Comparison

  • 2013 Tesla Model S and 2014 BMW i3, Hudson Valley, NY, Nov 2014

    The EPA has dubbed the all-electric 2014 BMW i3 the most efficient production car sold in the U.S., with an impressive 125 MPGe rating--the best of any electric vehicle. By comparison, my 2013 Tesla Model S with an 85-kilowatt-hour battery is rated at only 89 MPGe. That's a hefty 39-percent efficiency advantage for the i3, at least on paper. DON'T MISS: Which Electric-Car Makers Are Serious? U.S. Sales Show Top Three Even the BMW i3 REx fitted with the optional range-extending engine is rated at 117 MPGe, giving it a 31-percent advantage over the Model S. What I wanted to know was: How do the...

  • 2014 BMW i3 REx vs Chevrolet Volt comparison  [photos: David Noland, Tom Moloughney]
    2014 BMW i3 REx Vs Chevy Volt: Range-Extended Electric Cars Compared

    Until recently, the Chevy Volt was the only range-extended electric car available in the U.S. I've driven a Volt for almost three years now, and it's been a splendid car--quiet, smooth, peppy, and amazingly economical. New REx on the block But now the Volt has a formidable new competitor: the new...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV  -  First Drive, Portland, July 2013
    'Quietest, Slowest' Comparison Ever: 6 Electric Cars Tested By Car And Driver

    Oh, to have the resources available to Car and Driver, which published in its March issue a lengthy comparison test among six battery-electric cars. They are the Chevrolet Spark EV, Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Honda Fit EV, Nissan Leaf, and Smart Electric Drive Cabrio. MORE: Electric Cars'...

  • RideNerd main screen with Toyota Prius and Ford C-Max Hybrid.
    RideNerd Lets You Compare Environmental Impact Of Car Choices

    A new website allows buyers to track the overall environmental impact of new cars.

  • 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS, Catskill Mountains, NY, July 2013
    Small And Fast, But Efficient? 3 Hot Hatchbacks, Pros & Cons

    More or less coincidentally, we've recently tested three hot hatchbacks: the Chevrolet Sonic RS, the Fiat 500c Abarth, and the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman All4. (The Fiat was actually the Cabrio version of the Abarth hot-rod model with the roll-back cloth roof, not a hatchback--but for all...

  • 2012 Ford Focus Sedan and Hatchback
    2012 Ford Focus SFE Vs 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco: Compact Sedans Compared

    You want a compact sedan that gives great gas mileage, comes from an American company, and costs less than a hybrid car. If that sounds like you, the chances are you’ve considered test-driving the 2012 Ford Focus SFE and 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco. But what comes as standard on each car? Which...

  • 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid

    Camrys have topped the passenger car sales charts since the dawn of time, but with the 2012 Hyundai Sonata on the market, it's no longer a given that the Camry is the car to go for. Both provide five seats, four doors and decent gas mileage, both are affordable, and both should provide many miles of trouble-free driving. But if you can't stretch to the even more efficient hybrid models of each car, what can you expect from the basic four-cylinder automatic variants of each? Check out full reviews of the 2012 Toyota Camry and 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Gas mileage There's a line of thought that you...

  • 2012 Honda Civic EX
    2012 Honda Civic Vs 2012 Toyota Corolla: Compact Comparo

    Other cars may steal the headlines, but the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla have spent plenty of time in the best-sellers lists. That's because each offers a wide range of talents to a wide range of individuals and families. They may lack the excitement of other models, but if you want a safe...

  • 2002 Toyota Prius
    2002 Vs 2012 Toyota Prius Hybrids: Progress In Numbers

    It seems like the Toyota Prius has been zipping around our roads forever, but in reality the first examples only hit U.S. soil just over a decade ago, with the Japanese market getting the car a few years before that. The premise remains the same--a mass-market hybrid vehicle that offers the best...

  • Felix Kramer and his fleet: Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, Plug in Prius
    Which Will Sell More: Volt, Leaf, Or Plug-In Prius?

    In the quest for efficient mobility, there are three major players currently battling for top spot. The 2012 Nissan Leaf, 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In all have one main aim--efficiency--but all go about reaching that aim in different ways, which also means that each has its own...

  • Toyota Prius Vs. Chevrolet Volt
    Toyota Prius Plug-In Vs Chevy Volt: Which Is Cheaper Per Mile?

    Bridging the gap between battery electric vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrids we find cars like the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In and the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. Both are essentially hybrid vehicles, but use the technology in different ways to achieve different aims. Ultimately though, which vehicle...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevy Volt, with charging station visible; photo by George Parrott
    2011 Chevrolet Volt Vs 2011 Nissan Leaf: 7,000 Miles Later

    After several months of using a 2011 Chevy Volt and a 2011 Nissan Leaf as our sole family transport, we have a better understanding of both cars than we did in March, when I first wrote about how they compared. First to arrive at our West Sacramento home was a beautiful crystal red 2011 Volt. We...

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