So far, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car has been sold only in North America. That's about to change, as the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant restarts after a month of retooling that raised Volt production capacity to 5,000 cars per month. While the Volt will go to China (despite recent changes to that country's plug-in car...
For decades, Volkswagen and Audi have held the only options for North American shoppers wanting a highly efficient model with a four-cylinder turbo-diesel—their 2.0-liter TDI engine. Now, with Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and even Chevrolet slated to bring four-cylinder diesels back to the U.S. within the next couple of years, the playing field is...
The 2011 Lexus LS series goes from large to larger, with the top-of-the-line model of this four-door luxury sedan being the hybrid LS 600h L, a long-wheel limousine that promises V-12 performance from its V-8 engine mated to Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system. The LS sedan is like luxury cars of old: It’s all about the smooth ride...
The Lexus GS series is now in its last model year before replacement, and its hybrid model, the GS 450h, soldiers on with the rest of the line. This fast, refined rear-wheel-drive mid-size sports sedan is aimed at the BMW 5-Series and perhaps the Cadillac CTS, but it’s not particularly roomy. Nor does it have quite the purity of purpose of...
The 2011 Smart ForTwo may be one of the more polarizing cars around. In theory, it’s a great urban runabout, the shortest car sold in the U.S. and one that you can park almost in a mail slot. And it certainly draws attention wherever you go. In practice, though, the ForTwo is remarkably unpleasant to drive day to day, and its fuel economy is...
The 2011 Honda CR-Z is the smallest hybrid sold in the U.S. and the only two-seat sports coupe hybrid to boot. It’s meant to recall Honda’s much-loved CRX from the Eighties and Nineties, but with a modern twist. But the demands of high fuel economy and hundreds of extra pounds of safety gear and features mean that the 2011 CR-Z is...
You might not think of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a full-size luxury sedan whose price starts at just south of $100,000, as being particularly green. But the $90,000 base model, the S 400 Hybrid, offers truly remarkable fuel economy for a car as large, heavy, and luxurious as the S-Class. The current S-Class debuted in 2007, and the...
The 2011 BMW 7-Series represents the pinnacle of the BMW sedan hierarchy, and like its competitor the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, it’s large, comfortable, and packed with features. The Benz comes down on the side of luxury and solidity, whereas the 7-Series skews sportier, with handling that’s remarkably sprightly for such a large and heavy...
China wants to reward automakers for building fuel-efficient cars, but it's been forced to redefine the standards of an overly-successful incentive program. In June of 2010, the Chinese government launched a subsidy program for automakers building fuel-efficient cars. Any vehicle with an engine of 1.6-liters or less, and fuel economy of 34 mpg or...
Just three months ago, the average gas price crossed 4$ a gallon. Now, oil prices have plummeted to their lowest level this year in response to the Standard & Poor's U.S. debt rating downgrade. We'll continue to be whipsawed by changes in oil prices, reflected in the price per gallon we pay for gasoline. That's just a fact of modern life. 76...
So far, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car has been sold only in North America. That's about to change, as the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant restarts after a month of retooling that raised Volt production capacity to 5,000 cars per month. While the Volt will go to China (despite recent changes to that country's plug-in car...
For decades, Volkswagen and Audi have held the only options for North American shoppers wanting a highly efficient model with a four-cylinder turbo-diesel—their 2.0-liter TDI engine. Now, with Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and even Chevrolet slated to bring four-cylinder diesels back to the U.S. within the next couple of years, the playing field is...
The 2011 Lexus LS series goes from large to larger, with the top-of-the-line model of this four-door luxury sedan being the hybrid LS 600h L, a long-wheel limousine that promises V-12 performance from its V-8 engine mated to Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system. The LS sedan is like luxury cars of old: It’s all about the smooth ride...
The Lexus GS series is now in its last model year before replacement, and its hybrid model, the GS 450h, soldiers on with the rest of the line. This fast, refined rear-wheel-drive mid-size sports sedan is aimed at the BMW 5-Series and perhaps the Cadillac CTS, but it’s not particularly roomy. Nor does it have quite the purity of purpose of...
The 2011 Smart ForTwo may be one of the more polarizing cars around. In theory, it’s a great urban runabout, the shortest car sold in the U.S. and one that you can park almost in a mail slot. And it certainly draws attention wherever you go. In practice, though, the ForTwo is remarkably unpleasant to drive day to day, and its fuel economy is...
The 2011 Honda CR-Z is the smallest hybrid sold in the U.S. and the only two-seat sports coupe hybrid to boot. It’s meant to recall Honda’s much-loved CRX from the Eighties and Nineties, but with a modern twist. But the demands of high fuel economy and hundreds of extra pounds of safety gear and features mean that the 2011 CR-Z is...
You might not think of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a full-size luxury sedan whose price starts at just south of $100,000, as being particularly green. But the $90,000 base model, the S 400 Hybrid, offers truly remarkable fuel economy for a car as large, heavy, and luxurious as the S-Class. The current S-Class debuted in 2007, and the...
The 2011 BMW 7-Series represents the pinnacle of the BMW sedan hierarchy, and like its competitor the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, it’s large, comfortable, and packed with features. The Benz comes down on the side of luxury and solidity, whereas the 7-Series skews sportier, with handling that’s remarkably sprightly for such a large and heavy...
China wants to reward automakers for building fuel-efficient cars, but it's been forced to redefine the standards of an overly-successful incentive program. In June of 2010, the Chinese government launched a subsidy program for automakers building fuel-efficient cars. Any vehicle with an engine of 1.6-liters or less, and fuel economy of 34 mpg or...
Just three months ago, the average gas price crossed 4$ a gallon. Now, oil prices have plummeted to their lowest level this year in response to the Standard & Poor's U.S. debt rating downgrade. We'll continue to be whipsawed by changes in oil prices, reflected in the price per gallon we pay for gasoline. That's just a fact of modern life. 76...
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