Featured (was)

Subaru is known for its no-nonsense, durable, all-wheel drive Forester and Outback crossover utility vehicles. What U.S. buyers don't seem to know is that the company also makes compact sedans and hatchbacks. For 2012, Subaru has restyled its Impreza compact, increasing interior space while keeping...

"Bracket creep" is the phenomenon where each successive generation of a car gets slightly bigger. It's what allowed the Honda Civic to evolve from the 1973 model, which today we'd call a minicar, to the compact it is today. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, deemed a subcompact by GM, is a prime example of...

GM [NYSE:GM] had hoped to announce its latest green vehicle tomorrow morning, at a nice, orderly, staged press event to celebrate Chevrolet's 100th birthday. But one of its hometown papers jumped the gun and broke the news: The largest domestic car company will launch a small battery electric...

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the first subcompact car built in the U.S. in a very long time, and one of several new Chevy models that aim to lift the carmaker's overall fuel efficiency. We'll be driving at least three separate 2012 Sonics within four weeks, so we're seeking your input. What do you...

It's conventional wisdom that more electric cars will be sold in California than in any other state. Some estimates say Californians will buy more plug-in cars than the next five states combined. But California has roughly 25 million vehicles on its roads, so while the absolute numbers are high, it...

Back in August, Ford announced that it would enter into a partnership with solar panel firm SunPower to help 2012 Ford Focus Electric owners install photovoltaic solar panels on their houses, which could let them power their cars from solar energy. Called “Drive Green For Life”, the...

The Volkswagen Group 2.0-liter clean-diesel TDI engine has been fitted to quite a number of VW vehicles over the years, as well as the Audi A3 TDI. Now the company has announced a voluntary safety recall that applies to both Golf TDI models built from May 2009 to September 2011, and the more...

The Ford Escape Hybrid was not only the first U.S.-built hybrid electric vehicle, it was also the first hybrid sport-utility vehicle--or crossover, if you prefer. It's had a good run, starting in the fall of 2004 and continuing through the 2012 model year. As of the end of September, Ford has sold...

The 2013 Ford Escape, the first entirely new design in more than a decade for its popular compact crossover, will be officially unveiled next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. But before that, Ford is starting to trickle out bits and pieces of information to build buzz. The 2013 Escape will be...

You’ve heard about the 2012 Tesla Model S Sport, read our first ride review, and seen our 2012 Tesla Model S gallery -- but unless you’ve already put down a deposit for the 2012 Tesla Model S you won’t be getting one for a while. So who is getting a 2012 Model S? What kind of...

We already know a lot about the all-electric 2012 Tesla Model S sedan -- but at a press event ahead of tonight’s exclusive VIP event at the former Toyota NUMMI facility in Fremont, California, Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA] CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla was making a faster Model S for those with a...

Honda released the bulk of its 2012 Civic range this spring, but one model lagged behind: the Civic Natural Gas, the all-new version of what had been called the Civic GX. As the new name indicates, the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas runs solely on compressed natural gas. It's the only natural-gas...

The 2012 Buick Lacrosse with eAssist is now beginning to roll into dealerships across the country, and we've been curious to see how GM would market the car. On our preview drive this spring of a prototype Lacrosse with eAssist, we noticed that the dreaded H-word (hybrid) had been virtually...

Beyond the obvious Toyota, if any other make were to build hybrid cars, you might expect it to be Subaru. The small Japanese company's cars are revered for durability and standard all-wheel drive, and their drivers are often assumed to be on the liberal side of center. Subaru owners tend to cluster...

Kia has priced its 2012 Rio Hatchback, which gets 40 mpg on the highway and comes standard with start-stop, to start at a base price of $14,350.

The onslaught of four-cylinder engines into vehicles that previously wouldn't have had anything lower than six cylinders continues. It's in the service of gas mileage, and the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C 250--with a 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four putting out 201 horsepower and 229...

Volkswagen is one of the few automakers to have consistently produced diesel-powered cars for the U.S. market. In fact, we told you last week that a 1974-1983 diesel VW Rabbit was still one of the most fuel-efficient classic cars you could buy. Its direct descendant -- the 2012 VW Golf TDI Clean...

Remember $4 gasoline? It was just last May that gasoline soared to an average price of $4 per gallon across all U.S. markets, with even the cheapest pumps showing prices of $3.50 or more. What a difference a few months makes. Gasoline has now fallen below $3 a gallon in a handful of areas...

Despite wrangling among electric-car fans over whether the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid's 9 to 14 miles of electric range are sufficient, one factor will make the car a success, at least in California: the valued sticker that gives drivers solo access to the HOV lane.

State and local agencies are strapped for cash, and one source of income may be the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on congested freeways. In Southern California, local officials plan to convert "carpool lanes" to toll lanes with variable pricing, allowing drivers to pay up to $10 for the...