2010 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5 S

Sporty sibling to Nissan’s best selling sedan

By Nina Russin

2010 Nissan Altima Coupe

The mid-sized Altima is Nissan’s best-selling passenger car. Filling the space between the upscale Maxima and value-packed Sentra, the five-passenger Altima offers buyers versatility and style in an affordable package.

Three years ago, Nissan pumped up the Altima’s sex appeal with a sleek new coupe. The coupe’s profile is similar to the iconic 370Z. Designers shortened the car’s wheelbase four inches compared to the sedan, and concealed the B pillar behind glass, emphasizing the coupe’s bullet shape.

The Altima sedan and coupe share very little sheetmetal. Both have the same hood, but the coupe’s grille, headlamps, tail lamps and all other major body panels are unique. The coupe is about two inches lower than the sedan, giving it a sportier appearance, and enhancing high-speed handling.

Buyers can choose from two engines: a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder block, or a 3.5-liter V6. Both come with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable automatic.

This week, I got some seat time in the 2.5 S, equipped with the 175-horsepower four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox. Base price is $22,440, not including the $720 destination charge. An option package adds leather trim, an eight-way power driver’s seat, automatic headlamps, and steering wheel mounted audio controls ($1070). Floor and trunk mats cost $175. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

Turbo diesel hatchback is a fun, fuel-efficient package

By Nina Russin

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

Clean diesel is a win-win-win technology. It’s affordable, offers excellent performance, and produces fewer emissions than gasoline. With all there is to love about diesel, it’s surprising more Americans aren’t embracing it.

Part of the problem is the lingering memory of diesels three decades back: sluggish, smoke-belching vehicles that on the whole, were uninspired and unreliable. It’s hard to get a generation of drivers soured by their first diesel experience to give it another shot.

The other problem is that the new generation of diesel, called clean diesel because of its reduced sulfur content, sounds too good to be true. Wary car shoppers want to know what the drawbacks are. Now that clean diesel fuel is widely available in the United States, there are none.

The Volkswagen Golf TDI is a case in point. Base sticker price is $22,590: well within the limits of our best value category. The base model comes well equipped with comfort, convenience and safety features. The only obvious omission is Bluetooth connectivity, which costs $200.

Fuel economy is about twenty-five percent better across the board than the gasoline-powered version of the same model. Because the new common-rail diesel systems run on extremely high fuel pressures, there’s none of the lag that plagued older diesel powertrains. Zero-to-sixty acceleration is 8.6 seconds: about half a second slower than the gasoline Golf, but certainly acceptable. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Dodge Caravan SXT

Minivan is a living room on wheels for active families

By Nina Russin

2010 Dodge Grand Caravan

The minivan seems poised for a resurgence. The do-everything car Chrysler invented twenty five years ago is finding new fans in young, active families who appreciate its versatility. Because a minivan’s exterior is more aerodynamic than the typical, two-box sport-utility vehicle, it tends to get better fuel economy, reducing the cost of ownership.

Chrysler has dominated the ALV awards in the minivan category since introducing the current models two years ago. Athletes are impressed by Chrysler’s combination of excellent road manners and unique interior options.

The newest of these is called Swivel ‘n Go seating. Second-row seats swivel to face the third row. A pop-up table in between turns the back of the minivan into a family room. The seats meet all federal safety regulations in both front and rear-facing positions, and the table meets similar standards once deployed.

A rear DVD player, satellite television and a 115-volt outlet for plugging in games give kids a myriad of entertainment options. Built-in child booster seats are a stand-alone option.

This week, I spent time behind the wheel of the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. The SXT is more upscale of two Dodge minivans. Three rows of seating hold up to seven passengers. Power comes from a 4-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

Base price is $26,730, not including an $820 delivery charge. Read the rest of this entry »

Nissan Announces Leaf Roll-Out

Electric car comes to dealerships in December, 2010

Nissan Leaf

Nissan begins taking reservations for its new Leaf electric car in April. Interested buyers pay a $100 fee to get a priority spot when the automaker begins taking orders later this year.

The Leaf is available for lease or sale to consumers. A single transaction includes the battery. Cars begin rolling into dealerships in December.

In the meantime, the automaker is modifying its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to manufacture the Leaf and its battery packs. A $1.4 billion loan from the US Department of Energy is funding the project.

Rental car giant, Hertz, will be adding the Leaf to its US and European fleets in 2011. The electric cars will be available in major urban markets, where Hertz anticipates the highest demand.

The EV Project is deploying the recharging infrastructure, funded by a $98 million Department of Energy grant. ETec, a division of Ecotality, is providing 6,510 charging stations for the project. The public charging stations will be installed in five major markets: Seattle, Oregon, Tennessee, Phoenix/Tucson, and San Diego. Stations include both 240-volt and Level 3 fast chargers.

The company is also providing 4700 home charging stations for Leaf customers.

Nissan has formed eighteen partnerships with states and cities in the US, Mexico and Canada to prepare markets and infrastructure for electric cars. The partnerships include the state of Oregon, Sonoma County,  San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, Tucson, Washington DC, Seattle, Orlando, Raleigh, Houston, the state of Massachusetts, Mexico City and Vancouver Canada.

For more information on Nissan’s zero-emissions vehicle, visit the consumer web site.

2010 Mazda6 Touring Plus

Five-passenger sport sedan is an ALV best value

2010 Mazda6

Considering all it has to offer, it’s surprising that there isn’t more of a buzz about the Mazda6. The mid-sized sport sedan combines outstanding ride and handling, seating for up to five passengers, a high level of comfort, convenience and safety features, with pricing that starts under $20,000.

Mazda introduced the current iteration of the Mazda6 for the 2009 model year. This year, the automaker combines some popular comfort and convenient features such as Bluetooth interface, blind spot monitoring, and a power moonroof in a Touring Plus model.

Buyers can choose from two engines: an inline four-cylinder block in the Mazda6i, or a V-6 in the Mazda6s. The test car comes with the 170-horsepower four-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. Base price for the Touring Plus model is $23,750, not including a $750 destination fee. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro Cabriolet

Open-air love affair

By Nina Russin

2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet

Used to be, owning a convertible was a love/hate relationship. While nobody would argue with the visceral appeal of open-air motoring, drivers had to compromise ride and handling due to poor torsional rigidity that plagued many cabriolets. In addition, the soft tops did a poor job of insulating the interior against road noise and cold temperatures.

I owned one of those convertibles: a 1972 Olds Cutlass. While I enjoyed every day through seven summers of driving, I stored the car from October through April. In the winter, I drove a sedan.

The Audi A5 cabriolet is a different kind of animal: with a stronger skeleton and four-season performance. Engineers used high-strength steel throughout the body structure, enhancing  torsional rigidity without adding weight.

Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system maintains a rear-wheel bias on dry roads, and sends power to the wheels with the best traction on wet and icy surfaces. The top is insulated enough to keep out road noise in the summer and cold in the winter.

A two-liter, turbocharged engine produces excellent power while conserving on fuel. Audi’s direct fuel injection system delivers the gasoline directly into the engine cylinders, enhancing throttle response while reducing carbon monoxide emissions. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV

Premium sport sedan

By Nina Russin

2010 Nissan Maxima

Despite its luxury price tag, the Nissan Maxima is first and foremost a great value. Its ride and handling,  convenience and safety features rival much more expensive cars.

What hurt the car’s popularity until recently was its plain exterior. Last year, designers reconfigured the Maxima with a muscular, stylish body befitting its underpinnings. Buyers in the market for a sport sedan would be remiss not to test drive the Maxima.

The Maxima comes in two grades: the base S and upscale SV. Power for all grades comes from a 3.5-liter V-6 engine and continuously variable transmission. Standard 18-inch wheels with V-rated tires give the sedan a wide, stable footprint. Four-wheel vented disc brakes with four-channel antilock braking stop the Maxima on a dime.

The test car is the 3.5 SV which retails for $33,180, not including the $720 destination charge. Standard comfort and convenience features include keyless entry and start, leather trim, an eight-way power driver’s seat and four-way power passenger seat, Bluetooth interface, Bose audio system with XM satellite radio, USB connectivity, and a power moonroof. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4X4

Full-sized pickup truck for active families

By Nina Russin

2010 Toyota Tundra CrewMax

Not all horses are created equal. Neither is all horsepower.

Horsepower is a measurement of an engine’s ability to do work. Originally one horsepower equaled the strength of a single horse: 33,000 ft.-lbs. of work per minute.

Horsepower can make a vehicle very fast, or capable of towing heavy loads, depending on its application. Full-sized pickup trucks are the Clydesdales of the car world. Large displacement engines such as the 4.6-liter V-8 in the Toyota Tundra combine horsepower with low-end torque, giving these vehicles exceptional hauling capability. The 5550-pound Tundra tows up to 10,100 pounds: twice its curb weight.

What distinguishes the Tundra from many of its competitors is performance: strong acceleration and surprising agility on challenging roads. One could say that the Tundra combines the strength of a Clydesdale horse with the grace of an Arabian.

The CrewMax model holds up to five adults. Its versatile, well-equipped interior makes it equally adept as a work truck and active lifestyle vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Lexus RX 350

Midsize luxury crossover vehicle

By Nina Russin

2010 Lexus RX 350

In 1998, Lexus introduced a new crossover vehicle called the RX 300: the luxury twin to Toyota’s Highlander. A hybrid version rolled out in 2005, diversifying the product mix. Last year, Lexus unveiled the RX 350: a new model with more power and numerous technology upgrades.

Engineers tuned the standard 3.5-liter V6 engine to produce a flat torque curve. The all-wheel drive version tows up to 3500 pounds, meeting our ALV minimum standard. A six-speed automatic transmission seamlessly transitions between gears while enhancing fuel economy.

Inside, the RX 350 seats up to five adults, and adds a spacious cargo bay with a standard tonneau cover. The rear seats fold flat to extend the cargo floor, so the RX meets our bicycle-friendly standards. Standard roof-rails make it easy to add a cargo rack. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 North American International Auto Show

Automakers charge up a new generation of electric cars

By Nina Russin

Volvo Electric C30

In its race to find renewable alternatives to gasoline, the auto industry is once again considering the electric car. Electric cars have been around almost as long as the internal combustion engine. Problems with battery technology and the lack of a recharging infrastructure prevented plug-in vehicles from migrating into the mainstream.

Advances in nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion battery technology provide two viable alternatives to lead-acid. Lead-acid batteries are heavy and space consuming. Because the electrolyte is fluid, they also present a safety risk.

Manufacturers including Nissan and Mitsubishi are working with state and federal agencies to put recharging stations in public places. Nissan hopes to have a good start on its plug-in infrastructure when the Nissan Leaf rolls into dealerships the end of this year.

This week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit saw a new flock of plug-in concepts from Volvo, Audi, GM, Honda and Nissan. Volvo is using its compact C30 as the basis for a fifty-unit electric car test fleet that hits the streets in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »