This Week’s Most-Read Stories

Paintless Removal — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:00:04 +0000

How far can you go in a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI on a single tank? At least 1,626 miles, if you’re John and Helen Taylor. The Taylors drove from Texas to Virginia with just one tank of gas. To read more about that, and our other top stories from the week, continue with the links below:

1.   84 mpg?! Couple Break Mileage Record With Passat TDI
2.   Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth
3.   2013 Honda Accord Sedan Shrinks, Gets Plug-in Hybrid Model
4.   2013 Hyundai Elantra Sedan: What’s Changed
5.   The Saturn Vue Is Back as the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport

Most-Watched Video Reviews of the Week

Paintless Removal — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:03 +0000

People who own Jeep Wranglers love them with a burning passion, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. Unfortunately, the cult of the Wrangler, and its unique off-road capabilities, isn’t the best fit for most drivers on the road today, even after the significant upgrades in refinement for the 2012 model year, Wiesenfelder says. Continue watching the video above for more on the Jeep Wrangler, and check out our other most watched videos with the links below.

1. 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Video
2. Cars.com Super Bowl Commercial
3. 2012 Mitsubishi i-Miev Video
4. 2012 Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Roadster
5. 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan (MotorWeek)

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Cadillac CTS

Paintless Removal — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:07 +0000

The CTS has been the keystone to Cadillac’s “reinvention” since 2003, according to Cars.com editor Mike Hanley. Despite being on the road for nearly four years, the second-generation CTS still holds up well, Hanley says. For the 2012 model year, it receives a few exterior refinements and, while mostly untouched, the interior of the CTS still feels well-appointed. The only major downside is the cramped backseat, he says.

2012 Cadillac CTS Review

Lexus Discontinues the HS 250h

Paintless Removal — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:05 +0000

<Weak sales and a new hybrid on the horizon have prompted Lexus to cancel its HS 250h compact hybrid sedan.

“Production of the HS 250h ceased in January 2012. Lexus continues to monitor sales for each product and we make adjustments to make sure that we meet market demand, and the discontinuation of HS was part of that adjustment,” spokesman Curt McAllister told Cars.com.

Sales of the HS 250h have been tapering off for a while. Last year, Lexus sold just 2,864 units compared to 10,663 in 2010. So far this year, sales are down 40% compared to 2011; just 28 were sold in April.

Though Lexus claims it’s not a replacement for the HS, the brand’s ES 300h hybrid sedan is due later this year. Power will come from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid system and a two-speed continuously variable automatic transmission. Lexus says the ES 300h will likely achieve an EPA-estimated 40/38 mpg city/highway. The EPA rates the HS 250h at 35/34 mpg.

GM won’t advertise in the 2013 Super Bowl

Paintless Removal — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:03 +0000

General Motors will not advertise during this year’s Super Bowl game, the automaker said Friday.

Thrilled and bummed by Google’s self-driving car

Paintless Removal — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:02 +0000

My first ride in Google’s self-driving car was, all at the same time, thrilling, fascinating and a little disappointing.

Daily News Briefs: May 18, 2012

Paintless Removal — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:08 +0000

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Event data recorders, aka “black boxes,” are already prevalent in new cars, but a new law would make them standard on all vehicles, according to Car and Driver. The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would mandate event data recorders for all new cars by the 2015 model year. The law also states that the car’s owner will control the black box info, though the owner could be forced to share it in cases of a court order, says the magazine. The House of Representatives is expected to pass its version of the EDR mandate law, though both versions would have to be reconciled before becoming law. The Department of Transportation has already developed a standard data set for black boxes, which goes into effect for the 2013 model year. It stipulates that event data records must record five seconds worth of pre-crash data, including forward crash speed, the speed the vehicle was traveling, whether brakes were applied and time of airbag deployment. Black boxes are useful for investigating accidents and helping to establish culpability — whether that be the manufacturer — such as Toyota in its sudden acceleration scandal — or the driver themselves.

In other news:

Toyota will expand its V-6 engine production in America, allowing the automaker to build an additional 216,000 V-6 motors a year. The $80 million investment will add 125 jobs to Toyota’s Huntsville, Ala., plant, said the carmaker. The increased production will begin in March 2014.
GM’s troubled European Opel brand has decided to move the bulk of production of its next-generation Opel Astra to its plant in England, ending production at its German plant in 2015, according to Bloomberg. The English factory won the contract because its union backed a new deal allowing the factory to work on a three-shift, 24-hour schedule, among other concessions. The deal leaves the Astra (on which the Buick Verano is based) with just two plants (instead of three) in Europe when the new model goes into production in 2015.
When Volvo axes its aging XC90 crossover for a new model in 2014, the current-generation model will be handed over to Chinese parent company Geely, according to China Car Times. Geely will use the old XC90 platform, which first debuted in 1999, to develop a new high-end brand for China.

Recall Alert: 2013 Lexus GS 350 F

Paintless Removal — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:07 +0000

<Today, Lexus announced it’s recalling around 650 model-year 2013 versions of the GS 350 F rear-wheel-drive sedan because of issues with the variable gear ratio steering electronic control unit.

According to Lexus, the electronic control unit for the VGRS system could cause the steering wheel to become off-centered when restarting the vehicle immediately after it’s parked with the steering wheel turned. This could lead to an increased risk of an accident.

The automaker will notify owners starting in early June, and dealers will replace the affected parts free of charge. Lexus says the fix will take around 30 minutes. Owners can call Lexus at 800-255-3987 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Why Your Neighbors Will Hate the Fiat 500 Abarth

Paintless Removal — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:07 +0000

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In the search for power and a nice exhaust sound, I’ve installed aftermarket exhausts on my cars that attracted unwanted attention. My neighbors tipped off the police, leaving me with a $75 noise violation ticket. Thanks again, jerks. Fiat’s turbocharged, 160-horsepower 500 Abarth may not be as rowdy as my Trans Am, but its loud exhaust has enough volume that I’m being extra nice to the neighbors this week.

A few of our editors noted the exhaust’s tone isn’t particularly pleasant sounding, either. Comparisons ranged from a rusty Honda Civic with an unnecessarily large chrome muffler, to a diesel truck because the turbocharger’s whistling howls through the exhaust.

The exhaust pops, spits and gargles. One extra-loud pop caught me off guard, and I ducked in the driver’s seat. I took a friend for a ride who previously owned a Dodge SRT4 – you know, the Neon – and he was super excited because the exhaust sounded almost identical his old car. The SRT4 came from the factory sans mufflers; the Fiat has a similar low-pitched rumble.

The Abarth’s muffler is designed for minimal exhaust gas restriction and maximum power — in other words, it’s loud. Even from the factory, loud exhausts aren’t uncommon for sports cars. Cars like the Audi TT RS and the Chevrolet Corvette have available exhaust systems that can change the tone and volume through mechanical valves and flaps triggered by a Sport mode or specified engine load. The result is quiet at low speeds and cruising, and loud when the skinny pedal goes down.

The difference here is the 500 Abarth is loud all the time. The exhaust does quiet down at highway speeds, however, and it doesn’t cause a lot of drone cruising at 60 mph, which is common of many aftermarket systems or straight pipes. It doesn’t sound nearly as offensive at wide open throttle as it does starting up or cruising through a parking lot.

Even so, you’ll be heard before you’re seen driving the 500 Abarth. Get the baked goods and casseroles ready for the neighbors.

2013 Mazda CX-5: Car Seat Check

Paintless Removal — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:06 +0000

The all-new Mazda CX-5 has its work cut out for it. This compact crossover is Mazda’s latest attempt to compete in a segment chock-full of popular family vehicles. The CX-5, which replaces the Tribute SUV, seats five.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the infant seat in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and convertible in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.

Here’s how the 2013 CX-5 did in Cars.com’s Car Seat Check:

Latch system: The CX-5 has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats. While the anchors aren’t visible, they sit just inside the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. This makes them easy to use. The tether anchors are also a cinch. The outboard seats’ anchors are midway down the seatbacks, and the middle seat’s tether anchor is near the top of the seatback.

Booster seat: Our high-back booster seat fit well in the CX-5’s flat, wide rear seats. The seat belt buckles are on rigid bases that sit low in the seat cushion. I recently test-drove the CX-5 for a weekend, and my 5-year-old son had no problem buckling up independently with the recessed buckle.

Convertible seat: The forward-facing convertible fit well in the second row. To fit the rear-facing convertible, we had to move the front passenger seat forward about an inch to create enough room for the car seat. The front passenger had about an inch of space between her knees and the glove box.

Infant-safety seat: We also had to move the front passenger seat forward — about a half-inch — to create enough room for this rear-facing car seat. The front passenger still had plenty of legroom.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

Editor’s note: For three car seats — infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats — to fit in a car, our criterion is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.