Toyota’s crystal ball must be running on all cylinders. (Or maybe it’s a hybrid.) With rising gas prices and a still-lukewarm economy, the Prius C seems tailor-made for these times: Prius fuel economy without the Prius price tag. This car marks new territory for the ever-growing Prius family. While the Prius V is essentially a station wagon version of the high-selling regular Prius, the C is a wholly different vehicle. Only slightly longer than a Toyota Yaris , the Prius C is nearly 20 inches shorter and three inches narrower than a Prius. It’s also nearly 600 pounds lighter, weighing in at just 2,545 pounds. Compared against the larger Prius, it makes sense that this smaller, lighter hatchback has a smaller, less-powerful engine. The 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and hybrid drivetrain combine for a total of 99 horsepower. Toyota says that at 53 mpg, the Prius C has the best EPA city fuel economy of any car without a plug. Overall EPA fuel economy is 50 mpg, same as the regular Prius. (The C gets better city numbers than the regular Prius but lower highway figures.) This smaller Prius aims to cost less to purchase and to save money at the pump. Base price starts under $20,000, including destination. Most buyers will probably want modern necessities, such as a USB input and Bluetooth. They come in the next step up the model ladder, the Prius C Two–the trim level that we bought. There are some surprises in equipment here; Automatic climate control is an unexpected plus, but the lack of satellite radio and adjustable shoulder belt anchors are negatives. The car has been selling briskly since it went on sale, and in our experience, dealers aren’t budging much at all from sticker. Our dealer wanted to charge a $1,500 markup over sticker for our “Habanero” (a very distinctive shade of orange) car. Our shopper–successfully–told him to go pound sand. The sticker price came to $20,850. Putting that price into perspective is tricky. Indeed, it is about $4,000 less than the larger, more refined regular Prius. But it’s also about $3,000-$4,000 more than most of the subcompact competition, like the Honda Fit , Hyundai Accent or Chevrolet Sonic . (Check out our comparison test of the latest subcompacts...

It’s hard for a car company to compete these days without a competent small SUV. For years, Mazda had been (barely) selling their Tribute, a design they developed with Ford that was also sold as the Escape. It went on sale back in 2000 and eventually faded from the market after a 10-year run. But now Mazda finally has the fully modern, all-new CX-5 . And this time Mazda is keeping this car for themselves. In a quest to maximize fuel economy without the engineering cost or sticker shock of a hybrid, Mazda’s worked to make the CX-5′s basics extremely efficient. The standard SkyActiv 2.0-liter engine uses direct injection and a very high compression rate. However, at 155-hp, it’s down around 20-40 horses in contrast to most competitors. In order to compensate for the power deficiency, Mazda emphasized making the CX-5 light. Our CX-5 Touring AWD weighs 3,420 lbs. That’s pretty impressive, but a Honda CR-V weighs only 30 pounds more, and it has another 30 horsepower. A diesel model is eventually expected, which would be quite distinctive in this market. The CX-5 doesn’t lack for features. To the contrary–our car has a power driver’s seat, keyless ignition and entry, and a backup camera. Blind-spot monitoring is an unusual but very welcome feature in this segment. But like other Mazdas, the CX-5 is a bit short on audio content. Satellite radio is a pricey $500 option that we didn’t get, and there are no voice controls for an iPod. Our CX-5 Touring has the optional Bose stereo, a moon roof package, and a set of wheel locks. That brought the sticker up to $27,125. Since we, literally, bought the first one off of the dealer’s lot about three weeks ago, the best haggling we could do was only get a few hundred dollars off the MSRP. We’re testing the CX-5 now to see how it stacks up to the redesigned-for-2012 CR-V, not to mention the Toyota RAV4 , the CR Top Pick in small SUVs. Related: Pricing: 2013 Mazda CX-5 to start at $20,695 EPA rates 2013 Mazda CX-5 fuel economy top in class First drive: 2013 Mazda CX-5 Here is the original:  Just in: 2013 Mazda CX-5

There was a time when consumers could count on redesigned cars to be better than the previous model. Well, not any more, as exemplified by Honda’s string of models that performed worse than their predecessors. Now it seems Toyota has followed suit, with its all-new Yaris being less competitive than before. The 2012 Yaris is the lowest-rated Toyota car. But there is a lower-rated Toyota, the FJ Cruiser . While this off-road-focused SUV has more than its share of compromises, at least it isn’t the lowest-rated current model in its class. Despite being redesigned for 2012, the Toyota Yaris ($17,290 MSRP as tested) is still bare-bones transportation. It’s noisy; the ride is choppy; and the austere interior uses mostly cheap, hard plastics. Instrument layout and driving position were improved, moving the speedometer from the center dash to right in front of the driver–how novel! But pedal and steering wheel placement remain awkward. Front seats are basic, with lackluster support and hard, flat cushions. The rear seat provides adequate leg and head room for two adults, but it is too narrow for three. The Yaris is powered by a 106-hp, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that provides just adequate performance, with acceleration times on the slow side for this class. Making matters worse, shifts from the dated four-speed automatic transmission can be rough. The handling lacks agility and the car has fairly low cornering limits. And despite a commendable speed through our avoidance maneuver, our Yaris LE didn’t instill a whole lot of confidence. While the ride is compliant at low speeds, it is choppy and noise levels are constantly high. Where the Yaris does shine is with fuel economy, returning an excellent 32 mpg overall and 41 mpg on the highway. The combined performance in our more than 50 tests leave the Yaris with just 41 out of 100 points, well below a passing grade required to be recommended. And it scores notably 11 points fewer than the previous Yaris, itself a disappointing car. The highest-rated subcompact with an automatic transmission, the Honda Fit, currently nets 68 points. We have found many good entry-level subcompact and small cars in our recent tests, leaving the Yaris as an also-ran that shouldn’t make many shopping lists....

If you’re shopping for a subcompact ride — and based on yesterday’s news, many of you are — pay close attention to the 2012 Kia Rio EX and the 2012 Honda Fit. After a recent round of tests, those two models sit at the top of Consumer Reports’ rankings for subcompact cars. Consumer Reports divided its subcompact test subjects into hatchback and… See the original post here: 2012 Kia Rio EX, 2012 Honda Fit Earn Top Subcompact Rankings

Honda’s experiment with the Crosstour hasn’t gone well. When it debuted, the Honda Accord Crosstour (as it was known then) was supposed to be mark the beginning of an important new model line for Honda. It hasn’t quite turned out that way. Crossovers are a growing segment for everyone – how could Honda have messed it up? Well, mess it up they did. From the moment of the Crosstour’s Facebook introduction, it was ill-received. The styling did it in – American Honda President Tetsuo Iwamura said last year that they “went a bit too far” with it. Agreed. They still think it is “very beautiful”, however – which is likely where some of the problem lies. Don’t you know buyers only tolerate expensive, largely useless vehicles when they have a luxury badge on them? Anyhow, the question has now turned to a fix. The four-cylinder model that debuted last year isn’t going to do the trick in boosting sales by much. It lowers the MSRP, but takes away one of the redeeming features of the Crosstour: its peppy V-6. According to Honda a Crosstour “concept” will be making its way to the New York International Auto Show. If we know Honda, concept means it will be a dead ringer for the production car. They have a recent strategy of releasing a concept about 6 months before the production vehicle. Why they do that rather than just labeling it as a production vehicle from the get go, we’ll never know. It’ll be interesting to see how much of a change the Crosstour Concept indicates. Maybe it will be a nip and tuck, maybe a more thorough mid-cycle enhancement. Hopefully it is the later. Either way, we’ll know on April 4th. Hopefully someday we’ll see a return to good looking Hondas again. We’d be surprised if that change began with the Crosstour though…. No related posts. Automoblog.net – A Car Blog for Auto Enthusiasts Original post:  2013 Honda Crosstour “Concept” Headed For New York

The LeMons racers of the deep South tend to be among the more innovative when it comes to unconventional modifications to their race cars. Last week, we looked at some crazy Southerners and their Cessna-wing-equipped Honda Civic . This week, we return to the South for a can’t-lose engine swap concept: a BMW E30 powered by a Chrysler slant-six engine . I posted the not-so-rhetorical question, “ When are we going to get a slant-six E30? ” on the 24 Hours of LeMons forums back in late 2008, and—as happens so often in the LeMons world—a team promptly set about delivering an answer. The E30 BMW 3-series is one of the most common LeMons cars, and true LeMons aficionados insist on wild themes or ill-advised engine swaps in the E30, to make it less, well, boring. Mixing the Teutonic engineering mastery of the E30 chassis with Chrysler’s simple-and-indestructible pushrod six should result in racetrack dominance! So, at the 2011 ‘Shine Country Classic event , Team E30/6 showed up with a bright red 325i sporting a bright green 225-cube slant-six under the hood. The only thing better than an E30 with a slant-six, of course, is an E30 with a slant-six and an early-’60s Chrysler pushbutton gear selector! The E30/6 looked great on the track, but transmission woes and engine oiling problems (no doubt stemming from the fact that the engine sat in a yard for a decade or three before being swapped into the Bimmer) held the team back. When the checkered flag waved, car No. 225 had finished 60th out of 68 entries. Having spent most of the weekend spinning wrenches, the E30/6 team vowed that the car would be truly ready for the next race. With another, allegedly less worn-out engine painted in proper Mopar Orange under the E30/6′s hood, the team was ready for the Southern Discomfort 2012 race earlier this month. The car was much, much quicker than before, setting lap times just a few seconds slower than the BMW M20 -equipped E30s and sounding much better than any of the BMW-powered BMWs. The Dodge Dart air cleaner sticking out of the hood must have added several ram-air horses to the mighty 225′s output. In the end, the E30/6 finished 36th out of 83 entries. Normally, this performance would have rated LeMons racing’s top prize,...

EPA fuel-economy ratings have been released for the Toyobaru twins, and they’re better than we had expected. In our first drives of both the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S , we estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg city and 27 highway for the twins; they’ve been rated at 22/30 with the six-speed manual and 25/34 with the six-speed auto. The 2.0-liter flat-four found inside the twins puts out 200 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. For comparison, the 2013 Hyundai Genesis coupe 2.0T puts out an impressive 274 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter turbo four, and returns mileage of 21/30 mpg with the six-speed manual transmission and 20/31 with the optional eight-speed auto. The Mazda MX-5 Miata ’s 2.0-liter inline-four makes 167 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque; it’s rated at 22/28 mpg with the five-speed manual, 21/28 with the six-speed stick, and 21/28 when equipped with a six-speed automatic. These mileage numbers are good news for anyone considering the purchase of the Scion or Subaru, but we should note that all of these cars require premium fuel to make their claimed output. Just make sure you figure that into your budget. More here: Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S Fuel-Economy Figures Announced Read the original post: Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S Fuel-Economy Figures Announced

Despite largely disappointing sales, many different manufacturers has plans to join the pure electric and range-extended electric vehicle market. Mostly these efforts are aimed at city-dwellers, models such as the upcoming Honda Fit EV and Chevrolet Spark EV. The thinking is that these small, subcompact models with around 80-100 miles of pure electric range range are ideal for a second (or even first car) for some in these settings. We’ll see if that strategy works. Only Tesla is pursuing offering a truly road-trip capable electric with the Model S. That car goes on sale this year. Despite its large research and development budget, Volkswagen has been behind the curve in offering hybrids, plug-ins and electric vehicles. Last year, the Volkswagen Toureg was the brand’s first hybrid. VW has been talking about an all-electric Golf-based model for 2014. Now, VW has confirmed that its debut has been pushed up to late next year. The new Golf EV will be VW’s first electric production vehicle. As far as plug-in hybrid similar to the Chevrolet Volt, that is a bit farther out, slated for 2015. Volkswagen’s ambition is to be the world’s largest automaker. Following that strategy, it is really focusing its efforts on where the majority of the sales are, which is probably why they have been slow to get on board with this technology. Instead, VW has been a big proponent of its clean diesel TDI models. Jonathan Browning said VW will focus on offering variety going forward – natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains in addition to diesels. By 2018, VW expects pure electric, hybrid and range-extended electric vehicles to account for just 3 percent of its overall sales. Over the past few years, internal combustion engines have steadily been increasing in efficiency. Unlike some who have proclaimed its death, the ICE will be with us a good while longer. Still, it is good to see VW working on diversifying its portfolio. Choice is the best thing for everyone. No related posts. Automoblog.net – A Car Blog for Auto Enthusiasts See the rest here: 2013 Volkswagen Golf Electric Vehicle Launch Moved Up

Spring is in the air and the change of season can make it a great time for to change your vehicle, especially as gas prices head higher leading into summer. If you’re in the market for a new car, whether for better fuel economy or downsizing, now is a good time to shop. In fact, we’ve recently negotiated great deals on some fuel-efficient models we bought recently to test, so we know the discounts are out there. For our March deals, there are 10 qualifying models offering the best nationwide discounts. Prices on these vehicles are between 15- and 20-percent below MSRP, but dealers may be interested in negotiating further to reach their sales targets and to move metal off the lots. Also, you may find local deals and incentives, so check our exclusive pricing information . The models listed below are just a few of our Best New Car Deals, meaning they are notable discounts on models that meet Consumer Reports’ criteria to be recommended. These vehicles scored well in our testing, had average or better reliability in our subscriber survey, and performed well in government or insurance-industry safety tests, if evaluated. See our full list of deals on 2012 models. Make & model Expires MSRP Invoice price Customer rebate Dealer incentive Bottom line price Read the rest here:  Top 10 best new car deals for March

The new Honda Civic is so boring you’d probably have to pay me to write something positive about it, which is exactly what Honda attempted to do via a third-party European company. Welcome back to the world of pay-for-post blogging where automakers desperately try to generate positive social media buzz — and fail. More » Continued here: How Honda Pays Bloggers To Write About Their Cars [Ad Watch] View original here: How Honda Pays Bloggers To Write About Their Cars [Ad Watch]

At one time they were the best-selling family sedans in the U.S. for years on end. But while the Honda Accord’s slipped on the sales charts, it’s still seen as a top challenger to the Toyota Camry, which remains the four-door sales champ. So how do they stack up against each other for the 2012 model year? Family sedans are all about safety, space… More here:  Toyota Camry Vs. Honda Accord: Compare Cars

  The family crossover vehicle market is a segment major automakers can’t afford to neglect. Whereas the sedan and large pickup truck vehicle categories permit auto brands to be reactionary with their products, ever-continuing inventive spirits of crossover vehicle design leads to every product launch to be a pre-emptive strike. In 2012, two class-topping crossover vehicles in the United States have received dramatic restyling. While the refreshment of the 2012 Honda CR-V was focused on improving the overall usability of the vehicle for families, the all-new 2013 Ford Escape revealed at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show represented an aggressive mergence of the truck-like physique with car design. The third highest-selling vehicle in the Hyundai brand line-up, the Santa Fe emerged as the South Korean car company’s fighter against the Honda CR-V. While the Santa Fe remains distant from the CR-V on the sales charts, a six-speed automatic transmission and an available V-6 engine allowed the Hyundai crossover vehicle to enjoy a dedicated following. Credited for 74,361 sale units at the end of 2011, Hyundai Santa Fe will be boosted by a brand new appearance. Through a pair of recently released preview images, Hyundai’s modern design steered towards sophisticated luxury is being employed on the next Santa Fe crossover. Said to be a collection of “Refinement,” “Smartness” and “Practicality”, the previous no-frill, urban utilitarian look of the Santa Fe is largely dismissed in favour of more aesthetically pleasing shaping called the “Storm Edge“ concept. The Santa Fe’s front end wears a hexagonal grille design finished with slots similar to the new Sonata. More Sonata inspiration is seen within the 2013 Santa Fe appearance with the headlamp and fog lamp housings. Along the side and rear of the next Hyundai Santa Fe, the mid-ranged crossover expands on the aerodynamic styling displayed on the compact Tucson . While the Hyundai Tucson relays a sportier appearance, the Santa Fe’s larger dimension and more exaggerated contours successfully executes a refined, premium look.     No details have yet to be released on features or the potential powertrains buyers of the future Hyundai Santa Fe crossover can expect. Though front-wheel drive...

Long known for building some of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market, Honda has followed the latest small-car trend in offering a special fuel-efficient version of its popular Civic sedan. Resurrecting a designation from its past, HF, Honda a claims the car gets 1 more mpg overall and 2 more mpg on the highway than the standard Civic LX, thanks to aerodynamic improvements such as a trunk spoiler, more-aerodynamic wheels, and lower-rolling resistance tires. There is only one way to find out: buy one and test it. The Civic HF was a pretty easy car to buy. No options are available. It comes in gray or white. We chose a white one. (Honda must think that fuel economy is serious business that precludes lively paint colors.) With little variation on the $20,225 sticker price, negotiation was a simple matter of finding out which dealers had white HFs and getting competitive bids. In the end, we found one close by at a dealer we haven’t bought from in recent memory, and they were willing to sell at $17,993. That’s $896 under dealer invoice, according to Consumer Reports’ Cars Best Deals Plus information online. We haven’t been impressed with the four other 2012 Civics we’ve tested thus far. In fact, the Civic EX suffered the highest drop in our ratings (16 points) of any redesign we’ve recently tested. The sporty Si is the only version that scored high enough for us to recommend. In the end, the Civic HF is similar to the more popular Civic models, so we don’t expect it to perform much differently. But we look forward to running it through our complete gamut of tests to see whether Honda’s claimed fuel economy improvement holds up, and whether any efficiency benefits come with compromises, such as in handling or braking from the low-rolling resistance tires. We’ll have answers to those questions and more after we finish testing it here at our Auto Test Center. Stay tuned. See more here:  Just in: 2012 Honda Civic HF

As was the case with the original NSX, the new one will be sold as an Acura in markets where the brand exists (such as the U.S.), and as a Honda in non-Acura-having places like Japan. At the Geneva auto show , Honda showed its take on the NSX concept that made its debut in Detroit this year. Notable differences: Honda badges instead of Acura’s “A” calipers. A gloss-black grille insert instead of the Acura’s larger shiny-beak deal. Honda center caps on the wheels. No hybrid badge in front of the rear wheels. Like Acura Integra owners switching to red Honda badges, we expect some NSX owners will opt to import and install the Honda NSX front-fascia bits for a personalized (and cleaner) look. We will not blame them for doing so. Read more from the original source: Honda NSX Concept is Acura NSX Concept with Less Beak [Geneva Auto Show] More here:  Honda NSX Concept is Acura NSX Concept with Less Beak [Geneva Auto Show]

The synthesis of the Opel and Buick lineups is no longer particularly newsworthy, so it’s no surprise that the Buick Encore compact crossover has spawned a European sibling, the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka. The most prominent difference between the domestic and the Continental models is the grille. The headlight design is different, too, with the Opel getting a unique, sickle-shaped element on the outer part of the units. The Buick also can be spec’d in a monochrome look, while every Mokka we’ve seen wears black bumpers, rockers, and lower-door cladding. Another Buick differentiator: The portholes on its hood, which nod to Buick’s past but do nothing to serve air to the 140-hp, 1.4-liter turbo. The Opel offers a few more powertrain choices. The standard engine is a rather sluggish, naturally aspirated gasoline-burning 1.6-liter four that makes a mere 115 hp; more interesting is the 1.7-liter turbo-diesel that produces 130 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. Both the Opel and the Buick are available with front- or all-wheel drive, but where the Encore is only available with a six-speed automatic, the Mokka also is available with a manual transmission. Buick’s claim that “everything is optimized around a single 18-inch tire specification” seems questionable in light of the fact that the Mokka can be had with smaller wheels. There’s another difference, and that’s brand positioning: While Buick boldly compares the Encore to the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1 , Europeans probably will view the Mokka as battling the Nissan Rogue’s sister model, the Qashqai, or the Honda CR-V. Whatever the press releases claim, the Encore is a Mokka and vice versa. We’re looking forward to driving both of these models and performing a more detailed session of compare and contrast. View original post here: Buick Encore Crossover Begets Opel Mokka [Geneva Auto Show] See the rest here:  Buick Encore Crossover Begets Opel Mokka [Geneva Auto Show]