The 2008 Lexus GS 460 will only go up in price by $245 to $52,620, despite a power surge from 290 HP to a much more satisfying 342 ponies. The GS 350 and 450h will stay in the same price range as the outgoing 2007 model, despite tweaks inside and out. The GS (AWD version) has been under fire of late due to its Chris Shunk
Oh how we all love a good car crash, but finding good, slow-motion automotive carnage on the Web hasn't been all that easy to find. Until now. Consumer Reports has put hours of crash-test video from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety online, free for anyone to see.
The Toyota Prius holds its value better than any other 2004 vehicle, according to the Consumer Reports depreciation ratings. But, says CR, "Good luck trying to find a used Prius." Other value-priced and fuel-economy-minded vehicles such as the Mini Cooper and Scion xB were also high on the list. Number 10 was the Honda Civic and Civic Hybrid. All of the Top Ten vehicles are Japanese or German imports. Nine of the bottom ten, says CR, are domestic brands. The numbers are calculated based on the d
The University of Arizona switched many of the vehicles in its fleet to E85 in August. Despite an unflattering test in Consumer Reports that shows E85 is less fuel efficient, university officials say they'll keep using the cleaner-burning mix. A university official said fuel economy is 10 percent less than with gasoline (which skeptics would challenge since most tests, including the CR review, reveal at least a 25 to 30 percent drop in fuel economy). A check of the Tucson prices showed E85 only
Consumer Reports discovered the overall fuel mileage on a flex-fuel 2007 Tahoe went from 14 mpg on gasoline to 10 mpg on E85.
Greg Melville of Money Magazine cautions car-buyers to reconsider when they hear and read about vehicle awards. In a new article, he addresses the strengths and weakness of the following award givers point-by-point:
With all the hubbub surrounding Consumer Reports' latest issue (seeAutoblog comment-field staple Michael Karesh of True Delta has been touting his analysis and refutation of Consumer Reports (CR) rating system. He points out how the rating system changed from the use of relative ratings for 20 years to an absolute scale which, for example, gave a&nbs
Consumer Reports (CR) took a sampling of 204 OnStar subscribers to see how they used General Motors' telematics service, and then examined whether it is worth the monthly fee. CR discovered that only 63 percent of subscribers had ever pressed GM's vaunted blue button. Of those who did, 44 percent used OnStar's hands-free phone system, while 22 percent triggerd OnStar because they locked their keys in their vehicles or needed assistance for issues like flat tires.
None other than Geraldo 'Take-Him-Or-Leave-Him' Rivera whipped out a Dubya-style haymaker on General Motors and Ford Wednesday, calling the automakers' present fiscal and public-relations gulag the result of 'whining' management and too many 'crap' cars. Not exactly the prose of florid journalist, or even as carefully measured as George Bush's call for domestics to build more 'relevant' products, Ri
Lori Queen, a GM exec in charge of small car development, flew off the handle at the editorial staff of Consumer Reports in an email exchange with Automotive News recently. She blasted the mag for its subjective evaluations, bias towards Japanese automobiles and simplistic view of consumer preferences. The Detroit News surmises that Queen may have been reacting to a harsh review the Chevy Cobalt received from CR.
Could the black sheep of the automotive press among enthusiasts, Consumer Reports, really be home to a bunch of 'car guys'? The publication has long been discounted by most automotive buff books and aficionados as a lab full of egg-headed statisticians that wouldn't know an entertaining car if it ran them down. But is that an accurate perception, or an outmoded stereotype?
Are the current crop of vehicles, from compact cars to the largest SUVs and trucks, the best consumers can expect from automakers? That is the question posed (and answered) in the latest Consumer Reports (CR) according to James Healey of USA Today. (Pictured is CR's 'Fun to Drive' top pick, the Subaru Impreza WRX/STi.)
In word that is sure to have U.S. and European auto executives reaching for their antacids, Consumer Reports magazine has unveiled their 2006 Top Picks. All ten are born of Japanese companies, with Honda occupying fully 50-percent of the list.
