Smart Fortwo Gets Insurance Institute For Highway Safety's Top Rating

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The Fortwo’s seat/head restraints earned the second highest rating of acceptable for protection against whiplash in rear impacts. Smart Fortwo is classified a microcar, meaning it’s smaller even than minicars. Weighing about 1,800 pounds, the Smart is more than three feet shorter and almost 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper. It weighs about a third as much as one of the heaviest vehicles the Institute has tested, the BMW X5, a midsize SUV. As the price of fuel climbs and tougher federal fuel economy requirements kick in, auto companies are expected to introduce more small vehicles to the market.

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Toyota Corolla, 2009: The Weekly Driver Car Review

Its name connotes royalty, but who would have known 40 years ago when it was first sold in the United States that the Toyota Corolla actually deserved such a lofty title? Corolla means “little crown,” and now in its fifth decade and with more than 33 million sold, there’s no reason to deny it. The Toyota Corolla, a little engine that could, continues to be royalty. The 2009 Toyota Corolla isn’t a hybrid, nor does it boast any other high-tech refinement or embellished marketing campaigns. The Corolla remains what it’s always been — among the finest basic transportation cars ever

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Dodge Viper's Dubious Honor: Most Expensive Car To Repair

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Escalating gas prices and “green” cars are the most hotly discussed topics in the automotive industry. But there’s an equally important issue for car owners. It’s the determining factor for some new/used car buyers, while other consumers buy brands regardless of resale value and cost of operation. The factor, most expensive to repair goes to the Dodge Viper. Forbes.com does a lot of keen reporting in the auto industry, and its latest effort is no exception. It’s the list of the most expensive cars to repair. Using 2008 repair estimates calculated over a five-year period and tabulated by Vincentric did

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Norway Thinks Global With New U.S.—Based Electric Car, Think City

The car will be named Think City, is a two-seater with a top speed of about 65 mph. It will operate on sodium batteries and is 95 percent recyclable. “It’s a mass-market vehicle,” Ray Lane of venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers to the AP. “Our desire is to be selling 30-40-50,000 of these cars in a couple of years.” Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said test vehicles will be brought to the U.S. in coming months. Ford Motor Co. owned Think for five years, leasing vehicles in the U.S. before selling the company in 2004. Nissan Motor

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The Weekly Driver On The Road: GM getaway features Pontiac G8, Vibe, Lucerne

The Pontiac G8, Pontiac Vibe and Buick Lucerne, each in several options, were presented in two sessions each attended by about two dozen journalists. We each test drove the various vehicles on a hilly winding 170-mile road trip trek from Santa Monica to Ojai  — on some of the most famous mountain roads in Southern California. The Vibe is one of the most unheralded small SUVs available. Spacious and featuring innovative exterior and interior design, the Vibe is ideal for a small businessperson with cargo-space needs or an economically minded family with SUV needs. The Buick Lucerne is an industry

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Electric Sports Car, Tesla, Makes Los Angeles Debut

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According to an Associated Press report, the Tesla can travel 225 miles on one charge and fully recharge in 3 1/2 hours. The car was developed in San Carlos, Calif., with venture capital of more than $40 million. Google Inc. founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were among the initial investors. A distribution for San Carlos as well as in Chicago, New York and other cities by early next year. Although a fully loaded model can cost $124,000, the Tesla’s 6,831-cell lithium-ion battery pack gives off no emissions. The Tesla accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in slightly less than

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Toyota Sequoia, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

Jeff Weidel Many reasons exist to literally steer away from purchasing a large sport utility vehicle. Lack of gas mileage is one negative. Every time I drive a behemoth SUV, it seems like one eye watching the gas gauge dip as another $70 fill-up looms. But it’s a shame gas concerns and environmental considerations have brought down the desirability of large SUVs, since they’re being built better than ever. Driving dynamics and interior design are among the improvements, yet owning a heavyweight SUV seems impractical for many current car buyers. The Toyota Sequoia is an SUV that should be highly

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The Weekly Driver On The Road: Nothing Like The Waffle House

Waitresses are what’s happening at Waffle House. They’re quick-witted, know every angle and mostly call everyone “sugar” or “darlin’.” I know a reporter for a cycling magazine who has stolen a coffee mug from every Waffle House he’s visited. He could likely serve an NFL team coffee with Waffle House mugs to spare. But Waffle House is still a new phenomenon for me. I first visited Waffle House last year at the Tour de Georgia. The waitress at the counter who served me was the manager. At one point during my meal she left the restaurant and helped a customer

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The Weekly Driver On The Road: Cheap Gas Prices In Georgia, Not!

Five days into the Tour de Georgia, I’ve finally driven the roads that remind me why I appreciate bicycle racing. The route for stage 5 took the field from Suwanee to Dahlonega, and at 133 miles, it was the longest day of the weeklong race. The alternate route from Lake Lanier Island (where the entourage stayed after stage 4) to the finish was much shorter — only a 90-minute drive. I took the roads less traveled. The freeway ended after 35 miles with a sudden left-hand turn onto Duncan Bridge Rd. Farmlands with twisting single-lane roads featured ideal scenery —

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Toyota, Tata Motors Named Among World's Most Innovative Companies

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In its list of the world’s 50 most innovated companies, Toyota and Tata Motors of India are both in the top-10 list. Apple, which debuted the iPhone and the MacBook Air in the past year, was named the world’s most innovative company. Here’s the top-10: 1. Apple; 2;.Google; 3. Toyota; 4. General Electric; 5. Microsoft;  6. Tata Motors; 7. Nintendo; 8. Proctor & Gamble; 9. Sony; 10. Nokia. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in

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The Weekly Driver On The Road: Small Roads, Big Sights On The Way To Monterey

One of my favorite car review testing routes is the estimated 200-mile drive from Sacramento to the Monterey Peninsula. I’ve mentioned the high-speed trek along the congested city stretches, open agricultural farmlands and rolling fields along Interstate 5 . And I’ve written about how in Gilroy, the road changes for a short stretch onto highway 101 and then onto two mall connecting 152 and 156 routes as the peninsula and Pacific Ocean appear on the horizon. Last week, I drove a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz along the route, and unlike some sport utility vehicles, the Hyundai had little difficulty accelerating or

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Honda Civic (Hybrid), 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review

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Like I experienced when I first test drove the Civic hybrid in 2004, the current version in exceedingly quiet.  During stops, for example, it seems the vehicle’s engine has stopped. Instead, it’s the engine operating solely on electric power. The hybrid Civic is equipped with a 110-horsepower, 1.3-liter engine with two relatively new features largely known by acronyms, IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). A five-speed manual transmission was previously available, but now the hybrid is only offered with an automatic transmission. The IMA, as previously mentioned, allows a vehicle to operate solely on electric power in

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Hybrid Sales Continue To Climb In United States

The total sale of all hybrids in U.S last month was the second-highest ever, falling only behind the May 2007 total. The total pushed hybrid to a total sales share of 2.8 percent. Toyota reported 20,635 sales of the Prius in March 2008, an increase of eight percent over March 2007 and the model’s second-best month’s results to date. The Camry Hybrid sold 6,930 units, up 35 percent, and representing 17.1 per cent of all Camry sales. The Highlander Hybrid sold 2,239 units, down 10 per cent from March 2007, and representing 20.7 per cent of all Highlanders sold. The

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Suzuki Grand Vitara, 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review

My weekly drive was the Grand Vitara X-sport. It had a 2.7-liter V6 engine, 185 horsepower and a five-speed automatic transmission. With its two-wheel drive and sunroof additions, it’s one of eight configuration of the vehicle positioned in the class featuring more heavily marketed and more expensive competitors like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota Rav4, Mercury Mariner and Jeep Liberty. Despite varying marketing campaigns, many compact SUVs seem remarkably similar. None are touted as speed burners or comfort machines. But as utilitarian vehicles for outdoors enthusiasts and families, the Grand Vitara stands out among its competitors in a few

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OnStar, MapQuest Union: Nirvana For Marriages And Directionally Challenged?

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The new service, OnStar eNav, will enable subscribers to have directions sent from their computers to specially-equipped vehicles. Once the directions have been sent to the user’s car, they can then be accessed via voice-guided commands. In 2009, under the terms of the agreement, eNav users will be able to download directions directly to their vehicle’s screen-based navigation system. OnStar has also announced a new service, Destination Download, where subscribers with screen-based navigation systems can press a button and be connected to an advisor. This advisor will then find the driver’s location, send it to the system and an icon

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Consumer Reports Selects Most Overlooked Cars For 2008

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But the Consumer Report list that impressed me recently is Consumer Reports list of Most Overlooked Cars. It’s a short list for 2008 — four vehicles. Tthe foursome includes a car and a manufacturer I’ve been touting for several years, Hyundai. Consumer Reports has a lot of nice things to says about Hyundai’s top-of-the-line sedan, the Azera. And it’s hard to disagree. Here’s the list of Consumer Reports’ most overlooked cars for 2008 and a brief comment on each vehicle: According the publication’s online site: “These models prove that a car doesn’t have to be a top seller or a

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