2011 Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius has been America's favorite hybrid for many years and most people think it was the only hybrid at the time but there were a few others.  The 2011 Toyota Prius has a new more futuristic design and powertrain.  The vehicle has more horsepower than the 2010 model year and also is more aerodynamic which means better fuel economy.  Don't ask me who Toyota does it but it definitely has some great engineering placed into the new car.  The new Prius gets and EPA estimated 51/48 city/highway mpg with a 1.8 liter inline 4 cylinder engine cranking out 134 horsepower.  For city driving the battery can work alone at speeds under 25 mph unless it is cold and the battery needs to be kept warm but the thermal compartments covering the battery.  The Prius is popular because of the outrageous fuel economy and this also makes people more fuel conscious giving them a challenge to save gas and drive efficiently.  The Prius has a starting price of $22,108 - $26,801.  You can also get the Prius Five package which gives you all the gadgets you would expect in a fully loaded Prius and it also comes with a solar panel on the roof to keep the cab of the vehicle cool on hot days saving the AC from kicking in as much.   

Competitors with the 2011 Toyota Prius

• 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid    41/36 city/highway
• Honda Civic Hybrid   40/43 city/highway
• Honda CR-Z Hybrid     35/39 city/highway

2011 Chevy Cruze

The 2011 Chevy Cruze is the newest member of the Chevrolet family.  The Cruze took the place of the Cobalt last year.  The Cruze comes with a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine that cranks out 138 horsepower and gets you from 0-60 in over 9 seconds.  Yes you won't be winning any drag races but you will make up with it in fuel economy.  The base Chevy Cruze gets 25/33 city/highway.  Chevy took the new and improved compact car even further with today's competitive compact car segment.  The Cruze is also offered in an ECO model which gives the vehicle a smaller engine (1.4 liter) and turbo charging it so there is no lose in power.  The ECO model gets and EPA estimated 29/42 city/highway.  American car companies are starting to catch up to the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight but there is one drawback to the ECO model, it doesn't have a spare tire.  Chevy decided it was better to lose some weight in the vehicle while equipping the vehicle with an onboard air inflation system.
What I think:  The Cruze shows great promise that America can make great fuel efficient vehicles that a normal person can afford.  I think in the near future Ford Motor Company and General Motors are going to surpass all other car companies in quality, efficiency, reliability, and durability.

*If your looking for a vehicle that is affordable and gets great MPG's here are some suggestions:

• Ford Fiesta SFE 29/40 city/highway
• Ford Focus 29/40 city/highway
• Honda Civic Hybrid 44/42 city/highway
• Hyundai Elantra 29/40 city highway

2011 Ford Fiesta

The 2011 Ford Fiesta is one of the best entry level cars you can buy in America.  The Fiesta is a new car from the Ford Motor Company created to make great strives for efficiency.  The Fiesta is fitted with a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engine that pushes out 120 horsepower.  I personally have driven the 2011 Fiesta base sedan and for a base model it was surprisingly roomy and efficient.  When I drove the car I was getting an average of 40 mpg easily.  The dash to me was a little unusual due to its spotted texture which made it seem like a cheaper rubber coated plastic.  The acceleration at the stoplights were definitely nothing to brag about going from 0-60 mpg in 9.5 seconds.  That for many people seams to be very slow but I thought the vehicle had some pep and almost sounded sporty with the exhaust system.  I think most car enthusiasts would think this is unbearable slow because if you compare the Fiesta to a Bugatti Veyron which goes 0-60 in 2.5 seconds then the Fiesta would feel really slow.  I drive a 1997 Chevy Blazer and I tested the 0-60 on that vehicle and it was about 10 seconds and I don't even notice it being slow cause it makes a whole bunch of noise and sounds fast.  Anyway lets get to the rest of the spec explained so you know what to expect from the 2011 Ford Fiesta 

2011 Mazda 6

The 2011 Mazda 6 competes easily today with the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata due to its comfort and quality.  The Mazda 6 in my opinion has more of a sporty design than most affordable cars in this segment.  The one word I would use to describe the 2011 Mazda 6 is “responsive”.  When you put your foot to the floor in this vehicle you go from 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds assuming the car is equipped with a 3.7 liter 272 horsepower 6 cylinder engine.  There is also another optional engine and that is the 2.5 liter 170 horsepower unit that gets from 0-60 in about 8 seconds.  The smaller engine would definitely be a better choice if you are looking for better fuel economy getting 25/29 city/highway mpg.  If you are looking for something near the sports car category than you should think about the 6 cylinder 3.7 liter engine because it has an exception amount of power and drives really well in tight turns.  This car has a top speed of 160 mph, I only got the vehicle up to 101 mph and I was amazed on how quiet the cab was when I was exceeding the speed limit.  Just so you know if you do get the 2011 Mazda 6 you will be tempted to push it to the floor and see what it’s got, that’s what kind of car this is.  I’m can’t say this is a sports car but if you are looking for something in the $20,990-$29,320 range than this might be a cool car to have.   If you are a family man and want to keep a little sportiness in your life this may be a car you might want to take a look at.  All in all it was a lot of fun driving this car for 700 miles.

2011 Nissan Leaf

The 2011 Nissan leaf is a revolutionary vehicle for Japan and for the world.  The Leaf is the first mass production pure electric car to be sold around the world.  There are several other vehicles to look at when we are talking about electric vehicles; there is the Chevy Volt, the Tesla Roadster and the soon coming Ford Focus electric.  The Chevy Volt is not an all electric car because it still has a small gasoline engine that is uses when the battery is depleted to keep it charged.  The Nissan Leaf on the other hand has no tailpipe which means it runs 100% off of electricity only.  If you are looking to no longer pull up to gas stations the Leaf might be right for you.  The Leaf has an MSRP of $32,780-$33,720 with a $7,500 tax credit which brings the price down to $25,280.  Some people see the styling of the Leaf and say it is really ugly and I have to agree with them.  The Leaf has a very futuristic styling that can easily drive away buyers.  The interior I have to say is really “shocking”, the car is filled with white surroundings and complex styling.  Now enough with the styling let’s talk about the stuff that makes this the car, “the car of the future.”  The Leaf is equipped with a 90 kilowatt lithium ion battery pack cranking out 107 horsepower and going 0-60 mph in just under 10 seconds and has a top speed of 90 mph.  It typically takes about 12 hours to charge the battery but if you are charging it from dead it could take a lot more time, sometimes up to 20 hours with a 110 outlet.  Many states across the US are installing quick charging stations that can charge the Leaf 80% in just 30 minutes (enough time to get a bite to eat).  That does seem to be a pretty steep price for a compact car but just remember NEVER GOING TO A GAS STATION AGAIN.  Electric cars are a revolutionary technology being used today to help us move away from our dependence on foreign oil.  Electric cars are actually not a new technology; Thomas Edison invented the first alkaline batteries used in the first electric car the Baker Electric 100 years ago.  There are a whole lot of people who criticize about electric cars and all I can say to them is wow.  They must not know what is going to happen when every Chinese and Indian person gets a vehicle.  Bill Ford Jr. (the former CEO of Ford Motor Company) says that we have 800 million cars and trucks on the road today and by 2050 we could have between 2 and 4 billion on the road around the world.  Let’s just put it this way, they cannot all be powered by gasoline.  The future is hear and all I can say it might be fun to be a part of the experience. 

2012 Chevy Sonic

It is about time Chevy gets rid of its base car the Aveo. The Chevy Aveo has been their base model car and one of the lowest selling vehicles around. GM has decided to move forward in this segment and have created the new and greatly improved 2012 Chevy Sonic. The base price of this car is estimated to be about $14,000 with two choices of engines. The base engine for this car is the 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine which pushes out 138 horsepower and there is also a 1.4 liter supercharged engine that has the same horses under the hood as the small engine. The hatchback vehicle has seating for five; I like how they say seating for 5 except you will smash 3 people in the back. The back seating of compact cars should always say only 3 children in the back. The car gets an estimated 0-60 in 7.9-9.0 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. The Sonic gets about 28/40 city/highway mpg which makes the car break even with other competitors. I think the looks of the car and the 40mpg will definitely make this vehicle a must buy to most consumers who are looking for a fuel efficient commuter. I think $14,000 for a really futuristic car is a great deal. The future of automotive technology is changing and you are going to see a huge difference in size and shape of vehicles over the next 10 years. The only thing I think I can say about this vehicle is “thank you Chevy” for making a better entry level car, cause let’s be honest the Aveo had to go.