The new 2012 Range Rover Evoque compact sport-utility from England’s Land Rover is a good combination of styling, comfort, practicality and off-road prowess. It represents a radical change from other Land Rover vehicles. Among primary selling features of this smaller, more fuel-efficient, all-wheel-drive Range Rover are racy styling, prestige and off-road prowess — although few owners likely will drive off-road. Main rivals include the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK. Ah, but they lack the prestigious Range Rover name The full-time all-wheel-drive Evoque likely will attract more younger customers to the Land Rover brand. It comes as a $43,145
Scion lead the dominance of nine Japanese car manufacturers among the top 10, while Ford dramatically stumbled in the annual most reliable survey conducted by Consumer Reports magazine. The best and worst-performing brands is based on feedback from 1.3 million subscribers to the United States-based publication. The Scion xD was identified as the best model, followed by Lexus (CT 200h) as the next highest-rated model. Acura came in third place, followed by Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Infiniti, Subaru and Nissan. Volvo was the best-performing non-Japanese brand in 10th place. Hyundai and Kia, both of South Korea, took the next two spots,
Smart, with its line of electric or gasoline two-seaters, has the best gas mileage average among car manufacturers, according to a new Brighter Planet study of 2011 cars and trucks. Throughout its lineup, Smart averages 61 mpg. Mini (30.0 mpg) is second across its production line. Honda (27.4 mpg) third is and the top manufacturer with a full line of cars, trucks and SUVs. Suzuki (25.5) and Nissan (25.3) round out the top five, according to the study that detailed Brighter Planet’s ranking of 39 automobile manufacturers included in the 2011 EPA Fuel Economy Guide based on miles-per-gallon fuel consumption
Consumer Reports, in its latest 2011 automotive survey, has selected the most fuel efficient, worst gas guzzlers and best fuel economy among used cars. “Hybrid and diesel vehicles provide better fuel economy than conventional cars, but they usually cost more to buy, and as gas prices rise, the pay-back time gets shorter,” said David Champion, Senior Director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Center in East Haddam, Conn. Below are recommended models in six categories that provide the best fuel economy. To be recommended, they met Consumer Reports’ stringent requirements for test performance, reliability, and safety. So, not only do they
Vehicles manufactured by Honda, particularly the Accord sedan, CR-V crossover, Civic compact and Odyssey minivan, retain their value better than any other brand, according to a new study by Edmunds.com. The renowned automotive assessment website announced the result of its study five months after rival Kelley Blue Book named Subaru the top non-luxury brand and BMW the best luxury brand. “A lot of consumers just see (Honda) as a value-oriented brand that has good resale (value) and a good history of reliability,” said Danny Zhou, senior analyst for Edmunds.com. Edmunds calls the new evaluation, the Best Retained Value Awards. The
Car buyers likely consider vehicle safety as part of the purchase process. But is the same consideration as important for those renting cars? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is the auto industry standard for determining vehicle safety, whether it’s for buyers or renters. And among cars readily available in major rental agencies, USA Today, via IIHS rankings, reports there are varying degrees of safety. The newspaper reported, 95 percent of 167 different vehicles in rental fleets are rated “good” in head-on collisions, the most frequent type of fatal crash. However, a half dozen 2011 vehicles and one 2010
The 2011 Mazda 3 sedan/hatchback, after earning the top rating of good for roof strength in rollover crashes, qualifies as a Top Safety Pick among small cars by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). The Mazda3, which previously earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection, is the manufacturer’s first car designated as a Top Safety Pick since the Institute made the criteria more strict by including a requirement for a good rating in the roof strength test. Two tests were conducted in order to rate the 4-door sedan and hatchback versions. The sedan’s roof withstood a
Luxury nameplates Lincoln and Lexus took top honors while models from their respective manufacturers, Ford and Toyota, dominated segment rankings in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study. Lincoln was most dependable and Lexus was second best while Ford and Toyota combined for 11 top individual dependability segment honors. The study considers a year’s worth of issues in three-year old cars that are 3 years old. J.D. Power also has an Initial Quality Study that looks at the first 90 days of ownership. 2011 J.D. Power dependability study totals (problems per 100 vehicles for three years. The industry
In addition to its varied category and overall best and worst category lists, Consumer Reports has a best value list and the 2011 Honda Fit has emerged as a double winner — best small car value and best overall value in 2011 among more than 200 different vehicles analyzed. “A low price doesn’t necessarily make a car a good value,” said Rik Paul, automotive editor at Consumer Reports. “At a time when people need to make every dollar count, our best value list highlights the models that give you a lot for your money.” Consumer Reports uses performance, reliability, and
There is no topping the Range Rover, which is still lord of the manor. After all, it was the first off-road ready luxurious SUV. It was introduced in 1970, but didn’t reach America until 1987. Still, many Americans had seen it before its U.S. debut in adventure movies set in such locations as Africa, and it had a well-deserved reputation for being tough and adventuresome. Never mind that it had a spotty reliability reputation and a modified 3.5-liter aluminum ex-Buick V-8 from the 1960s. The first Range Rover here came from the Land Rover division of England’s state-owned Rover group,
Statistics for online car purchases, or at least the amount of time car buyers spend researching car purchases online, has dramatically increased in recent years. Which is why manufacturers strive for efficient, informative web sites. Honda has the best automaker website, according to J.D. Power & Associates. Honda (www.honda,com) is followed by Mazda, Mini, Porsche and Acura in the 1,000 point ranking system based on speed, appearance, navigation and information/content. According to J.D. Power, Honda.com performed well on information/content, navigation and speed measures (meaning appearance apparently wasn’t Honda.com’s site’s strong point). The Power Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study began in 2000
Honda, a perennial top pick, Subaru, the all-wheel driver pioneer, and embattled Toyota claimed the top-three spots in the annual survey by Consumer Reports to determine the manufacturers with the overall best cars. Honda, whose Fit earned high marks with the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Avalanche, led the Japanese company’s consistent ratings throughout its line en route to the industry’s highest total in the magazine’s detail assessment. Ford posted the largest quality gains among the major automakers with improved road tests and reliability scores. Honda Motor Co., including its Acura division, had the highest overall score, 74, and the best
Except for its name, there’s virtually no resemblance between the old truck-based Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle and the redesigned 2011 Durango. The new four-door Durango is handsome and aerodynamic. It has Dodge’s “crosshair grille” and resembles the muscular, discontinued Dodge Magnum wagon. There are four trim levels: Express, Crew (also offered with a CrewLux lifestyle package), sporty R/T and Citadel. They come with rear or all-wheel-drive and have three rows of seats. List prices range from $29,195 to $43,945, without an $850 shipping charge. Add $2,000 for all-wheel drive. To emphasize the Durango’s upscale nature, Dodge says there are
The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car and Ford Explorer claimed top honors as the North American car and truck of the years honors at the Detroit Auto Show. The Volt, the General Motors’ centerpiece contribution to the advancing green car industry, has already earned the 2011 Green Car of the Year and Motor Trend Magazine’s Car of the Year. It edged the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Sonata for the Car of the Year award, voted on by a panel of 49 automotive journalists. Ford Motor Co’s latest incarnation of its Explorer sport utility vehicle was named 2011 Truck of
Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer
Now in its fourth model year as a compact sport utility vehicle, the Nissan Rogue is the smaller sibling of the Murano crossover. It comes standard with front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is an option) and a four-cylinder, 170-horsepower engine. For 2011, the Rogue has refreshed styling, several new colors and features for the first time Bluetooth and a USB port. It’s available in three trims, S, SL and Krom — the sport model. The new styling includes a new front fascia with fog-light cut-outs, a redesigned chrome grille, the addition of chrome trim on the lower door edges, a revised
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.