2013
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Volkswagen's 2013 Passat TDI is the most efficient diesel vehicle currently on sale. Its EPA-rated figures of 31 mpg city, 43 highway and 35 combined put it above a throng of other Volkswagen-Audi diesels, and make it a prime choice for frugal highway driving. But is 68 mpg within reach? If you're multiple economy record holder Wayne Gerdes, it might be. In conjunction with Volkswagen of America, serial hypermiler Gerdes has set off on a 8,000-mile journey around the 48 contiguous states to set a Guinness World Record for "lowest fuel consumption--48 U.S. states for a non-hybrid car." To set...
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Electric-Car Price War Heats Up: Chevy Volt $5,000 Cash Back
Last month, the Nissan Leaf passed the Chevrolet Volt to take this year's top spot among plug-in electric cars for sale. Now Chevy is fighting back. It announced that it will offer $5,000 cash back on remaining 2012 Volt range-extended electric cars, and $4,000 on 2013 models, according to...
John Voelcker -
Price Cuts Work: Waiting Lists For Electric Honda Fit EVs Now
Well, chalk one up for basic economic theory: If you lower the price of a good, more people will want to own it. In the case of the 2013 Honda Fit EV, the low-volume battery-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback, a cut in the monthly lease price did the trick. Through the end of...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Top Speed: More Than 130 MPH, Emission-Free
Top speeds are more relevant than many people think. That even applies to cars like the Tesla Model S, though perhaps more for bragging rights than any practical purpose. And as bragging rights go, 133 mph isn't too bad for an electric car. While there aren't many places you can legally explore a...
Antony Ingram -
Does The Tesla Model S Electric Car Pollute More Than An SUV?
Does the supposedly clean, green Tesla Model S really pollute more than a gas-guzzling Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicle? That's what one analyst has claimed. In an exhaustive 6,500-word article on the financial website Seeking Alpha, analyst Nathan Weiss lays out a case that the Model S...
David Noland -
2013 Toyota Prius Plug-in Challenge Raises Funds For Philanthropy
When it comes to social media marketing, Ford showed the auto world how it's done back in 2010. The company's Fiesta Movement recruited perky, camera-ready cool kids to talk about the Fiesta through blog posts, photos, and videos. The campaign was so successful that 60% of Americans knew about the...
Richard Read -
With lease prices for various electric cars creeping ever downwards, it was only a matter of time until Honda followed suit with its Fit EV. Originally priced at $389 per month, a letter given to us by an electric car owner revealed the lease price would drop to $259/month--now confirmed by Honda in a press release. That's not only good news for potential Fit EV lessees, but existing ones too, as Honda is dropping the price all-round from June. The new three-year lease term requires no down-payment, and also removes the mileage cap of the old lease, meaning electric Fit drivers can travel as...
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2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Yes, Better Without Gasoline
If you’re still smitten with the design and styling of the Smart Fortwo, you’re probably going to be happier with the version that never needs a gas station. That’s the conclusion we emerged even more confident about, after the hour earlier this month we spent with the Smart...
Bengt Halvorson -
Nissan Leaf, Solar-Canopy Charging Station In New SIMS Game
The Nissan Leaf is no stranger to videogames. Last year, we had a little race between a Leaf and the Toyota Prius--albeit in the realistic but completely virtual world of Gran Turismo 5. But what you can't do in Gran Turismo is virtually charge your virtual Leaf with virtual solar panels--something...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Vs Chevy Volt: Owner Compares Electric Cars
I've been leasing a 2011 Chevrolet Volt for almost two years now. And about three months ago, I took delivery of a 2013 Tesla Model S, the 60-kWh version. So I've gotten an extended first-hand look at arguably the two most technically advanced production cars in the U.S.--and the two best-selling...
David Noland -
2013 Nissan Leaf Final Ratings Issued: 115 MPGe, 75 Miles Of Range
It often takes awhile to get gas-mileage ratings onto the EPA's official website, and it's no different with electric-car efficiency numbers. Now we have the final ratings for the 2013 Nissan Leaf compact hatchback: It's rated at 115 MPGe, up from the 99 MPGe for 2011 and 2012 models. MPGe stands...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Leaf: Driven Through Tennessee Countryside
After our quick drive of a 2013 Nissan Leaf before the New York Auto Show in late March, we were finally able to spend some extended time with the updated electric car outside Nashville. Our initial impressions remain the same: The Leaf is a perfectly normal, competent compact five-door hatchback...
John Voelcker -
We'd not normally advise getting information directly from Wikipedia, but its opening line on the sport of drifting is as good as any other definition you'll find: "Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner." Compare that definition with the Consumer Reports video above and what you see is pretty clear: it really is a 4,600-pound Tesla Model S being drifted. Following their highest-ever rating since 2007, the guys at Consumer Reports decided to have some fun...
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2013 Nissan Leaf Electric Car Gets IIHS 'Top Safety Pick' Rating
Nobody really wants to crash, but if you're unfortunate enough to do so it's nice to know your chances of escaping injury are better than most. That's the case with the 2013 Nissan Leaf, which has picked up a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). While the...
Antony Ingram -
Consumer Reports On Tesla Model S: Best Test Car Since 2007
Wow. Chalk up another huge accolade for the Tesla Model S electric car: Consumer Reports has awarded it 99 out of 100 points, and said it's the best car the magazine has tested since 2007. In fact, the magazine's descriptions of the luxury sport sedan brim with adjectives. The Tesla Model S "is...
John Voelcker -
2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Gas Mileage Drive Report
New for 2013, the Toyota Avalon has been radically restyled to give Toyota's largest four-door sedan fresher, more aggressive lines. To our surprise, the big sedan turned heads in traffic, with a number of people turning to look at it--most likely to try to figure out what it was. But it's the gas...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S To Get Adaptive Cruise, Lane-Departure Warning, More?
Drivers of the Tesla Model S are generally pretty happy with their cars, but as with any new product there are always a few ways it could be improved. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is one of few companies that can execute those improvements without you having to lift a finger, as software updates can be...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Makes Money On Model S: $35K Per Car Selling ZEV Credits?
Tomorrow at 5 pm Eastern, Tesla will hold what may be its most eagerly awaited conference call to date. The Silicon Valley startup automaker will discuss its first-quarter financial results--which will give the first clue to its financial viability as an operating automaker. But Tesla Motors...
John Voelcker -
Launched for 2009 and notably refreshed for the 2013 model year, the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class luxury compact crossover has never been particularly green. But with the mid-year addition of a new diesel version, its fuel efficiency goes up by a third--which isn't bad for a pricey, heavy crossover. Two weeks ago, we drove the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC 4Matic, to give it its full Teutonic nomenclature. Along the scenic routes Mercedes-Benz laid out into the tony parts of Westchester County and Connecticut horse country, we found the smallest Benz crossover to be smooth, comfortable, and...
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2013 Tesla Model S 'Performance Plus' Package, Other Options, Added
The 2013 Tesla Model S electric car wouldn't be defined as a supercar--which is, more or less by custom, a two-seat sports car, not a large sedan. But to take the luxury plug-in sedan "into supercar handling territory," Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced a new "Performance Plus" suspension and...
John Voelcker -
2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: Gas Mileage Test Drive
We weren't big fans of the first Sonata Hybrid when Hyundai launched it for the 2011 model year. But the 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has numerous updates and modifications that improve its driveability--the characteristic that can sink hybrids when buyers test them. We found the hybrid 2013 Sonata...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Slashes Leaf Price To Sell Electric Car In Australia
Nissan should be pleased with its Leaf sales over the first few months of this year--not only is it beating last year's monthly rate, but it's on a level with the previously higher-selling Chevy Volt. Not so in Australia though, where the car is still struggling. In fact, it's struggling enough...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Toyota Matrix: Last Model Year In U.S. For Compact Hatchback
The Toyota Matrix will pass silently into the ether next year, just as the new Corolla hatchback takes its place in 2014. That will neither come as a shock nor much of a disappointment for many, as the compact's sales have slid downwards ever since 2009--now accounting for only 0.2 percent of...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Sales Finally Tick Up On Availability
There's a new hybrid in the mix these days--or at least a new version of one that's been on the market for a couple of years. The 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has now, finally, rolled out nationwide. It follows a troubled launch for the latest generation MKZ mid-size luxury sedan that even Lincoln...
John Voelcker