Quick Glance: 2014 Toyota Corolla

Toyota brought its newly redesigned Corolla compact car to Atlanta for a sneak peek recently, touting the all-new styling and roominess among other features on the 2014 model.
Corolla was the nation's 10th-best-selling vehicle in July (and that's the outgoing 2013 model), according to news reports.
It has remained exceptionally popular over the course of more than 40 years on the market.
However, it's never been known as the most exciting or dramatic vehicle.
You want good, basic transportation?
Get a Corolla, the thinking goes.
But Toyota hopes to change that with this model, adding what it calls more of an "emotional" connection with the vehicle and car buyers.
Almost four of 10 Toyotas sold in the U.S. since 1968 have been Corollas, nearly 10 million total. So brand recognition is not a problem.
And reliability hasn't been much of a problem either. About 4.5 million Corollas are still being driven.
The new Corolla is half an inch lower and was lengthened by 3 inches on a wheelbase that's 4 inches longer, Toyota says. At the front, there's a large lower grille and more of an aggressive appearance for the headlights, which are standard energy-efficient LEDs.
The Corolla offers more interior room - the longer wheelbase and extra length of the car went mostly into the back seat, where there now are 3 inches more legroom, Toyota says.
 Toyota also said driving dynamics have improved on the Corolla.
We didn't get a chance to take one out for a spin, but hope to do so soon.
But suffice it to say that sporty driving has never been the Corolla's strongsuit, and it's possible that most Corolla buyers haven't cared about that and won't care about it.
As long as it remains good transportation, with a more modern styling, it should continue to sell well.

2013 Honda Fit: A Most Intelligent Choice

You know that hotel chain with the TV commercials that say you become smart just by staying in their rooms?
You could call the 2013 Honda Fit the automotive equivalent of that.
When you drive the Fit, you just feel like you're a little smarter, because you're spending only pennies on gasoline, getting a very reliable vehicle and enjoying a big dose of practicality, despite its small size.

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3 Great Choices for Back to School Vehicles

Looking for great choices for back-to-school vehicles for a college student?
Check out these selections, which can be had relatively inexpensively as used models.

MAZDA3


The Mazda3 comes as a sporty sedan or a five-door hatch, with the latter version offering 43.8 cubic feet of cargo space for stuff that students haul. Along with its sporty driving characteristics, it offers terrific fuel economy from the late 2000s models, garnering about 28 mpg highway from the four-cylinder engine.

TOYOTA COROLLA

The Toyota Corolla is one of the standard bearers among small cars, and with good reason. It has an outstanding reliability record (with only a few exceptions) and gets great gas mileage.

 FORD FOCUS

Continuing the theme of reliable vehicles with good gas mileage, the Focus makes sense on many levels, and can be had for a reasonable price for late 2000s model year versions.

2013 Toyota Prius v: A Victory for Green, Family Transportation

 

You've always wanted to go green when it comes to your ride. But you've got a family, featuring a spouse or partner, a kid or two and maybe even a pet.

A compact hybrid won't work, nor will a big hybrid SUV - it's too large and costly.

So how about a Toyota Prius v?

The Prius v is the larger, more practical sibling to the Prius, the most famous hybrid.

A couple of years ago, Toyota realized that as much as people loved the Prius, it was a little too cramped for some folks.

Enter the Prius v, with more room for people and cargo, but still with great fuel economy.

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Nissan Touts Success of All-Electric Leaf

Representatives from Nissan recently visited Atlanta to share updates on the automaker’s Leaf all-electric vehicle, including the fact that the company has sold its 100,000^th Leaf to a metro Atlanta woman.
The Leaf has been on the market since late 2010, and has posted steadily rising sales since, Nissan officials said.
"We expect demand to keep growing as the charging infrastructure develops – and we remain 100 percent committed to zero-emission technology for the long term," Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said in a news release. Renault-Nissan has sold more zero-emission vehicles than all other major automakers combined.
The buyer of the 100,000th Leaf was identified by Nissan as Allison Howard, a graduate student at Kennesaw State University. "It just drives perfectly," Howard said in a news release. "It's so cool. I love it. The fact that it's all electric and I don't have to spend money on gas as a college student, that's great."
Nissan officials said that Atlanta is one of the Leaf’s top U.S. markets, along with cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu. Buyers in Georgia receive tax credits that substantially lower the cost of the vehicle, as well as the ability to use High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in the metro area’s crowded roads, even when the driver is alone.
The Leaf is a plug-in car that gets its charge from charging stations or wall outlets. It stores energy in a lithium-ion battery, and can be "topped off" at any charge point. They can also be fully recharged overnight at the Leaf owner’s home, garage or in a parking deck.
Nissan officials said the automaker is working with government authorities, utility companies and others to expand charging stations that would let drivers recharge their cars from zero to 80 percent capacity in less than 30 minutes.
Nissan offers a smart phone app that allows users to see where the nearest charging stations are.
The company says Leaf has 75-80 miles of range from a four-hour charge at 240 volts.

2014 BMW M6 Makes a Powerful Statement

When you first get a glance at the BMW M6, it's natural for your mind to start, well, racing with anticipation.
And even though the actual behind the wheel experience might not be an exact match with what you first envisioned, this car is still quite a handful.
The M6 comes as a coupe, which the tester was, a four-door Gran Coupe or a soft-top convertible.
Under the hood is a turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine that makes an astounding 560 horsepower and 500 pounds-feet of torque. It is linked to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, but a six-speed manual is offered as an option.

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Ford Sued over MyFordTouch Problems

The Center for Defensive Driving has filed a lawsuit against Ford alleging that the automaker's MyFordTouch infotainment system is faulty and that the company willfully hid flaws and touted the system as being fully operational. The nonprofit organization is asking for more than $5 million in damages.

The class-action suit says that Ford persisted in selling vehicles equipped with MyFordTouch, despite Ford CEO Alan Mulally publicly saying that the system was flawed.

The group said it leased a Ford F-150 Lariat pickup featuring MyFord Touch in February. By July 1, the suit says, the system had failed 27 times. The group then said it sought for Ford to take back the vehicle, and Ford allegedly declined and referred the group to a Sync website for troubleshooting.

"The system has been an unmitigated disaster for Ford," news reports say the lawsuit alleges. "The Internet is replete with complaints from Ford owners who have experienced significant problems with the system."

Ford has seen its quality ratings plunge as a result of problems with MyFordTouch, with Consumer Reports rating it No. 26 among 27 brands in reliability late last year.

Ford to Offer F-150 with Natural Gas Capability

Ford announced that it will offer a version of its 2014 model year F-150 pickup truck with the ability to run on compressed natural gas, which the manufacturer says will be the only half-ton pickup on the market with that capability.

The 2014 Ford F-150 with a 3.7-liter V6 engine will be available this fall with separate fuel systems that allow it to operate on either natural gas or gasoline.

Ford says F-150s equipped with the natural gas package can achieve more than 750 miles on one tank of gas, depending on the tank size selected. The Ford F-150 averages 23 mpg on the highway.

“Businesses and fleet customers have been asking Ford to make F-150 available with CNG capability to take advantage of the fuel’s low price and clean emissions,” Jon Coleman, Ford fleet sustainability and technology manager, said in a news release. “With the money saved using CNG, customers could start to see payback on their investment in as little as 24 to 36 months.”

Ford says natural gas engine preparation from the factory costs approximately $315. Customers then must choose a Ford "qualified vehicle modifier" to supply fuel tanks, fuel lines and unique fuel injectors, which costs an additional $7,500 - $9,500, depending on fuel tank capacity.

Ford says converting a truck to natural gas capability can provide stability against fluctuating fuel prices and cut vehicle operating costs for fleet administrators. CNG sells for an average of $2.11 per gallon of gasoline equivalent, and is as low as $1 in some parts of the country, representing a significant savings over unleaded regular fuel, Ford said. The national average for unleaded regular fuel is $3.66 per gallon.

The company said that in the next year, it will offer eight commercial vehicles with the natural gas option.

Ford says it is on pace to sell more than 15,000 CNG-prepped vehicles this year, an increase of more than 25 percent from 2012.

VW Sales Goals in Doubt

Volkswagen has seen U.S. sales drop this year, raising questions among automotive analysts as to whether it remains on track to meet its stated goal of leading global automakers in sales, production and earnings by 2018.
The German automaker took aim at that mark in 2010, amid a fledgling economic recovery in the United States and continued uncertainty in Europe.
Since then, Europe's economy has been buffeted by crises in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland, and the recovery in the United States has proceeded tepidly.
As such, while the auto industry has largely recovered from the depths of a severe slump that came amid the Great Recession, it's been hard for any automaker to post dramatic enough gains to enable huge leaps up the sales and production charts.
For VW, problems also persist with its perceived quality and reliability.
Recent rankings by J.D. Power and Associates once again placed VW in the below average category in quality.
And though it has seen impressive sales gains from its Jetta small sedan, competition from other brands in that segment, and a reinvigorated truck and crossover SUV segment have meant only limited impact from Jetta's uptick.

Camry in Tough Fight to Hold onto Top Spot

With competition hotter than this summer's weather in the midsize sedan market, Toyota is trying to fend off a slew of challengers to keep its Camry in the No. 1 slot.
Camry's sales have slid two percent in calendar year 2013, as rivals such as the Nissan Altima, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion have posted sharp gains, according to sales data.
In response, Toyota has turned to financial incentives to try to keep Camry at the top, where it's been for 10 years.
J.D. Power and Associates reported that Camry's price cuts were among the highest in midsize sedans, while its sales price, averaging $20,900 as of early this month, was among the lowest in the category.
The venerable Camry hasn't had a dramatic styling overhaul as has been the case with some of its rivals, which may be curbing sales growth.
"The Camry is still a great vehicle, and still is very reliable, but as for style, people have to make their own choices about that," said Georgia Walker, a sales analyst with automotive retailer DriveTime in Atlanta. "With all of the choices on the market today, there is a lot of competition and automakers have to use price, warranty and style to make their cars stand out," she said.

2013 Infiniti JX35: Luxury and Surprisingly Good Value

When you think luxury family vehicle, you probably think of a vehicle that, while nicely appointed, is hugely expensive and consumes way too much fuel.


Well, if you’re talking about the 2013 Infiniti JX35, you’d be dead wrong, except for the first characteristic, that is.

This crossover SUV has three rows of seats, rides smoothly and has a number of convenient features.

And for a vehicle of this size and level of luxury, both its sticker price and fuel economy are quite reasonable.

The JX35’s engine is a 3.5-liter six-cylinder that makes 265 horsepower and is mated to a continuously variable transmission.

You can choose from front- or all-wheel drive.

The JX35 is rated at 17 mpg city, 23 highway, which isn’t bad for such a large vehicle.

In our extended road test of the JX, we set the drive mode to Eco (Sport and Snow are the other settings), and got right around 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving.

Unfortunately, like many luxury rides, it takes premium fuel, so that drives your cost up somewhat.

The styling of the JX35 is simple, yet with a slightly sporty flair.

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Hyundai Santa Fe Facing Safety Probe

The  Hyundai Santa Fe is being investigated by federal safety regulators over complaints that its power can suddenly fail.
The complaints say that the 2013 sport utility vehicle's right-front axle shaft can fail, causing the vehicle to be unable to move. There have been no crashes or injuries, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.
The probe covers nearly 50,000 vehicles, and could lead to a recall.
The Associated Press reported that in one complaint, an owner told NHTSA there was a loud bang under the SUV as it was being driven out of a subdivision. After that it would not move in drive or reverse. The owner called Hyundai's roadside assistance number, and the Santa Fe was towed to a dealership, where technicians found a cracked axle, according to the AP.

GM Vehicle Recall May Expand

A recall of three General Motors vehicles may expand by 5,000 cars as federal regulators investigate a problem that can stall engines or cause fires.
GM recalled more than 38,000 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal sedans in May to address the problems with defective generator control modules. Each car, from the 2012 and 2013 model years, has GM's eAssist gas-electric hybrid system.
The cars covered by the recall had been sold, according to news services, but GM agreed to test vehicles that had not been sold.
A fire was reported in one of the unsold vehicles, according to regulators, prompting the possibility of the expanded recall, news reports said.
GM told news services that it continues to cooperate with the investigation.

Sneak Peek at the 2014 Acura MDX

Acura has come out with a new version of its MDX for the 2014 model year, and the SUV offers revised styling, better fuel economy and other convenience upgrades.
Atlanta media members got to check out the vehicle recently, as Acura officials visited to sing its praises.

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2013 Toyota Avalon: Call It a Comeback

With a major redesign, the 2013 Toyota Avalon seems to have found the fountain of youth.


Now Toyota hopes younger buyers will find its large sedan much more appealing.

The Avalon has been seen over the years as a pleasant car, but one that was rather boring, stodgy and designed for older folks who cared little for styling or driving performance.

If this sounds familiar, you make recall that Buick had the same perception problem with most of its vehicle lineup until just a few years ago.

So taking a page from the Buick playbook, Toyota gives the Avalon a much more dramatic exterior appearance that features athletic body enhancements and sweeping lines.

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