A reader would like to know what car is similar to the Smart ForTwo but has a real automatic transmission. Ask.cars.com lays out some options. Then, MotherProof.com reviews the 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5, and the verdict isn’t very pretty. Let’s just say the word “go-kart” is thrown around.
Which New Car Is Similar to the Smart ForTwo but Has a Real Automatic Transmission? (Ask.cars.com)
2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 (MotherProof.com)
The reasoning behind J.D. Power and Associates’ Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout study is to find out “how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive” for each customer.
The overall winner in the 2009 APEAL study was Porsche, which maintained its dominance in the top spot for the fifth straight year. Rounding out the top five were several other luxury brands: Jaguar, Cadillac, Audi and BMW.
Individual categories included one decent upset: In the Midsize Premium Car category, the Hyundai Genesis beat out both the BMW 5 Series and the Jaguar XF. Other winners of interest included the Dodge Challenger, Volkswagen CC, Ford Flex and Nissan Maxima — all relatively new models.
The Smart ForTwo didn’t exactly wow our reviewers, but it did take the prize for top subcompact, beating out the Scion xD and Honda Fit.
The one area where Detroit dominated was in the Large Pickup category, where the Chevy Avalanche and Ford F-150 took the top slots, with the Dodge Ram coming in third.
J.D. Power gathered information from 80,900 owners or lessees of new 2009 models for the study, including questions on more than 90 vehicle attributes.
Most Appealing Cars and Trucks (J.D. Power & Associates)
The all-electric Tesla Roadster comes with a hefty $109,000 price tag, but Bank of America hopes to put the Roadster within reach of more than just the wealthy.
Bank of America will finance the purchase of Tesla vehicles for qualified borrowers. These customers will be eligible for a loan of up to 75% of the car’s value and will have up to five years to pay it off.
OK, so we really meant, “Bank of America hopes to put the Roadster within reach of the kinda-still-pretty-wealthy, too.”
Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times helpfully points out that a 75% loan means you will effectively end up having to put down $30,000 once you account for sales tax and registration fees (though he’s assuming you’re an L.A. resident). The $7,500 tax credit won’t kick in until tax season.
Then all that’s left is to make your payments — with monthly interest, which at an annual rate of 5% could have you spending an extra $12,000 on a Tesla.
Still, if you really want a Tesla Roadster but don’t quite feel comfortable laying out $100 grand in this economy, that Bank of America loan might be your ticket.
Bank of America to Finance Tesla Roadster Purchases (Los Angeles Times)
While Cars.com reviews lots of, well, cars, we also have a few experts of the two-wheeled variety. We asked two riders — one with a considerable amount of experience and one who’s just starting out — to test the new Can-Am Spyder. We wanted to know if the three-wheeler would impress them and how it compares with riding a traditional bike.
KickingTires: The Can-Am Spyder requires a motorcycle license for operation in most states. Could a person with no prior motorcycle experience safely ride the Spyder? As an experienced rider, what were your impressions?
Short answer: Sure, a new rider could handle the Can-Am Spyder, but I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone. And I sure wouldn’t bet my life on it by riding as a passenger with someone who wasn’t already an accomplished biker.
Long answer: Despite my reluctance to climb aboard the Spyder with a newbie, I actually think California and Delaware are on the right side of logic by not mandating a motorcycle license to operate one on public roads.
The physical skills and balance required to earn a motorcycle certification are almost meaningless on the Spyder, so why require a rider to prove basic operational competence on two wheels before climbing aboard this three-wheeler?
It’s not like getting a motorcycle license automatically makes you a safe rider, any more than getting a driver’s license on your 16th birthday makes you a safe driver.
The first thing you have to understand about BRP’s Can-Am Spyder is that it isn’t a motorcycle with three wheels. Sure, it has handle-bar steering, motorcycle-like controls, a single rear wheel and a V-twin engine that’s a close sibling to one used in race bikes. But adding two wheels and a racecar style suspension up front doesn’t make the backward trike ride or handle like a motorcycle — at all.
The Spyder is a high-performance “something-else,” neither car nor bike nor ATV. If you can drive any of those things, after a few minutes of orientation to the Spyder’s controls you (or your mom) will be ready for your first lap around an empty parking lot — especially if you spring for the optional semi-automatic transmission ($1,500), which removes the complication of a hand clutch and foot shifter in favor of a marvelous, near-idiot-proof electronic paddle shifter. All you have to worry about are the upshifts. If you’re late with a downshift, the onboard computer takes care of it for you, so you never find yourself wanting for power.
After a few laps around the empty parking lot, you’ll have the hang of starting, shifting, turning and stopping, and you’ll feel like taking on real streets. (Your mom will probably want to call it a day after the parking lot.)
At cruising speed under a smooth throttle, the Spyder is well-behaved and provides an instantly fun experience that feels almost like driving a really powerful go-kart. It’s very predictable, going exactly where you point it, and stops easily when and where you want it to.
At, shall we say, brisker speeds, the Spyder provides an exhilarating experience that demands you hang on tight and actually ride the thing, much as you would a performance ATV. You have to push the handlebars a lot harder to initiate a turn, and for sharp curves it handles best if you lean your body inside; otherwise, it wants to toss you right off the other side of the trike. If you want to ride it hard, you’re going to get a workout.
And yet it still feels remarkably well-behaved, coaxing you to push it harder and inspiring confidence with every corner you carve. The advanced stability and traction control systems work unobtrusively to keep all three wheels on the ground and keep you from getting in over your head, at least as far as controlling the machine is concerned.
So why wouldn’t I necessarily recommend it for a non-rider?
The Spyder isn’t a toy, or anything close to it. This a highly tuned, high-performance machine that makes you feel confident very quickly. That can be a recipe for disaster — think 16-year-old boy in a new Corvette.
All that fast-found confidence might tempt one to not bother slowing down for a 35-mph curve, and that could spell trouble. While the Spyder’s linked front-and-rear ABS system, two front wheels and long wheelbase let you brake hard and still change direction should you meet an obstacle around that curve, you’ll still need reaction speed, instincts and practice to decide what to do and execute well.
A good motorcycle rider develops these skills over time, and smart ones do it long before they start exploring the upper limits of their machine’s performance. On top of that, the Spyder is almost three times wider than a motorcycle, which automatically means your escape route and margin for error is more like a car’s.
Given its hefty price tag, I think the Spyder’s greatest appeal will be with adrenaline junkies who already have a bike or two in the garage, a PWC or ATV in the shed, and a fat bank account. For most riders, the primary attraction will be the novelty of the thing, the thrill of riding it hard and its ability to do effortless, straight-line burnouts all the way down the block.
KickingTires: As a novice motorcycle rider, what were your impressions of the Can-Am Spyder?
Rossi: As a new rider, my main concern was the learning curve — not just how to operate the Spyder, but what to do if and when I were presented with an emergency situation. I spent so much time learning to ride on two wheels, I thought it would take as long to get fully comfortable on three.
Turns out, the learning curve on the Spyder is very shallow, especially with the sequential five-speed automatic. The controls are a mix of the easiness of an automobile and the layout of a motorcycle. Like Brian said, after about 10 minutes on the Spyder you feel ready to take on the open road. That took me hours to feel on two wheels.
The stability added by the two front wheels not only changed the handling properties, it also kept the bike upright at stop lights and took away the need to lean the machine into turns; like Brian said, you do need to shift your body weight into turns to keep yourself on the machine, but that’s an easier task than leaning a several-hundred-pound piece of steel on two wheels into a turn.
The third wheel also makes riding on rough roads easier. Pothole in the road? No need for an emergency swerve when you have two wheels up front and an independent suspension.
After my second day with the Spyder, I found myself caught in the middle of a quick but bad summer thunderstorm. With very little "rain riding" under my belt, this was not a situation I was comfortable with; had I been on my bike, I probably would have pulled over, but not with the Spyder. The 700-pound trike was firmly planted, and the antilock brakes and stability control allowed me to stop with ease and accelerate with very limited slipping. The technology and stability made me feel completely in control of the machine, which allowed me to focus my attention on the chaos around me.
When the roads were dry and open, the 106-hp Spyder did not disappoint. A hard twist of the throttle let out a deep, loud exhaust note, spun the rear tire and launched the Spyder off the line. One quick tap of the transmission into 2nd and — BAM! You pass 60 mph and it’s time for 3rd!
If you’ve ever ridden a snowmobile, ATV or Jet Ski, the Spyder requires the same type of control, but it’s also very precise and predictable. The only thing that was difficult about the Spyder was remembering I was still on a "motorcycle." You still need to scan the road for potential hazards, but having the ability to hard brake was great — especially given a lot of people either stared at me, wondering what I was driving as they drifted ever closer, or just didn't see me at all.
The price is pretty significant, starting at $16,199 for a manual Spyder. That’s on the very high end for a motorcycle, but if you look at the prices of most recreational toys lately, the Can-Am’s price is right in that ballpark.
I don’t see any way this contraption could be a problem.
Some genius designed this device that, when fitted into your car’s cupholder, serves as a laptop stand. Feel free to shift your eyes dangerously back and forth from the road to “Don’t Mess With the Zohan” or whatever the kids are watching these days.
You could probably even do a little work while sitting in traffic, which could in no way endanger the bumper of the car in front of you.
Plus, with the rise of adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning systems and crash-imminent braking, you really don’t have to do much driving anymore anyway.
Watching Movies While You Drive Just Got Easier (Gizmodo)
And there you have it: The nationwide average price of gas has fallen below the $2.50 mark, moving from $2.504 yesterday to $2.492 today, according to AAA.
This continues an incremental but steady downward trend in prices that began earlier this summer. In just a month, the price has fallen roughly 18 cents. This is good news for drivers and an economy still trying to pull out of a deep recession.
It should also be noted that exactly one year ago today the average price of gas was a jaw-dropping $4.11, which on July 16, 2008, was the highest average recorded price of all-time.
Behemoth oil giant Exxon Mobile has announced that it will invest $600 million in producing liquid fuel from algae. It will spend $300 million on in-house research and partner with Synthetic Genomics, a biotechnology company founded by J. Craig Venter, the man who mapped the human genome.
Long known for its poor environmental practices and denial of climate change, Exxon’s entry into the field of biofuels will be welcomed by some and viewed skeptically by others. For a company that made $45.22 billion last year, a $600 million investment could be seen as more of a PR investment than a scientific commitment.
Algae has become a popular choice for biofuels due to its high energy potential. Exxon thinks it can produce more than 2,000 gallons of fuel per acre of production each year. Compare this with corn ethanol, which yields only 250 gallons per acre a year and has significantly lower energy potential than the lipids produced by algae.
Furthermore, algae can be grown on land or brackish water that does not compete with food crops (perhaps even in salt water). Venter said he also believes that algae can be engineered to consume huge amounts of carbon dioxide when it's grown, offsetting carbon emissions from power plants.
For its part, Exxon warns that any large-scale commercial algae fuel plants are five to 10 years away, with numerous obstacles still to overcome.
It’s one thing to produce small amounts of fuel from algae, but this is not the scientists’ task. Rather, they must figure out a way to produce synthetic fuel that's cheaper than gasoline and can put some sort of dent in the 9 million barrels of gasoline the U.S. market consumes every day and the 138 billion gallons it eats each year.
Exxon to Invest Millions to Make Fuel From Algae (New York Times)
There will never be a shortage of people out there trying to take advantage of new programs or trends, according to Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray. The new Cash for Clunkers program, officially known as CARS, is no exception.
Cordray is already aware of a number of scammers and imposters setting up websites to take advantage of people trying to earn a $3,500 or $4,500 rebate by turning in their old, inefficient cars. The sites ask consumers to “preregister” and provide their Social Security numbers.
It goes without saying: Do not do this. Sites that promise to put you in touch with authorized dealers in your area are likewise malarkey.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the rules of CARS are clear: There is no need to register to participate. Dealers will apply the credit you earn from your clunker at the time you purchase your new car.
If you want more information from a reliable source, check out Cars.com’s Cash for Clunkers Guide.
New CARS Program Giving Rise to Scams (Akron Beacon Journal)
At the request of a reader, Ask.cars.com goes in search of small 2010 SUVs that come with a manual transmission. Then, one MotherProof.com writer explains why clean-diesel vehicles deserve a shot.
Which Small 2010 SUVs Come with a Manual Transmission? (Ask.cars.com)
Making a Case for Clean-Diesel SUVs (MotherProof.com)
Ford’s new twin-turbo gasoline direct-injection EcoBoost engines pack plenty of punch for their size. The 2010 Ford Flex with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 is rated at 355 hp and 350 pounds-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 35% horsepower and 41% more torque than the Flex’s standard 3.5-liter V-6, while returning the same 16/22 mpg city/highway gas mileage (all-wheel drive model). It's also available in the new Ford Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS sedan and upcoming MKT crossover.
Brett Hinds, Ford’s advance engine design and development manager, said it will only get better from here.
“The [Flex’s] EcoBoost [engine] is the foundation for us,” Hinds said. “It’s a six-cylinder engine that performs like an eight-cylinder, but we’re looking at many ways to make EcoBoost even more efficient so it can meet future fuel economy and CO2 standards.”
Here are three improvements to EcoBoost that Hinds said Ford is studying: