Featured Threads Archive

Highway fatalities had been dropping for more than a decade until two years, when that trend began to reverse direction. A look by a safety organization revealed the behaviors drivers are engaging in behind the wheel ratcheting that number up.
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Some of the worst things drivers do and believe include:

• 47% believe it is safe to send a text either manually or via voice-dictation systems.
• 45% feel pressure from employers to check email while driving; however, 44% say they have crashed in the last three years while they were either commuting or traveling for business.
• 35% of teens would use social media behind the wheel.
• 17% of teens feel their own distraction may have contributed to a crash.
• 71%...

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Volkswagen has reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow it to sell off about 67,000 diesel vehicles that have been in limbo since the EPA accused the German maker of cheating on emissions tests in September 2015.
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The new agreement will allow VW to upgrade the engine and control systems to comply with U.S. emissions standards – as well as the tougher standards in place in California and 11 other states.

The exact timing for dealers to resume taking orders is uncertain, however, VW noting in its statement, “We are still finalizing the details of this program and will provide more information on its implementation at the appropriate time,”

This could mark the last time U.S. consumers will be able to purchase a Volkswagen diesel.
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The Chevy Bolt EV isn’t officially on sale in South Korea. Not just yet. It makes its official debut at the Seoul auto show next week. But EV enthusiasts are well aware of the car. Wards Auto reports that the company started taking pre-orders last Friday and sold out the entire shipment in less than two hours. That was the first shipment of 400 cars. Chevy took in 2000 preorders and placed a new order immediately to get more Bolts on the boat. The car starts at nearly $40,000 in South Korea but thanks to generous EV subsidies the price drops to only $20,000.​

Several senior Mazda sources have now revealed that the Wankel will make its return under the hood of the Japanese automaker’s first battery-electric vehicle. If that has you scratching your head, the explanation is simple: the rotary will serve as a range-extender for the EV Mazda is expected to launch sometime in 2019​

Fuel economy is an important factor to consider when buying a new car, even when gas prices are down. History has shown that they won't stay that way forever. Many conventional cars today offer impressive fuel economy, especially in contrast to what you may be trading in. Further, alternative powertrains offer an increasing array of choices, with diesels, electrics, and hybrids each carrying appeal for different drivers.

Measuring fuel economy is among our more than 50 tests we conduct on each car we purchase. Our fuel economy numbers are derived from a precision flow meter and are rounded to the nearest mile per gallon (mpg).

CR's overall mileage is calculated from equal portions of city and highway driving.

Below, we spotlight the top most fuel-efficient cars based on the overall fuel economy test...​