The Car Guide

Mazda announced official fuel economy figures for the all-new 2013 CX-5 compact SUV, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with highway mileage of some models as high as 35 miles per gallon (mpg).  As expected, Mazda’s first vehicle fully engrained with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, the brand’s breakthrough engineering and manufacturing approach to its next generation of vehicles, offers unprecedented non-hybrid best-in-class fuel economy for all transmission and drivetrain configurations.

Front-wheel-drive models equipped with the standard SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission are EPA rated with an estimated fuel economy of 26 city/35 highway/29 combined mpg.  When equipped with the optional SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel-drive models receive an mpg rating of 26 city/32 highway/29 combined.  SKYACTIV-Drive is standard on all-wheel-drive models, which return an estimated fuel economy rating of 25 city/31 highway/28 combined mpg.  Continue reading…

The innovative Nissan e-NV200 Concept makes its world debut today at the 2012 North American Auto Show in Detroit.  Based on the popular Nissan NV200 multi-usage vehicle, which is available in Japan, Europe and China, the Nissan e-NV200 Concept previews a near-future production version of a full electric vehicle.  It is designed to provide businesses or families with flexible, roomy interior space, while achieving a dramatic CO2 footprint reduction. 

The Nissan e-NV200 Concept combines a driving range similar to the Nissan LEAF with payload and cargo space similar to the current NV200.  The production version would be targeted mainly at businesses, but also at private users or families in major regions. Continue reading…

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic received a 5-star overall vehicle score for safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The vehicle was tested under NHTSA’s revised New Car Assessment Program implemented starting with the 2011 model year. The Sonic brings to 10 the number of General Motors 2012 models with 5-star overall vehicle scores for safety.

The overall rating is based on frontal and side crash tests in addition to rollover resistance testing. The three test conditions are combined mathematically into an “Overall Vehicle Score.”  Continue reading…