ford

The Ford C-Max Hybrid: An Ideal Taxi?

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While I’ve seen plenty of Prius taxis in New York City, they always seem to be greatly outnumbered by the traditional Ford Crown Victoria. Landing on the other coast last month proved to be an eye opener. I was taken aback by the sheer number of Toyota Prius taxis gliding about the streets of San Francisco. They were everywhere. Now I’ve never thought of the Prius to be well suited to taxi work from a passengers standpoint, but it’s easy to see the appeal from the fleet owner’s perspective. It comes down to dollars and cents. The drastic improvement in fuel economy between a gigantic sedan with a V8 engine and a (relatively) smaller and lighter vehicle with a hybrid drive train is undeniable.

Will the Ford C-Max Hybrid replace the Crown Victoria as Taxi of Choice?

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2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Review Summary: With a starting price of $22,200, the base 2013 Mustang V6 delivers a whopping amount of punch for the dollar and great gas mileage, given the muscle that rumbles under the original pony car’s hood.

With a remarkably deep option list, you can easily increase the sticker price by a good fifty percent or so, as our test unit’s MSRP of $35,100 clearly shows. We found that some options may lead to a loss of fuel economy as a trade-off to increased performance that is not reflected by the window sticker.

2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium - Gotta Have It Green - front view from above

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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid First Drive

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With California the most important domestic market for electrified vehicles, it came as no surprise that Ford chose San Francisco and the Northern California coastline as the backdrop for the C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid media drive.

The crossover-esque C-Max has been available in Europe since 2003 and comes to our shores for the first time. The C-Max rides on the Focus platform. It’s only available in America in hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form.

The standard C-Max hybrid is rated at 47 city / 47 highway miles per gallon (MPG). The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid uses a larger lithium ion battery to deliver up to 21 miles of pure electric driving, at speeds up to 85 miles per hour, before it switches to conventional hybrid mode.

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How Many Times Has Bruce Springsteen Mentioned Car Brands in His Songs?

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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.”

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2013 Ford Explorer Sport – NYC First Test Drive

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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.

2013 Ford Explorer Sport - front view - NYC

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