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2010 Ford Escape Hybrid

Plenty of manufacturers are beating their own drums with regard to innovative and “green” hybrid technology. But if you stand back and look at the field, one of the leaders and one of the first to develop useable production hybrids is Ford Motor Company. And they accomplished the job with one of the most unlikely candidates one might first think of—the five-passenger Escape Hybrid SUV—the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet. But is the Escape Hybrid really all that unlikely? We think not, and here’s why:..

2010 Suzuki Kizashi

Japanese automaker Suzuki chose the mid-2007 Frankfurt (Germany) Motor Show to unveil a most interesting new concept car called Kizashi. They said its name was Japanese for “prelude” or “foretaste” and that it foretold of something coming from a company known better here for its motorcycles, ATVs and outboard motors than for its small cars and SUVs...

2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz has been busy with BlueTec engines over the past few years, taking the diesel route toward improved fuel economy. Until the 2010 model year, though, hybrid-powertrain models have been absent from the German automaker's lineup...

Adjustable Shocks

Shock absorbers (or dampers, as some call them) are, in effect, hydraulic devices that resist chassis movement by passing oil through a set of orifices and valved passages. Inside an adjustable shock, manipulating the fluid movement through the valving of the shock changes the dampening characteristics. That means you can control how the suspension in your car or light truck functions (essentially fine tuning it for a given application). Many quality externally adjustable shocks are rather similar when it comes to adjustment. Once installed in the car, all changes are usually handled externally by way of the adjustment knob. After installation, the knobs on each of the shock absorber are accessible, either through the side of the spring (typical front applications) or on the body (typical rear applications)...

Adjustable Shocks

Tokyo Motor Show Highlights: 2009

For the better part of the past four decades, the Tokyo Motor Show, held each autumn in Chiba (east of Tokyo), has ranked among the foremost auto-industry events in the world. Then came the financial crisis of late 2008, threatening the future of American automakers and prompting the others to cut back sharply on costs...

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

What’s in a model name? What is an SUV in your mind? Big, trucky, fuel inefficient. A minivan? Big, boring, soccer-mom transport. A station wagon? Boxy, clunky, old folks’ wheels...

Head First into Colorado's Mountains

It’s on purpose, you see. The lure draws that draws you in. The state of Colorado is equipped for some of the best off-roading in the world, including remote high-mountain trails and deep-wood access that’s just a day’s walk from anywhere. It might be replicated in other places, but it can’t be duplicated on this grand scale. In Colorado, adventure is everywhere...

2010 Lincoln MKS

It’s been said that torque makes the world go around. A certain successful motorcycle company named Harley Davidson has known this for a long time. Most of their competitors struggle to get it right. The reason is, modes of transportation built for conditions in North America really have no need for high RPM-fussy engines. Certainly in congested Europe or perhaps specific places in Asia where roadways between urban centers are short, crowded and in many cases prove narrow and twisty, a buzzy engine coupled to a multi-speed gearbox can be considered “fun” or at the very least, somewhat useful. But think of the typical North American thoroughfare (or even a typical backroad). The spaces here are wide open. And, for the most part, so are the roads...

2010 Nissan Altima Sedan

“My, how you have grown!” When you test drive the 2010 Nissan Altima, avoid sounding like a clueless uncle greeting an adult niece at Thanksgiving dinner. If, like much of America, it’s been a while since you’ve been in the market for a sedan—rather than an SUV—it’ll be tempting to repeat that familiar Turkey Day refrain. (Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that reminds us why we no longer live with some people.)..