2009 Ford Focus SES

Sporty coupe gets 35 mpg on the highway

By Nina Russin

2009 Ford Focus Coupe

The Ford Focus should be on the short list for car buyers who are watching their budgets, but don’t want to sacrifice fun behind the wheel. The upscale SES test car has a MSRP of $17,570. In addition to its peppy engine and smooth-shifting five-speed manual transmission, buyers get a high level of comfort and convenience features.

On the flip side, two key safety systems- antilock brakes and electronic stability control- are a $745 option. The Focus comes with standard front disc and rear drum brakes: drums don’t stop as evenly on wet pavement, and are harder to service.

Power comes from an inline four-cylinder engine rated at 143 horsepower, and 133 ft.-lbs. of torque. The gear shift lever for the five-speed manual gearbox looks more like a truck shifter: taller than it needs to be. But it shifts smoothly and crisply. Gears have enough range to make the gearbox viable in stop-and-go traffic.

Fuel economy is 35 miles-per-gallon on the highway; 24 mpg in the city. Its good gas mileage protects the Focus owner from the fluctuations in gas prices car owners have come to dread. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Volkswagen Routan SE

Seven-passenger  minivan for families on the go

By Nina Russin

2009 VW Routan

The Volkswagen Routan shares chassis components with the current-generation Chrysler minivans. In addition to its distinct styling, the Routan also features a retuned suspension. Buyers can choose from a 3.8-liter V6 engine rated at 197 horsepower or 253-horsepower 4-liter V6. All models come with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Engineers tuned the McPherson front suspension and twist beam rear axle for a firmer ride: something especially noticeable when cornering at speed. The rack-and-pinion steering feels extremely positive on the highway.

The test car is the mid-grade SE, one of two available models with the 3.8-liter V6. The Routan is a heavy car: curb weight is over 4500 pounds. While the smaller V6 engine is adequate, low-end acceleration is rather soft.

The SE accelerates from zero-to-sixty in 10.2 seconds, as compared to 8.9 seconds for the SEL with the larger engine. The larger engine also delivers better fuel economy: two miles per gallon according to EPA estimates.

The four-liter engine is aluminum, making it lighter than the 3.8-liter V6. It has a higher compression ratio and electronically controlled intake manifold for better power and efficiency.  I’d recommend it to buyers who can afford the extra expense. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Mid-sized sedan yields 40 mile-per-gallon fuel economy

By Nina Russin

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

When Ford execs at last year’s LA Auto show predicted that the new Fusion Hybrid would outperform the competition, there was a collective sigh from the audience. Journalists tend to shy away from blanket statements; the fact that the Ford press conference followed several earlier announcements making similar claims didn’t help.

Last month, a team of Ford engineers and professional drivers traveled over 1400 miles in a Fusion Hybrid on a single tank of gas. The record-setting road trip set tongues wagging. Doubting Thomases though we may be, journalists love to be proved wrong. The team averaged over 80 miles-per-gallon in the Fusion: almost twice the EPA estimate.

This week, I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel myself. Although my eco-driving skills lag far behind the champion hyper-miler and NASCAR driver on the Ford team, I averaged 43.7 miles-per-gallon during a 70 mile test drive that was evenly divided between highways and surface streets. That’s almost five miles-per-gallon better than the EPA average, and I was running the air conditioner. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Lexus HS 250h

Hybrid sedan fills out the entry luxury line-up

By Nina Russin

2010 Lexus HS 250h

The HS 250h is Lexus’ first dedicated gasoline-electric hybrid. The sedan, that rolls into dealerships this August, is the third pillar in an entry luxury strategy that also includes the comfort-focused ES, and high-performance IS models.

Power comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine and two electric motors, mated to a continuously variable automatic transaxle. A compact inverter converts direct current from the car’s nickel-metal hydride battery into alternating current for the motors. The battery is located between the car’s rear seat and trunk.

An electric power steering pump, similar to the design on other Toyota and Lexus hybrids is lighter and more fuel efficient than a hydraulic mechanism. The electric pump eliminates parts that would traditionally wear out and require replacement during the car’s life cycle.

A fully-independent suspension includes a front stabilizer bar to keep the chassis flat while cornering. Buyers who purchase the base model can upgrade from standard 17 to 18-inch wheels by adding a touring package. The option group also includes heated front seats and a sport suspension. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited

Sport-utility function in a fuel-efficient package

By Nina Russin

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5XT

I’m hammering up the 17 freeway between Phoenix and Sedona in the ’09 Subaru Forester, after idling in wall-to-wall traffic just north of town. Through all of my weaving and cursing, the fuel gauge has stayed fixed at 23.6 miles-per-gallon. Either this is a very Zen car, or the fuel meter is broken.

Why not top off the gas and find out? After doing the math, I confirm that the gauge is working. The Forester is my new Bodhisattva.

For those unfamiliar with Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are the Mahayana version of angels on the right shoulder. The fact that the Forester has both saved me from myself and achieved better-than-average fuel economy means that it is a tolerant and spiritual car. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Lexus IS 350C

Lexus rounds out its performance offerings with a retractable hardtop

By Nina Russin

2010 Lexus IS C

When Lexus introduced the first IS sedan for the 2000 model year, the automaker broke away from its comfort luxury tradition, in the hope of attracting performance enthusiasts. The tuner-inspired IS was a rousing success, inspiring product planners to expand its high-performance line-up. In 2005 Lexus introduced the IS 250 and IS 350, giving buyers several engine and transmission options, along with available all-wheel drive.

More recently, the V-8 powered IS F pushed the performance envelope to the extreme. While sales have been soft, the IS F is an appropriate halo for the series: proof that Lexus engineers are capable of going head to head against the best Europe has to offer.

The first IS convertible is the next step in Lexus’ strategy to attract upwardly mobile car buffs. Strategists anticipate convertible sales could boost IS sales 25 percent, based on statistics from BMW and other key competitors. While Lexus has no plans to produce an IS F convertible, F-Sport accessories give IS C buyers the opportunity to hot rod their drop tops. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Kia Soul Sport

New crossover is a super-value for buyers with active lifestyles

By Nina Russin

2010 Kia Soul

The Soul is Kia’s newest five-passenger crossover vehicle, aimed at urban denizens with active lifestyles. Pricing for the base model starts at $13,300: well below the $16,000 cap for our super-value category.

Kia is appealing to millennial buyers by positioning the car left of center. That’s wishful thinking. The Soul isn’t the first funky box to roll out on American roads, nor will it be the last.

While it’s no trend setter, the Soul has a lot to offer the budget-minded buyer. All grades come with an unusually high level of standard safety features, including front, side and side curtain airbags, antilock brakes and vehicle stability control. Kia’s ten year/100,000 mile warranty is an industry leader, including five years or 60,000 miles of complimentary roadside assistance.

Standard comfort and convenience features include an AM/FM/CD/MP3 compatible audio system, air conditioning, tilt steering column, power windows and door locks and a rear window defroster. All models but the base grade come with remote keyless entry. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Nissan 370Z

Nissan’s iconic sports car goes back to its roots

By Nina Russin

2009 Nissan 370Z

The interior of the Nissan 370Z coupe reminds me of a bat cave: black seats, carpeting, headliner, steering wheel and instrument panel. Normally, bat cave interiors make me claustrophobic, but this one’s cool. It fits right in with the car’s not- for- everyone personality.

The rear window is ludicrously small, due to the car’s upswept rear quarter panels. As Raul Julia said in the 1976 film classic, Gumball Rally, “What’s behind me is not important.”

The best reason for putting up with the 370Z’s minor flaws is its performance. True to its heritage, the newest Z likes to be driven hard and put away wet: the harder the better.

The 370Z is shorter and squatter than the 350Z it replaces. It’s slightly lighter, and the standard V6 engine has 26 more horsepower. There are two available transmissions: a six-speed manual with an available synchro-rev match function, and a seven-speed automatic.

A sport package on the test car upgrades the standard rims to nineteen-inch wheels with performance tires, adds bigger brakes, a chin and rear spoiler, and the rev-match feature. Read the rest of this entry »

Ford Taurus Versus the Shopping Cart

Engineers use shopping carts, bicycle wheels and water cannons to test airbag performance

Airbag Sensor Test

Skidding shopping carts, blasting water and errant bicycle wheels are all in a day’s work for Ford engineers, whose job is to validate a new type of side airbag sensor. The new airbags use pressure pulses from a side impact to deploy up to thirty percent faster than with acceleration-based sensors.

Pressure-based sensors can more accurately measure the severity of a crash, to determine whether or not the airbags should deploy. Engineers use the shopping carts and bicycle wheels to ensure the airbags won’t deploy during minor collisions.

In one test, a robot pushes a shopping cart loaded with a 110-pound weight into the vehicle doors at ten miles-per-hour. Another robotic test replicates a bicycle wheel hitting the door.

Engineers use water cannons to analyze how vehicles react when being struck from the side. An air-powered water cannon is mounted in the rear compartment of the test car. The cannon blasts water outward, causing a recoil impulse that forces the car into a skid. The results help engineers fine tune stability control systems that prevent the driver from losing control, due to excessive yaw.

Rough road tests

Anybody who’s driven in the upper Midwest has experienced potholes large enough to loosen a person’s fillings. They can also cause airbag sensors to deploy when they don’t need to.

As part of the validation, engineers test drive vehicles into curbs and railroad tracks at high speeds. Their test track is full of jarring surfaces, including potholes, chatter bumps and ditches. Engineers also use a multi-tailed steel whip to “pepper” the car’s underbody where the side airbag sensors are located. Data from these tests helps engineers to refine sensor calibrations.

The 2010 Ford Taurus and 2009 Ford F-150 are the first two vehicles to be equipped with the new side airbag sensing systems.

2009 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV

Nissan enhances performance on its popular luxury sedan

By Nina Russin

2009 Nissan Maxima

Nissan redesigned the mid-sized Maxima for 2009, shifting the sedan’s focus from luxury to sport. While the Maxima is known for supple performance, the new car is targeted more specifically to driving enthusiasts.

A revised V6 engine has 35 more horsepower than the block it replaces. A continuously variable transmission with sport mode provides powerful acceleration, while minimizing torque-steer on the front-wheel drive platform.

Engineers enhanced the car’s torsional rigidity with a standard strut brace and front and rear stabilizer bars. Aluminum suspension components minimize unsprung weight. Lower engine mounting and a wider track make the car more stable at speed.

All grades come with standard keyless entry and start, a moonroof, eight-way driver and four-way passenger power seats, dual-zone climate controls, steering wheel controls, power windows and door locks. Read the rest of this entry »