Car News: Week of October 29, 2012

Here are some automotive stories and other news items that I thought were interesting and/or fun this week. 

(c) Car Mama

Oops. EPA audits Hyundai America & Kia America for fuel economy claims. Hyundai & Kia will issue personalized debit cards to owners of affected vehicles. The amount on the debit cards will depend on the fuel price in owners' region and the miles driven. Hyundai & Kia will continue to add money to the debit cards as long as the vehicles are owned. Even those who had the vehicles and sold them can get reimbursed for the "inconvenience" and extra cost associated with their ownership. (Now I don't feel so bad that I couldn't get the Kia Optima Hybrid to return the mileage numbers that were on the sticker.)

Kia Optima Hybrid: Quietly Turning Heads

(c) Hyundai Motor Co

I had fun driving a 2013 Kia Optima Premium for a day. I had even more fun driving a Kia Optima Hybrid Premium for a week. My challenge was to empty the gas tank, but I couldn't do it. I drove around town, I went shopping in various towns, I went to Sonoma and sipped wine, but I didn't drain the tank, and therefore my gasoline costs for the week were low. Looks like I flunked my assignment, but the Optima Hybrid seems to have done well on it's assignment.

Audi A3 Overnight

A cute little Audi A3 spent the night in our garage last week and the whole family was smitten. As posted in my earlier review, it is an adorable car that's fun to drive. My 8-year old daughter loved the overall size and the backseat legroom and window height (it was low enough). Now that she's out of a booster seat, some backseats are so low she has a hard time seeing the world as it rushes past.

2012 Dodge Avenger: 1100 Miles, Iron Man & One Big Bass

I put more than 1100 miles on the Dodge Avenger SXT Plus I rented two weeks ago. All of those miles were logged in the State of Minnesota with 14 days of driving between Bemidji and Stillwater, with many stops in between. I feel confident that I got to know this Avenger and its ability to handle rain, wind and clouds of bugs. 

2012 Dodge Avenger Review Teaser

** Review Posted: 2012 Dodge Avenger: 1100 Miles, Iron Man & One Big Bass

I've put more than 800 miles on my Dodge Avenger SXT Plus rental this week traipsing around the very green state of Minnesota. I've encountered rain, wind, clouds of bugs, and humidity, but have remained comfortable and confident driving the Avenger. Yes, the name makes me feel like I'm part of some weird comic book club, but as long as I don't say "Avenger" too often, I don't mind the vehicle itself. I was skeptical at first because in the past I've not liked many Dodge products, but after the first 50 miles I knew that this was not a Dodge of my youth. Or even a Dodge of the last decade.

The ride is quiet and comfortable, the Pentastar V6 has more than enough power, and I'm averaging 29 MPG. The trunk has a lot of room, as does the backseat. And the audio system is actually pretty good. The black interior with flashy red accents does heat up rather quickly in the afternoon sun, but the A/C keeps up even while going up hill.

More details and photos to come.

(c) Copyright 2010-2016. Erika JN Fish. Car Mama. All Rights Reserved.

2012 Volkswagen Touareg: Now They're Cookin' with Gas AND Diesel

The 2012 VW Touareg is a fun, powerful SUV with none of the quirkiness of associated with the brand. I took a tour of Marin County in a TDI Clean Diesel and truly forgot that I was driving a Volkswagen. It's nicely appointed inside and out, and has those cool LED daytime running lights in the front that I love. It's time for luxury SUV drivers to consider a stop at the VW dealer to check out the latest Touareg. Plus you get to choose your fuel fav: gasoline, diesel, or a supercharged hybrid.

Annoying Features: Who Thought of That?

Every now and then I'll run across some feature of a car that really throws me. Why did the designers do that? What's that for? Who thought of that? Here are a few that are on my mind today. If you have some, please share in the comments.

2012 Honda Odyssey: A friend just bought a new Honda Odyssey and she's thrown by the way the radio displays the time and the station: It displays the current time, the radio band, and to the far right the station number. For example, "3:45 AM       680." It annoys her and gets confusing. Maybe if she didn't listen to AM stations...

Sienna cupholders

2011 Toyota Sienna: (This one comes from a friend who is a new Sienna owner.) Where are you supposed to put your iPhone/iPod once you plug it into the auxiliary port and/or charger? On the floor where you can't see it? Or in a cup holder (where you want to put your coffee cup)? Maybe get a little suction cup thing to attach to the cheapy plastic dash?

2011 Chevrolet Malibu: I had this as a rental car and it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get the gas tank door open to fill up the tank. I would have just skipped this step if the gas at the rental place didn't cost $8/gallon. There wasn't a release lever or button in the car. There wasn't a finger hold on the gas tank door. How in the world was I supposed to know that you press on the door and it pops open? I even looked for the book in the glove compartment, but it wasn't there. A little sticker on the gas tank door would have been helpful. Especially for a rental car.

2001-2009 Lexus RX300: Cup holders. The cup holders in the older RX were ridiculously short and would only keep a kid-sized drink upright through any braking or turns. Super annoying. 



(c) Copyright 2010-2016. Erika JN Fish. Car Mama. All Rights Reserved.

2012 Prius v: Trust Me, It's "vee," As In "Wagon"

The new Prius v is the wagon alternative to the original Prius hatchback, and it's a very good alternative if you need the space a wagon offers. It's also a Prius with great city and highway mileage and the quirky alien-hand shifter.

2011 Toyota Prius: Even This Car Snob Gets It

I still feel a bit like George Jetson when I take off down the street in our new 2011 Prius. It's quiet and has a little high-pitched hum. If only I had a robot maid at home to keep things running smoothly while I'm out silently driving around town... 

Highlights:

• Combined Mileage of 50 MPG with 47 MPG in town and 52 MPG on the highway (my real-world numbers from real-world driving)
• Easy-to-Understand Options Packages (but those are pricey)
• Fits in Small Parking Spaces
• Great Turning Radius
• Takes 87 Octane in it's 11.9 Gallon Tank
• Useful Cargo-area Underfloor Storage
• Push-button Start & Smart Key
• 60/40 Rear Seat

2012 Ford Explorer - 225,000 Miles or Bust

Before 2011, Ford Explorers were never high on my list of vehicles with exciting design, so when I heard about the re-design, I didn't give it much thought since the last re-design wasn't what it said it was. But then I saw it. Finally an Explorer that's up-to-date, not too round, and not to square. But would it perform up to the standards that Explorer owners expect? Could it bring buyers from other brands? 

2012 Audi A6: Movin' On Up

Good design should be recognized & rewarded, and in my opinion Audi keeps raising the bar for automobile designers. The changes, design-wise, to the new 2012 Audi A6 aren't earth-shattering, but they are beautiful and functional. The changes to the transmission are worth noting -- this is a car that is fun to drive and so incredibly smooth you don't know when the automatic is shifting.

2012 Audi A7: A Cure for The Common Mid-life Crisis

I can't deny that I'm in love with the new Audi A7. It's fun to drive, fast, spacious, and has nice headlights. I'm all for hatchbacks as long as they're this sexy.