2015
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For long road trips, there are few better ways to travel than in a large German luxury sedan with a diesel engine. We learned that lesson three years ago, when we tested a Mercedes-Benz S-Class diesel, and now we've had a chance to drive its BMW counterpart as well. DON'T MISS: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTEC: One Week In 32-MPG Diesel Luxury Sedan (Jun 2012) The BMW 740Ld xDrive is a long-wheelbase version of the BMW 7-Series full-size luxury sedan, powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel engine driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The inline diesel six...
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Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid Supercars Recalled For Fan Wiring
Porsche is recalling all 918 Spyders globally, including the 223 in the U.S.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Toyota Prius Rebates Rise For Californians
The 2015 Toyota Prius gets bigger discounts in certain areas of California.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Ford Focus EcoBoost: Brief Drive Of 1.0-Liter Three-Cylinder Sedan
The 2015 Ford Focus EcoBoost may be the most European car Ford sells in the U.S. It's fun, but not fast. It handles well, and has a small engine that requires energetic use of the manual gearbox to keep up with traffic. That all means that very few U.S. buyers will ever consider it, since fewer...
John Voelcker -
2015 Chevrolet Trax: Gas Mileage Review Of Small SUV
Sport-utility vehicles are all about hauling stuff, so collecting a set of 40-year-old wheels seemed like the perfect road test for the new 2015 Chevrolet Trax. The subcompact SUV offered cargo space for the wheels--which, frankly, would have fit into a sedan--along with decent gas mileage on our...
John Voelcker -
2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4-Door: Gas Mileage Review
In various forms, the MINI has been with us for more than half a century--but its image has always been shaped by the two-door model. The original BMC Mini had two doors and a small trunk; the BMW MINI from 2002 is a more conventional three-door hatchback. Now there's a five-door hatchback model as...
John Voelcker -
Chevrolet offers big discounts on the 2015 Volt ahead of the redesigned 2016 model.
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Aluminum-Body 2015 Ford F-150 Gets 5-Star NHTSA Rating For Crash Safety
Cutting weight can be one of the most effective tactics to increase fuel economy, but it doesn't necessarily come cheap. The 2015 Ford F-150 pickup, with its aluminum body and bed mounted on a conventional steel frame, represents a huge gamble by Ford on its highest-volume vehicle line. The company...
John Voelcker -
2015 Tesla Model S 70D: First Drive Of New Electric Car Base Model
Last week, the new base version of the Tesla Model S, known as the 70D, hit the electric-car world like a thunderclap. No early-warning publicity, no teasing tweet from Elon. Just the sudden appearance on the Tesla website configurator of the new model--with dual motors, all-wheel drive, a 70-kWh...
David Noland -
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV Price Cut To $25,995; $139 Lease, No Money Down
The suggested retail price of the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV electric car will be cut by $1,650, to $25,995, GM announced today. Chevrolet's chief global marketing officer, Tim Mahoney, announced the price cut today in a luncheon speech at the Washington Automotive Press Association. Mahoney also said...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Range Gets Bigger Discounts In CA, Prius C Especially
Toyota offers big discounts on the entire Prius hybrid range in California.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 VW Golf SportWagen: Lease On TDI Better Than Gasoline Version
Despite different MSRPs, base versions of the gasoline and diesel 2015 Golf SportWagen cost about the same to lease.
Stephen Edelstein -
It's often said that one of the bigger impediments to sales of electric cars is car dealerships. Among plug-in car shoppers, stories abound of salespeople who know little or nothing about electric vehicles, misrepresent their abilities, and aggressively steer shoppers away from them toward gasoline alternatives. Rarely, however, is this kind of behavior documented for the world to see. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV: First Drive Of Newest Electric Car Which leads us to the case of the buyer who contacted Kia of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, to ask about the Kia Soul EV. As covered last...
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2015 BMW i3 Video Road Test
If there were ever a brand-reset button in the automotive business, the BMW i3 electric car is it. It's both a compact hatchback and an all-electric car, from the brand that claims to build ultimate driving machines. How does it measure up to that lofty standard? Hi, I’m Joel Feder, and...
Joel Feder -
2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Recalled For Fragile Accelerator Pedal
The 2015 Kia Soul EV is being recalled for an accelerator pedal that could break when pushed hard.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 BMW i8 Video Road Test
The BMW i8 is sleek and stunning, but it's no V-8-powered supercar. Is it the car that will give plug-in hybrids sex appeal? First, you need to know what makes the i8 go. This is no straightforward supercar: The i8 gets power in a complex way--it can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or...
Joel Feder -
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Electric Car Gets Less Expensive Trim Level
When pricing for the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car was announced last August, only one trim level was available, a lavishly equipped top-of-the-range package. Now VW has supplemented that SEL Premium version of the e-Golf with a new, less expensive model called the Limited Edition, at a price...
John Voelcker -
Kia Soul EV A Big Hit In CA; Sales To Expand Sooner Than Planned
Kia plans to expand sales of the Soul EV pending an increase in production capacity.
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevrolet is expanding Colorado production to meet anticipated demand.
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2015 Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore Small SUVs Get IIHS Top Safety Pick Label
Both General Motors subcompact crossovers received the IIHS Top Safety Pick rating.
Stephen Edelstein -
Wintry Michigan: Not The Best Place To Drive An Electric Car?
One man's experience driving a Volkswagen e-Golf in a Michigan winter.
Stephen Edelstein -
Why I Had To Trade My Tesla Model S For A Brand-New P85D
Last October, Tesla announced an all-wheel-drive version of the Model S electric car, with up to a mind-boggling 691 horsepower, and said deliveries would start as early as December—only a two month wait. The performance specifications of the new P85D version promised supercar numbers on the...
George Parrott -
2015 Honda Fit Gets Highest Safety Rating From NHTSA
The 2015 Honda Fit earned a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Price Slashed In Korea; 200 Delivered Globally So Far
Hyundai will cut the price of its full-cell crossover for the home market.
Stephen Edelstein