mpg-o-editor I can hear what you’re thinking … Volkswagen, selling a hybrid sedan?
Aren’t VW’s fuel-efficient TDIs the best-selling passenger car diesels in America?
Indeed they are, but VW faced a dilemma.
The typical Toyota Prius owner, they say, rarely considers buying a diesel.
So Volkswagen decided to build a hybrid of their own. A very different hybrid. One with a turbocharged engine. Marketed to folks that love to drive.
MPG-o-Matic 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Review Summary: With a starting price of $37,895, the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR packs a remarkable amount of punch for the all-wheel-drive (AWD) dollar, with the legendary Subaru WRX STi the only real competition in its price range ($34,295 with a six-speed manual, automatic not available). If you want to take it up a few notches and have more money to plunk down ($49,000 with the seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic and quattro AWD), the 333 horsepower supercharged Audi S4 is a far more luxurious option than the EVO MR, but it’s no faster in the 0-60 mile per hour (MPH) sprint.
While it’s slow going, the revival of the American economy can be clearly linked to the renewed strength of our domestic automobile industry. At a rally yesterday at Cuyahoga County Community College in Ohio supporting President Obama, Bruce Springsteen gave thanks that General Motors is still making cars, remarking ”What else would I write about?”
That quote got me thinking about the wealth of automotive imagery in Bruce’s songs over the years, dating all the way back to his very first album, Greetings From Asbury Park. There’s The Angel’s mention of VW – “The interstate’s choked with nomadic hordes in Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors,” and the pure American brother in Lost in the Flood, “dull-eyed and empty-faced, race(ing) Sundays in Jersey in a Chevy stock super eight.”
MPG-o-Matic 2013 Chevrolet Suburban Review Summary: The 2013 Chevrolet Suburban is the Big Daddy of traditional body-on-frame American SUVs, with half- and 3/4-ton versions that can seat up to nine people with a maximum towing capacity of 9,600 pounds.
We put a loaded AWD half-ton Suburban LTZ to the “take your kid to college” test, packing the cargo area full, and taking to the open road for a 700+ mile round trip. The Suburban delivered plenty of creature comfort, while consuming a considerable amount of fuel.
Can America compete with the best of the European auto manufacturers when it comes to luxury sport utility vehicles that emphasize the Sport aspect of the SUV badge? The 2013 Ford Explorer Sport seeks to answer that question with a definitive “yes.” With the Range Rover Sport HSE as the primary target, Ford’s attack takes a three-pronged approach: price, performance, and fuel-efficiency.
