2010 Ford Focus

November 6, 2009

2010 FORD FOCUS STYLING | [6 out of 10] Kelley Blue Book: “Improved storage spaces, better-positioned controls and attractive ice-blue backlighting” ConsumerGuide: “Well-arranged dashboard has mostly intuitive and handy controls” Cars.com: “Gawky profile doesn’t mesh with the restyled front and back at all” It’s been two years since … Browse Photos

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2010 Ford Flex

November 6, 2009

2010 FORD FLEX STYLING | [9 out of 10] Jalopnik: “looks pretty cool” Automobile Magazine: “quirky, modern” Car and Driver: “Ramrod upright” Edmunds: “Rolling stare magnet” If there’s one thing that’s indisputable about the 2010 Flex, it’s that nothing else on the road looks quite like it. The only place you will find some hereditary … Browse Photos

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Do Dogs Leave A Larger Footprint Than SUVs?

November 6, 2009

Are dogs worse for the environment than SUVs? You’ll find a number of sources trumpeting the widely publicized results from New Zealand researchers, concluding that yes, dogs are worse for the planet than SUVs. But don’t kick out the hound quite yet and head for the Hummer dealership; according to the Seattle-based Sightline Institute, the ..

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2010 Volvo XC60: Our Favorite Caption

November 6, 2009

Thanks to gooney911 for this week's favorite caption. Here are the others that had us rolling: The Soon to be Flat and the Furious (ergsum) Squishy and the Bandit (ergsum) Girl Scout Troop 4723 got their nuts crushed. (ergsum) Well, Volvo IS Latin for 'I roll'. (eidolways) This Volvo DOES have roll-over protection, right? (eidolways) Swede Bump (ergsum) Geely better hurry up with that check. (thejohnp) Edmund's searches for run flat tires. (hybris) These new run flat testing standards are getting out of hand (wable) Volvo – Become one with the road (mnorm1) All right, let's roll! (vt8919) Rollover testing the Volvo (stpawyfrmdonut) Flattest torque curve in the fleet. (sideswiper) Volvo City Safety: Paving the way in pedestrian safety (subytrojan) Those are the biggest racing slicks I've ever seen. (mnorm1) What was your favorite ? Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

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Curbside Classic Outtake: What’s Wrong With This Picture Edition

November 6, 2009

I was torn about whether to use this Firebird for a Curbside Classic, until I saw a terrific “Screaming Chicken” T/A the other day. Only problem: I didn’t get any shots. But it made me determined to hold out for the real thing. I hear that Trans Ams are in demand now, fetching up to

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What’s Wrong With This Picture: Onward & Upward…?

November 6, 2009

What can we learn about GM’s R&D from the direction of the arrows in the departmental graphic identity…?

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2010 Hummer H3 And H3T Treading Water Before Real Change

November 6, 2009

Hummer is in the midst of a move–from General Motors to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong–but the brand has announced details for its 2010 H3 SUV and H3T pickup, which are slated to go on sale next month. Changes are minimal. The standard engine is still a 239-horsepower, 3.7-liter five-cylinder engine, but most noteworthy is that the H3 line finally ..

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Green Cars Get Green Light, Hybrid Sales Outperform Overall October Market

November 6, 2009

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor Spurred by factory incentives, replenished stocks and the relative freshness of several models, sales of hybrid-electric cars and SUVs soared in October, easily outperforming the market as a whole. Compared to October '08 – a month with six fewer hybrid models available – sales of Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota hybrids were up 12.1 percent, while sales of conventionally powered cars and trucks were flat. The one-month picture was even rosier, as October hybrid sales jumped 22.5 percent from September's, versus a 12.1 percent hike in sales of conventional models. Nissan, which has only one model – the Altima hybrid, – and sells it in just the nine states with the toughest emissions standards, was the only hybrid maker to record a sales decline for both periods, dropping 46 percent from a year earlier and 13 percent from September. As with most hybrids – Toyota's Prius excepted – Nissan's actual numbers are quite small because of low sales volumes. October's sales drop represented just 46 fewer Altima hybrid sales than in September. Toyota's redesigned 2010 Prius, sweetened by a small factory incentive, remained by far the segment leader, accounting for 55 percent of all hybrid sales for the month.

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2010 Honda Insight EX: Hybrid System Walkaround

November 6, 2009

Ever wondered what it takes to build a hybrid? Well, that depends on what sort of hybrid you're talking about. The hybrids that Toyota and Ford put out are complex (and effective) series-parallel hybrids, meaning they can run on gas, electricity, a direct parallel blending of the two or a series piggyback mode where the gas engine

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