Here is the list in order of combined EPA-estimated fuel economy:

2008 Toyota Prius, 48 mpg city, 45 mpg hwy, 46 mpg combined
2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, 40 mpg city, 45 mpg hwy, 42 mpg combined
2008 smart fortwo, 33 mpg city, 41 mpg hwy, 36 mpg combined
2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid, 35 mpg city, 33 mpg hwy, 34 mpg combine
2008 MINI Cooper, 28 mpg city, 37 mpg hwy, 32 mpg combined
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, 34 mpg city, 30 mpg hwy, 32 mpg combined
2008 Honda Fit, 28 mpg city, 34 mpg hwy, 31 mpg combined
2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC, 23 mpg city, 32 mpg hwy, 26 mpg combined
2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 27 mpg city, 25 mpg hwy, 26 mpg combined
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, 21 mpg city, 22 mpg hwy, 21 mpg combined

DETROIT — A General Motors spokesperson told SubPrime Auto Finance News this morning that the automaker kicked off a 72-Hour Sale today that features zero-percent financing for up to 72 months on select 2008 models. This offer is only available for qualified buyers.

“This program, similar to other annual selling events, such as the Presidents’ Day Sale and the Red Tag Year-End Event, is designed to stimulate sales during traditional automotive selling windows,” said John McDonald, a GM spokesperson.

“GM’s combination of offering terrific MSRPs and great incentives during these merchandising windows offers customers a unique value opportunity,” he continued.

The zero-percent offer is not combinable with other existing GM incentive programs, he noted.

The models selected for this offer include:

Chevrolet: Suburban, Avalanche, Equinox, Colorado, Tahoe, Silverado, TrailBlazer, Uplander, Impala and HHR

Buick: Lucerne and Lacrosse

Pontiac: Torrent, Solstice, G6 and Grand Prix

GMC: Yukon and Yukon XL, Sierra, Envoy and Canyon

Cadillac: All Escalade models, SRX, STS, DTS

Hummer: H2 and H3

Saab: 9-7X, 9-3 Convertible

Saturn: Sky, Aura and Vue

Not included in this program are 2007 and 2009 model-year units, in addition to all hybrids.

To get the word out about the sale, GM said advertising will be done at the corporate division and LMA levels, including TV, radio, print and interactive programs. Additionally, point-of-sale material will be provided.

“It is normal practice, from time-to-time, to hold promotions to continue sales momentum,” McDonald pointed out to SubPrime Auto Finance News. “The 72-Hour Sales is just such a strategic marketing activity and is one of several holiday shopping opportunities we see throughout the year.

“Other manufacturers also have annual sales events. The 72-Hour Sale is another example of GM using appropriate strategic and tactical incentive offers as part of our ‘Go to Market’ strategy,” he concluded.

Fine Print from the GM Corporate Website:
Take delivery by 6/30/08. Monthly payment $13.89 for every $1,000 financed. Average example down payment: 10%. Not available with some other offers. Some customers will not qualify. See dealer for details. Offer excludes 2008 Chevy Aveo, Malibu, Cobalt, Corvette and Express Van; 2008 Pontiac G5, G8, Vibe; 2008 GMC Acadia, Savanna; 2008 Buick Enclave; 2008 Saturn Astra, Outlook; 2008 Cadillac XLR, CTS; 2008 Saab 9-3 (except 9-3 convertible), 9-5; All 2008 Hybrid Vehicles.

“Sports Activity Coupe”… now I’ve seen everything.

Welcome to BMW’s newest offering, the 2008 BMW X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupe (SAC). Admittedly, my pre-test drive opinion of this thing was that it must just be an X5 with a smaller trunk and a few more bells and whistles… but the Product Specialist at local dealer BMW Of Darien was quick to point out that the X6 is an entirely different approach to sports utility, and as he finished rattling off all the differences between the two models, I started looking around for a dunce cap to stick on my head.

The X6 really is a different breed, pretty much from any other vehicle out there. One look at the shape of it tells you that much, but the visual effect of the X6 isn’t just an exercise in design - it’s a clue to the entirely unique approach that BMW took with this model. You’d be hard-pressed to find an SUV out there boasting 300 twin-turbocharged horses from an inline-6 like the X6 can claim, and if that’s not enough, the V8 will soon make its debut and bring another hundred horsepower along with it. On top of that, BMW’s xDrive system has been upgraded for the X6 specifically. No longer simply a front-to-rear distribution of wheel power under duress, the X6’s system also allows left-to-right power distribution, putting it on par with some of the better all-wheel drive systems available.

The uniqueness continues inside, with the rear seats split into two full-on buckets, with bolsters and optional sunshades and seat heaters. And given the generous legroom, it’s safe to say there isn’t a bad seat in the house of X6. Of course, it ain’t all gravy… that coupe-like roofline makes headroom fairly awkward for 6-footers or anyone with an 80’s hairdo.

Enough talk, let’s get to driving.

With 300 horses on tap and turbo lag nowhere to be found, the X6 can haul its big bubbly ass past pretty much anything on the road. And trust me, in front of the pack is where you want to stay, because the view out the back of that tiny rear window is Lamborghini-sized. BMW did resolve this issue from a parking standpoint, with Park Distance Control (sonar sensors) standard and a backup camera available on the Technology Package.

Having driven BMW sedans as well as the BMW X5 SAV, I can say that the X6 definitely shoots the gap between car and SUV quite nicely - its ride is taut and steering feel is direct like any good BMW saloon, but at its limit, you’re still going to take a curve 5 mph slower in the X6 than you would in a 3-Series. Not a bad compromise considering the extra capability and space you get with the X6, whose trunk is surprisingly large I might mention.

Now it’s not just that you can drive the X6 like you stole it… rather, BMW expects you to. There are a million ways to configure gearshifts on this car, which isn’t the kind of thing you’ll find on its competitors’ resumes. You can throw the shifter into automatic and let the 6-speed tranny do its thing; you’ve got paddle-shifters on the steering wheel and in this case, they can be used to make an immediate up or downshift, before the trans returns to auto mode. If you pull the shifter over to the left, you’re in Sport mode… it’s still automatic, but now the shift pattern is more aggressive. Once you move the shifter up or down from that point, you’ve moved into Manual mode, which can be utilized either through the shifter or the paddles. It’s a bit too much fun eminating from a 4,900 pound sculpture whose rear hips monopolize the view from your side mirrors.

The 2008 BMW X6 starts at $52,500, and with typical options and packages as tested here, retails for $57,000. Find out more about the X6 at BMWUSA.com.

I know things like this happen all the time in the car business. A Blue 2009 Subaru Forrester is a commodity. I’m not sure why the consumer didn’t give the Longmont dealer their business (location, service, price, etc). I guess another factor to consider is that if the consumer lives near Glenwood Springs, they will probably use this dealer to service their car - so giving them their business may have been the best choice. I hope the writer reads this post and comes back to leave a car dealer review of both dealers for future buyers.

1. Run yellow lights no matter what. You don’t need a calculator to figure out the gas mileage of a car that’s sitting at a red light. So make sure to speed through every light you can, and you’ll keep that average MPG nice and high.

2. If you get pulled over for implementing Tip #1, shut your car off. Just a reminder. Make a note of it for the rest of the tips as well.

3. Strip your car down like you’re about to go street racing. Weight is the enemy of everything we love about cars - speed, handling, and MPG. The typical car has to push 15 - 20 pounds per single unit of horsepower, so emptying everything you can out of your car means the engine has to do less work to keep things moving, and less work means better MPG and performance. But why stop at emptying out your trunk? If you’re always driving by yourself, why not take out the seats? Or, you could really roll the dice and ditch the spare tire. Feelin’ lucky?

4. Swap out those big, sexy rims for some skinny rubber. Every manufacturer is pushing big fat rims and tires on their cars as options nowadays, and as cool as that may look, it’s bad for gas mileage. If you’re rolling on some of these wide tires, put those puppies up on eBay and go pick up the skinnier, downgraded versions that came as standard equipment. And don’t worry about losing your visual appeal, because nothing looks sexier than 35MPG on the dashboard display, right?

5. Drive in the left lane at all times. Smoother roads make for better gas mileage, and on almost any road in the country, the smoothest section of a road is the one less traveled: the left lane. 18-wheelers are usually forbidden from driving in the left lane, and as you hopefully know from driving school, the left lane is only for passing, not for cruising - which means less cars eat up that lane’s pavement. So go ahead and ignore what I just said about not cruising in the left lane, and cruise in it all day long.

6. Quit your job and work from home. If you’re like me, you watch most of your TV at 4am, therefore you’ve surely seen all the millionaires who quit their jobs to make money on this new fad called the Internet. Why not do that? Then you wouldn’t even have to buy gas in the first place. You’re welcome.

Well, there are several factors in play - some legitimate, some shady, and some that just defy explanation.

First off, the phrase “bumper-to-bumper” warranty is disappearing from manufacturers’ vocabularies. Your new vehicle may instead have a “limited” warranty, and you’ll find that there are actually quite a few items and situations not covered under that warranty, either because they involve wear-and-tear on the part of the owner, or are deemed to be typical necessities of car maintenance.

Now, I’m going to take a wild guess that most of you haven’t read your warranty manuals cover-to-cover, but even if you had, there are even more specific repair situations such as recalls and service bulletins that manufacturers will only partially cover, and these items can often be the main source of consumer frustration. For example, a car manufacturer may put out a service bulletin suggesting replacing an engine part that requires fluid, or is one of a set of parts. There’s a good chance they’ll cover the labor and the part itself, but not the cost of replacing the fluid… or, they’ll only cover repairs for one part, and if another in the set goes bad, you’re on your own. At the end of the day, you might have to pay $80 to solve a problem that your car had since it rolled off the assembly line, and that’s what really gets to consumers.

All this confusion from the manufacturer is bad enough, but when you throw dealerships into the mix, you get a recipe for disgruntled owners and angry letters galore. There’s something most consumers don’t know about dealership service departments, and without me even going into detail about it, you’ll immediately understand the repercussions: dealers get paid differently for warranty work vs. customer-paid work. The labor rate itself is usually the same, but for warranty work, manufacturers conduct test runs of the repair and then tell dealers how many hours the repair should take and what parts should be used. Of course, with customer-pay work, the repair could be anything and is no longer the manufacturer’s problem, so dealers can take as long as they like and use whatever parts they like.

So play the part of a service advisor for a second, and tell me what you’d do if an owner came in asking for warranty work to be done, when you know your Manager is breathing down your neck for more profits. Some dealers will try to add non-warranty repairs to the service in order to boost the final cost, while others may outright say that an item isn’t under warranty when it actually is.

It seems shady, and in many ways it is… but understand that a service technician doing work in his/her service bay for free is pure lost profit, and the test times manufacturers decree to dealers for warranty work estimates are often conducted under unrealistic conditions. Because of this, dealers have a legitimate beef with warranty work. If the manufacturer estimates 2.5 hours of work for a certain warranty repair, that’s what the dealer will get paid for. If it takes 4 hours because the bolts are corroded, or because the faulty equipment could not be removed cleanly, it doesn’t matter… the dealer only gets paid for those 2.5 hours, and at that point they just worked 1.5 hours for free. With the typical manufacturer warranty now approaching 100,000 miles, it’s easy to see how unreasonable it is to expect a repair to be done in the same amount of time regardless of the car’s age or condition.

Okay okay, I know you don’t feel that bad for dealers. They’re still trying to find ways to get money out of you when you bring your car in for “warranty” work, and that coupled with the confusing coverage from manufacturers is to blame for you having to open up your checkbook to fix someone else’s problem.

Not so fast my friend. You missed a key spot in the Internet buyer’s process… one that is often forgotten but extremely helpful. It’s the enthusiast forum, and its value as a research avenue is realized in several ways:

• Forums serve as a crystal ball of vehicle ownership. You can see what real people are saying about your dream car from 6 months to 6 years after the initial purchase.
• If you’re looking for news on future models or upcoming changes to a current model, enthusiast forums have more fact and opinion than you’ll ever need.
• You’ll hear about all the initial quality issues with the car you’re interested in. If the driver’s seat tends to rattle, or the new 2009s have a recall out, the forums will know.
• Forum members are happy to discuss the deals they received on their purchases, giving you a true idea of what dealers are charging.
• Because the forums are full of enthusiasts, there’s plenty of information on vehicle upgrades and modifications, if you’re interested in getting more performance or better looks out of your vehicle.

Enthusiast forums are around everywhere you look, with at least one for every manufacturer. They’re free to join, and you may just find yourself hooked on the wealth of information in these communities. While the list of forums below is somewhat abridged, there’s no question you’ll find some great insight on the following sites:

Acura:
AcuraWorld.com
Acurazine.com

Audi:
Audi-Forums.com

BMW:
Bimmerwerkz.com
1SeriesOnline.com

Cadillac:
CadillacForum.com
V-Series.net

Chevrolet:
ChevyTalk.org
Corvette-Forum.com

Chrysler:
300CForums.com

Dodge:
ChargerForums.com
ChallengerTalk.com

Ferrari:
Ferrari-Talk.com

Ford:
FordForums.com
Powerstroke.org

GMC:
DuramaxForum.com

Honda:
Honda-Tech.com

Hummer:
H2Fanatic.com

Hyundai:
Hyundai-Forums.com
HyundaiPerformance.com

Infiniti:
InfinitiForum.net

Jaguar:
Jag-Lovers.org

Jeep:
JeepForum.com
JeepsUnlimited.com

Kia:
Kia-Forums.com

Lamborghini:
Lamborghini-Talk.com

Land Rover:
LandRoversOnly.com

Lexus:
ClubLexus.com
LexusOwnersClub.com

Lincoln:
LincolnForums.com

Lotus:
LotusTalk.com

Maserati:
MaseratiLife.com

Mazda:
MazdaWorld.org

Mercedes-Benz:
BenzWorld.org
BenzForum.com

Mercury:
MercuryForum.com

MINI:
MINI2.com

Mitsubishi:
Mitsubishi-Forums.com

Nissan:
NissanForums.com
FreshAlloy.com

Pontiac:
G8Forum.com
SolsticeForum.com
G6OwnersClub.com

Porsche:
6SpeedOnline.com
BoxsterForums.com

Saab:
SaabCentral.com
SaabForums.com

Saturn:
RedlineForums.com
SkyRoadster.com

Scion:
ScionLife.com

Subaru:
WRXTuners.com

Suzuki:
Suzuki-Forums.com

Toyota:
ToyotaNation.com
Toyota-Yaris.com

Volkswagen:
VWVortex.com
VolkswagenTalk.com

Volvo:
Volvo-Forums.com

However, in order for any consumer review site to be reliable, there has to be a very professional level of participation on the consumer’s end. It’s important to know how you can best contribute to the site, and what you should look for when reading reviews… this will ensure that you get reliable information to work with.

And so, we decided to post this little primer on effective dealer reviews. Be sure to read it over before browsing for your next dealership.

Writing Dealer Reviews

1. Write with a (mostly) clear head. Too often, we get reviews from consumers who are fresh off a negative experience, and all they can muster in their review is a pile of vulgarities and slurs. While it’s valuable for the consumer to post their dissatisfaction, the writing itself doesn’t make for very effective analysis. Take a moment to reflect on the situation (it’s okay to still be angry… you do want everyone to recognize that you’re upset), and try to write a review that objectively lays out what transpired and how you were affected.

2. Review ALL the dealers you dealt with. The whole point of car dealer reviews is to rank the quality of all dealerships in a hierarchy - not to just put down the bad ones. If you have a negative review about a dealer you didn’t buy from, well then you must have a more positive review of the dealer you did buy from… and that’s valuable information to the public.

3. Positive is just as important as negative. Maybe you’re seeing a theme here… consumers tend to only provide negative reviews, as it’s human nature to want some sort of justice when you’re dissatisfied. But, if everyone wrote negative reviews, no one would know which dealer to choose. The fact is, even the dealerships with the best reputations will end up having a problem with a customer now and again, but it wouldn’t be correct to only show that dealer’s problem customers to the public. What we all need is an accurate representation of dealers’ performance, and that comes from consumers like you taking the time out to provide positive feedback as well as negative.

Reading Dealer Reviews

1. Take everything with a grain of salt. Having worked in the business for years, I can say with confidence that many customers create (or at least contribute to) their own anguish when it comes to dealing with car salespeople. Nearly every negative review about a dealership has another side to it… sometimes the information left out is not that important, and sometimes it’s vital. You should take this into consideration when reading any dealer review.

2. Look at the dates of the reviews. Mistaking outdated information for current information is a common error in dealer reviews. Why, you ask? Well, consider the employee turnover ratio of this business: in many areas (namely the coasts and urban areas), the average Sales Manager might only stay at one store for a year or two. If you give a dealership three or four years, you could easily see a 75 - 90% turnover of its staff. So a pile of negative reviews from 2004 regarding a Service Department is only valid if those same people still work there and the mindset is the same. It’s sensible to look at the most recent reviews as the most accurate.

3. Consider the number of reviews and ratio of good to bad. One review is rarely enough information for you to base a decision on, and in some cases, the review could be an anomaly that doesn’t reflect the dealership correctly at all. If you find a dealer with three or more reviews (especially if they are all skewed one way), then you know you’ve got some great consumer information there. The more reviews, the more accurately the dealership is usually portrayed.

• The Nano is made by Tata Motors, Indian conglomerate and newest owner of Land Rover and Jaguar
• The car is soon to be released as the self-proclaimed “people’s car” of the 21st century
• The sticker price should run about $2,500… the cheapest car ever produced
• It will utilize a two-cylinder engine. Just like your lawn mower.
• I think that’s all that needs to be said.

So, are you foaming at the mouth yet? Well if so, head on over to Tata’s Nano Microsite to personalize your Nano. It’s actually a fairly unimpressive build-your-own tool; no prices for upgrades (I assume there are upgrade costs), a weird interior view… but the site’s there nonetheless, along with a ton of marketing fodder to convince you that we’ll all have one of these in our driveways soon.

I used the BYO tool to jazz one up myself, complete with racing stripe paint that probably dries faster than the Nano’s 0-60 time. Check it out… by the by, it’s worth noting that this is the rear view. It’s easy to mistake one end for the other.

Great, I built it on the site and I’m all set to go. Now it’s just a matter of buying it…

…nuts to this, I’m getting a Honda.

Nissan announced the official return of 4DSC, and you know what that means… well, maybe you don’t. 4DSC was the Nissan Maxima’s alias in the early 90’s, with Nissan touting it as the first true “4 Door Sports Car”, with fancy 4DSC decals and all. Well, they’ve brought the decals back, and wisely, also pumped up the horses from 265 to 290. That’s some serious go for a $30k sedan.

The 2009 Acura TSX reared its ugly head for the first time at the NYC show. The new TSX is bigger and less powerful than its predecessor, which is a pathetic combination indeed. Acura’s obviously done trying to convince anyone that the TSX is a performance vehicle… it’s a business move over an image move. We’ll see how that works out.

Now here’s a tale of two companies… Kia debuted the top vehicle, the KOUP, at NY after Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe(the latter photo) made a big splash in LA. The difference is that Hyundai’s car will be in showrooms shortly, while Kia’s awesome concept - as is their trend - doesn’t appear to have a plan to see the light of day. Kia whets the public’s appetite every year with their great concept cars… let’s hope they’re spurred on by Hyundai’s effort to turn the KOUP into a production vehicle.

This is the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck, thought it’s not really called a Sport Truck yet. It’s a hard car to name, an even harder car to describe, and even harder than that to make a profit on. But hey, at least Pontiac is going for the gusto, and with their other debut models (The G8 in sedan form is the most powerful sub-$30k car on the road) looking so good, let’s see where the cards fall for this El Camino reincarnate.

And now for a car we can all enjoy… at least, from a distance, while some rich CEO breezes past in it. The near-$200,000 Saleen Raptor has the look and the performance (650 horses should cover pretty much anything you’d want to do on four wheels) of cars in and above its price range. Plus, it runs on E85 (a.k.a. fancy corn) exclusively. Good stuff.