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Audi Announces Price of New Clean-Diesel SUV

April 15, 2009 in Consumer News, diesel by kristen | No comments

The 2009 Audi Q7 TDI is being billed as “the world’s cleanest diesel SUV,” with 50-state emissions compliance and 17 city/25 highway fuel economy. It’s not cheap to buy race-proven diesel technology in an SUV, though: the Q7 TDI starts at $50,900. This doesn’t include the $825 destination charge, but it also doesn’t factor in the $1,150 Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit from the IRS.

In addition to getting 600 miles per tank, the diesel engine delivers significantly more torque, which is useful for those who actually utilize their sports utility vehicles, say, when climbing a steep hill. The Q7 also produces 25% less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines and emits 90% fewer nitrogen oxides than the stinky, old diesels of yore, according to Audi.

Ford Escape Hybrid: The Fuel Economy Test Drive

December 5, 2008 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG, test drives by kristen | 1 comment

Ford Escape Hybrid

When I got back to the States after my vacation in diesel-clogged Buenos Aires, I had a Ford Escape Hybrid waiting for me to test drive. I don’t think I’ve even been so happy to see a low-emissions vehicle in my life.

Before we get to the mpg, a note on space: The Escape fit all of our suitcases, camera bags, backpacks, and whatever else in the back seat and cargo area, with plenty of space for a regular-sized driver (me) and a six-foot-plus passenger. It was far less crammed than the airline seats we had just happily left, and we had satellite radio.

On Indicator

When the Escape is started, the gasoline engine comes on, so there is an audible cue to let the driver know when to stop turning the key. In case that’s still too quiet for you, there’s the little green car-shaped light with a double-ended arrow under it in the dashboard to let you know the vehicle is ready to go. (This comes in handy when stopped at very long red lights and the gas engine drops out. The electric motor is silent, but ready to do your bidding at the green light.)

The home screen of the display has a little map, radio information, and an mpg meter. For more detailed mileage information, you can call up the HEV screen, which shows a diagram of the engine, electric motor, the battery, and the front wheels. A green outline shows which elements are in play at any time, and the status, i.e., “Idle with Charging,” is spelled out at the bottom of the screen.

HEV Screen

The Escape doesn’t have the pep of the Mini I tested a few weeks ago, but I did take it on a variety of roads — surface streets, interstates, and state roads. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get my average fuel economy to budge from 30 mpg. Wait — I did get it to 29.9 mpg while I was passing a string of trucks. This is less than the EPA combined rating of 32 mpg, but still good for an SUV. The EPA also gives it an 8 out of 10 emissions rating.

That kind of mileage and low emissions come at a price, though: the Ford Escape Hybrid starts at $29,305. Hybrids are still hard to find on the lot, as they are expensive to build and popular to buy, so price breaks and dealer incentives are going to be equally as scarce for the Escape hybrid. But if you can find and afford it, the Ford Escape hybrid is a great SUV.

This car was provided for review by the manufacturer at no cost to the reviewer.

Dodge Durango Hybrid Gets $2200 Tax Credit

October 20, 2008 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG by kristen | No comments

2009 Dodge Durango hybrid at Mudfest

I’ve been at two auto events recently where the new Dodge Durango hybrid was made available for journalists to drive and evaluate. The first was Mudfest earlier this month, where the Durango hybrid topped the Best Family SUV category, where it competed with non-hybrid vehicles.

The second event was just a few days ago, when Chrysler/Dodge brought a handful of new models to Portland, Oregon, for the press to peruse. The 2009 Dodge Durango hybrid had just that day earned its official EPA fuel economy rating of 20 mpg city, 22 highway, and the company learned that the SUV was eligible for a $2,200 tax credit. The new rating marks an improvement in the hybrid Durango’s mileage over its conventional, petrol-burning Durango sibling by 50% in the city and 40% overall.

The phrase we keep hearing from SUV manufacturers is “no compromises.” Apparently, Joe Buyer is afraid that his new hybrid SUV will be wussy, and the PR folks are working to counter that. The Dodge Durango hybrid still has a V8 engine, though four cylinders will cut out when the engine isn’t under load. It still has 4-wheel drive and eight seats, and it can still tow 6,000 pounds. (The conventional Durango pulls 8,800 pounds; it’s up to you to decide if that’s a compromise.) But it also has stop-start technology and the two-mode hybrid system. The Dodge Durango hybrid and its cousin, the Chrysler Aspen hybrid, will be at dealerships by the end of 2008 with a price tag starting at $45,340.

The curious thing was that despite the tax credit and the clamor for gas-sipping, emissions-lite vehicles, Chrysler still isn’t wholeheartedly embracing the hybrid platform. While the GM rep I spoke with a couple weeks ago said he didn’t see why all of GM’s large vehicles couldn’t be based on a hybrid system like the Yukon has, the Chrysler rep at the more recent event said his company was going to wait and see. There are plenty of reasons for auto companies to take baby steps these days, but hybrid technology shouldn’t be one of the things they hold back on. Especially if there really are “no compromises.”

Ford Escape Hybrid Best Green SUV

October 9, 2008 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG, diesel by kristen | 1 comment

Ford Hybrid Escape at the 2008 Mudfest Competition

The Northwest Automotive Press Association has released the results, and the first-ever Best Green SUV Award went to the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. The field included two hybrids, a diesel, and an SUV with variable cylinder management technology.

SUVs in the green category were judged alongside “regular” SUVs and were scored on the same on-road and off-road handling capabilities, comfort, ergonomics, etc. In addition, the Green SUVs were evaluated on their fuel economy and emissions technologies and innovations.

It’s interesting to note that, because the Green SUVs were run over the exact same courses as the conventional SUVs, they won in other categories as well.

Best Family SUV

2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid

  • $30,000 – $50,000 price range as tested
  • Kid-friendly features
  • Winner: 2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid

Best Luxury SUV

2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec Diesel

  • Above $50,000 as tested
  • Advanced luxury features
  • Winner: Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec Diesel

12 Unexpected Gas-Saving Cars

August 20, 2008 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG, diesel, small cars by kristen | 5 comments

The NY Times reported last weekend on a dozen autos you might not expect to get such great gas mileage. Among their picks was a Corvette, which I can tell you first-hand gets better gas mileage than you’d expect, at 26 mpg on the highway — if you drive it reasonably and responsibly. But who does that in a Corvette?

Here’s the Times’s list with combined miles per gallon, but you’ll want to read the whole list on the newspaper’s Web site. Reporter Lawrence Ulrich includes everything from tiny econoboxes to full-size SUVs and pickups. He purposefully left out the obvious, like the Prius and Honda Civic, to focus on overlooked models in broad categories.

  • Toyota Camry Hybrid, 34 mpg
  • Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 33 mpg
  • Mini Cooper, 29 mpg
  • Nissan Versa, 27 mpg
  • Honda Accord coupe, 24 mpg
  • Toyota RAV-4, 24 mpg
  • Mazda 5, 23 mpg
  • BMW 328i, 22 mpg
  • Toyota Tacoma, 21 mpg
  • Chevy Corvette, 19 mpg
  • Ford Flex, 19 mpg
  • Mercedes-Benz GL320 Bluetec, 19 mpg

More GM Models to Get Fuel-Efficient FXE Treatment

August 15, 2008 in Consumer News, MPG by kristen | No comments

2009 Chevy Silverado XFE

The Cobalt XFE has done so well for GM in these days of expensive gas and carbon-consciousness that it’s expanding the fuel-efficient XFE measures to the much larger Silverado, Tahoe, Sierra, and Yukon this fall.

The XFE models get 5% better mileage on the highway and 7% better in the city, which in trucks and SUVs as big as these is still a pretty small difference. All four models will get 15 city, 21 highway, as opposed to the vanilla varieties, which get 14 city, 20 highway. Huzzah!

The difference the XFE tweaks make is more noticeable in a small car like the Cobalt, where the company first used them. The regular-issue 2008 Cobalt with an automatic transmission gets 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway; the 2008 FXE trimmed Cobalt gets 25 in the city and 36 on the highway.

The XFE designation means the vehicles were lightly redesigned with more fuel-efficient engines and better aerodynamics. The four new trucks all have:

  • 5.3L Flex-Fuel engine
  • Aluminum cylinder block and heads to reduce mass
  • Lowered suspension to improve aerodynamics
  • Aluminum wheels and spare to reduce mass
  • Low rolling resistance tires with higher tire pressure

Cadillac Hybrid Sucks Wallets Dry, Not Gas Pumps

August 12, 2008 in Bioethanol, Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG by kristen | No comments

Cadillac’s first-ever hybrid, the 2009 Escalade Hybrid, will cost a whopping $71,685, including destination charges. The green-ish Escalade turns in 20 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, same as the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids, but it costs $20,000 more than either of its stablemates.

The Escalade will hit dealerships in September and will likely appeal to the same people who were buying the top-end luxury SUV in the first place, but now it comes with eco-cachet. That little green “H” logo looks good no matter which aftermarket rims and grilles you choose.

In contrast, the standard-issue 2009 Escalade without the two-mode hybrid system gets 12 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway with gasonline or 10 mpg/14 mpg if you get the E85 Flex Fuel version. The hybrid has puts out 9.2 tons of carbon annually, according to the EPA, while E85 emits 10.1 tons and gasoline emits 12. 2 tons.

Delay for Mercedes’ First Hybrid

August 7, 2008 in Biz News, Hybrids by kristen | No comments

In January, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would start building its first hybrid vehicle, the ML-450 SUV in June. But a lawsuit filed in Atlanta recently says the battery supplier didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. Production didn’t get off the ground in June, and may never happen, according to M-B.

Battery manufacturer Cobasys is accused of refusing to honor its agreement to supply the electric power source for the hybrid and of misrepresenting its finances to M-B, according to reporting done by the Tuscaloosa News. The German automaker was slated to begin production of the M-Class at a plant in Georgia this summer, but it says there’s no alternative supplier it can use to get the batteries it needs. For its part, Cobasys says it never agreed to produce the battery pack.

If you’re looking for a winner in this post, it may be GM, whose huge Chevy Tahoe Hybrid currently has a cash bonus of up to $6,000 on 2008 models. GM also builds the Saturn Vue Hybrid, a smaller SUV similar in size to the so-popular-its-hard-to-find Ford Escape Hybrid and the M-Class.

Ford Drops Trucks, Brings on the Small Cars

July 24, 2008 in Biz News, small cars by kristen | 2 comments

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic

After a disastrous second quarter, Ford announced that they’re going to build fewer trucks and SUVs and import six small cars that the company’s been selling in Europe. Consumers, and the dealers who can’t move SUVs off their lots, are chomping at the bit to get these more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Ford Focus and Fiesta sedans and hatchbacks currently on the streets of Paris and London will be available in the U.S. in 2009-2010. At the same time, three truck plants — two in the U.S. and one in Mexico — will switch over to building the small cars that are currently in such short supply. I can’t help but think that a little bit of foresight on Ford’s part could have saved them from their worst quarter ever, which just ended with a total loss of $8.7 billion.

If we’re lucky, we Americans will get the latest Fiesta, the ECOnetic, which debuted in London July 22. It gets the best fuel economy in the company at 3.7 l/100 km, which on this side of the pond is an amazing 63.5 mpg. It also has the lowest CO2 output in its class, at 98g/km, yet it still has a top speed of 110 mph.