www.instylecars.com

Do you have a job or hobby that requires a roomy van?  Do you have an Econoline van and are sick of it, looking for something alittle less bulky?  Well, the new 2010 Ford Transit Connect van is probably something to check out.    Oh my gosh, I just totally sounded like a saleman….sorry!  Anyways, the Transit Connect has some pretty cool features for those that need some cargo space, but don’t want the big van.  It fits in a Toyota Corolla sized parking space (that’s cool, right!), and has 135 cubit feet of cargo space and 1600-pound payload capacity.  Ford has found a way to use its space efficiently without the true van characteristics. 

Also, the Transit Connect gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway, and the price starts at $20,780 and runs to about $25,000.  You can’t get a traditional van for that price.  It has a 136-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a four-speed automatic transmission.  There are two front bucket seats and then the rest of the vehicle is for storagethough there is a second row of seating for you if you wish to use it.)  The Transit got a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. 

I guess I need to share the shortcomings with you too.  The quality of the interior materials poor, because they were chosen for low cost and to have a high resistance to dirt and scratches rather than comfort. I don’t see this as a big problem for most.  Also, the mechanism to fold the second-row seating is balky and not easy to do.  Also, the bluetooth connection needs some work and fails to stay connected alot, at least according to Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press who test drove this vehicle.

I definitely think that you can look past the shortcomings and see the positives for the Ford Transit Connect.  I would and actually think I will be considering getting myself one for centercaps.net!

www.cars.about.com

So, I mentioned the Lexus LFA last week when talking about concepts being debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show, but I failed to mention the particulars of this car.  I just read an article by Matthew Debord on msnbc.com that kills Toyota and the Lexus LFA for basically building this car.  Toyota used to be known as the powerhouse.  They built the best cars, most reliable, etc. and then there were some bumps in the road with financial losses, recalls, etc.  Anyways, at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Lexus LFA was their baby. This was going to help turn Toyota around. Now granted it is too early to tell if it worked, but this car is sooo unrealistic for most people.  The average Joe (or Sue) will probably not be purchasing it. Though the rumors around town are that this Lexus will probably become ”an instant classic” when it is sold in the future. 

With that said, here are the details.  The Lexus LFA is a supercar with between 500-600 horsepower V10 engine.  It is supposed to compete with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis.  The problem with the Lexus LFA is the price……do you have about $375,000-$400,000 to spend on it?  If you do, go for it, if not, sorry the Lexus LFA is not for you. 

The Tokyo Motor Show began today (press only-open to public starting 10/23-11/4) and of course there were many new concept cars unveiled.  Many automakers had decided not to participate in this show due financial difficulties but those that have exhibits there are trying to make the most of the situation.  Lexus is showing off the LF-A super car with a 500 horsepower engine.  I was reading alittle about the LF-A at topspeed.com and people aren’t saying nice things. They don’t like the look of it and aren’t buying the super car advertising of it as well.

Another concept car unveiled at this show is the Toyota FT-86.  This is a compact, rear-wheel drive sports car that supposedly provides “driving joy and excitement.  Also the Toyota FT-EV II was introduced which is a compact electric vehicle designed for short distances. 

Mazda also are showing off a new concept as well as a new engine and transmission at the Tokyo Motor Show.  The Mazda Kiyora has a Mazda Sky-G engine and Sky-Drive transmission, which are both being debuted at the Tokyo show as well.  The Sky-G engine has greatly improved fuel economy due to thermal efficiency. 

I’m sure there will be more talk of the Tokyo Motor Show as the week goes on, but I thought this was some good information about some new concepts.  The thing is that I feel like most of these concepts have the same ideas. They are smaller, with more power and better gas mileage.  I guess that’s what people want. 

www.ap.org

Toyota is launching a new larger hybrid-only sedan that will be for sale in Japan - the Sai.  The Sai is “Prius’ new little brother that is actually bigger” according to The Associated Press.  Sai means talent and color in Japanese and will be sold in Japan starting December 7.  Currently, Toyota has not decided on global sales of the Sai.  Hybrids get better gas mileage because they switch between an electric motor and the gas engine.  The Sai will get 23 kilometers per liter, which equates to about 54 miles per gallon.  The Sai’s big brother, Prius, get 38 kilometers per liter, or about 90 miles per gallon according to the Japanese mileage test conditions. Toyota is promising that the new Prius will get 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway in the U.S.  The Sai comes with a bigger engine 2.4 liter engine with the Prius getting a 1.8 liter engine, and supposedly the Sai is fancier and more roomy than its’ big brother.  It’s more expensive too. When the Sai goes on sale in December, it will cost about $37,500, which is 3.38 million yen compared to the Prius which costs $22,000 or alittle over 2 million yen.  So, I guess I thought I would just let you know about the new hybrid even though we cannot and may never be able to purchase it here in the U.S.  I would suspect that if the Sai is a success in Japan that eventually we will see it for sale here. Toyota would be crazy not too, especially because the Prius is the only model that is making any money for them as the company loses money like the rest of the automotive companies. 

As the fuel economy rules become stricter in the next few years, many automakers will be offering 4 cylinder engines in their vehicles to meet these rules.  BMW will be adding these four cylinder vehicles by 2012 in the 3 series.  Several others models by BMW are being considered for four cylinder engines.  The four cylinder engines with be equipped with twin-turbo diesel engines.  Someone made a really good point about these engines. People buy BMWs for performance and power and if you make a expensive, fast 4 cylinder engine then it won’t get the gas mileage that they need to get. Therefore the power that is needed for customers to want to buy the BMWs is going to have a hard time working in a 4 cylinder.  It’ll definitely have to be something new, because the current 4 cylinders are not powerful enough for the price tag of a BMW (in my opinion of course!)  Mercedes-Benz is also considering these engines, and again may have the same problems as BMW.  Well, the good news for these and other automakers is that they have time. It will be interesting to see how most of the automotive companies make out by 2016 when the mpg average needs to be 35.5.  Most have some work to do, others have ALOT of work to do.

There are some crazy new/old concepts that are popping up these days that are worth noting. 

First, there is the Toyota FT-EV II:

 www.dailytorque.com

This is an all-electric concept that will be making its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.  Supposedly you can fit 4 people in this car (where I’m not sure.)  This is a city-use vehicle because it’s range is only about 56 miles with top speed of 62 mph.  It has some neat features, but not sure when the vehicle, if ever, it will be available.

Another concept that is old (2000) but coming back is the BMW C1.

  www.connect.in.com

This scooter concept originally went on sale in Europe in 2000, but there were quality problems and the sales weren’t good, so BMWpulled it.  Now it’s back (well sortof.)  It’s not for sale in its current form, but possibly will become available in the future.  The BMW C1 concept has a 27-horsepower electric motor that uses energy by a plug-in 125-volt lithium-ion battery. It can reach 50 mph in less than 7 seconds and has a top speed of 62 mph.  You will get about 55 miles between rechargings.  Definitely another city-use vehicle.  It has a steel frame and seat belt, so you don’t have to wear a helmet. 

Small is in for concept or not.  Everyone seems to want and produce small.  I guess I should start looking beyond the exterior. I just can’t stand the look of these small cars.

Crossovers are the fastest growing segment of the auto industry.  Do you have one?  It seems that everyone is getting one these days. I do not have one, but I think I’m a minority.  So, if you are in the minority like me, here is the dirt on the crossovers.  They are built like a car (unlike SUVs that are built on truck frames,) use less gas than an SUV, and have more storage space than a traditional sedan.  So there you have it. Everyone loves them (so I hear!)  I have several friends with crossovers, and they really do seem to love them.  They are stylish too, and people want room in their vehicles as well as style. The crossover offers you both.  The price tag is nice too. The crossovers start around $20,000 compared to $30,000 for SUVs.  So, go and check out the crossovers.  They’re sales are doing well, such as the Ford Escape whose sales rose more than 49% in August from last year. So, here are the top-selling crossovers out there for you to choose from right now.

1.  Honda CR-V - $21,245-$27,245 

2.  Ford Escape - $20,550-$27,055  

3.  Toyota RAV4 - $21,500-$27,810

4.  Chevrolet Equinox - $22,440-$29,795

5.  Subaru Forester - $20,295-$28,495

If you want to see the other top 10 best sellers, go to autos.aol.com.  Go and check out the crossovers. Don’t be a minority like me!

www.autoblog.com

Nissan has unveiled a all-electric vehicle, which is a four-door hatchback called the Leaf.  It will be going on sale in Japan, Europe, and the United States next year.  This is a midsize car that can “comfortably seat five adults.”  The Nissan Leaf will be able to go 100 miles between chargings, and take about 8 hours to fully charge at home, and just a half hour at a special charging facility.  Nissan has not announced the price yet, but according to the CEO it will be “affordable and not priced out of reach of most consumers.”  The Leaf will also be about to qualify for the special tax breaks and incentives for zero-emission vehicles. 

The Leaf has an 80-kilowatt electric motor, which gets its power from a lithium-ion battery pack.  There is no tailpipe or gas tank, which makes it a zero-emission vehicle.  My only problem with the electric vehicle is that the automakers HAVE to figure out a way to get the Leaf and other electric cars to last longer than 100 miles. That just isn’t long enough between chargings, especially since there are limited charging facilities currently in the U.S., so most people that would own these cars will need to charge them at home for 8 hours. 100 miles is not a lot of miles whether you are driving around your town let alone travelling.  Just my thought….

www.green.autoblog.com

The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car is currently on display at the Frankfurt Auto Show.  This car is being described by BMW as “BMW’s most innovative concept car ever.”  Supposedly this car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and it received a score of 62.6 miles per gallon on the EU combined test cycle according to autobloggreen.com.  The concept had a 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine but rumor has it that BMW may go with a smaller engine than this.  The doors to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car (that’s a long name!) flip up like a Back to the Future vehicle. I think thats cool, but something even cooler is that this car is green. It is a plug-in hybrid. It can go approximately 31 miles in all-electric mode and an additional 400 miles if you use the diesel engine as well.  Charging with a regular 220 volt outlet takes about 2 1/2 hours.  BMW has not said that it will make these vehicles, but hints state that there will be a car similar, if not the same, as the concept car available in the future.

www.themotorreport.com.au

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata has been spied and many are surprised that there have been pictures of the entire vehicle already. The “flood gates” have been opened according to leftlanenews.com.  The Hyundai Sonata is supposed to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show in November or the Detroit Auto Show in January.  So, I guess since the gates have been opened, we can a few specifics that are being discussed as well.  There will be a hybrid model of the 2011 Sonata that will have a four-cylinder engine with a 40 horsepower electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries.  No official word but it is expected that a four-cylinder V6 will be the engine to compete with the Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Chevrolet Malibu, and Nissan Altima.  I guess we’ll have to wait for the auto shows to get the true specs, but it looks like a nice car from what you can see.