Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
According to the National Automobile Dealers’ Association, the average price of a new car in the United States in 2006 is $28,600. That’s $1,400 less than what not too long was considered beginning price point for a luxury vehicle.
Read moreEconomy class automobiles are like economy class airplane tickets. Sometimes the value outweighs the shortcomings and sometimes it doesn’t. The latter holds true for the 2007 Suzuki Forenza wagon. The largest of the Korean manufacturer’s compact cars offers an inviting price, a spacious interior and a solid list of standard features.
Read moreThe Smart car is getting a lot of attention for its small size and style, and now it’s earning impressive crash test ratings. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Virgina, has given the Snmart Fortwo — the smallest car for sale in the United States — the top rating of good for front and side crash protection.
Read moreGas mileage and price are two major selling points, and considering the cost of gas these and turbulent economy, perhaps this vehicle is just the right Fit. Pardon the pun, but there’s definitely more interest in Honda’s smallest and least expensive car.
Read moreThe 2008 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.
Read moreThe 2008 Hyundai Accent might be one of the better economy-minded cars available. Edmunds.com compares it to the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris. I haven’t driven those cars, so I can’t compare. Overall, the entry-level Hyundai Accent seems to be a value-filled economy car ready for the daily commute grind, although, hopefully not too far of a commute.
Read moreOne of the tangible, unwritten tests of a new vehicle is its initial comfort. Does a car suit a driver without a lengthy technological learning curve? There’s something to be said for an efficient, straightforward, no-nonsense car that doesn’t require intense reading to operate. Welcome the 2008 Kia Rondo. It’s nothing new that a good share of drivers still scoff at car manufacturers from Korea. But all of misgivings should now be considered history. Kia offers affordable, safe vehicles with the car industry’s best warranty. I recently drove the Kia Rondo for a week while visiting Missouri, logging more than
Read moreNissan will soon offer its entry level sedan Versa for less than $10,000, and it will be the cheapest new car available in the United States. The no-frills Versa, which will not include air-conditioning or power windows, will cost $9,900 or more than $1,000 less than the country’s current least expensive car.
Read moreMany car shoppers have adopted the perspective “bigger is not better.” Even my college-age daughter, not always the most practical shopper, has decided her first car should be a hybrid or a very gas-efficient model.
Read moreIt’s easy to dismiss entry level sub-compacts. They’re unlikely any buyers’ dream cars. And, really, what can a consumer expect for about half of the $30,000 average price of new car in the United States? How about a Suzuki? Really?
Read moreAfter much anticipation, reservations for the Tata Nano, the India-manufactured car some automobile experts believe will be as influential as the Model T Ford and the Volkswagen Beetle, will be available for March 23 in more than 400 dealerships in India. The Nano, billed as the world’s cheapest car and nicknamed “The People’s Car,” will cost an estimated $1,945 or 100,00 rupees, the currency of India. According to Tata Motors representatives, full production of the Nano will take 1 1/2 years and only a limited supply of the vehicle will be available this spring. Ratan Tata, who conceived the car,
Read moreThe New York Times’ automotive section is entitled “Wheels — The Nuts and Bolts of Whatever Moves You.’ Technology to car shows, innovation to car reviews, the section is arguably the country’s finest. Earlier this week, for instance, many print and online sections reported on the debut in India of the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car.
Read moreNow in its third year in the United States and ninth worldwide, the Honda Fit keeps getting better. For 2009, the Fit has undergone its first interior and exterior redesign. It’s all good. There’s a new four-way backseat configuration, 10 cupholders (really?), vision-improving triangular front side windows, increases in length and width and a nifty van-like windshield position.
Read moreThe Versa is Nissan’s global small car and the least expensive car sold in the United States. But the cheap thing is a bad rap. And getting what one pays for?
Read moreThe original Honda Insight, sold from 2000 to 2006, was odd-looking. But as the first mass-produced hybrid available in the United States, its unique status and strange looks made it cool. When the Insight departed, the Toyota Prius took over hybrid dominance, and Honda hasn’t been happy since. The Insight returned in 2009 as a 2010 model and Honda is ready to go head-to-head with the Prius by offering its new base model Insight for less than $20,000 — the country’s least expense hybrid. Toyota has responded with new Prius. It’s more expensive and in its recent tenure, several times
Read moreThe world’s cheapest car is only available in India. But the Tata Nano, which currently cost $2,000-$2,500 depending upon exchange rates, could be available in the United States within three years, according to the chairman of Tata Motors.
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