Toyota Corolla

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Quick shifts to automatic transmissions continues

Thirty-eight car nameplates offer manual transmissions for their 2020 models, Aston Martin to Volkswagen. Truck enthusiasts who like to shift gears have far fewer choices. In fact, only two manufacturers, Toyota and Jeep, offer a manual transmission in their fleets. Here’s the full list of cars with manual transmissions, either as standard or optional equipment, for the 2020 model year: Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M2, BMW M4 (all body styles), Chevrolet Camaro (all body styles), Chevrolet Spark, Dodge Challenger, Fiat 124 Spider, Ford Mustang (all body styles), Shelby GT350, Genesis G70, Honda Accord, Honda Civic (all body styles), Civic Si (all body styles), Civic Type R; Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra (GT hatchback only), Hyundai Veloster, Veloster N, Hyundai

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Ford F-150 has dubious honor — most stolen pickup truck

Pickup trucks are stolen so often, it’s an automotive epidemic. At least that’s the one-word description of the data compiled by the National Crime Insurance Bureau (NCIB) in Des Plaines, Illinois. The Ford F-150 pickup was the third most stolen vehicle in the United States in the past five years. Via statistics through 2018, the Chevrolet Silverado was the fourth most stolen vehicle during the past five years. Pickup truck dilemma: lots stolen According to the NCIB, the reason older Ford F-Series and GM trucks are stolen at such a high rate is because in 2007 most vehicles began having anti-theft systems installed. Older pickup trucks are also more targeted because they can easily be dismantled and have parts sometimes

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2020 Mazda 3: Handsome, understated; why low sales?

The 2020 Mazda 3 advnances the small sedan in its mid-teens and it has an identity complex. It’s an unheralded, worthy small sedan competing against more than a dozen rivals with bigger sales numbers. But it may have finally caught a break. With its simple, sporty design absent of sharp edges and angles, and a front end with a nod to a Ford GT Cobra, the 2020 Mazda 3 recently claimed world honors for automotive design. The other finalists were the Peugeot 208 and Porsche Taycan. The Mazda MX5 (Miata) claimed the award in 2016, starting the Japanese manufacturer’s global recognition that less is more. It’s an approach other carmakers should follow. Design, of course, does not make a car.

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2020 Nissan Sentra, a new hipster nearing 40

Nearing its 40th birthday, the Nissan Sentra has endured weird names and different marketing strategies. Once a sub-compact, it’s now a compact or small sedan. Its peculiar names in different countries include Tsuru, Sylphy and Almera. It’s also a direct descendant of the Datsun B210. The 2020 Nissan Sentra, available in the United States, isn’t named after a crane, a slender young woman or a princess. Its moniker is a variant of sentry, which also isn’t quite right. But guardian or protector-on-wheels is workable. The Sentra has adapted and remains strong in an ever-crowded marketplace. Key Takeaways Eighth-generation redesign targets hipsters instead of rental fleets: A two-tone Monarch Orange body with Super Black roof and black wheels signals the biggest

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#126 podcast: Couple embraces home tech business

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:52 — 38.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More#126: Couple embraces home tech business | RSS.com Valerie Antkowiak and Mark Pallone are retired Intel engineers, but they’re still involved in their careers via a home-based business about home technology. The husband-wife team, who lives in El Dorado Hills, California, publishes the website AppMyHome.com. The site and their home is the testing ground for all things in the extended home technology field. Antkowiak is our guest on episode No. 126 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss talk with Antowiak about the couple’s history with the site and their process for testing home technology equipment. The couple’s home

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2020 Hyundai Ioniq: Underdog defines value, economy

The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq, the fourth year of the South Korean liftback hybrid and all-electric, maintains the brand’s status as the country’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. Its top-line trim costs several thousand dollars less than the average price of a new vehicle in the United States. The combination of price and economy warrants consideration. What can a new car buyer expect from a vehicle that costs $32,000 and gets at least an estimated 55 miles per gallon? Key Takeaways 55 to 58 mpg combined makes the Ioniq America’s most fuel-efficient non-EV: The Blue trim hits 58 mpg combined; other hybrid trims deliver 55 mpg combined from a 1.6-liter gas engine paired with a 32-kW electric motor. Top-line Limited is priced around

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Massive airbag recall includes six million Honda, Toyota models

Another day, another airbag recall. This time, it involves more than six million Honda and Toyota vehicles. Toyota has recalled 3.4 million vehicles worldwide with ZF airbags that may not properly inflate. Honda is recalling 2.7 million vehicles for problems with Takata airbags. The Honda recall covers certain Honda and Acura vehicles from the 1996 to 2003 model years. The Honda vehicles included: 1998 to 2000 Accord coupe and sedan, 1996 to 2000 Civic coupe and sedan, the 1997 to 2001 CR-V, the 1998 to 2001 Odyssey and the 1997 and 1998 EV Plus. Toyota’s upscale brand Acura has an equally wide recall list: vehicles 1997 and 1998 2.2CL, the 1997 to 1999 3.0CL, the 1998 and 1999 2.3CL, the

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2019 Best Cars, Trucks

Welcome to the 13th annual Best Cars and Trucks of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. As is our logical way, we wait until the end of the year to name our selections. As in previous years, the 2019 choices were selected only from the list of 35-40 cars and trucks manufacturers provided for weekly reviews. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I will discuss the list on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The 10 vehicles on the 2019 Best Cars, Trucks list include manufacturers from the United States, South Korea and Japan. The Weekly Driver has been writing about our main automotive vent for years. How do prestigious industry publications determine their vehicles-of-the-year selections before the calendar year starts? Selecting a list

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So long, Toyota Prius C; It’s been a good eight years

The Toyota Prius c, introduced in December 2011 as the carmaker’s least expensive and smallest hybrid, will likely be retired with the introduction of the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid. According to a report on Motor1.com, the little hatchback will be outdone in its well-touted economy by the new Corolla. Available in the spring of 2019, the EPA has already released the mileage estimates for the new Corolla, 53 mpg in city driving, 52 mpg on the freeway. The Prius c is rated at 48 mpg in city driving, 42 mpg on the highway Fuel economy for the 2020 Corolla Hybrid is already available from the EPA. It gets 53 miles per gallon city and 52 mpg highway for a combined

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2020 models aplenty set for debuts

Some 2019 car models haven’t arrived in dealerships, yet many 2020 new cars and trucks are on the near horizon. More sport utility vehicles, an electric version of a luxury sedan and an enduring compact sedan have been announced. Here’s a look at three 2020 vehicles set for release soon and a list of others with new editions or with multiple upgrades. Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 — The manufacturer’s first full-electric vehicle, the EQC is a crossover and another addition to the ever-increasing popularity of SUVs. The EQC, positioned between the GLC-Class and GLC-Class SUVs, features two electric motors, one for each axle, combining for 402 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque. Energy is stored in an 80-kWh battery pack with

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Genesis shines in 2018 Cars of the Year honors

The end of 2018 designates my 15th anniversary as an automotive journalist. It’s an ideal time to be part of an industry. Safety innovations, alternative fuels, ride-sharing platforms, autonomous driving and a rekindled appreciation for vintage vehicles all share in the whirlwind of change. Not everything is right. More manufacturers are making more alternative fuel vehicles. But the public still hasn’t embraced the idea nearly 20 years after the Toyota Prius launched the segment. Carmakers continue to make vehicles safer, but there’s so much technology, innovation arguably causes as much anxiety as peace of mind behind the wheel. Most industry publications and organizations select vehicles of the year in the preceding calendar year. At the Los Angeles Auto Show last

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2019 Hyundai Veloster: odd compact hatchback gets it right

The 2019 Hyundai Veloster marks the sports-oriented compact’s second-generation debut, and it remains a one-of-a-kind hatchback. A sharper-edged new exterior design is immediately appealing. But the symmetrical configuration is still a signature feature, with one longer driver’s side door and two shorter front and rear passenger doors. The three-door scheme is not available on any other vehicle. Key Takeaways Still the only three-door hatchback on the market: One long driver’s door, two shorter passenger doors, and a hatch remain the Veloster’s signature configuration. No other vehicle copies the asymmetric layout. 201-hp 1.6-liter turbo in the Turbo Ultimate: Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and paddle shifters, the top trim carries Normal, Sport, and Smart drive modes with real differences in

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2019 Genesis G70 debuts with Car of the Year honors

The 2019 Genesis G70, the entry-level compact luxury sport sedan new to the two-year manufacturer morphed from Hyundai, has been named Car of the Year by MotorTrend. Held in conjunction with the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the award is presented annually by the esteemed publication. The Genesis G70 competed against more 19 vehicles in the publication’s determination of the most competent, desirable and capable vehicle to debut for the 2019 model year. MotorTrend editors examine each contending vehicle in street and track testing. Genesis to date in 2018 has won highest-ranked brand in the automotive industry awards for quality and owner satisfaction from industry experts such as J.D. Power, AutoPacific and Strategic Vision. Hyundai launched Genesis Motors two years

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2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback redefines nameplate

The automotive industry is ripe with contradiction. Who could imagine a four-door sports car or a sub-compact also defined in the sports realm? Porsche may have its old-guard enthusiasts who still don’t consider the four-door Panamera a sports car, but it is. The Toyota Corolla is at the opposite end of the car-buying spectrum. Once firmly positioned in the entry-level malaise of boxiness and boredom, the Corolla is now offered in a hatchback with hard-to-hide sports car tendencies. It’s available with a more expensive continuously variable transmission, but the smooth-shifting six-speed manual is the way to go. The base level Panamera begins at about $85,000, but it’s easily a six-figure vehicle perfectly capable of daily family duties. But it’s also

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2018 Ford F-150, 2018 Toyota Corolla icons of success

The Ford F-150 pickup, the overt sentinel of masculinity, and the Toyota Corolla, the tiny titan compact sedan, have little in common with two exceptions, reliability and enduring success. The Corolla, manufactured since 1966, is the best-selling car in history with more than 43 million sold. The Ford F-Series, introduced in 1948, has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for decades. It’s the second best-selling vehicle in history with more than 40 million sold. While the sedan might be able to fit in the bed of the pick-up and cost one-third as much, driving either vehicle is experiencing automotive royalty. There’s little out of the ordinary about the Corolla. It’s understated and remains increasingly popular because of its consistency. The F-150

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So long, farewell to the Volkswagen Beetle

Say goodbye to the most iconic car ever made, the Volkswagen Beetle. A representative from the German automaker told a reporter from the publication Autocar during the Geneva Motor Show that it plans to stop production of the vehicle at the end of its current generation. Frank Welsch, the carmaker’s research and development leader, said, “two or three generations is enough now.” The Volkswagen Beetle is the fourth best-selling vehicle in history, trailing the Toyota Corolla, Ford F series pickup trucks and Volkswagen Golf. But the Beetle’s sales have waned in recent years, with reports the carmaker’s engineers have lost enthusiasm for the vehicle. It was originally known as the “people car’s” when it was first commissioned in Germany by

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