2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius, 1998 Chevy Metro - Comparison Test

What we have here is an officialC/D comparison test in which the photo vehicle, a Honda Pilot, proved far quicker than any of our contestants. These cars make you feel guilty about eating red meat. Convicted road ragers should be forced to do time in any of these three.

Both hybrids here are brand-new, if not all-new. The Honda Insight, which made its debut in 1999, has undergone the most radical transformation, gaining one cylinder, 25 horsepower, a back seat, and a shape that no longer resembles a tadpole in a spandex body wrap. In fact, what the Insight looks like is the Prius but with a smiling-fish grille instead of the Toyota’s frowning-fish grille.

Keep Reading: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius, 1998 Chevy Metro - Comparison Test

Buick to Offer 2.4-liter Ecotec in 2010 LaCrosse

Buick has announced that it will add a 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine to the 2010 LaCrosse roster. It joins the previously announced direct-injected 3.0- and 3.6-liter V-6 engines and like those powerplants is backed by a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4-liter will be the standard engine in the base CX model and marks the first Buick four-banger in more than a decade.

Keep Reading: Buick to Offer 2.4-liter Ecotec in 2010 LaCrosse - Car News

2010 Jaguar XFR Dirt Track Drifting

We flick the new cat’s tail through the dirt, but is it any good? Check out the full Road Test in the August 2009 issue of Car and Driver.

Keep Reading: 2010 Jaguar XFR Dirt Track Drifting - Video

2009 Škoda Yeti Spotted on U.S. Soil

Reader Nathan Robinson spotted this 2009 Škoda Yeti testing in Arizona. Originally unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the Yeti shares its platform with many Volkswagen Group small cars sold around the world and is offered overseas in front- and four-wheel-drive variants. Two turbocharged gas and three turbocharged diesel engines are available, with output ranging from 105 hp from the 1.2-liter TSI engine to 170 hp from the 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine.
While we don't expect Škodas to arrive in the U.S. any time soon, a VW version of the Yeti could do battle with the likes of the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube, slotting into the lineup just below the Tiguan.
Read about Škoda's upcoming VW-based entry-level model: Volkswagen Up! / New Beetle - Car News

2010 Jaguar XFR - Road Test

Appearances can be deceiving. Jaguars are for old geezers, aren’t they? And they definitely shouldn’t be spending time on a dirt oval, that most down-home of American automotive playgrounds, should they? But the new XFR most certainly isn’t for the AARP set, and all that it offers can’t be exploited fully on a paved public road.

On the surface, it’s elegant and refined. Yet it also has 510 horsepower capable of tearing the tail loose at a twitch of the stability-control button. It’s a lugubrious Jamaican fast bowler who’s your best friend until he takes to the field and tries to knock your head off.

To test our theory that the XFR is really an old-style muscle car at heart, we decided to take it to Butler Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile drifting nirvana near Quincy, Michigan. As a playground for large, overpowered V-8 stock cars, it’s the perfect place—no cops, only one concrete wall to hit—to wring out another overpowered V-8 sedan.

Now, it might seem that taking this $80,000 sports sedan to an oval in the wilds of Michigan isn’t exactly cricket, but then, that game is deceiving, too. To the outsider, cricket is a screwy English game with impenetrable rules, played in bucolic settings by persons dressed in white street clothing. Between jack-rabbit bursts of activity, there’s no action aside from the eating of crustless cucumber sandwiches and the sipping of tea.

Keep Reading: 2010 Jaguar XFR - Road Test

Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it? - Feature

If you use a cell phone, chances are you’re aware of “text messaging”—brief messages limited to 160 characters that can be sent or received on all modern mobile phones. Texting, also known as SMS (for short message service), is on the rise, up from 9.8 billion messages a month in December ’05 to 110.4 billion in December ’08. Undoubtedly, more than a few of those messages are being sent by people driving cars. Is texting while driving a dangerous idea? We decided to conduct a test.

Previous academic studies—much more scientific than ours—conducted in vehicle simulators have shown that texting while driving impairs the driver’s abilities. But as far as we know, no study has been conducted in a real vehicle that is being driven. Also, we decided to compare the results of texting to the effects of drunk driving, on the same day and under the exact same conditions. Not surprisingly, Car and Driver doesn’t receive a lot of research grants.

To keep things simple, we would focus solely on the driver’s reaction times to a light mounted on the windshield at eye level, meant to simulate a lead car’s brake lights. Wary of the potential damage to man and machine, all of the driving would be done in a straight line. We rented the taxiway of the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan, adjacent to an 11,800-foot runway that used to be home to a squadron of B-52 bombers. Given the prevalence of the BlackBerry, the iPhone, and other text-friendly mobile phones, the test subjects would have devices with full “qwerty” keypads and would be using text-messaging phones familiar to them. Web intern Jordan Brown, 22, armed with an iPhone, would represent the younger crowd. The older demographic would be covered by head honcho Eddie Alterman, 37 (or 259 in dog years), using a Samsung Alias. (Alterman also uses a BlackBerry for e-mail. We didn’t use it in the test.)

2010 GMC Terrain Pricing to Start at $24,995

GMC has announced pricing for the 2010 Terrain crossover, and as expected, it will ring in just above its lower-end cousin, the Chevrolet Equinox.

The entry-level front-wheel-drive SLE1 model starts at $24,995 and comes standard with GM’s direct-injected, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission—a combination that yields an EPA estimated 32 mpg. All-wheel-drive models start at $26,745. The range-topping SLT2 model starts at $29,995 and includes standard leather seating, premium sound, and an appearance package.

A 264-hp, 3.0-liter, direct-injected V-6 engine is optional across the lineup for $1500, and other major options include navigation ($2145), a sunroof ($795), and a rear-seat entertainment system ($1295).

The 2010 Ford Escape comes in at a lower price point—starting at $21,240 for a front-wheel-drive four-cylinder model and $24,200 for all-wheel drive—but includes less standard equipment and isn't quite as miserly.

Terrain SLE1
FWD: $24,995
AWD: $26,745

Terrain SLE2
FWD: $26,595
AWD: $28,345

Terrain SLT1
FWD: $28,195
AWD: $29,945

Terrain SLT2
FWD: $29,995
AWD: $31,745

2009 Mini E

If Mr. Kerouac was right and the road is life, then the Mini E is heartbreak. The 3250-pound electric car goes limp after just 100 miles, and it will go only that far if you drive it sparingly. That’s almost (but not quite) the distance from one end of Los Angeles County to the other.

If you live in the Midwest, the Mini E will never see the oceans. If you live in Albuquerque, it’ll never leave New Mexico. If you live in New York City, it’ll expire just shy of Long Island’s eastern tip. It can’t roam the “raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge” as other cars can whenever their owners feel their inner Kerouac coming on.

Sure, you can recharge it. Figure three hours with the included 240-volt/48-amp lightning box that must be specially wired into your garage. Or 24 hours on a regular 110-volt/12-amp wall plug. You’ll want to stay close to home.

The one-year-lease contract at the stupefying sum of $850 per month (insurance included) is just a “pilot project,” according to the car’s maker. After the year, all these electric Minis must be returned. In the scant few hours we were given to suck the marrow out of a Mini E, we tried to simulate the likely owner experience with an eclectic if rather localized round of errand running. Stuffed kudu heads, anyone?

A Mini E starts life as a standard Mini at the company’s plant in Oxford, England. From there, it’s shipped, sans engine, to proprietor BMW’s headquarters in Munich, Germany, where this ride is pimped with a 201-hp AC electric motor, a DC-to-AC converter, an onboard recharger, and power-control electronics located in the gold-anodized box you see upon opening the hood. All of it is air-cooled.

Keep Reading: 2009 Mini E - Short Take Road Test

Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock Promises Discounted Fuel

On the heels of its successful Assurance and Assurance Plus programs, Hyundai is now offering buyers of its new cars the opportunity to enroll in a program called Assurance Gas Lock. The new program will guarantee new Hyundai lessees or buyers a year's worth of regular gasoline for just $1.49 a gallon. If drivers elect to buy mid- or premium-grade gasoline, they’ll pay just $1.64 or $1.79 per gallon, respectively. The fuel price is locked in for a year and entitles drivers to enough fuel to cover 12,000 miles.
The program is available on all new Hyundais except the Genesis sedan, Genesis Coupe, and Accent GS. The fuel savings could be big: current regular-grade gasoline averages $2.64 per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. And buyers enrolling in the program can still profit from certain rebates and financing discounts available on new Hyundai models.
If the idea sounds familiar, it’s because Chrysler launched a similar scheme, dubbed Refuel America, in May 2008. The Pentastar's program allowed drivers to buy gas at $2.99 per gallon for three years, until late 2011. Yet national fuel prices have since dropped below $2.99, so drivers enrolled in the plan no longer save money on gas. Moreover, buyers who signed up for the Refuel America program were automatically ineligible for reduced APR rates or consumer cash back offers on new Chryslers, Dodges, or Jeeps.
Hyundai’s offer looks to be a better deal because it doesn't ban consumers from receiving additional customer incentives, and we highly doubt gasoline is going to drop below $1.49 per gallon—and if it does, it won't stay there for long.

Car-Buying Negotiating Guide - Buyers Info

If you walked up to the cashier at your local grocery store with a gallon of milk in hand and said, “It says $2.49 on this sticker, but I’ll give you a buck-fifty,” you’d be going home thirsty. If you walked into McDonald’s and said, “I don’t see a lot of people eating Big Macs today; I’ll take that value meal off your hands for just three bucks!” you’d leave hungry. But walk into a car dealership, and you areexpected to bargain with the salesman. Pay sticker, and you’re giving the dealer hundreds or—in most cases—thousands of dollars in additional profit.

Considering that the car dealership is a business and performing a necessary service—getting the car from the factory to you—some profit is definitely deserved. How much is fair profit depends on a number of factors, including the specific car and demand for it, the options, your location, and how long the car has been on the lot. So we can’t tell you exactly what to pay. But we can tell you what to do to optimize your chances of paying what you want.

Shop for Your Own Financing

For most of us, financing is the only way we can afford a new car. Most dealerships can provide you financing, but be sure to check at your bank or credit union before you go, as they will often offer you a better interest rate. At the very least, shopping around will give you an idea of what rates you qualify for, so you can police the dealership’s offer later. For more on what to do prior to visiting the dealership, read “What to Know Before You Go.”

Hyundai Dealers First to Participate in "Cash for Clunkers" Program

Hyundai is the first automaker in the U.S. to allow consumers to take advantage of the government's Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), formerly known as "Cash for Clunkers." The company is backing dealerships with short-term cash advances weeks before the government has the program fully online, industry-wide.
While we remain skeptical of the program's long-term benefits for the industry and the environment, we can understand why Hyundai—with thirteen models that achieve the required fuel economy—wants to offer buyers the option as soon as possible, since there are likely car shoppers who are on the fence about purchasing that are awaiting the legislation's full enactment. This in combination with Hyundai Assurance Plus and Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock might potentially lure many consumers into Hyundai showrooms.

Affordable Navigation Units Compared - Gear Box

We examine four portable entry-level GPS units, all priced under $250, to see which one is best.

Why spend big money on a factory navigation system when you can get a portable device for hundreds less? The question is becoming rhetorical. Portable navs may have smaller screens than the built-in competition, but just try moving that built-in from one car to another. The four nav systems below retail for less than $230 and have text-to-speech features that will read street names aloud. They all work just dandy to get you from point A to point B; the biggest differences lie in features, menus, and user-friendliness.