The CarGurus Blog

Imagine walking toward the entrance of your local grocery store when, as you pass the row of parked cars, you hear the clip-clop of an approaching horse.

Surprised, you stand still and wait, not wanting to get run over by a Clydesdale.

But instead of a majestic animal, a diminutive Nissan Leaf glides by, emanating the sound of hooves on pavement.

It seems ridiculous, but something similar could soon become law.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Car Safety, Electric Vehicles, General Chat, Hybrid Cars electric cars, EV, Hybrid, national highway traffic safety administration, silent cars, sounds

I’ve never been excited about an electric car. Ever.

I don’t even like electric golf carts or those little shuttles that sneak up on unsuspecting travelers in airports. Put a gas engine in those things and watch folks get out of the way!

As I’ve said here many times, my problems with electric vehicles stem from their limited range, outrageous cost and, most of all, the misguided notion that fueling a car with coal-produced electricity is any better than efficiently using gasoline. Not to mention the toxicity of making, and disposing of, the battery packs.

With all that said, the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi could be a car that begins to change the minds of people like me.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Electric Vehicles, Gas for your car..., General Chat, Hybrid Cars Cars Coming Soon, electric cars, EV, Ford C-MAX Energi, Nissan Leaf

The Ferrari F150.

If you’re imagining a Rosso Corsa pickup with 4-wheel-drive and a Prancing Horse logo, I politely ask you to get your head out of the gutter.

Ferrari’s F150 is no truck.

If the name sticks, the F150 will become what’s also been known as the F70, or, more familiarly, the successor to the great Enzo. What you see above is the best tease so far of what’s in store and, design-wise, it already puts the Enzo to shame.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars enzo, enzo successor, ferrari, ferrari f150

The "unpluggable" Model S

The Tesla that couldn’t move.

The Fisker fires.

The A123 bankruptcy.

The CODA Automotive layoffs.

It’s been a rough end to 2012 for the U.S. electric vehicle industry, but all hope is not lost. Maybe Chinese companies can step in and take some ownership in an effort to right what sometimes looks like a quickly sinking ship.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Car Politics, Domestic Cars, Electric Vehicles, General Chat, Hybrid Cars 2012 coda sedan, A123 Systems, China, coda, coda automotive, coda sedan, electric vehicle, fisker, Fisker fires, stranded, Tesla Model S

I’m not as lucky as Slash.

True, I’m not a rock star, I can’t shred on a Les Paul, and I don’t look quite as cool in a top hat. But even if I had all that, Slash would still make me jealous in one very important way: His Porsche contact apparently has a lot more influence than mine.

Sure, I’ve been lucky enough to drive the new Boxster S and the 991 911 Carrera S, but I haven’t had the privilege of being thrown around the track in a 918 Spyder.

According to his Twitter account, Slash recently had the pleasure.

The first Tweet announcing his ride went like this:

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars hybrid Porsche, hybrid supercar, Porsche 918 Spyder, Porsche hybrid supercar, Slash

Really?

There’s a war among automakers, and the casualties are beginning to pile up.

It’s a war to claim the best miles-per-gallon figures in a market where consumers are heavily influenced by the numbers on the window sticker or touted in TV commercials.

To get the attention of more buyers, and to get them to hand over their hard-earned money, would automakers be willing to inflate those numbers? We certainly won’t accuse anyone of misleading the public on purpose, but two automakers in the last month have been hit with claims that their stated MPG numbers are higher than actual results.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars, Gas for your car..., General Chat, Hybrid Cars 2013 Ford C-MAX hybrid, 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid MPG, Consumer reports, Ford mpg, hyundai mpg, Kia mpg

BMW 4 Series.

The name has an odd ring to it, doesn’t it? While it might sound funny to say, the new coupe looks absolutely sinister, and I don’t think it’ll be long before the name slips off the tongue like we’ve known it for years. The 4 Series replaces the 3 Series coupe and has a 2-inch-longer wheelbase, adds 1.7 inches of width, and is a half-inch shorter. The resulting look is somewhat like a smaller 6 Series and incredibly sleek compared with the more conservative 3 Series.

Just guessing here, but it’s probably safe to assume power will come from the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4 and the 3.0-liter turbo 6 from the 3 Series sedan. The BMW 4 Series will debut at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Also debuting in Detroit will be the new range of the Lexus IS.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Magazines, Car Minded, Cars Coming Soon, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars, Trucks & SUVs 2014 Lexus IS, 2014 Lexus IS F Sport, BMW 4 Series, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Levante

The very satisfying Chevy Volt

The Chevrolet Volt: Electric without the anxiety.

If I sat on the marketing team for the Volt, that’s a slogan I might throw out there for consideration. While it’s possible to drive the Volt for months on end on electric power only, thus never needing to stop at a gas station, the car provides the option of driving from Boston to Seattle if the owner so chooses. That’s because the Volt’s genius powertrain allows for all-electric trips of roughly 40 miles or can use its small gas engine to extend range all the way to… well… Seattle.

While the car costs way too much (in my humble opinion), has suffered from a terrible marketing campaign and has been at the center of a heated political debate, owners seem to love the experience of the Volt and would buy one all over again. Which is more than Nissan can claim about its fuel-efficient Versa.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Electric Vehicles, Foreign Cars, Gas for your car..., General Chat, Hybrid Cars 2013 chevy volt, Consumer reports, electric cars, most satisfying cars, Nissan Leaf, Nissan Versa

2005 Kia Sorento

Nothing inspires like conversation.

A day or two after going through the ins and outs of the true value of electric cars, another interesting topic has come up: the value of a used SUV versus something new with better fuel economy.

In this case, a very dear friend owns a 2005 Kia Sorento with almost 100,000 miles on the clock. The car has been well maintained and taken journeys, on road and off, in nearly every remote wilderness corner of the northwest United States. Needless to say, the Sorento has served her well, but its meager fuel economy has her wondering if it’s time for a change.

Continue reading >>>

Car Minded, Car Shopping, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars, Trucks & SUVs car shopping, cargurus used listings, suv shopping, used cars, used SUV, used versus new

2013 Ford Fiesta

In my book, many interesting conversations can be had using the words “turbochargers” and “superchargers.”

In a conversation with a friend this weekend, though, my mention of the words were met with a blank stare. I guess not everyone is into cars or even terribly knowledgeable about what makes them tick.

Our talk began with a question. My friend asked, “What do you think of electric cars?”

Well, that’s quite the can o’ worms in my world, and talking through the answer took the better part of the next 30 minutes. We discussed everything from the environmental impact of battery manufacturing to electricity production to supporting infrastructure to the mechanics of how superchargers and turbochargers work in gas and diesel engines. Of course, my bottom-line answer to her question was this: Electrics have the right idea in saving fuel, I’m just not convinced of their execution. I’d prefer to go with an economical turbo gas or diesel vehicle.

Like maybe the 2014 Ford Fiesta, with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost 3-cylinder.

Continue reading >>>

Car Industry News, Car Minded, Domestic Cars, Electric Vehicles, Gas for your car..., General Chat, Hybrid Cars 1.0l ecoboost, airport, ecoboost, electric cars, Ford, Ford Fiesta, hybrids, security, suitcase, supercharger, turbocharger