Ford Escape

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Mazda 5 CX-5, 2013: Comfort, convenience in new crossover

Mazda long has been known for sporty vehicles, and its all-new 2013 CX-5 compact crossover is no exception, with swoopy styling and carlike handling. However, the CX-5 has just average acceleration because it only has a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine with 155-horsepower and weighs approximately 3,500 pounds. It’s no slug, but is designed more for comfort and convenience than 0-60 mph times. For instance, the automatic transmission shifts smoothly, but with no great urgency. It’s tuned more for the best fuel economy—rather than outright performance. The CX-5 is in a tough compact crossover league, with rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. But, although its vehicles are less promoted than those of competitors, Mazda has been around

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President Obama's former Chrysler 300 back on eBay — $1 million

The 2005 Chrysler 300C leased by President Barack Obama in July 2004 with two miles on the odometer, is back for up for auction again on eBay for $1 million. The vehicle, which features a host of options — leather seats to CD player — did not sell for the same $1 million during its recent first eBay auction. In the comments, the seller writes: "We have the original Illinois title showing this vehicle was actually used by Barack. 19,000 miles driven when this vehicle was Obama's – I'm sure many of them were highway miles back & forth from Chicago to Springfield since Barack was an Illinois State Senator during 2004. "He won election to the U.S. Senate in

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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 scale that rewards lower prices. The results are presented monetarily in categories and sub-categories, under $20,00 to more than $50,000,

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Kelley Blue Book: Ford, Toyota shine among best used cars under $8,000

With the average price of a new car in the United States now surpassing $30,000, used vehicles are increasingly popular. Kelley Blue Book is good at most things car-related, including price and analysis of new and used cars. And it has a new list of best buys among used cars that cost less than $8,000. The list is varied and includes vehicles with model years from 2002 to 2008 and with prices approximately 20 to 25 percent of the average cost of new car. Kelley Blue Book reports the cars on the list have “the most appealing mixes of reliability, versatility and desirability, with an emphasis on track record.” The Weekly Driver reviewed only two of the cars on the

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Ford recalls 450,000 SUVs, minivans for potential fire, crash woes

Ford is recalling nearly 500,000 minivans and sport utility vehicles manufactured in the past decade, including the Escape, Freestar and Mercury Monterey for mechanical concerns potentially resulting in crashes and engine fires. The Dearborn, Mich., automaker is recalling 205,896 Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans (2004-2005 models) because their torque converter output shaft may fail resulting in a loss of sudden loss of power. Ford is also recalling 244,530 Escape SUVs (2001-2002 models) because their brake master cylinder reservoir cap could leak brake fluid, prompting potential corrosion and a subsequent fire. Ford detailed said it will inform owners of the affected cars and that dealers will replace the parts for free. Ford said it will first begin notifying Escape owners the

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Ford pickups reign again as country's best-selling vehicles in 2011

Pick-up trucks continue to rule the automotive industry with the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado again claiming the top and runner-up places among the top-10 best-selling vehicles of 2011. The Ford F-Series (F-150 and F-250) now in their 12th generation and perennially the country's best-sellers, combined as the only vehicles in the United States with more than 500,000 units sold in 2011. The F-150 F-250 combined had a 10.7 percent sales increase in 2011 from 2010. The Chevy Silverado had a 12.2 percent increase in the past year. The Toyota Camry remained the best-selling car in the country in 2011, the rest of the top four sellers from 2010 — Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, respectively — tumbled

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World debuts for Mazda, Ford, Honda at LA Auto Show

World debuts of 20 cars from Chevrolet to Honda and more than 30 North American auto unveilings will comprise a chunky dose of the anticipated start November 16 of the Los Angeles Auto Show. In addition to the 1,000 new vehicles on display at the Los Angeles Convention Center, several manufacturers have upgraded exhibit spaces and added enhanced features with more interactive content and experiences. There will also be more than a half-dozen test drives that put consumers in the seats and on the streets in some new vehicles on select days. Notable this year will be a significant increase in fuel efficiency across the board in all categories. Nearly 20 highly-efficient, 40-mpg-plus vehicles, using internal combustion engines-such as the

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Hybrid market expands in 2012, Toyota Prius v to BMW

Citing impressive statistics, the Auto Channel on MSN.com has a comprehensive listing of 2012 hybrids, from the industry standard Toyota Prius to its new sibling, the Prius v, as well as debuting high-end offerings from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. MSN.com states as many as 50 hybrids could be on the market by 2015 and that ghe overall hybrid market share has nearly doubled in 2011 to about two percent. Here, for example. is what MSN.com said about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Toyota Prius v: Hyundai Sonata: "This impressive hybrid entry is fast gaining converts, and it's not hard to see why: The Sonata is a fully equipped, smartly designed midsized fuel sipper, comparable to but cheaper than hybrid versions

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Honda Fit, Lexus hybrid claim Consumer Reports' honors

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 provide excellent fuel economy for their class, but they’re solid overall choices. according to the publication. Subcompact Best: Honda Fit

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Eco-Friendly Cars: Toyota Prius to Tesla Roadster, Part 1

Without fanfare or an exact date, there must have a collective automotive epiphany in recent years. Somehow, all major carmakers were in on it, except Toyota. It had its awakening 14 years ago. The Japanese carmaker introduced its hybrid gas-electric car in 1997 and then debuted it in the United States car market in 2001. It wasn’t the first electric or hybrid car available in the country. But it was the first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car in the U.S., and the auto industry hasn’t been the same since. Combine the increasing influence of the environmental movement, pending federal regulation for increased fuel efficiency and diminishing reliance on foreign fuel and the auto industry en masse now gets it. The “greening

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Honda, Lexus, Chevrolet dominate Kiplinger's/Yahoo Cars of the Decade list

The Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Corvette couldn’t be more different. And likewise, there’s nothing similar between a BMW 3 Series and a Honda Odyssey. Unless, of course, Kiplinger’s magazine and Yahoo.com happen to be compiling a list of the cars of the decade. With a vast number of vehicles from which to choose in the past decade, how could the publications possible select the top-10 cars of the decade. The Prius, for example, was selected with the following description: “When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto industry. But then the Hollywood green crowd adopted the little gas-electric hybrid as a symbol of saving the planet. “Ten years and two redesigns

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Honda, Audi models among most expensive cars to insure

Honda and Audi are among the most respected manufacturers in the automotive industry. But the ZDZ from Acura and the TTS and A5 models from Audi are also the most expensive cars to insure. Conversely, the Kia Sedona, Mazda5 and Ford Escape are cheapest vehicles to insure, according to InsWeb, an online insurance comparison provider. According to InsWeb, the insure price formula called “loss behavior” includes repair costs and the chances the vehicle will be involved in an accident. InsWeb says model loss formulations also include the driving history of a car’s previous owners. High performance and high profile cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac Escalade are more prone to accidents than a the mosre subdued, practical cars like

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Toyota, Honda claim top 2011 gas mileages, reports EPA

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. captured six of the U.S. government’s top 10 fuel-economy ratings for 2011 models, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Department. Toyota’s Prius hybrid remains country’s highest fuel mileage car with 51 mpg (city) and 48 mpg (highway) averages. Ford Motor Co., the only U.S. automaker to rate in the top 10, finished second with the Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ hybrids. Honda finished in the third position with the Civic and Insight hybrids and in fourth with the CR-Z hybrid, according to the two agencies. Automakers selling models in the U.S. are trying to boost the fuel efficiency of their models after President Barack Obama in April ordered a five

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Consumers Digest awards 35 ‘best buy’ for 2011 models

Thirty-five 2011 vehicles and seven companion models have been selected from more than 250 models and received Best Buy ratings from Consumers Digest magazine. The ratings, published in the December issue (on sale now), span 12 categories: Subcompacts, Compacts, Family Cars, Luxury Cars, Sporty Cars, Full-size Pickups, Small Pickups, Minivans, Compact SUVs, Midsize SUVs, Full-size/Luxury SUVs and Hybrids. The Best Buys — based on behind-the-wheel assessment, safety ratings, ownership costs, warranty, price, comfort, ergonomics, styling and amenities — reflect the publication’s view the vehicles offering exceptional value. “Value, as we see it, is based on purchase price and ownership costs relative to quality, performance and subjective factors like comfort and design,” says Randy Weber, CD’s publisher. Performance characteristics evaluated include

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Honda, Toyota lead Yahoo Autos top-100 'green' car list

The Green Rating was developed by Yahoo! Autos in consultation with Environmental Defense, a nonprofit organization that finds practical ways to protect the planet. The Green Rating covers all the major environmental costs of a motor vehicle, including: Unhealthy smog that comes from tailpipes; Emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming; The fuel a vehicle consumes; Pollution from manufacturing the vehicle and its components. The Green Rating measures a vehicle’s environmental friendliness on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher a vehicle’s Green Rating, the “greener” it is and the lower its harm to human health and the health of the planet. Here’s the list of Yahoo Auto’s top-10 (with ties) green cars: 1. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid

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