Today Ford announced what most of the motoring world already knew – the claimed fuel economy on several of its gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars are pretty tough to reach in the real world. In a deal with the EPA, Ford said it would be recalibrating
On a daily basis the 2014 Honda CR-V will perform its driving duties admirably, offering affordable commuting as well as providing space for kids, gear and pets.
OK, what’s your favorite compact-vehicle flavor, crossover sport utility or four-door sedan? Mitsubishi offers both with all-wheel drive. We tallied a little more than 700 miles between the two vehicles, and the Outback Sport averaged 31.5 mpg while the Lancer registered 30.3 mpg. In our book, that makes them both eligible for inclusion in our Clean Fleet Report All-Wheel Drive 30 mpg Club.
The two-door hatchback Honda CR-Z is a whole lot of fun to drive, certainly not boring and doesn’t look like any other hybrid (or anything else) on the road.
Start-stop is only a small part of the 2014 Ram 1500 HFE’s fuel economy story. Another Ram fuel-economy enabler is weight reduction, including an aluminum hood, which weighs 26 pounds less than the previous model.
Once a year automotive journalists from the San Francisco Bay Area gather to test drive some of the newest models on the market. This is my selection of the Top 10 I experienced at this year’s program.
Let’s start with what a kick it is that Volkswagen allowed Clean Fleet Report to drive the 2014 Tiguan TDI 4Motion Euro Spec. Was it a bit of a tease? Yes. Did it accomplish what they were seeking to do: get journalist input on this crossover and our opinions on how it would fit as a U.S. model? Definitely!
While overall sales languished a mere 1.3 percent above the first quarter of 2013, high-mileage electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and clean diesels continued a torrid pace similar to what they were experiencing during most of last year. The only laggard in this group was gas-electric hybrids, which dropped almost 16 percent compared to last year, based heavily on declining sales of several Prius models.
In a somewhat surprising move, the entry-level Malibu LS now comes standard with a start-stop system, the first midsize sedan sold in the United States that is so equipped. Combined with refinements of its base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a new six-speed automatic transmission, the LS has a significant fuel economy increase compared with the outgoing model (now 25 city; 36 highway).
The global drive to reduce greenhouse gases and increase vehicle fuel efficiency is pushing automakers to reduce the size of their engines – while trying to keep all of attributes consumers expect from their cars. Engineers from GM, Porsche and VW have pushed the limits of technology to produce engines that are more efficient, meet increasingly stringent pollution standard and yet make better horsepower and torque than previous generations.