2010 Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner Hybrid: A great green choice for the Pacific Northwest

By Bruce Caldwell

The big $4.00/$5.00@ gallon gas scare seems to have subsided in the wake of tougher economic times, but the push to save resources and “drive green” hasn’t. The fact that people aren’t panicking about gas prices makes now an even better time to purchase a hybrid. When crazy second stickers were in force they wiped out much of the financial savings afforded by hybrids. If you buy one now with a more noble green philosophy you’ll still end up saving the folding type of green.

The Ford Escape and sibling Mercury Mariner are essentially the same package with different wrappers available at different dealerships. Besides the hybrid feature these compact SUVs make excellent choices because of their size/Óutility/versatility features. These pluses are available at lower prices in the non-hybrid versions. The AWD models are ideal for the occasionally inclement weather around here.

Walkaround: The Escape/Mariner was freshened for 2008 so they’ve been pretty much left alone for 2010. Styling is conservative, but not overly bland. Our test vehicle was a handsome black clear coat with a stone leather interior. The light green color is both attractive and it fits with the whole ecology theme.

Interior: The interiors are nice in both cars, but the Mariner doesn’t seem proportionally better than the Escape. We expect a noticeable difference between siblings when one is marketed as a more upscale vehicle. Front legroom is fine as is rear legroom. The rear floor is flat, which is a big plus. The front leather seats had a single temp heated feature, although the HVAC system was a dual temp unit. The medium size sunroof was a welcome feature.

A two-part liftgate/rear glass accesses a flat cargo area. The space is a good size for common errands, but not for moving major appliances.

Under The Hood: A 6-speed automatic now backs the regular four-cylinder and V-6 engines. The Hybrid uses a CVT (continuously variable transmission). The integration of the 153 horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine and the electric drive motor was smooth and unnoticeable unless you were watching the instrumentation.

Both the hybrid and traditional power trains work well. The hybrids don’t return Prius level fuel economy, but we’ve still seen north of 30 mpg, which is great by any SUV standards. The hybrids aren’t made for serious off-roading, but then, how many heavy-duty SUVs ever see more than an occasional gravel driveway?

Behind The Wheel: The Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner Hybrids are pretty neutral cars to drive. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they don’t exude excitement, either. The seamlessness of the powertrain pretty much typifies the whole driving experience.

Whines: Fuel economy information is displayed on the navigation screen, so we had to divert our eyes from the road to monitor economy numbers. The interior had more hard plastic than we expected.

      Bottom Line: The Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner Hybrids are a viable alternative to larger and/or smaller hybrids. They provide a good mix of comfort, style and fuel economy in a relatively compact package.

2010 Acura TSX: Now with V6 power

By Bruce Caldwell

Acuras are wonderful long distance cars. They’re built so well and so comfortable that the miles just melt away. I’ve always felt that Acura cars were based on outstanding engineering. That super solid basis comes through when covering multi-state distances.

The precision engineering shines on boring freeways and even more on secondary roads. The Acura TSX is a nimble sedan, so twisty back roads are lots of fun. The wheelbase is long enough to make highway travel smooth.

Walkaround: The TSX was redesigned for 2009, so 2010 changes are virtually non-existent. We didn’t care for the grille/nose treatment last year and time hasn’t softened our opinion. I don’t know who came up with the current “bold prow” theme, but you couldn’t change it soon enough to suit me. The fit and finish is excellent as always. Superior quality control is an Acura hallmark.

Interior: Well-appointed, comfortable interiors are standard Acura fare. We had no discomfort even after long hours of driving without a break. The leather seats are a pleasant blend of comfort and support. The soft headrests helped prevent neck fatigue. Front legroom is of the stretch-out variety even for tall drivers. Adjustable lumbar and two-temp heated seats are appreciated long distance features.

The contoured leather-wrapped steering wheel was very comfortable during long stints behind the wheel. The auxiliary audio, phone, cruise, and info controls kept us entertained and informed without taking our eyes off the road.

As great as the front seats are the rear seats are snug. I guess you need to step up the Acura hierarchy to better pamper rear seat passengers. The trunk is reasonably big, but the floor isn’t totally flat and the wheel wells intrude on the available space. The trunk opening is wide as is the pass-thru to the folding rear seats. The sunroof was a nice size and functioned perfectly. The sound system/satellite radio was first class as usual.

Under The Hood: The 2009 Acura TSX was available with a single engine—a 2.4-liter inline four cylinder that produces 201 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque, but the 2010 TSX is now available with the great 3.5-liter 280 hp V-6 from the Acura TL. Like all Acura V-6 engines this is a super smooth engineering marvel.

The I-4 can be had with either a manual or automatic transmission. The V-6 is only available with the auto trans. The transmission availability might influence some buyers, but given the overabundance of congested traffic it makes perfect sense to choose an automatic transmission.

Behind The Wheel: The Acura TSX is a wonderfully competent and comfortable long distance traveler. It’s equally at home on short, local errands. Controls and ergonomics are all well designed. The V-6 is a great upgrade, but the I-4 is still an excellent choice.

Whines: Ditch the cattle catcher front end styling and bring back the smoother noses of earlier Acuras.

Bottom Line: As the entry level Acura the TSX represents an excellent value. It has Acura/Honda precision engineering and quality at an attractive price.

2010 Porsche Panamera: New four-door sedan worthy of the Porsche name

By Lary Coppola

The 2010 Porsche Panamera is the storied brand’s first-ever four-door sedan. With the Mercedes-Benz S Class, Maserati Quattroporte, Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and M5 squarely in its crosshairs, the Panamera is actually a hatchback with a roomy rear seat, back-seat headroom, leg and hip room that rivals any of the other cars in this class, plus actual useful cargo space.

Even beyond having four doors, the Panamera is markedly different from traditional Porsches. Unlike the 911, with its rear-mounted engine, the Panamera sports a front-engine design, and is an impressively smooth luxury highway cruiser, belying its world-class handling and performance.

Model Lineup: The 2010 Porsche Panamera is offered in three configurations — the S, 4S and Turbo models.

Standard on the Panamera S ($89,800) and 4S ($93,800) are leather upholstery; eight-way power-adjustable, heated front bucket seats with driver's seat memory; tilt/telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel; cruise control; power windows, locks and mirrors; sunroof; 11-speaker, 235-watt AM/FM stereo with CD/DVD/MP3 player; Porsche Communication Management system with seven-inch touchscreen, navigation system and trip computer; automatic climate control; interior air filter; Homelink universal garage door opener; anti-theft system; auto-dimming outside and rearview mirrors; automatic bi-xenon headlights; split-folding rear bucket seats; power rear liftgate; adaptive rear spoiler; Porsche Active Suspension Management adjustable suspension; and alloy wheels. The 4S adds all-wheel drive with an automatic brake differential.

The Panamera Turbo ($132,800) adds full leather upholstery and interior trim; 14-way power seats with memory; power tilt/telescoping steering column; alcantara roof liner; adaptive air suspension with load-leveling and adjustable ride height; and adaptive headlights.

The Panamera offers options galore, including adaptive air suspension; Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control with rear differential lock; variable assist power steering; Sport Chrono Plus package with analog and digital stopwatch, Sport Plus button and launch control; ceramic composite brakes; sport exhaust system with modified silencers, special tailpipes and an interior button to change the exhaust note. Front park assist and a rearview camera are bundled.

Where interior options are concerned you can get just about any part of the interior trimmed in leather, alcantara, wood or aluminum depending upon personal preference and the depth of your checkbook. Available are full-leather interior with memory for the driver's seat and driver's side mirror; a choice of 14 or 18-way power seats in full leather or cloth; power steering column and memory for lights, wipers, A/C, door locks, instrument cluster and PCM settings; front park assist; adaptive cruise control; large rear center console; eight-way power rear seats; front and rear seat ventilation; four-zone automatic climate control; heated steering wheel; power sunscreens for rear side windows and a power rear sunscreen.

Tech options include Sirius/XM satellite radio; Bluetooth cell phone connectivity; 6CD/DVD changer;, and a Universal Audio Interface with auxiliary input and USB ports.

Walkaround: The Panamera has a sleek, sporty, coupe-like profile, and even as a 4-door, is still unmistakably a Porsche. The 911 influence is evident in the signature rear wheel flares and hood that sits lower than the front fenders, as well as the front end with lower air intakes but no grille. The rounded rear end also hides a cleverly designed active rear spoiler that rests under a chrome trim strip and pops up at speed to increase rear downforce.

The rounded four-door hatchback design allows for generous rear headroom while also offering the rear cargo utility of a wagon, with a sporty coupe rear profile.

The swollen rear end is somewhat reminiscent of the old 928, and may be the car's weakest styling point, but the Panamera has a definite presence — attracting attention anywhere people see it.

Interior: Porsche claims the Panamera is the most luxurious car its ever built — and for obvious reasons. The fit and finish are outstanding and all materials are top-grade, with soft-touch surfaces everywhere.

The Panamera S and 4S models come standard with three partial leather upholstery choices, while the Turbo boasts full-leather in four color choices. Three different two-tone combinations, natural leather in two colors, and one two-tone combination are also available.

Interior trim choices include carbon, aluminum, and five real-wood options, with an alcantara roofliner (standard on Turbo), and extra leather on just about anything, including the steering column, rearview mirror, the top of the dash, and air vents all available.

The center console houses over 30 control buttons, with some of those functions (and others) controlled via the standard seven-inch touchscreen in the center of the dash, with another 18 buttons surrounding it. A second 4.8-inch multi-function display is housed in one of the gauge pods in front of the driver. It’s paired with the navigation screen to display just about any information the driver may want.

Porsche wisely opted for command buttons rather than a joy-stick controller such as BMW's highly unintuitive iDrive. The buttons, which are logically grouped by function and easily accessible, are simple to figure out.

Three audio systems are offered. The base 11 speaker, 235 watt system is better than many other manufacturer’s premium systems. The optional 14-speaker, 585 watt Bose surround sound system is loud, clear, and as good as any premium system you'd find in most upscale luxury cars. However, the kickass 16-speaker, 1000-watt Burmester surround sound is as clear as anything I've ever heard — and I've heard some really great ones.

The front bucket seats are firm, comfortable, and supportive, with a seating position similar to the 911, only higher. The full-length center console, inspired by the Porsche Carrera GT, sweeps upwards toward the dash, creating four distinct seating positions, each offering ample room and comfort.

Considering the rear-sloping roof, rear-seat headroom is especially impressive, and can comfortably accommodate passengers over 6-feet.

The hatchback design provides plenty of cargo space for larger items. With the rear seats up, there is 15.6 cubic feet of space behind them — about as much as a large sedan's trunk. The rear seats fold almost flat, revealing 44.2 cubic feet of cargo room — enough for four suitcases.

Standard safety features include dual front airbags, dual front knee airbags, front- and rear-side airbags, side curtain airbags with rollover deployment, anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control, tire-pressure monitor, and rear park assist.

Under The Hood: The Panamera S and 4S come with a 4.8-liter V8 putting 400 ponies to the pavement, while the Panamera Turbo offers a turbocharged version of that same V8, rated at 500 horses. Both powerplants are mated to Porsche's new seven-speed automated manual PDK transmission. The Panamera S is rear-wheel drive, while the 4S and Turbo boast all-wheel drive.

Behind The Wheel: The Porsche Panamera is an absolute dream to drive, and all models are really fast — as you would expect from Porsche. The normally aspirated V8 in S and 4S models has plenty of power at any speed, and can do 0-60 drill in as little as 4.6 seconds. The Turbo slices that to 3.6 seconds, with little if any turbo lag and a surge of power pinning you to the seat.

I had the opportunity to put all the Panamera's through their paces at the 4.1-mile, 14-turn, Road America racecourse in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Myself and a driving partner picked one up at the Milwaukee airport and drove the two hours to Elkhart Lake, and back, getting some city and highway driving in as well.

Two forms of adjustable suspension are offered, a standard system with gas shocks, and a full air suspension on the Turbo. The suspension adjustments allow the Panamera to drive like a luxury car or a race-ready sports sedan. The Panamera was at right home on the track, with quick, communicative steering, blazing acceleration, and a willingness to change direction and respond to driver input that made it stable, and forgiving through hard, high-speed turns.

Road America has several long straightaways, and the Panamera's brakes heated up after about an hour of repeated extreme use with almost no down time by numerous rotating drivers. However, under normal conditions, the brakes are more than capable.

The Turbo delivers extreme performance that's almost too easy to control. The Panamera S felt lighter than the Turbo, but the 4S, with its surefooted all-wheel drive, fit my personal driving style like a glove, and was my preference of the trio. I drove it faster than anything else I’ve ever driven — 163 mph — with total confidence.

For all the power, the Panamera is fairly easy on gas. It comes with a hybrid-like start/stop feature that turns the engine off at stoplights to conserve fuel. EPA fuel economy estimates are 16/city and 24/highway for the S models and 15/23 for the Turbo, meaning no Panamera is subject to the Gas Guzzler tax.

Whines: The speedometer is marked in hard-to-read 25 mph increments, but if you can't read it, a digital speed readout is provided at the bottom of the tach.

Bottom Line: The 2010 Porsche Panamera was an excellent expansion of the Porsche lineup. It debuts as one of the world's best luxury sports sedans, combining ultra high performance with the comfortable ride and interior refinement of a luxury cruiser. It's fast, handles like a dream, carries four in comfort and has plenty of cargo room. All that capability doesn't come cheap, and Porsche's numerous options can add as much as $60,000 to the price of the car. But if you can afford it — it’s worth it.

Honda Crosstour: Attractive package inside and out

By Lary Coppola

The all-new 2010 Crosstour is Honda's latest Accord model, and what’s known as a CUV — Crossover Utility Vehicle. Let’s politely call it what it actually is, a hatchback Accord. The Accord Crosstour will fill the slot in between the CR-V and Pilot.

Someone I spoke with recently tried to make a strong case that with the Crosstour, Honda has finally gotten the Accord right. I never thought there was too much wrong with the original, and this vehicle is aimed at a different buyer than the Accord. But the Crosstour has a lot going for it.

A few years back, Honda’s market research found a large number of buyers — anticipated to be 20-somethings starting families and empty nesters — would want an Accord-size vehicle that wasn’t a truck, was handier than a sedan, and sportier than a mainstream CUV, and they would want it right about now.

Since planning a new vehicle takes years, and anticipating what car buyers will want and need in the future is less than an exact science, it’s a major crapshoot every time a new vehicle is introduced.

Were they right? Time will tell.

Model Lineup: The Crosstour comes in two trim levels, with front-wheel-drive standard. The Crosstour EX starts at $29,670, while the more upscale EX-L sells for $32,570. The all-wheel-drive (AWD) package is only available on the EX-L, starting at $34,020. Adding navigation adds another $2,200 to the sticker, for a total of $34,770 with 2WD and $36,220 with AWD.

Walkaround: Although visually similar to the recently introduced Acura ZDX (Honda owns Acura), the Crosstour doesn’t share the ZDX's platform, instead, riding on a modified Accord chassis.

The Crosstour is what is known in Europe as a five-door — a four-door sedan with a hatch making five. It’s somewhat ironic, that after years of rejecting the hatchback (well, there was the Gremlin…), the auto industry is slowly moving back toward what's always been the most practical sedan design.

The Crosstour differs from the Accord sedan in several ways besides the obvious sloping roofline. There’s a beefier more aggressive looking grille, two-inch wider stance (although there’s about an inch less room inside), a 110.1-inch wheelbase, more weight — 299 to 487 pounds more than Accord sedans. It's the only Accord to offer AWD — as basic as it may be — and has two additional inches of ground clearance than the Accord sedan for foul-weather and bad-road driving. The sloping rear roof gives the 2010 Accord Crosstour a very distinctive look — especially in contrast to the flat-roofed, Camry-based Toyota Venza or Ford Flex.

Interior: The Accord Crosstour EX comes pretty well-equipped, with standard features that include dual-zone automatic air conditioning with second row ventilation, auto up/down driver and front passenger side windows, moonroof, steering wheel-integrated audio controls, 360-Watt AM/FM 6-disc audio system with seven speakers, compass and outside temperature indicator, cruise control, easy fold-down 60-40 split rear seat back, 17-inch aluminum wheels with 225/65 R17 all-season tires, hidden removable utility box, rear privacy glass, projector beam headlights with auto-off, fog lights, chrome door handles, body-colored power side mirrors with defrost, and more.

Upgrades on the Accord Crosstour EX-L include leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats, leather steering wheel, leather gear shift knob, memory driver-side seats, memory side mirrors with reverse tilting capability, auto day/night dimming rearview mirror, auto on/off headlights, Kevlar cone speakers, aluminum dome-type front tweeter speakers and a USB audio interface, 18-inch aluminum wheels with 225/60 R18 all-season tires, cargo privacy cover, and HomeLink transmitter.

The seats were unusually comfortable for a Honda, offering good lumbar support, and the instrumentation includes some cool blue lighting. The center control console, which houses the navigation system and backup camera display, looks like it came straight out of an Acura RL rather than the standard-issue Accord controls.

While its coupe-like styling somewhat limits cargo volume, the Crosstour was designed with cargo hauling in mind. It doesn't want for cubbies, bins and other storage, featuring an 8-inch deep under-floor Hidden Removable Utility Box with a reversible lid, and under-floor bins that mirror the popular feature in the Honda Ridgeline pickup. A big, removable and washable center bin is flanked by two smaller ones, and the covers of all three can be reversed, offering carpet or a durable hard-plastic surface.

The hatch is just much handier than a trunk, and space behind Crosstour's back seat is twice the size of an Accord sedan trunk.

Safety features include the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, which enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. Additional safety equipment includes Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist; side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor; driver's and front passenger's side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); dual-stage, multiple threshold front airbags; and active front seat head restraints.

Under The Hood: Power for the Crosstour is courtesy of Honda's 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 engine — the same motor as the Accord sedan. It delivers 271 horses and 254 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. It’s mated to a five-speed automatic that shifts briskly and smooth. No four-cylinder engine is offered.

The AWD system, which Honda dubs Real Time, is the same one used on its CR-V and Element small SUVs. Basically, it’s a front-drive system that transfers some power to the back wheels when, and only when, the front wheels slip. While it responds quickly, AWD always provides better stability and traction if it anticipates and can power all the wheels a moment before they lose traction, rather than after. The system is lighter and cheaper than more sophisticated AWD setups, but it worked fine in some very wet winter weather.

Behind The Wheel: The Crosstour has one of the best combinations of ride comfort and bump-smoothing I’ve found in almost any test car I’ve driven in awhile. It handled some tight, two-lane blacktop twisties at speed surprisingly well, and acceleration was adequate in traffic and on the freeway. Both are surprising, given that extra weight usually degrades handling and slows acceleration.

Steering had a comfortable feeling of quick turning response, and wasn’t too heavy or sluggish, while the 4-wheel disc brakes felt above average. Towing capacity is 1,500 pounds.

Gas mileage on our two-wheel-drive test EX-L was rated at 18/city and 27 highway.

Whines: There’s no stowage for the covers if you overfill the storage bins. You have to leave them loose in the vehicle, or at home. The navigation system was annoyingly slow to load, but worked well otherwise. An old-school type parking brake handle, rather than a pedal, hugs the center tunnel.

Bottom Line: I liked the Crosstour a lot. It drives great and is stylish, comfortable and practical. Our loaded test model stickered at $35,480, although the Crosstour is anywhere from $2,865 to $3,665 more than similarly equipped Accord sedans. But for you get and all the Crosstour can do, you just can’t beat its bang for the buck — especially when you factor in Honda dependability.

Chinese poised to buy Volvo

While the United States is still reeling from a recession that saw the demise of General Motors and Chrysler averted only by massive taxpayer-funded government bailouts, the Chinese continue to breathe down our economic superpower necks with their own foray into the global auto industry.

Leading the way is Shanghai-based Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., which was the first Chinese automaker to exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show — which opened to the press this morning — and is now closing in on the purchase of Volvo Car Corp. from Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford Motor Company.

At the same time, across the big pond, here in America, some 2,000 GM and Chrysler dealers are still waiting to hear the Obama administration’s Car Czar justify why it, and a bankruptcy court, arbitrarily phased them out of business last spring.

Volvo Presents All-Electric C30

In addition to the market introduction of a plug-in hybrid in 2012, work is currently under way on evaluating the viability of an entirely electric-powered car known as a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). In 2009, a small number of prototype versions of the C30 BEV have been built and tested internally by Volvo. In addition to focusing on performance and safety, much of the focus is on integration of the electric propulsion system with the rest of the car.

"The Volvo C30 is the first model we will try out with electric power. This car's excellent properties in city traffic and its relatively low weight make it particularly suitable, since electric cars are primarily expected to be used in and around cities and for daily commuting," says Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.

Volvo C30 BEV is powered with a Lithium-Ion battery that is charged via a regular power socket found in most homes. Recharging an entirely depleted battery via the regular household power supply system (230V, 16A) will take about eight hours. If the car is charged with renewable electricity this means that emissions – all the way from electricity production to its use out on the road – will in principle be non-existent.

The electric motor is housed under the hood, just like the engine in a conventional car. One of the priorities within the BEV project is to find the optimal placing of the battery. Most likely the best places are the prop shaft tunnel and the place where the fuel tank normally is located. These locations are within the car's optimised crumple zone in the most common collision scenarios. Since the car runs solely on electricity, it requires a larger battery with higher capacity (24 kWh) than in the case of the plug-in hybrid (12 kWh).

The C30 BEV is limited to a top speed of about 130 kilometres an hour, which will be more than sufficient for most users of this type of car. Acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometres an hour will take less than 11 seconds. The car will have a range of up to 150 kilometres. This range is longer and far better than the distance 90 percent of all Europe's motorists drive per day.

Volvo imposes the very same high safety standards on all its products irrespective of the type of fuel or power source used. Volvo's safety dedication is always focused on the human being and is based on solid knowhow of real-life traffic situations. What is more, comprehensive in-house tests are carried out both virtually and in Volvo's highly advanced crash-test laboratory. If Volvo chooses to introduce an entirely new type of electric car on the market, it will be just as safe as any other car bearing the Volvo badge.

Volvo has theoretically identified all the electrification-related safety scenarios in the stages before, during and after a collision. After careful study of these scenarios, the company's engineers will create solutions for handling each and every situation identified, guaranteeing that any future electric cars fully match Volvo's renowned safety standards in every respect.

Volvo's' main electrification track over the coming decades is plug-in hybrids. This applies in particular to the company's larger car models. The combination of electric motor and combustion engine is the solution that probably has the greatest potential from both the technical and commercial viewpoints. Plug-in hybrids offer long range, good environmental performance and at the same time limited dependence on expensive battery technology.

Kia Debuts UVO-Powered Infotainment System

Short for "Your Voice," Kia has unveiled the new UVO, powered by Microsoft. UVO is an innovative and intelligent in-vehicle infotainment system that features a breakthrough user interface, providing simple and quick access to vehicle audio systems, music media in various formats and mobile phone content

UVO is the first in-vehicle solution to integrate full Microsoft® intelligent speech engine technology