A new generation of hybrid gas-electric and all-electric cars – including the 2011 Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf – has arrived, with much hype attending their launch. There is the promise of dramatic increases in fuel economy – but less mention of real-world downsides, including high purchase price and total operating costs. Here’s a...
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It’s been almost exactly two years since I bought my V1 radar detector. It’s also been almost exactly two years since I last got a speeding ticket. Coincidence? More like a reprieve. No longer do I have to live with the constant dread that just after the next blind curve sits a doughnut-eater running...
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Check it out: For $46k, you could buy a new Lexus GS350 with rear wheel drive and 303 hp V-6. $38k will buy you a new Caddy CTS with AWD and 270 hp. ($41k with the optional 304 hp engine.) $48k can get you into a base model Acura RL with 300 hp. $50k...
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This won’t be easy. In the first place, it takes a lot for a car to be officially acknowledged as a “lemon” insofar as the law is concerned. You usually have to wrangle extensively with the dealer who sold it to you – and after that, the manufacturer who built it – before you...
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No one knows for sure just exactly what “LTD” stands for. Some say “Limited”—others “Luxury Trim Decor.” Perhaps there is an ancient temple somewhere with weathered letters chiseled in stone, signifying “Don’t let the door slam closed on your finger”—or “room for six, budget rates.” Regardless of the precise meaning, we know the LTD...
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You never who you are dealing with during a traffic stop. That goes for the person being pulled as much as it does for the cop doing the pulling-over. Motorcyclist Michael McCloskey, Jr. found that out earlier this month when he was shot in the back by Ottowa Hills, Ohio police officer Thomas White...
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Hyper-small cars are making a comeback in the United States. How small? Check out the new Mazda2. It is 18 inches shorter, nose to tail, than the “compact” sized 2011 Ford Fiesta (with which it shares common architecture). And it only weighs 2,300 pounds, too (almost 300 pounds less than the Fiesta). That makes...
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Automotive good ideas gone bad range far and wide, whether it’s a classic fail like the exploding Pintos of the early ’70s – or a late-model turd like the Pontiac Aztek. Here are ten automotive Turduckens that will be remembered for as long as the warranty claims (and class-action lawsuits) linger: * The entire...
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Ok, it’s nothing much to look at – and let’s be honest, nothing special to drive, either. But the Toyota Corolla has the one thing that matters most to literally millions of consumers: a reputation for being the best-built, most long-haul reliable economy sled on the road. And that’s no small thing. WHAT IT...
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Racial profiling is a law-enforcement no-no, but “automotive profiling” is a going concern in every state across the land. Drive a bright-colored car, or an obviously sporty/performance car, and you dramatically increase your chances of being issued a piece of payin’ paper - because your car stands out from the crowd. It’s not fair...
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