Sedans
-
With only a month remaining before it pulls the covers off what may be its most important car in decades, Chrysler has released details of its upcoming 2013 Dodge Dart. That's the model name it's chosen, pulled out of the archives for the new compact sedan that will replace the uncompetitive Dodge Caliber. The public will see the complete vehicle on January 9. Three engine options The new compact will offer three different engines and three transmissions. One engine is the same 1.4-liter MultiAir four that's used in the 2012 Fiat 500, built in a Michigan assembly plant, but with a...
-
2012 Chevy Sonic Test Drives: Carmaker Looks To Bloggers, Not JournalistsNormally, when an automaker brings a new car to the market, it invites automotive journalists to get behind the wheel to put the car through its paces and render their professional opinion on how the car drives, feels and performs. But as part of the launch of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet is...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Luxury Hybrid Sedan Face-Off: BMW 5 v Infiniti M v Lexus GSA battle is about to commence, and it could get messy. While Toyota's Prius dominates at the lower end of the hybrid market and is set to tighten its hold further with the Prius V and Prius C, Toyota subsidiary Lexus is set to field its GS 450h luxury hybrid sedan against the Infiniti M35h (a Green...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Boosts Fuel Economy By Redesigning CVT In 2013 AltimaOne of the best ways to improve fuel economy is to keep a car's engine operating at its most efficient speed, regardless of how fast the vehicle is traveling. That's the principle behind continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs, which use belts and variable pulleys to match road speed to an...
John Voelcker -
Should 2013 Dodge Compact Be Named Dart, Duster, Camber...Or Caliber?With just six weeks to go before the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, where Chrysler will unveil its critically important 2013 Dodge compact sedan, we still know relatively little about it. We've seen a spy shot, and last week we learned that the new model won't be called the Dodge Hornet, a name we rather...
John Voelcker -
2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI: GreenCarReports Best Car To Buy 2012 NomineeHybrids and, more recently, plug-in cars seem to have gotten all the green ink lately, leaving fans of fuel-sipping clean diesels out in the cold. Four makers sell diesel passenger vehicles in the U.S. for 2012: Audi and BMW joined longtime stalwarts Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen a few years back...
John Voelcker -
Though always overshadowed by the more distinctive Toyota Prius, the hybrid model of the Honda Civic compact sedan has been a longstanding competitor in the field of high-mileage hybrid cars. First launched as a 2003 model, the Honda Civic Hybrid has been entirely redesigned for the 2012 model year. Most important for the hybrid model, it uses an all-new and more compact lithium-ion battery pack to power the 15-kilowatt (20-horsepower) electric motor sandwiched between its 1.5-liter engine and continuously-variable transmission (CVT). The result is a gas-mileage trifecta of 44 miles per...
-
2013 Chevy Malibu Eco Starts At $26,000, Rated 38 MPG HighwayChevy's Malibu Eco mild hybrid will deliver near-hybrid highway fuel economy from a starting price of $26,000.
Kurt Ernst -
More Fisker Bad News: EPA Calls 20-MPG Karma A SubcompactIt's been a tough week for Fisker. The startup electric-car company finally got its car approved for sale, many months late, only to have the EPA rate its gas mileage at just 20 mpg in range-sustaining mode. Now, a new wrinkle to those ratings has come out: Based on the volume measurements it uses...
John Voelcker -
40-MPG 2012 Kia Rio Sedan To Start At $14,150The new-from-the-ground-up Kia Rio sedan offers 40 mpg highway fuel economy, a wide range of standard safety features and a segment first idle stop and go system, all for a relatively low point of entry.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Honda Civic HF: Quick Drive Of Higher-MPG CivicFive months ago, we drove the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid--which gave us slightly more than 45 mpg using "Econ" mode. That's the best gas mileage of any Honda Civic in recent memory. So we were eager to test the new-for-2012 Civic HF model, which forgoes the electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack...
John Voelcker -
2012 Mercedes-Benz S 350 Bluetec Clean Diesel: Quick DriveWhat can you say about driving a Mercedes-Benz S-Class? It's luxurious, smooth, powerful, packed with features, impressive on the road, and very, very large. Now you can add another adjective: green. While the S 400 Hybrid has been in the mix for two years, Mercedes-Benz is launching a clean-diesel...
John Voelcker -
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 overall length and width the same, lightened it, and fitted it with an all-new engine and the Impreza’s first continuously variable transmission (CVT). The new engine and transmission combine with a weight reduction of 110 pounds to improve gas mileage considerably over the previous model...
-
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Sedan: Weekend Test Drive"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...
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic: What Do You Want To Know About New Subcompact?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...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Compact Sedan: More Info On Chrysler's Most Crucial CarThe most important car that will be unveiled at next January's Detroit Auto Show may be the new 2013 compact sedan from Dodge, the first all-new vehicle designed by the combined Chrysler-Fiat companies. This morning, spy shots have leaked out and GreenCarReports has a small nugget of information on...
John Voelcker -
2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5: Taking Hybrid Luxury To Next LevelExit one BMW hybrid, enter another. Next March will see the U.S. launch of the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5, the second hybrid sedan in the Germany luxury-car maker's lineup. And the ActiveHybrid 5 marks an important evolution: It's the first BMW that uses the single-motor hybrid system jointly...
John Voelcker -
2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Four-Cylinder C 250 Drive ReportThe 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...
John Voelcker -
We found the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic to be fuel-efficient, comfortable, and in 1.4T form, the most refined model in this class, and one of the most engaging to drive.
-
2012 Infiniti M35h Is The World's Quickest Full HybridKicking off the car's launch in Europe, Guinness World Records has certified the Infiniti M35h hybrid as the "world's fastest accelerating full hybrid."
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Coda Sedan: LA Times Drives Elusive Compact Electric Car“In America, we like everyone to know about the good work we’re doing anonymously,” Jay Leno explained to Top Gear’s James May, discussing his views of the green-car mentality in the U.S. His point: The models we buy affirm their conscientiousness (and our own) with...
Thomas Bey -
2013 Lexus GS 450h Hybrid: LED Headlamps, Possible Plug-In LaterWhile Lexus unveiled its all-new 2013 GS 350 sports sedan at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, it showed off only the gasoline GS 350 model. Details of the future hybrid version, the 2013 Lexus GS 450h, remain under cover until the company launches the car officially at next month's...
John Voelcker -
Audi A8 Hybrid: For Europe In 2012, For U.S. Sometime Later, MaybeHistorically, German automakers were slow to move into hybrid-electric vehicles, relying exclusively on diesel engines to boost fuel efficiency. That's in the past, though, and the Volkswagen Group is aggressively spreading its hybrid powertrain across models from many of its brands. But while VW...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid: First DriveThe all-new 2012 Camry Hybrid gets excellent gas mileage, of up to 43 mpg city, 39 highway
Bengt Halvorson