North American Car of the Year: Why Such a Blowout?
The North American Car and Truck of the Year winners for 2011 are officially set in the history books, but for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2011 Ford Explorer, the surprise from this morning's awards may be the margin of victory earned by both.
On the car side, the Volt scored 233 out of a possible 490 points. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata drew 163 points, and the Nissan Leaf trailed far behind at 94 points. According to the NACOTY organizing committee, it's the first time a car propelled by electricity for a meaningful distance has ever won the award.
In the truck competition, the Explorer far outdistanced its Chrysler competition at 253 points, with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee amassing 138 points and the 2011 Dodge Durango, 99 points.
Why such a blowout for the Volt and Explorer? It's likely on the truck side, that the two strong Chrysler SUVs simply split votes. Both the Grand Cherokee and the Durango have earned strong reviews: High Gear Media's editors have given particular praise to the off-road capability of the Jeep and the Dodge. That the vehicles were completed during Chrysler's bankruptcy makes them all the more impressive an achievement.
At the end of the day, the Explorer's even longer backstory probably beat out the Chryslers' tug at the heartstrings. The Explorer nameplate withered after the 2000 Firestone recall debacle, and sales dropped off even further during the gas-price crunches of 2005 and 2008. The new Explorer hits several marks spot-on: it's more a crossover now, with car-based underpinnings and all-weather capability as much by electronic aids as by hardware. With its superior packaging, steering and dazzling infotainment options, the Explorer's 115-point win over the Grand Cherokee makes sense in rankings, even if the final scores don't quite seem as close.
The Volt's win is more striking. Two electric cars competed for this year's award, along with a new strong-selling vehicle in an important market niche. Many of the NACOTY jurors have spoken about "Volt exhaustion," since the car world has been writing and reporting on the series hybrid car since 2006. GM's efforts to keep the Volt front and center during its own bankruptcy clearly shows up in the tallies--as does the other undercurrent, some observations by some jurors that with its roughly 100-mile power range, the Nissan Leaf may "not be ready for prime time." It also seems that Chevrolet and GM may be well past the hurdle of explaining exactly what the Volt is to consumers--while Nissan may need to start telegraphing more why it's not as flexible as the Volt.
The Sonata's second-place finish, in the midst of all the fuss about electric cars and series hybrid cars, underscores how important the new sedan has become to the brand. By any measure it's a standard family sedan--with attractive turbo and hybrid options--and its 163 points wedged between two truly historic, milestone machines is the best evidence of how swiftly Hyundai's moved into the top tier of automakers.
Worth noting: the NACOTY jury, which has been comprised of journalists from across the U.S. and Canada since its inception, has named domestic cars and trucks as its North American Car and Truck of the Year a total of 22 times. All other auto-producing countries and regions--Europe, Japan and South Korea--have taken home top honors just 14 times.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 Ford Explorer: First Drive
Reinvention has become something of a specialty among the domestic automakers. GM's kicked its reputation as being electric-car killers with the 2011 Volt, and Chrysler's axed battalions of quality demons from its lineup with the likes of the new Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
It's Ford that's transformed itself so strikingly: first with the pert Fusion sedan, then with the singular Flex crossover and the clever Fiesta small car, and now, convincingly, with the 2011 Ford Explorer SUV.
With the Edge and the Flex around, why even bother? Answer: There has to be an Explorer in Ford's lineup. In 20 years, the company's sold six million of them, and something like 96 percent of all Americans know the brand name. A smaller percentage of Americans can name our current Vice President. The Explorer was the 1990s version of the 1960s Mustang to the company, and with almost 150,000 former Explorer owners churning through the new-car marketplace every year, bringing out a new one isn't just a good idea, it's MBA 101.
Does it need to be an SUV? The new Explorer, by most measures, is now a crossover vehicle. But it makes some key overtures to the folks who dream of rustic cabins and epic trail rides. It's part of the car-based family that also counts the Flex, even the Taurus, as its members--but after a day of driving in the hills east of San Diego, the Explorer proved itself "SUV" enough for anything short of the heaviest of off-road duties. True to SUV form, it's also a little taller and a little less space-efficient and passenger-friendly than a good crossover vehicle of its size. From the same pieces, the seven-passenger Explorer is the yin to the seven-seat Flex's yang, even if the big boxes can't interlock with the same graphic perfection.
From all angles, a styling success
There's more Explorer in the sheetmetal than anywhere else on the new ute. The body reads as trucky as ever. Walk around its angled sheetmetal and pick up on the slight rolled corners and embossed sides, and the shape telegraphs "SUV" more than you might think possible, since the undergear also comes in Taurus SHO form. It's the new ute's high hood, the tall grille and the thick horizontal ribs, and the distinct angle of the C-pillar that recall old Explorers most fondly--and even the GMC Acadia, to some degree, while not weaving in as much of the Explorer America concept vehicle as it could. The more carlike details, like perforated grille pieces and big winged taillamps and a minivan-ish tailgate, net less attention than the sport-ute talking points. The old Explorer was a truck that pretended to a higher level of sophistication; this one does a Meryl Streep take on the peculiar SUV dialect, nailing the finer points and going a long way to winning you over to its interpretation with a few subtle twists.
Inside, it all falls apart, because for most of its early history the Explorer suffered from a miserable interior. With this edition, Ford says it's beaten Audi and BMW at their own game, and in truth the new Explorer probably is better than Audi's Q7 in some ways. Audis have only grown more plasticky and less subtle over the past half-decade. In the same time span, Ford's acquired a virtuosity in fitting different materials together, first inside the Flex. The convincing attention to materials and textures lifts the Explorer's cockpit into a niche way above the one occupied by the gross-grained Honda Pilot and the spotty Toyota Highlander. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee comes close--the Dodge Durango, a little closer even--but the Explorer's nifty blend of LCD gauges and screens, those exclamation points of metallic plastic on the center stack, and the tight fits between lots of dissimilar pieces, make the cabin exceptional. It's a peak Audi wishes it still could hit in any of its sub-$50,000 vehicles. Read more
2011 Dodge Durango R/T: First Drive
If the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a distant cousin to the Mercedes ML--and a proud one at that--does that make this 2011 Dodge Durango kin to the Benz GL?
And does that make its $30,000 base price even more of a screaming bargain?
Chrysler set the Grand Cherokee free earlier this year, in a first-drive press event all its own, but it pooled the Durango together with a refurbished Dodge lineup. We flew to northern California to drive the Durango and five other new or revised Dodges for the first time, and on a windy hilltop overlooking the Infineon Raceway, we slipped the keys to an R/T in our pockets and rolled through Napa to sample the V-8 and also the V-6 SUV.
At first glance, the Durango's new wagon body is less distinctive, and less muscular, than the old truck-based version. Chrysler's merged the Durango with the Grand Cherokee's unibody architecture and in the process, it's honed off the bulges and some of the character. That immense crosshair grille cants forward atop a short front overhang, but that's the last truly unique cue you can pick out as you move down the seven-seater's profile. From the rear, in particular, the Durango reads like second-generation Toyota Sequoia--blandly, benignly handsome.
The cockpit brings the real visual impact. Like the Grand Cherokee, the new Durango sends outdated, hard-edge plastics to the recycling bin. Snapped into place is a tightly fitted, attractive cabin with big red-needled gauges, simple climate-control knobs, and backpedaled touches of bright and soft metallic trim. Our R/T tester also had leather upholstery with woven red inserts and red stitching, and white trim rings on the dials, all well downplayed.
Incentives Down, Sales Up In October–And Truck Sales Surge
October isn't always such a strong month for auto sales, but this year it is. Higher demand for light trucks, along with sustained fleet sales and strong performance from some new models on the market, helped the auto market bounce back to its highest sales level in over a year.
Fleet sales, which have spurred most of the sales increases to date this year, are still strong, but according to some analysts October marked the beginning of stronger retail sales.
That comes as a little surprising, as high unemployment and mortgage woes persist. And incentives are actually down slightly from last year, overall. Yet small businesses are beginning to buy again, according to the Detroit News.
But some kind of market recovery is afoot. GM reported that its average transaction prices are up 10.5 percent just over the first ten months of 2010. Most recently, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze began arriving at dealerships; GM's Buick brand also remained strong, with a nearly 39-percent sales increase.
Ford dealerships have started seeing the 2011 Ford Edge and 2011 Ford Fiesta, and they look forward to the new 2011 F-150 models, with all-new engines. Ford sales were up 19 percent versus last October. According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford has increased its market share by 1.5 percent over January through October and is poised to increase its annual market share for the second straight year—for the first time since 1993.
Light truck sales actually outnumbered passenger-car sales for the second month in a row, comprising nearly 53 percent of total vehicle sales.
Chrysler sales were up an impressive 37 percent—thanks in part to the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
But Chrysler continued to offer the highest incentives on its new cars--$3,416 to keep them moving—while Ford averaged $2,761 and GM offered up $3,103 per vehicle.
Toyota sales fell 4.4 percent in October, versus last October, which the automaker attributed to its lower share of the truck market. Nissan and Honda, however posted strong sales gains. Both were up about 16 percent versus a year ago. Toyota offered $2,118 per vehicle in October, according to Autodata, while Honda offered $2,021 and Nissan Nissan incentives still totalled $2,530.
The largest retailer in the U.S., AutoNation, confirmed that new-vehicle sales at its retail outlets were up 15 percent in October, versus October 2009.
[Detroit News; Detroit Free Press]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Frugal Shopper: 2010 Chevy Silverado Most-Discounted In August
If you're shopping for a large pickup like the Chevrolet Silverado, the time is still right to get a very sweet deal.
According to the pricing-intelligence firm TrueCar, which tracks transaction prices and can show you what kind of discount to expect locally, large pickups are the type of vehicle that remains most discounted. As a class they're discounted an average of 11 percent, and for the 2010 Silverado in particular shoppers are getting an average 23 percent below MSRP.
The 2010 Chevrolet Malibu was the most-discounted mid-size sedan, at about 20 percent off sticker. Other deeply discounted vehicles include the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee (19 percent), Hyundai Sonata (17%), Ford Ranger (17%), and Mercury Grand Marquis (17%). The Grand Cherokee, as well as the Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKX—all vehicles being replaced by redesigned 2011 models—are also on the list.
Several vehicles—either due to incentives or deeper dealer discounts—are selling at considerably lower bottom-line prices than a month ago (calculated between July 9 and August 5). Among them: the 2010 Mercedes-Benz R-Class ($1,480 below last month), the 2011 Ford Flex (-$1,171), and the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport (-$1,150).
After full-size trucks, luxury cars, vans, and mid-size cars were also among the most discounted, at an average seven percent. But not all types of vehicles are looking like strong deals right now; subcompact cars (such as the Scion xB) were reduced by just two percent from MSRP, on average, while sports cars, mid-size SUVs, and small pickups were sold for just an average five percent below sticker.
And among brands, after hearing about some of the markdowns it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise that Chevrolet was the most-discounted brand in July, with its models selling at an average 16-percent off MSRP. Overall, Chevy had four of the most-discounted vehicles listed by vehicle category.
The 2010 BMW M6 remained the vehicle with the largest incentives—a whopping $12,500—while the Infiniti QX56 trailed with $7,000 of dealer cash. Also notably, GM is offering $5,000 off the Chevrolet Impala, and there's a $5,000 discount on the Chrysler-made Volkswagen Routan.
Look below for TrueCar's list of the most-discounted vehicles by class.
[TrueCar]
| Top 2010 Models by Vehicle Categories for August | ||
| Vehicle Categories | 2010 Models | % Below MSRP |
| Large Truck | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 23% |
| Midsize Car | Chevrolet Malibu | 20% |
| Midsize SUV | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 19% |
| Small Truck | Ford Ranger | 17% |
| Large Car | Mercury Grand Marquis | 17% |
| Small Car | Ford Focus | 16% |
| Large SUV | Chevrolet Tahoe | 15% |
| Van | Chevrolet Express Cargo | 14% |
| Luxury SUV | Lincoln MKX | 14% |
| Minivan | Kia Sedona | 14% |
| Luxury Sport Car | Chevrolet Corvette | 14% |
| Sport Car | Ford Mustang | 13% |
| Small SUV | Jeep Patriot | 13% |
| Luxury Car | Lincoln MKZ | 12% |
| Subcompact Car | Toyota Yaris | 11% |
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 Grand Cherokee A Top Safety Pick; Crosstour ‘Disappointing’
Depending on which utility vehicle you choose, you might be getting vastly different degrees of roof protection in the event of a rollover.
That's the surprising result of that a new round of tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) serves to highlight.
First, the good news: In a new round of roof-strength tests for mid-size utility vehicles, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and closely related 2010 GMC Terrain; the 2010 Jeep Liberty and closely related Dodge Nitro; the 2010 Toyota Highlander; and the 2010 Toyota Venza all earned top 'good' ratings. So did the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2011 Kia Sorento.
The new test, which has been phased in this model year, measures protection in the event of a rollover by seeing how far the roof will deform inward when subjected to a constant pressure. To achieve the Institute's top 'good' rating, a roof must withstand the concentrated force of four times the vehicle's weight before a specific metal contact plate deforms the roof five inches inward.
The Toyota Highlander, Jeep Liberty, Toyota Venza, and 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee all did extremely well, withstanding nearly five times their respective weights.
Among this latest batch, the Chevy Equinox, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Venza, and Kia Sorento all earned the Top Safety Pick designation, which requires top good scores in front, side, and rear tests along with the new rollover test.
The risk of serious or fatal injury in a rollover is about 50 percent lower for those with a 'good' roof strength rating than those without, according to the IIHS.
Five utility vehicles—the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-7, Mitsubishi Endeavor, and Nissan Murano—earned only a 'marginal' score.
In the case of the Crosstour, a model that's all new for 2010, it's a more noteworthy disappointment.
"First results show that automakers are making progress in rollover protection, but it's disappointing that a new design like the Crosstour didn't perform better," said IIHS president Adrian Lund in an official release. Although many classify the Crosstour as a car, as most of its componentry is shared with the Accord Sedan, the IIHS classifies it as an SUV.
It was only able to withstand about 2.8 times its weight in the test. The Honda Pilot and Mitsubishi Endeavor only withstood about three times their respective weights. The current federal standard is just 1.5, but last April the federal government proposed to phase in a new standard—of effectively three times the vehicle's weight—by 2016.
The Honda Accord Sedan, earlier this year, had earned a slightly better score of 'acceptable.' Prior to the new test, the Accord had been a Top Safety Pick.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Frugal Shopper: Trucks And SUVs Still Deeply Discounted
Just a few years ago, full-size trucks and body-on-frame sport-utility vehicles were the vehicles you weren't going to get a great deal on. These popular vehicles were among the most profitable vehicles for dealerships (and for automakers), and they didn't have to budge much at all on the price.
But with spiking gas prices, followed by the throes of the recession, larger trucks and SUVs have stumbled in the market ever since.
Even a couple of years after gas prices were climbing rapidly (on their way to top out at a national average $4.12 a gallon in July 2008), very few SUV and pickup models sell at a transaction price that's even close to the sticker price, or MSRP.
For instance, the pricing intelligence firm TrueCar—which provides market pricing here at TheCarConnection.com—said that the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee was the most discounted vehicle last month, with an average discount of about 18 percent off MSRP. That's a discount of more than $8,000 on a well optioned, $45k Grand Cherokee Limited. Even on 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Hemi, TrueCar lists a target "great" price of more than $6,000 below sticker price, including a $4,000 manufacturer's incentive. The 2010 Jeep Commander is selling at about the same discount. And it's certainly not just Jeep; the 2010 Expedition King Ranch is selling for an expected discount of more than $5,000 off sticker, and you can expect to save $3,000 or more on a new 2010 Nissan Armada Platinum.
Full-size pickups are still being sold at massive discounts. For February, TrueCar listed the Nissan Titan as the most discounted 2009 model, which the automaker was still then apparently still clearing from lots. On a fully loaded 2009 Titan Crew Cab in PRO-4X off-road guise, which stickers at nearly $46k, shoppers could count on more than $12,000 off the list price. The 2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XL is selling at nearly $5,000 below its $30,030 sticker price, on average, according to TrueCar, and the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab LS was selling at a discount of more than $1,500, before counting up to $3,000 in likely customer incentives.
Quite simply, it's a matter of supply and demand, says Jesse Toprak, the vice president for industry trends at TrueCar, and it's still a strong buyer's market for these vehicles.
Toprak said that overall, truck-based sport-utility vehicles are still overpriced relative to demand. "Basically, they're still selling for $5,000 to $8,000 less than manufacturers want to sell them for."
"We've seen major drops in production," Toprak said, but he noted that in many cases automakers still haven't accounted for especially sluggish demand for larger SUVs.
Frugal Shopper: The Most Deeply Discounted New Vehicles
If you're looking for a sweet deal and not too picky about getting the latest and greatest, you have plenty of options.
Over the past month the 2010 Ford Ranger has sold at 17 percent below MSRP, on average, and is the most deeply discounted new model, while the 2010 Hyundai Sonata and 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee are both also discounted by about 17 percent. The 2010 Jeep Commander and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt are also discounted by about 16 percent from MSRP, on average.
Both the Sonata and the Grand Cherokee are slated to be replaced by completely redesigned models for 2011. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata adopts a new four-cylinder-only powertrain that achieves 35 mpg on the highway (and a price starting under $20k), while the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee promises to be much more refined on the road without giving up its Rubicon Trail capability. The Chevrolet Cobalt will also be replaced later this year with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.
The pricing information is all from TrueCar, which sources actual sales transaction data covering more than 43 percent of all new vehicles sold in the U.S., which as of January includes more than 300,000 vehicles, according to the company. The data is provided by primarily by car dealers and aggregators, and it's used here at TheCarConnection.com in our new-car shopping area.
Among 2009 models left on the lot, the 2009 Nissan Titan and 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt are both selling at well over 20 percent below sticker. But they're officially used cars by now anyway.
As a brand, Hummer wins out—by a landslide. Though 2010 model data wasn't yet available, Hummer's 2009 models were selling at nearly 30 percent, on average, below MSRP in November and were still at about 19 percent in December even with shorter supply.
Current manufacturer rebates and other offers such as "dealer cash" would already be considered, as TrueCar looks at final transaction prices.
By body type, here are TrueCar's most deeply discounted 2010 models:
Ford Ranger (pickup) 17%
Hyundai Sonata (sedan) 17%
Jeep Grand Cherokee (SUV) 17%
Chevrolet Cobalt (Coupe) 16%
Volvo XC70 (wagon) 15%
Volvo C70 (convertible) 14%
Toyota Sienna (van) 11%
[TrueCar]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Kia Drops 2010 Borrego From Lineup, Fate TBD
The Kia Borrego could be a one-year wonder.
The South Korean automaker says the full-size Borrego sport-utility vehicle will not return to the U.S. for the 2010 model year.
The Borrego arrived on the market late in 2008, a victim of poor timing and bad luck. Kia had hoped to sell up to 20,000 Borregos each year, but the U.S. launch coincided with high gas prices and the financial crisis that together, slashed SUV sales to half their 2007 levels.
Kia sold 825 Borregos in November. For 2009 through the end of November, Kia has sold 9,510 Borrego SUVs in the U.S. The Borrego also is sold in its home market as the Mohave, and Korean sales have been more brisk.
While it's been a slow mover on American dealer lots, the Borrego's been relatively well received in the automotive press. TheCarConnection's experts gave the 2009 Borrego a rating of 7.8 out of 10. TCC praised the Borrego's smooth powertrain and expansive interior, while taking issue with its styling and some interior materials. TheCarConnection's Bottom Line: "The Borrego isn't the type of vehicle that's especially popular or fashionable at this time, but it's a home run against the competition," which includes the current Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Nissan Pathfinder.
Though the Borrego won't be sold as a 2010 model, a Kia spokesman tells us the company could not rule out a future return--leaving its fate "TBD."
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
First Drive: 2010 Lexus GX 460
Stepping into the brand-new 2010 Lexus GX 460 for the first time, it's hard not to feel a bit nostalgic.
Why? Among mid-size utes, the Lexus GX 460 is the last one standing; it's the only vehicle this size that sticks with the body-on-frame construction long preferred those who do heavy towing, and by some off-roaders.
Luxurious mid-size sport-utility vehicles like it used to be much more common, even trendy. Going back through the past decade, there were vehicles like the Infiniti QX4, Acura SLX, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln Aviator, and GMC Envoy Denali. Nearly all of them offered dressed-up, reasonably roomy interiors, along with some measure of off-road prowess and towing ability, qualities that in truth were seldom used by buyers. In recent years, automakers (and shoppers) have come to recognize that, instead favoring modern car-based crossover vehicles and focusing on larger truck-based luxury utes like the Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade, or Lincoln Navigator.
Slotting below the Land Cruiser-based LX 570 in the Lexus lineup, the 2010 Lexus GX 460 is all-new this year, itself based on the Toyota 4Runner. While the 4Runner offers four-cylinder and V-6 engines, the GX offers a V-8, power-folding third-row seats, plus a host of luxury and technology options and much-improved refinement—while allowing impressive off-road and towing ability. The GX reemerges more polished and refined than ever and doesn't give away any secrets about its construction in the way it drives, which we'll get to shortly, and while you might guess that it's a truck-based ute by the way it looks, Lexus hasn't skimped one bit on the styling, design details, or materials.
Styling: L-Finesse On steroids
Throughout the GX, designers have blended the gentle, organic, and aerodynamic styling of the Lexus L-Finesse designs of recent years with a "machined steel bar" theme, giving it a more sculpted, solid look that separates it from the cars and crossovers. In back especially the design is clean and uncluttered, thanks to the narrow vertical taillamps and a new wiper design that's hidden under the roof spoiler. Alongside, the GX looks the most 'trucky,' with carved-out fenders and the very tall, imposing beltline. Lexus likes to think of the interior as "tough premium," with the GX combining the expected chunky trim and bulkier door handles with soft, luxurious materials.
