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Today
Toyota takes on IIHS Top Safety Picks
In response, yesterday Toyota called IIHS’s new methodology “extreme and misleading.” In a statement, Toyota Vice President of Public Affairs Irv Miller said, “There are 38 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models, and only three were tested for roof strength by IIHS: Camry, RAV4, and Yaris.” H...
Wednesday, Nov 18
Toyota safety recall notices arrive in owners’ mailboxes
Late September, Toyota Motor Sales issued advice online for Lexus and Toyota vehicle owners to remove their floor mats pending further investigation into sudden acceleration complaints. As promised, the automaker has sent notifications by mail detailing the risks and corrective me...
Tuesday, Nov 17
New rollover protection criteria lead to fewer IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2010
The Toyota Camry also missed the mark because its head restraints were rated Marginal. Toyota had no cars on the list of Top Safety Picks this year. Other past winners with no vehicles on the list this year included BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Saab. The Institute praised Subaru as the only aut...
Friday, Nov 13
Top-selling cars in 2009 yields some surprises
The Ford F-150 pickup continues to secure the top spot even with a sales decrease of 23 percent in 2009 over the first ten months of 2008. However, not all pickups held their sales rank; the Dodge Ram drops from the 5th spot to 9th and the Toyota Camry bumped the Chevy Silverado down from 2nd to 3...
Thursday, Nov 12
2009 SEMA Show: Better than expected, future looks greener
Tire testing and the transformation of the tire industry Our favorite modified Chevrolet Camaros New iPhone apps for auto diagnostics World's fastest Honda Civic circa 1976 All shades of green project cars Surfrider Toyota Camry hybrid CNG Kustomizing the Toyota Prius
Thursday, Nov 5
Dodge's "Major Product Intervention"
That includes: A previously announced "all-new" interior for the 2010 Caliber, whose current interior one of us likened to "sitting in an Igloo cooler." It looks like the Caliber continues until 2012 when a new compact sedan comes on line; its Patriot and Compass platform-mates move to a...
Tuesday, Nov 3
First Impression: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
Starting in 1991, Honda Accord wagons began to roam American roads, but these practical cars disappeared from our market after just a few years. The rising popularity of SUVs, fueled by the emergence of “crossovers” based on car platforms, saw wagon-minded customers move to Honda’s CR-...
2009 Annual Auto Reliability Survey: 10 best and worst models
Honda Insight* Lexus SC* Toyota Venza (4-cyl.)* Mercedes-Benz GLK* Toyota Yaris Hatchback Toyota FJ Cruiser Honda Fit* Toyota Prius Scion xD Toyota 4Runner (V6) Least reliable vehicles, listed in order of Ratings score starting with the worst score. Volkswagen Touareg* Jaguar XF* Che...
Monday, Nov 2
2009 Annual Auto Reliability Survey: Domestics vs. the imports
Asian vehicles continue to lead in car reliability, but a number of domestic and European automakers are showing improvements. Of the 48 models with top reliability scores, 36 are Asian—Toyota accounts for 18; Honda, eight; Nissan, four; and Hyundai/Kia and Subaru, three each. The rest...
Thursday, Oct 29
More than floor mats: NHTSA report gives more details on Lexus crash
More information has come to light regarding Toyota Motor Company’s 3.8-million vehicle recall for sudden unintended acceleration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a report about its inspection of the vehicle that suggests factors beyond the...
Opinion: 2009 Annual Auto Reliability Survey: Where Ford really stands
The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan are among the top models in the family cars class, under only the Toyota Prius. Six versions rate higher than any versions of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, which have typically done very well in our survey results and are often perceived as the paradigm...
Wednesday, Oct 28
2009 Annual Auto Reliability Survey: Best and worst models by car maker
For example, the best Toyota Motor Company model in our reliability survey is the Lexus SC—its predicted reliability score is the second highest out of over 300 vehicles, but the worst is the Lexus GS (AWD), which scores in the bottom 10 percent, and receives a much worse than average rati...
Tuesday, Oct 27
Consumer Reports 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey – Who’s up and who’s down
Ford’s sustained production of vehicles that are as dependable—or better than—some of the industry’s best dispels the notion that only Japanese manufacturers make reliable cars. Other than the Toyota Prius, the reliability of the four-cylinder Fusion and Milan ranks higher than tha...
Thursday, Oct 22
Just In: Lexus HS 250h
Now there’s a third option: the hybrid-only Lexus HS 250h. Based on the Prius and the European Toyota Aventis, the HS uses the Camry Hybrid’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder drivetrain. The HS appears to be aimed at Prius-shopping professionals who want something “nicer” that still gets excelle...
Wednesday, Oct 14
At the test track: Putting the brakes on uncontrolled acceleration
Next, the team tried some strategies to stop a speeding car. They took two cars with "smart-throttle" technology—a Mercedes-Benz E350 and Volkswagen Jetta Wagon—out to the track to see if depressing the brake would signal the computer to ignore the throttle as claimed. It did and you can r...
Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test
So what should you do if you are put in such a situation? The answer is simple: Put the car in neutral. In each one of the cars we tested, we were able to easily nudge the gear lever into neutral and stop the car quickly. All modern engines have rev limiters that prevent the engine from over revving...
Thursday, Oct 8
H-rated tires with shorter life spans become more common
Traditionally, most family cars have used S- and T-rated tires, while tires rated H and higher have mostly been available only in sports cars or upscale sports sedans. But when we tested this year’s group of all-season passenger-car tires, we found a growing number of popular cars are equ...
2010 Hyundai Accent gets more fuel-efficient with Blue
All Accents will come equipped with six standard air bags, but stability control is not available. Competitors such as the Toyota Yaris have standard stability control for the 2010 model year; ESC is available on the Honda Fit Sport models equipped with the optional navigation system.
Tuesday, Oct 6
Tokyo preview: Toyota / Subaru FT-86 sports car
Today, Toyota took the wraps off the long-rumored sports car it’s building with cooperation with Subaru. The FT-86 concept will be formally unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 24th. The FT-86 is engineered and styled by Toyota, but it uses a Subaru horizontally-opposed engine for...
Thursday, Sep 24
Buzzword: Fee-bate
For example, small conventional cars with good fuel economy such as the Ford Focus or Honda Civic would receive a $1,000 rebate, while the Ford Escape hybrid would receive $2,500. The Toyota Prius, which gets the best fuel economy of any production car currently sold in the United States,...
Wednesday, Sep 23
Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity
On August 28, 2009, off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family were killed when the 2009 Lexus ES they were riding in sped out of control, crashed into another vehicle, rolled over, and burned. News reports stated that someone in the Lexus calle...
Friday, Sep 18
Coming soon: 2011 Mazda2
Mazda announced plans at a dealer meeting yesterday to import its sub-compact Mazda2 to the United States in late 2010. Smaller than the Mazda3, the Mazda2 is sold overseas as a front-wheel drive three- or five-door hatchback. It is sized like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.
Tuesday, Sep 15
The 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show opens its doors
Some of the vehicles set to debut include the BMW ActiveHybrid X6, freshened Dodge Caliber, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorrento, Lexus LF-Ch concept hybrid, Mini coupe, Saab 9-5, Toyota Plug-in Prius, and updated Volvo C30. We’ll cover these, as well as other significant vehicles relevant to...
Wednesday, Sep 9
Tested: Speed vs fuel economy
The Honda Insight hybrid showed the largest drop in fuel economy—over 15 mpg going from 55 to 75 mph. The Toyota Camry returned 40.3 mpg at 55 mph, but that reduces to almost 35 mpg when the speed moves up to 65 mph and drops to almost 30 mpg when speeds reach 75 mph. That’s a drop of about 5 mpg for eve...
Tuesday, Sep 8
How to prevent car theft
Here are some tips to help make your vehicle less desirable to thieves: Lock your car. It is common sense that many thefts happen to unlocked vehicles. The goal is to make your car less desirable than others, and a locked door is a simple deterrent. Never leave your car running unattended and al...
Wednesday, Sep 2
Cash for clunkers fuels August sales
Toyota: August sales were up over 10 percent over last year led by the Camry and Camry Hybrid, as well as Corolla, Prius, and Yaris. Sales were up about 22 percent over last month, but still down 28 percent so far in 2009 over 2008.
Friday, Aug 21
Just in: Toyota Avalon
I racked my brain, trying to remember what I was driving. Our new Mercedes-Benz E350? The Infiniti G37? Maybe the Fusion Hybrid? Nope. It was our Toyota Avalon. Really, I thought--the Avalon? Let’s just say that we’re not exactly the target demographic for this big luxury-in-everyway-but...
Thursday, Aug 13
Crash tests: IIHS tests Honda Insight, Kia Soul, Toyota Prius
We wish that the IIHS Top Safety Pick award required standard stability control, rather than bestowing it on cars where it remains optional. Although more and more cars now have standard ESC, some cases remain where a buyer may think they’re getting all of the safety of a Top Safety Pick, bu...
Wednesday, Jun 24
2009 Toyota Corolla: First Drive
Redesigned popular sedan feels like a downsized Camry For 2009, the redesigned Toyota Corolla enters its 10th generation and 40th year on the market. Since 1968, more than 30 million Corollas have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling model lines ever.The new Corolla se...
2009 Toyota Venza - First Drive
Toyota has never been afraid to introduce new cars, even if that means creating a new class. Think of the pioneering RAV4 and Lexus RX SUVs. Behold now the Venza. It’s a wagon off-shoot, derived from the platform used for the Avalon sedan and Highlander SUV. The resulting Venza might be seen...
Thursday, Jun 11
Toyota: Electrics coming, but won’t replace gas cars
Electric cars are no replacement for conventional cars, despite what you might have read. So, Toyota says it is looking at “new business models,” such as car sharing, leasing batteries or cars, and fleet sales for its EVs. Some will be sold to traditional consumers as well, he says.
Friday, Mar 27
Smaller Toyota Prius hybrid on the way
In our conversations about hybrids with Toyota, the company has consistently told us that the Prius might eventually spawn a whole line of Prius-branded hybrids. That dovetails with what Toyota has told us, that the next Prius to follow the 2010 model would be a smaller.
Sunday, Mar 22
Hybrid price war: Honda Insight vs. Toyota Prius
The Insight will start at $19,800 including destination charges, and if left unchallenged, it would be the lowest-price hybrid in American when it goes on sale this spring.
Thursday, Mar 19
Hybrid price war: Honda Insight vs. Toyota Prius
Is there about to be a hybrid price war between Toyota and Honda? Toyota is looking to reduce the price of the current Prius to $19,250 in Japan in order to more closely match the price of the new Honda’s Insight, according to Bloomberg News. The Insight will start at $19,800 including destin...
Thursday, Feb 26
Consumer Reports names the most reliable used cars
Small Cars: Honda Civic, Toyota Echo, Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda 3, Mazda Protege, Subaru Impreza. Family Cars: Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Toyota Camry except ’08 V6), Subaru Outback (6-cyl.), Nissan Altima.
Opinion: Toyota Prius Touring Tops Consumer Reports First Ever Best New-Car Value List
Best Value Family Cars: Toyota Prius Touring, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Toyota Prius (base), Hyundai Sonata (4-cyl.), and the Honda Accord (4-cyl.) Best Value Midsized SUVs: Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Nissan Murano, and the Honda Pilot
Thursday, Sep 4
Preview: 2010 Honda Insight hybrid
While official details are thin, Honda claims the Insight will use a more cost-effective version of today’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) powertrain, enabling the car to be priced under current hybrids. (The base retail price for the 2009 Civic hybrid is $23,550; the 2009 Prius is $22,0...
Wednesday, Sep 3
Compare hybrids to similar all-gas models
Hybrids vs. conventional cars The conventional vehicles with which we compared the hybrids are the closest available alternatives when considering all factors, including performance, reliability, safety, and features. Most hybrids were compared with a similarly equipped all-gas...
