Cars.comparison: Off-to-College Cars

2011|Ford|Fiesta

2010|Scion|xD

2010|Honda|Fit

Take Toyota, whose sales fell 33% in August compared with the same month in 2009. Sure, its two best-selling cars sold nearly 46,000 fewer units year over year – or roughly twice as many vehicles as Volkswagen sold in August 2010 total – but sales of the new Avalon and Sienna minivan as well as the FJ Cruiser, 4Runner and Sequoia SUVs were all up. While those sales pale in comparison — about 8,000 extra units — they are vehicles with higher price tags and typically more profit for the automaker. But even if there were enticing incentives on these models, that means car shoppers were willing to sign up for higher monthly payments than the folks lining up for Cash for Clunkers.
 
This trend at Toyota was seen nearly across the board. Honda saw similar drops with its Civic and Accord, with increases in Pilot and Odyssey. Ford saw its inexpensive Focus drop nearly 10,000 units, but the redesigned Taurus saw sales up 50%.

The only midsize sedan — arguably the most contested car segment — that saw sales up significantly was the redesigned Hyundai Sonata, gaining nearly 10,000 units or 80% and making another appearance in the top 10 best-selling cars in August.
 
The turnover in model years and number of new models also affected sales of the mainstream brands, with the Ford Edge and Explorer seeing dips with new models going on sale in the near future. The larger Ford Expedition SUV — with no news of a redesign in its future — saw its sales grow 57%. Sales of the Volkswagen Jetta were also down 30% as owners await the redesigned model going on sale in October.
 
What about luxury makers? Acura, Audi and Infiniti all saw sales go up in August. Even though Lexus' sales dipped 11.6%, the luxury brand saw its expensive cars like the LS up slightly and its larger SUVs like the LX and GX up 58% and 78%, respectively.

Add this to full-size domestic pickups all seeing sales increases, and it's clear that some segments are seeing healthy activity. It just seems that these buyers don’t generate huge headlines.

The 2011 Subaru Outback competes with the Toyota Venza and Honda Accord Crosstour, but it outsells both of them combined. The Outback accomplishes this by being affordable, reliable and fun to drive, according to Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays. Still, there are a few quibbles related to the Outback’s “OK” interior and outdated navigation system. Is that enough to put off wagon fanatics? Watch the video to find out.

2011|Subaru|Outback

Cash for Clunkers continues to cast a long shadow: Big automakers had what looks to be a bad month, but last year the popular government program dramatically boosted the sales of many models, including the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Honda CR-V and Honda Accord. So the dramatic declines experienced by those models is not all too surprising.

Year-to-date, five of the models in the top 10 are selling less than they sold year-to-date in 2009. Before August, only one model on this list – the Dodge Ram – was selling worse in 2010 compared with 2009.

Toyota (down 31.4%), Honda (down 30%), Nissan (down 27%) and GM (down 24.9%) saw the most dramatic declines. Of course, Japanese automakers were the biggest gainers during Cash for Clunkers; GM’s decline is partly due to the strong sales gains by Pontiac and Chevrolet in August 2009. Chrysler saw a 7% increase because very few of its cars sold well during Cash for Clunkers.

The best selling full-size trucks — Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram — performed well this month, and they were the only models on the list (besides the Hyundai Sonata) to post positive gains. Honda remains the automaker with the most cars on the list with three models, the same as last month.

Notable Items:
*Honda Accord includes 2,642 Honda Crosstours

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan will get an EPA-estimated 26/36 mpg city/highway when fitted with the base 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission. With a six-speed automatic, the rating drops to 22/35 mpg. The Cruze takes regular gas.

The Cruze's manual transmission rating is a little bit better than the rating of a comparable 2010 Honda Civic (26/34 mpg), but the automatic rating isn't as good as the Civic's (25/36 mpg). Meanwhile, the 2010 Toyota Corolla's manual-transmission rating of 26/35 mpg with its base engine is nearly identical to the Cruze's rating, but the Corolla's automatic-transmission rating of 26/34 mpg offers notably better city fuel economy.

Chevrolet also revealed that Cruze sedans with the optional turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder – which goes in LT and LTZ trim levels – will get 24/36 mpg with a six-speed automatic. The turbo four-cylinder will also be offered with a six-speed manual in what Chevrolet calls the Cruze Eco, but its official gas mileage estimates have yet to be released. The automaker will only say that this engine and transmission combination is expected to achieve a 40 mpg highway rating.

2011|Chevrolet|Cruze

For the past decade or so, numerous automakers have been researching the use of hydrogen fuel for next-generation automobiles. Until the recent announcements of the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, fuel-cell vehicles like the Honda FCX Clarity looked like the hydrogen promise would hit the market first.
 
Unfortunately, among the public at large, the first thing people think of when they hear the word “hydrogen” is the Hindenburg and explosions. While hydrogen in cars is no more flammable than gasoline, the perception could be even more of a reality after an explosion Thursday at a hydrogen refueling station in Rochester, N.Y.

During a swap of hydrogen tanks by a company that supplies GM with tanks for its fuel-cell fleet, one tank exploded, and the resulting fire led to a second tank exploding. One person was treated at a hospital with second-degree burns. The fueling station is at an airport that was shut down for 50 minutes after the explosion. Some flights were rerouted in midair.
 
The cause of the explosion hasn’t been determined, but this does not bode well for companies and energy companies looking to introduce fuel-cell vehicles to the masses.
 
Rochester Airport Explosion: Hydrogen Tanks Ignite (Democrat and Chronicle via Autoblog)

Related
Driving the Honda FCX Clarity: Video 1, Video 2

A potential overheating issue triggered the recall. The batteries, in combination with a specific circuit board layout, can overheat, possibly causing a fire in the car. No reported failures have caused significant property damage or injuries yet, according to Garmin.

Garmin will notify owners of the affected systems, and technicians will repair the GPS units for free by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery. Owners can contact Garmin at 913-397-8200 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hot line at 888-327-4236.

• GARMIN/AVIS NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/AVIS/BUDGET NUVI 780/9999
• GARMIN/EUROPCAR NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/HERTZ NUVI 765/9999
• GARMIN/HONDA NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/LANDROVER NUVI 750/9999
• GARMIN/MAZDA NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/MERCEDES NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/MOPAR NUVI 250/9999
• GARMIN/NISSAN NUVI 750/9999
• GARMIN/NISSAN NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 200W/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 250W/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 260W/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 710/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 715/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 750/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 755/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 755T/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 765/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 765T/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 770/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 775/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 775T/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 780/9999
• GARMIN/NUVI 785T/9999
• GARMIN/SMART NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/SUZUKI NUVI 750/9999
• GARMIN/SUZUKI NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/SUZUKI NUVI 765/9999
• GARMIN/VOLKSWAGON NUVI 765/9999
• GARMIN/VOLKSWAGON NUVI 765T/9999
• GARMIN/VOLVO NUVI 760/9999
• GARMIN/VOLVO NUVI 765/9999

The 2011 Ford Fiesta won the honor of Top Safety Pick in the minicar category by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The award applies to the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles.

The software update applies the same battery-management logic systems found on the 2009 and 2010 Civic Hybrids. The new models and the old ones should get the same gas mileage: 40/45 mpg city/highway, according to Honda. However, some Civic Hybrid owners say the new software has made their cars feel sluggish and has slashed their gas mileage by nearly 10 mpg on average. 

Honda says the variations are due to drivers’ different driving styles. Honda updated the software to help prolong the hybrids’ battery life, Honda spokesman Chris Martin said. He also noted that there was no change in the EPA ratings for the Civic Hybrid from the 2008 model — the last year before the software management update — to the 2009 and 2010 models. The EPA did change how it evaluated mileage for the 2008 model year, and that is reflected in the 2008 model’s 40/45 mpg range. 

Judging from Cars.com’s reader reviews — where many complained that the mileage and performance fell below their standards until they learned how to drive the Civic Hybrid correctly — it would appear that there is a learning curve toward effectively driving the Civic Hybrid. And for the folks who have learned how to drive it one way, it may just take some time to adapt to the new software. 

Fix for Civic Hybrids' Dying Batteries May Hurt Gas Mileage, Acceleration (Los Angeles Times)