Archive for April, 2011
Breaking: EPA Mandate Forces Carmakers To Use Only Round Letters For Better MPGs
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
In possibly the worst-timed government announcement ever, Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently holding a press conference in Washington, D.C. to announce a new mandate for carmakers: all non-round letters in any badge, nameplate, or other signifier are to be phased out by 2012 in an effort to…
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Toyota To Raise Vehicle Prices by $200-$900 in May
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
Toyota will raise its prices for almost all Toyota models by 1.2% to 2.2%, the automaker announced today. Most Lexus models will see similar price bumps, but most prices for Scion models will remain the same or decrease. Destination fees will remain the same.
The price increases go into effect at the beginning of May for North American-produced Toyotas such as the Camry and when Japanese-produced vehicles — including the 4Runner, Corolla, FJ Cruiser, Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Yaris hatchback and Scion xD — arrive in the U.S. sometime in May.
Midcycle price increases are typical for all automakers. Toyota says the increases were planned well before the Japanese earthquake and the subsequent concerns surrounding parts availability. “These price adjustments were decided upon prior to the earthquake itself,” said Toyota spokesman Greg Thome. “The price increases were based off different market factors and seeing where our competition was pricing its models.”
The Toyota Tacoma, Yaris sedan, Scion tC and xB, Lexus CT 200h and LFA will keep their current pricing structure.
Below we include a list of the top models and their price change:
Model: new price (old price)
Toyota
- 4Runner: $30,305 ($29,705)
- Avalon: $33,195 ($32,595)
- Corolla: $15,900 ($15,600)
- Camry: $20,195 ($19,820)
- Highlander: $28,090 ($27,540)
- Prius: $23,050 ($23,520)
- RAV4: $22,475 ($22,025)
- Sienna: $25,060 ($24,560)
- Tundra: $ $24,435 ($23,935)
Lexus
- ES: $36,725 ($36,025)
- HS 250h: $36,330 ($35,600)
- IS: $33,295 ($32,645)
- LS: $67,130 ($66,230)
- RX: $39,075 ($38,375)
Scion
- xD: $15,110 ($15,045)
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Reader Review of the Week: 2011 Mazda2
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
“Gabagooo” from Saver, Pa., recently bought a new Mazda2 to be used primarily for commuting. Overall, the reader thinks the car is a great value with superb fuel efficiency. Despite the meager 100-horsepower rating, Gabagoo believes the Mazda2 has adequate performance. To find out more, continue reading below. Once you’re done, you can submit your own car review here.
“I recently purchased a Mazda2 Touring with the five-speed manual transmission. I chose the Mazda2 over the competitors for a variety of reasons, including value for money, styling, practicality, fuel efficiency and driving dynamics. The car is small, but I am 5-foot-11 and weigh 330 pounds, and I fit in the car just fine. Many of the reviews I read online criticized the 2 for having only 100 horsepower, but I have found that the car gets down the road just fine. Keep in mind, it is a subcompact car designed for fuel efficiency. If you want a pocket rocket, buy a GTI. I am averaging 37.5 mpg in mixed driving. Overall, I am very impressed.”
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Cars.com Review the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
The Volkswagen Touareg was redesigned for the 2011 model year and now includes more features and a hybrid option. While the Jetta and Passat are now more affordable and attainable to most car shoppers, the Touareg still has an aurora of near-luxury to it, according to Cars.com senior editor David Thomas. Some of the model’s chief attributes include an extremely comfortable ride, a powerful baseline V-6 and an Audi-esque interior. So, how does the Touareg stack up against SUVs like the Lincoln MKX, Acura MDX and BMW X5? Continue reading to find out.
2011 Volkswagen Touareg Review
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Acura To Feature In New ‘Thor’ Movie Alongside Natalie Portman
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
There’s a new comic book derived movie brewing in Hollywood and this one is set to feature a handful of cars from one of the least heard of luxury brands, Acura. The movie we’re talking about is Thor, the story of an ancient warrior brought to Earth to defend humanity and get chased by a bunch of ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ agents…
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Drunk Millionaire Crashes McLaren SLR Supercar, Proceeds To Drive
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
Just a day after reporting on this very sorry looking Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which was probably left that way by a drunk driver behind the wheel, comes a new story of an ever more exotic supercar, this time with its drunk driver caught in the act. The latest crashed supercar is a McLaren SLR owned by Italian socialite Roberto Parli. While the crash…
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First Look: 2012 Cadillac DRW Platinum Heavy-Duty Pickup Truck
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
When it comes to trucks, you can never have too much torque or, apparently, luxury. Cadillac is expanding its vehicle lineup with its first-ever heavy-duty pickup, the DRW Platinum, which will debut later this month at the 2011 New York Auto Show.
“The all-new 2011 GMC Sierra Denali HD has been extremely successful, but we heard from our buyers that they wanted even more luxury,” Cadillac spokeswoman April Fursten said. “[GM CEO Dan Akerson] said if they wanted luxury, then we needed to make the Cadillac of heavy–duty trucks.”
The DRW Platinum shares the same one-ton platform as the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and GMC Sierra 3500 pickups with a few key differences that make it worthy of the crest and wreath emblem.
The DRW Platinum will only be available in a dual-rear-wheel crew cab configuration with the 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 diesel engine, but the Duramax is getting a power boost that’s exclusive to Cadillac. It will be rated at 410 horsepower and 810 pounds-feet of torque, making it the most powerful oil burner available among heavy-duty pickups. The Duramax will also be paired with an all-new eight-speed Allison “1000-8″ transmission.
“We’re going further than anyone has ever gone before,” Fursten said. Towing and hauling details will be provided at a later date, but we’re told to expect “galactic-sized numbers.”
To differentiate the Cadillac DRW from the Silverado and Sierra, the DRW gets a unique front end, side doors, rear taillights and Cadillac-specific wheels, but inside the truck there’s an all-new interior that includes seats skinned with leather from organically fed free-range Texas cattle and a touch-sensitive control panel similar to the one in the Chevy Volt. The button-free controls will work even if the driver is wearing heavy gloves. Another industry first innovation is a push-button automatic tailgate. There will also be an in-dash docking port for an iPad, which will come standard with every DRW in a unique partnership with Apple Computers.
“The iPad will have a special Cadillac-exclusive towing app that Apple is co-developing with our truck engineers, called iTow,” Fursten said. “We’re taking advantage of the iPad’s internal gyroscopes, GPS chip and cellular connection in a magical new way that will make towing a trailer very easy. We’re still trying to decide what it will do.”
The DRW Platinum will also feature the first application of adaptive cruise control in a heavy-duty pickup truck. Drivers will be able set a speed on the highway like conventional cruise control, but the truck will automatically adjust its speed to maintain a proper distance between vehicles in the same lane.
Pricing details are expected to be announced at the New York Auto Show, but we expect a starting price of around $80,000.
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Chevy Silverado Heavy Duty Beats Competition in Manufacturer Testing
Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.
The rivalry and chest-beating among heavy-duty truck manufacturers continues as strong as ever. This time, Chevrolet is calling out both Ford and Ram by comparing three-quarter-ton and one-ton trucks in seven feats of strength in a series of “HD to HD” videos on Chevy’s website.
“We wanted to get away from spec-sheet comparisons and show how these trucks perform in the real world,” said Rick Spina, global vehicle line executive for General Motors full-size trucks. “To do so, we engaged an independent company to test the Silverado HD with the [6.6-liter] Duramax [V-8] diesel and Allison transmission head-to-head with the competition, and record those tests for everyone to see.”
The tests include acceleration comparisons at sea level and at 6,000 feet, highway-speed passing, brake fade and exhaust brake performance on a long downgrade, plus squat measurements under load and gauging frame stiffness during twist-ditch simulations. All the tests were conducted with cargo in the truck beds or heavy trailers or both simultaneously.
Most of the tests we’ve done ourselves, during the Heavy-Duty Shootout and last year’s Rumble in the Rockies. The real eye-opener is the twist ditch test (below). The Super Duty’s open c-channel frame shows a significant amount of torsional bending compared to the Silverado’s fully-boxed chassis.
To ensure none of the testing was rigged in the Silverado’s favor, the Chevy team hired AMCI to manage all of the testing. AMCI has been used as an independent neutral party to validate multiple manufacturers’ claims for over 30 years. Ram recently used AMCI to test its 4500 and 5500 chassis cab trucks to verify bragging rights for best-in-class braking and cost of ownership.
The only things we can critique about this round of testing are that it didn’t include fuel economy — which Ford claims the Super Duty is best in class for diesel mileage — and the new High Output version of the Ram 3500 isn’t used (it’s not on sale until June).
We’ll fix both of those issues this summer. Until then, take a look at the videos:
Introduction
Zero to 60 MPH Acceleration
Acceleration at Altitude
Bumper Sag
Passing Ability
Wheel Brake Fade
Exhaust Brake Test
