides larger-car refinement and driving kicks. The front-drive Sonic replaces the lackluster Aveo and is Chevrolet's newest small car, although it feels larger inside than it looks from the outside. The Sonic is among the new

Infiniti G37 IPL, 2012: Fast, powerful luxury coupe attracts attention

The Infiniti G Series dates to 1991, with the Infiniti Performance Line (IPL) debuting in the fall of 2010 with the 2011 edition of the G37 Coupe. The 2012 edition remains much same. The IPL version of the high performance luxury car features a retuned, more powerful engine, more aggressive body work, new wheels and better handling. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Driving a luxury sports car, even one defined as a "entry level premium coupe," attracts immediate attention. Further attention seemed to follow me during my test week, I think, because of the G37 IPL's exterior color. The color

Volkswagen goes to the dogs in Stars Wars homage Super Bowl commerical

Volkswagen may have outdone itself. As if fathers and sons and Darth Vader and Star Wars weren’t the perfect combination for one of the most popular Super Bowl commercials in history, how about dogs playing Star Wars characters and barking the famous movie’s ominous theme song? Last year, the “Mini Darth Vader” commercial was the outright favorite in the Super Bowl. It’s generated more than 40 million page views on VW’s YouTube channel. This year, VW has produced a video for a video of its television commercial “The Bark Side.” It will be broadcast in the third quarter of the

Hyundai claims another honor via J.D. Power's customer loyalty crown

Hyundai has claimed another honor, the time it's been ranked highest among all automotive brands in J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Retention Study. Now in its ninth year, the study measures the rate at which automotive brands retain their existing customers and examines the reasons why customers remain loyal. Hyundai earned the top spot in the study, improving its retention rate by four percentage points from 2010 to 64 percent in 2012. According to J.D. Power and Associates, Hyundai's increased retention rate is shaped by its expanding model lineup, as well as the fact that perceptions of the brand's

BMW recalls 235,000 Minis globally with engine fire potential

BMW is recalling more than 300,000 of its Mini-branded cars globally, including nearly 89,000 in the United States, because of faulty water pumpas and the potentiall the problem could leading to engine fires. Three months ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened up a defects investigation, citing a dozen reports of fires in the vehicles manufactured by BMW. Among the 12 reports, five of the fires reportedly destroyed the cars, but there were not injuries. The recall in the U.S. will comprise of seven models of the Mini series in model year from 2007-2011, including: 2007-11 Cooper S;