Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Car Connection

The Car Connection

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Mercedes-Benz Weathered Hard Times Better Than Other Lux Brands?

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:18 PM PDT

The housing bust and the recession have hit some areas of the country harder than others. And because some vehicles play better (or worse) in Peoria than in Parsippany or Portola Hills, it's affected the auto industry in some substantial ways. And Mercedes-Benz considers itself lucky to be strong in a few places that weren't affected as severely...


Mercedes-Benz Diesels And Hybrids: Green Goodness, Slow Sales?

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:46 PM PDT

Mercedes-Benz offers a clean-diesel Bluetec version of each of its large utility vehicles, the R-Class, GL-Class, and M-Class, along with a Hybrid version of the ML. But even combined, the standard gasoline versions of these vehicles are still far outselling their greener counterparts that don't cost much more. In the case of Mercedes' R-Class...


BMW Pathfinder Seeks To Guide You Where The Maps Don't Go

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:00 PM PDT

No matter how new your car is, sometimes the maps in the on-board navigation system just don't provide enough detail--especially when you need guidance within your destination. But BMW thinks it has an answer in its new research project: microNavigation. No, that's not a misplaced capital; that's how BMW titles the project, the ultimate goal of...


2011 Toyota Sienna

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 12:06 PM PDT

The Basics: The 2011 Toyota Sienna may be the Japanese automaker's third-generation minivan, but Toyota emphasizes that the new Sienna is becoming more carlike than ever. Want proof? How about the new Sienna SE sport van, which actually handles like something you'd want to drive, outside of Krogering? The Sienna gets smart updates to its...


High Gear Media Gets #Social With Your #Car #News

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 11:23 AM PDT

Like the post-trendy hashtag? Get used to it, a lot, because High Gear Media's getting deeper into the social-media world of cars. Today, we're announcing an important new piece of our little galaxy of sites. You know us from TheCarConnection for reviews, ratings and comparisons; from MotorAuthority, for first drives, spy shots and auto show news;...


Tesla Opens Up About Its New Old Factory

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:26 AM PDT

The ink's barely dry on the Tesla - Toyota deal that gives the startup electric-car maker a new manufacturing home. But today, Tesla's going public with some details on how it plans to use the former NUMMI facility in Fremont, California, to build its mainstream 2012 Tesla Model S sedan. The former New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI)...


2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 41 MPG, Most Efficient Luxury Sedan In America

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:30 AM PDT

Ford's Fusion Hybrid has already won accolades for its excellent efficiency and driving performance, and now its more luxurious cousin, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, is following in its footsteps. With an EPA-rated 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, it's now the most efficienct luxury sedan in the U.S. Lincoln claims the MKZ Hybrid will save owners as...


Blue Oval Gets A Little Greener

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:44 AM PDT

We talk a lot about green rides here at TCC -- in fact, the HighGearMedia family boasts several sites that rank eco-friendliness among their top priorities. But as interested as consumers may be in hybrids and EVs and fuel-economy, many also want to see that the companies themselves are operating efficiently and to know that they're being good...


2011 Ford Fiesta

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:42 AM PDT

The Basics: Ford hasn't offered a subcompact in more than a decade. Now, it's responding to steady sales of the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa by bringing us an adapted version of the well-received and very successful European 2011 Ford Fiesta. We're not sure if America's quite ready for a car smaller than the smallest Ford Focus, but...


2010 Suzuki XL7

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:58 PM PDT

The Suzuki XL7 is an excellent product, but it's likely not coming back after a very short run for 2010. A victim of the GM bankruptcy upheaval, not slow sales, the XL7 was closely related to several of GM's compact utility vehicles but arguably the best tuned. In addition to a handsome exterior design, the 2009 Suzuki XL7 boasts a standard...


2010 Mitsubishi Endeavor

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:55 PM PDT

The Endeavor is Mitsubishi's mid-size compact crossover vehicle, but it's a bit of a lost soul—reason being, the compact Outlander is nearly as large, handles better, and offers a third-row seat, which the Endeavor doesn't. After skipping the 2009 model year entirely, the 2010 Mitsubishi Endeavor exists but is being sold in very limited numbers...


2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:53 PM PDT

The 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid looks virtually the same from the outside as conventional four-cylinder and V-6 versions of this popular family crossover, The Highlander Hybrid shares a powertrain with the much pricier, ritzier 2010 Lexus RX 450h. It uses a specially tuned 3.3-liter V-6 paired with two electric motors where the transmission...


2010 MINI Cooper Convertible

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:52 PM PDT

The 2010 MINI Cooper Convertible brims with personality and a timeless flair, and in any version—the base Cooper or high-performance Cooper S—it's a delightful car to drive. Convertibles lose the roofline that sets the MINI's wedgy stance, but the top design apes it closely, and a wide band of chrome at the shoulder line is a smart touch. They...


2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:50 PM PDT

The 2010 Mercury Milan and Milan Hybrid are remarkably good mid-size sedans that should be better known than they are. Though mechanically identical to the Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid, the Milan and Milan Hybrid have a cleaner exterior and slightly more stylish interior finishes—along with the better dealership experience that Lincoln-Mercury...


2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 08:49 PM PDT

The traditional, upright lines of the 2010 Mercury Mariner and Mariner Hybrid disguise their actual personas: They're carlike crossovers, with a good ride quality, great maneuverability, and decent handling that belies their high driving position and boxy shape. If maximum economy is your goal, the 2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid is fitted with Ford's...


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