The CarGurus Blog

Like it or not, the first decade of the 21st century is just about gone. Hard to believe the Y2K craze and cries about the end of the world were already 10 years ago. Maybe all those predictions of collapse were accurate, though… they just came nine years late.

Thinking about this decade and its cars, it’s easy to look back and say what could have been done to avoid the collapse of the auto industry. Take GM, for instance. In the months after 9/11/01, Americans were in a patriotic frenzy. Imagine if GM had stood up and said something to the effect of, ”We want to lead American automakers in reducing our need for foreign oil.”

GM could have placed itself in a position of leadership to create smaller cars and drive America toward sustainability. What it did, of course, is ramp up production and marketing of the Hummer brand.

That essentially sums up the decade, as American love for SUVs kept growing along with our vehicles’ size. Even sedans kept growing. The Honda Accord grew from a compact sedan to a large sedan. The Toyota Camry did the same. The Honda Civic became as large as older Accords.

American excess was in prime form, all the way until the summer of 2008, when $4-per-gallon gasoline and $5-per-gallon diesel sucker-punched us in the wallets. Suddenly $125 fill ups sent us whining to the automakers, demanding small cars with great fuel economy. Of course, those didn’t exist here yet, save for the suddenly popular Toyota Prius hybrid.

High fuel prices were followed immediately by the near collapse of the world’s financial system, which sent GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy. Other automakers have survived free-falling sales numbers as they scramble to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles.

In short, the 2000s have seen transformation like never before in the auto industry. I’m betting these 10 years will go down in history as the years that changed the auto industry forever, from gas-guzzling excess to world-saving efficiency.

What are your favorite cars from the 2000s? As much of a symbol of excess as it is, I still love the 2002 Chevy Suburban 2500!

-tgriffith

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1992 Dodge Viper: a bright spot in cars of the '90s

Blah. Even researching cars of the 1990s is boring.

While the 1980s gave us everything we could ever want in cars, the ’90s took it all away and replaced it with the Chevy Impala, the generic brown bag of cars.

If the ’90s are known for one thing, though, it’s the beginning of excess. The Ford Explorer, Expedition, Excursion, and Lincoln Navigator were introduced, along with the Dodge Durango. There’s no denying the Explorer’s significance, as it is the SUV that popularized SUVs and led to many years of ever-growing road behemoths.

Want more examples of boring cars of the 1990s? Yeah, I really don’t, either, but I’m proving a point. I submit as evidence the Dodge Neon, Pontiac Trans Sport, Chevy Lumina, anything with an Oldsmobile logo (R.I.P.), as well as the Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler Concorde, and Dodge Intrepid. I could keep going, but I’ll spare you.

What I will do is mention the few bright spots of the 1990s:

1997 Plymouth Prowler

In 1992, the Dodge Viper was introduced, giving Chrysler a V10-powered challenger to the Chevy Corvette. Chrysler also went out on a limb and introduced the Plymouth Prowler before permanently shutting down the Plymouth brand. While I didn’t like the Prowler, I did like that Chrysler stepped out of the norm to build it.

The ’90s also saw the birth of the Mazda MX-5 Miata. The little roadster was priced right and became an immediate hit for people who loved to drive.

GM introduced a radical new brand called Saturn in 1990. Promising a no-pressure sales environment, Saturn quickly grew and enjoyed a cult following before the General let the division wither on the vine in 2009.

Finally, in another example of forward thinking from GM, it introduced the EV1 in 1996. This could have been the groundbreaker for electric vehicles, but instead GM pulled the plug and focused on producing big, high-profit SUVs. And we all know how that turned out.

Do you have any favorite cars of the 1990s?

-tgriffith

Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars, Trucks & SUVs

2010 Ford Fusion SE Sport and Hybrid

In the world of automotive publishing, Motor Trend magazine seems to have been around forever. It’s consistently influential, particularly in giving out its Car of the Year Awards, which it has done for 60 years. Ford won this year with the 2010 Fusion (both gas and hybrid versions), and that seems like a good choice.

Also competing were 22 other cars, including the Prius, Hyundai Genesis, various BMWs, and the MAZDA3. The Fusion won not because it was the “best car,” but because it was “the car that gets it right for its intended audience.” So said Jil McIntosh, and so said The Car Connection, which noted the car’s strong

appeal among the buying public. Over the past year, the Fusion has boosted sales and helped expand Ford’s U.S. market share by almost a full percentage point: the company now holds 15.8% of the American market.

Motor Trend’s editor-in-chief said he was impressed by the car’s attention to detail, its new (for 2010) engineering, and the fact that it could compete so well with benchmark cars like the Camry and Accord. Available in a variety of trim and performance options, the Fusion seems to have pulled off the considerable trick of pleasing just about everybody. The hybrid version is good (see video above), and the 3.5-liter Duratec V6 in the Sport version’s even better. Most all-things-to-all-people cars can’t begin to garner such praise. Even tough folks like Suzanne Denbow got on board with the selection.

Ford stock went up (to $8.98, its highest in over two years) earlier in the week as investor George Soros’s fund announced it had bought some 7.3 million shares over the past three months. And the company got another big and well-deserved boost with the COTY Award yesterday.

Why would you buy a Fusion over an Accord or a Camry? Or would you?

—jgoods

Car Industry News, Car Magazines, Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars

1985 Lamborghini Countach

If I could pick one decade to be stuck in forever, it would be the 1980s.

The girls wore leg warmers and tube tops, the guys in metal bands used more hair product than the girls, and Michael J. Fox was a major movie star (”Teen Wolf”!).

The best part of the 1980s, though, was the cars. This was a decade that finally gave everyone ample choices for whatever kind of car they wanted. The supercars of the ’80s were the stuff of dreams. Those wedge-shaped, gull-winged, super-powered Ferraris and Lamborghinis fueled an obsession for cars that could have easily gotten lost in the ’70s. The 1987 Ferrari F40 could compete with supercars of today. The 1985 Lamborghini Countach epitomized ’80s style.

Then there were the trucks. Whether you wanted an American 4×4 or Japanese reliability, you had options. The Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer ruled the streets and the trails. Toyota placed the incredible 22R engine into its Pickup, some of which are probably still running with no maintenance other than the occasional oil change.

Even the family car was exciting in the ’80s, as the all-new Ford Taurus (and SHO!) blew the segment wide open, while imports such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry were in the heyday of quality and fuel efficiency. The Japanese provided us with fun, fast pocket rockets such as the Honda CRX and Acura Integra. Chrysler invented the North American minivan category with its 1984 Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.

Even among all this, American muscle managed to make a comeback. The 1985 Chevy Camaro Z28 and IROC, along with the 1987 Pontiac Trans Am GTA satisfied the horsepower-crazed gearheads. Even the 1987 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 was a good car, if not up to the standards of, say, a 1967 Shelby GT500.

Car-wise, the 1980’s were an enthusiast’s heaven and fostered many fine memories as the excess and blah of the 1990s set in.

What are your favorite cars from the 1980s?

-tgriffith

Car Minded, Classic & Vintage Cars, Domestic Cars, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Trucks & SUVs

We’ve got three Mercedes-Benz stories today:

1. The ML 450 Hybrid (shown here) is announced for sale in the U.S. with a 275-hp V6 and two electric motors. When both motors are needed, the system can generate some 335 hp and 381 lb-ft of torque, which ought to get you up to speed nicely. “During braking and coasting, one motor acts as a generator, slowing the SUV and recovering kinetic energy.” So says GlobalMotors. Mileage is reported to be 21 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.

M-B has decided to make the car available only for lease, not purchase—an interesting gambit, perhaps related to its battery technology (nickel-metal-hydride, not lithium-ion). Run down to your Benz dealer and fork over $659 a month for 36 months or $549 a month for 60 months if you want this baby.

2. Rent-a-smart: Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche has announced a pilot program called cars2go for renting smart cars in Austin, Texas. (smart is a separate brand owned by Mercedes-Benz.) Rent ‘em for a few hours or a day and return them whole to a designated location. When the company tried this in Ulm, Germany, users paid “19 euro cents per minute including taxes, insurance, mileage and fuel.” If it works in Austin, other cities may get the program.

Smart sales have been way down in the U.S. after an explosion in 2008 when the cars were first offered. Down 70.4 percent last month (compared to a year earlier), sales of 661 cars in October just ain’t going to cut it. Too bad, because the car is selling elsewhere; I’ve even seen a few here in Oaxaca, Mexico. Maybe the rental program will take off, and Autoweek says Daimler is considering a four-seat smart, to be built with Renault.

3. Daimler also debuted its “third-generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel-cell-hybrid bus at the site in Hamburg, Germany, where 10 of the buses enter service next year.” While we don’t ordinarily review buses in this column, this big boy was said to “perform outstandingly” and represents a tremendous push forward in fuel-cell technology and infrastructure. The Citaro has been tested in the European Union since 2003 and uses some 50 percent less hydrogen than its predecessor. “Practically maintenance free,” the Citaro has a long operating life. Get on the bus.

The Nissan Leaf EV, which we have reported on, made its U.S. debut Friday at Dodger Stadium in L.A. Said the whimsical Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s Chief, “This is not a golf cart—it’s a real car.” We should hope so: At $25-33,000 per industry estimates, it should do more than carry two of you, your clubs, and liquid refreshment. We think the Leaf sounds like a winner, and it will get to 60 mph in less than 10 seconds (says Nissan), with a wide network of charging stations planned in the U.S.

GM, naturally, is going a different route. Bob Lutz, the company’s marketing chief, told The Car Connection that a big ‘ol front-drive Chevy Impala will be coming to compete with the Ford Taurus. “Lutz also hinted at a hybrid option for the new Impala, stating that the car will be compatible with GM’s hybrid technology.” You can all stand up and cheer, hybrid fans.

And finally, a Washington group of heavy-hitters called the Electrification Coalition has announced plans to raise more than $120 billon in federal funds over eight years to get 120 million EVs on the road and on the grid by 2030. Details are here. The idea is to combat the nation’s dependence on oil and bring serious leadership to bear.

The initial investment would be targeted at a handful of cities, or “electrification ecosystems,” designed to show the viability of both the plug-ins and the electric grid they would interact with. The first phase would last four years and invest in six to eight cities that would essentially serve as large-scale demonstration programs. The second phase would then extend to an additional 20 to 25 cities.

What do you think, folks? Can the Electrification Coalition succeed?

—jgoods

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In the 1970s, excess and ugliness competed with lame attempts at fuel efficiency. The result? Lots of underpowered, hideous-looking cars that looked back toward the glory of the ’60s and extended a great big middle finger at them.

Very little good came out of the ’70s, but there were a couple of gems among the morbid Mustang IIs and miserable Mercury Bobcats.

First, though, we have to give a little credit to the ’70s for at least trying to deal with a triple blow to the auto industry. First, the Clean Air Act of 1970 was passed, which by itself wasn’t that big of a deal to the automakers. But then the stock market crashed in January 1973, followed by an OPEC oil embargo that raised the price of a barrel of oil by 70 percent.

A sinking economy, government regulations, and high gas prices are just as much to blame for the Pinto as Ford is. Even in those hard times, though, some cars shined and still have a lasting influence today.

Take Toyota, for example. It’s $1,700 Corolla came to the States in 1968, perfectly timed to take advantage of Americans looking for fuel efficiency and low prices, rather than big block V8s. Some early quality and safety issues were addressed, and here we are now 40 years later with a Toyota that arguably owes its U.S. success to the problems of the 1970s. For that, we are thankful. (Anyone care to make a modern-day Hyundai comparison?)

We’re also thankful for the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am. This was one of the last great cars from Pontiac before the brand dropped its large displacement engines in the face of tighter emissions restrictions. Savor those T-Tops and that 400-cubic-inch engine, friends, because once the 1980s arrived, we had a whole new ballgame.

Are any of your favorite cars from the 1970s?

-tgriffith

Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat

For years we’ve been hoping for a resurgence from Jaguar. Now it may be happening with the XKR (right), a gorgeous, hot-performing car that brings back memories of Jag’s glory days. Power comes from a 5-liter supercharged V8 that is good for 510 hp and 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. It pulls .92 g on the skidpad and runs the quarter-mile in 12.3 seconds. The cost is roughly $100,000 which, for a car like this, seems a bargain.

Says Car and Driver:

In a lot of ways, the XKR is a better car than the [BMW] M6, which is a techno-overload on wheels. The Jag rides better, we prefer its styling, and it is actually quicker. It lacks the cachet of the Mercedes SL63, but is cheaper, more stylish, and less ubiquitous. We don’t think it’s as gorgeous as the Aston Martin DB9, either inside or out, but is more practical, faster, handles better, and is about 60 percent of the price.

They took it to the track as well as Ann Arbor’s streets. On the track it was “well balanced, predictable, and immensely satisfying.” There are a few minor quibbles—too-small rear seats and a weird throttle pedal—but the car could bring Jaguar back to what it was years ago. I want one; please send money.

A nice touch: acknowledging the fact that many drivers of high-powered cars just can’t cut it, Jaguar is offering free of charge to XKR and XFR buyers the “R Performance Academy,” a day at one of five U.S. tracks where they will be taught basic hard-driving skills.

Lotus, too, is trying for a renaissance and is reportedly going to bring back the Esprit (right). A new seven-year plan for the company posits that the Esprit will reappear (maybe under a new name) in 2012 as both coupe and convertible. CEO Dany Bahar wants to go head to head with Ferrari and other supercar makers.

Well, that’s a tall order, especially if you consider what the Esprit once was: a fussy, expensive, hard-to-repair tag-along to the Ferraris and Astons of the ‘80s and ‘90s. I drove a friend’s Esprit in the mid-‘80s, and it was a blast. The guy wanted to sell it to me—a dubious proposition even if I could have afforded it. But, God, it was fun to drive.

Word has it that the car will be built on the Evora platform and use an engine from BMW or Lexus. If it does use the 552-hp V10 that will power the 2011 Lexus LFA, maybe Ferrari should get out of the way.

Do you see high-performance British cars making a comeback in the next two years?

—jgoods

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Cars Coming Soon, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat

I’ve driven a lot of cars in the snow and am surprised at how much difference I’ve seen even in vehicles that otherwise are comparable to each other.

As winter begins to set in across the country, we figure it’s a good time to create a list of the best cars, trucks and SUVs for plowing through deep snow and easing over slippery ice. Here are my top ten, but feel free to drop a comment and let us know what you drive in the snow and how it does.

Toyota 4Runner/ Tacoma

Throw any weather situation at either of these Toyotas and you’ll make it through just fine.

Audi A6 Quattro

I had a boss once who loved his A6 so much he’d take me out on snowy mornings and speed through the twisties, trying to make his car come unstuck. He succeeded only once, and broke an axle for the effort.

Honda CR-V

I chose this over the Pilot because it’s lighter. The Pilot gets a little top-heavy, which makes going down icy hills a heart-racing experience, while the smaller CR-V crawls easily to the bottom.

Subaru Forester

A low center of gravity and all-wheel drive combine to make the Forester a winner in the snow and cold.

Jeep Wrangler

If you’ve got a hard top and doors on your Wrangler, nothing should stop you from reaching the top of the mountain.

Volvo XC90

Lots of ground clearance, lots of weight, but a low center of gravity make the AWD version of the XC90 a great winter car.

Suzuki SX4

Being a 2,500-pound small car, this thing stays planted. And with the ability to choose AWD or lock it into 4WD, the SX4 is a great commuter car for snowy highways. Just don’t take it on the trails.

Lexus RX

As long as you’re not running low-profile 18-inch summer tires, this little Lexus will serve you well through any winter storm.

Porsche Cayenne

This is for those who want a little extra flashiness in the their snowy commutes, plus the added benefit of the residual heating function, which will keep the Cayenne heated for up to 20 minutes after shutting the engine off.

BMW 328i xDrive

With dynamic stability control and intelligent all-wheel drive, what else do you need in a winter car? Oh… headlamp washers? Okay, you get those, too.

What do you drive in the snow?

-tgriffith

Car Minded, Car Safety, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Trucks & SUVs

We are not going to nitpick Buick here for rebadging and remarketing its award-winning Opel Insignia as the Regal. Some have gone out of their way to make fun of the international provenance of this car, which is like being critical of good imported cheese. We all know that cars are now mostly made for international markets, and one as good as the Insignia deserves to be replicated.

The car is really better than imported cheese—at least in looks (though the rear end seems out of proportion, and that chrome badge bar is a cheap afterthought). The proportions are right for a midsize sporty sedan, and the styling beats all the other Buick offerings. Carscoop notes that the Regal

shares the same Epsilon 2 platform with the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, the Regal is 7-inches shorter than the latter measuring 190-in. (4,830mm) in length meaning that when it goes on sale in the U.S. sometime towards the end of 2010 or early 2011, it will fit right under the LaCrosse in Buick’s car range both size- and price-wise.

The LaCrosse starts around $28,000, so that is good news. The Regal will be initially available with a 2.4-liter, 182-hp four-cylinder with six-speed automatic. Buick says it will add a 2.0-liter turbo with 220 hp late next summer. Mileage for both will be in the 29-30 (highway) mpg range. Performance, especially with the turbo, should be adequate. Something called Interactive Drive Control (IDC) will permit you to select suspension, steering, and transmission settings. The problem is you’ll be hauling 3,600 pounds of car around, so I wonder about its sporting pretensions.

Buick sold 64,000 Regals in China this year. How many do you think it will sell in the U.S.? Is GM on the right track with this car?

—jgoods

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Cars Coming Soon, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat

2010 Volvo S60

What’s Volvo’s place in the world?

Ask consumers and they might say “Volvo makes safe, semi-luxurious family haulers.”

Ask Volvo and you’ll hear something about emotional appeal, sporty design and dynamic driving properties. It seems like all carmakers who call themselves luxury these days want to capitalize on the whole “dynamic driving properties” thing. The thing is, BMW pretty much owns that place. And if Volvo gets sold to a Chinese company as planned, well, let’s just say China isn’t a country known for developing world class driving dynamics.

Regardless, Volvo’s new S60 sedan is set for its big unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show next March, with production starting in summer 2010 in Belgium.

Volvo CEO Stephen Odell says,

The all-new Volvo S60 is sculpted to move you. It looks and drives like no other Volvo before and the car’s technology will help you to be safer and more confident behind the wheel.

Volvo’s marketing department would be proud, as phrases like “sculpted to move you” sound good in press releases but are otherwise meaningless. The car does look better than previous generation Volvos, but we’ll wait and see about those driving dynamics.

Speaking of questionable driving dynamics, GM is starting up Hummer production again in Louisiana.  Since the deal closed to sell Hummer to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., General Motors can begin producing 2010 versions of the H3 and H3T. The only changes to the ‘10 models will be E85 capability across the line and some new color choices. No word on when production of the H2 will start again, but expect the new H3 to hit dealers in December.

In news from the auto spying field, Leftlane has spy photos of the 2011 Chevy Aveo (or possibly Viva), which could see production by the end of 2010, and the 2011 Toyota Sienna, which will debut at the LA Auto Show next month.

Finally, and this would fall under the category of  ”Cars Going Soon,” my much loved Pontiac G8 GXP is just about extinct. GM reports via Twitter that only 16 are left on dealer lots, so if you want one, better act fast before these are strictly sold at collector car auctions.

Lots to look forward to in the coming months and years! Will you be test driving anything listed here?

-tgriffith

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