Today's News From the Cars.com Family

One reader wants to know our opinion of the 2009 Kia Sedona minivan, and Ask.cars.com renders its judgment. Then, PickupTrucks.com highlights classic Dodge pickups about to go to auction. Finally, MotherProof.com takes a ride in the 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe and finds that it may work for some families, but not all.

What’s Your Opinion of the 2009 Kia Sedona Minivan? (Ask.cars.com)
Classic Dodge Pickups Go to Auction (PickupTrucks.com)
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (MotherProof.com)

2010 Jaguar XJ: First Look

Jaguar has redesigned its flagship sedan, the XJ, for the 2010 model year, giving it exterior and interior design in the style of the XF sedan, along with the new engines introduced for the 2010 XF. The XJ can be ordered now, but delivery won't begin until early 2010. A slew of new images are below.

Jaguar has finally given tradition a rest, abandoning the classic four-headlight front-end design that dates back decades — and that had appeared unchanged to the untrained eye since 2004 despite a complete redesign. The 2010's nose is a more balanced execution of the XF's prominent mesh grille and sculpted headlight clusters. The hood is dramatically domed and creased, an apparent trend across the market.

Viewed from the rear, the XJ would be indistinguishable as a Jaguar were it not for the large and perfectly centered chrome "leaper" emblem. The taillights look like someone grabbed a Bentley by the tail and stretched it vertically. The car looks coupe-like in profile, with a gradually sloping roofline, high rear deck and high beltline. It's more Mercedes CLS than 2009 XJ, and we hope that doesn't represent compromised headroom. Jaguar emphasizes the "feeling" of light and space inside, compliments of a standard panoramic glass roof. The XJ's interior has always been snug among full-size luxury sedans. Jag will offer a long-wheelbase model that offers 5 more inches of backseat legroom.

Study Shows Decline in Congestion, but Challenges Remain

A silver lining of the recession has been a decrease in traffic. Americans spent an average of 36.1 hours in traffic in 2007, down from an all-time peak of 37.5 hours in 2005, according to a study released by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. The last time traffic congestion declined was in 1991.

The institute’s Urban Mobility Report shows just how closely traffic is tied to economic activity, but the silver lining of decreased congestion evaporates when the study considers just how massive this country’s transportation problems still are. Congestion eats up $78 billion from the economy by siphoning off 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel.

And, unfortunately, the traffic decline is a blip in an otherwise upward trend that in 2007 cost every American driver $750.

The most congested area, according to researchers who studied 439 urban areas, remains Los Angeles, with an average of 70 hours spent in traffic per commuter. Washington, D.C., came in second at 62 hours, while Atlanta, Houston and the San Francisco-Oakland area finished out the top five.

Weekend Athlete Hits the Elkhart Lake Triathlon in a 2009 Kia Sedona

It’s summer, and that means it’s time to switch to triathlons, camping and trail-running. The Weekend Athlete feature is also changing things up, adding a more real-life, real-use look at whatever car — sometimes, gasp! rentals — I’m taking on my adventures.

Destination: Racing the Elkhart Lake Triathlon

Car: 2009 Kia Sedona

Distance: About 338 miles

The Trip: I’ve done this triathlon several times over the past few years, and it might just be my favorite because it gives me an excuse to take a long drive in the country on one or two lightly traveled roads. The racecourse is also super-fun, with good hills.

My bike obviously comes along, and because it’s early in the year the wetsuit does too. I like to stay up in Wisconsin the night before, so I bring more gear than normal: Food, extra clothes, etc. To my mind, all of this means that it’s the best triathlon to test a car. (In a weird coincidence, the first time I did this race I had a Kia Optima sedan.)

Mini Cooper Crossover Spied in California

In one of the worst-kept secrets in automotive history, Mini has been working on an all-wheel-drive crossover. A concept was unveiled last year, and since then it’s been captured many times in spy photos shown on sites all over the web. But never on ours.

We typically don’t run spy photos, as they’re usually far from what a finished product will look like. (Of course, in Mini’s case, they kind of all look the same regardless.) But then, we don’t want to turn down anyone who sends us something as crystal-clear as this shot — especially intrepid family members of Cars.com staffers.

It’s also one of the few times the prototype has been seen testing in the U.S. Here it was seen in Camarillo, Calif., heading down the 101 toward Los Angeles.

To offer our consumer bent, the official version will be shown at the Frankfurt auto show this fall and will go on sale sometime in 2010.

Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Kia Soul

“Soulman” from Erie, Pa., was looking at a used Scion xB before deciding to spring for a new 2010 Kia Soul for only $1,000 more. How did the decision work out for him? He’s found a lot he likes about the Soul, but also discovered the car is not without its flaws. He explains why he chose the Soul and what he thinks Kia could do to improve it. Check out Soulman’s review, then post your own review here.

10 Tips Gas Stations Don't Want You to Know

MSN Money compiled a list of 10 things that could potentially save you money next time you go to the gas station. It turns out that gas stations, oil companies, credit card companies and a host of others may not have your best interest in mind. Consider these the nuggets of consumer information those companies don’t want you to know. Some are obvious, but others not so much.

1) Shop for the best deal: Most gas stations buy from their proprietary company, so they don’t have the luxury of shopping around. Luckily, you do. The cheapest gas in your area may not always be at the same station, so it’s to your advantage to search out the best deal.

2) Gas stations take the hit when prices rise, and that’s when they especially hate the credit card fee, because they’re turning over a large percentage of their cut to card companies. That’s why prices can rise quickly but tend to fall more slowly as station owners attempt to make up lost revenue. Some stations offer better deals to consumers who pay cash.

Today's News From the Cars.com Family

A reader asks for a comparison between the 2010 Mazda3 Sport hatchback and the 2009 Subaru Impreza i hatchback, and Ask.cars.com obliges. PickupTrucks.com has a potential preview of the Cummins light-duty diesel engine. Finally, MotherProof.com has a preview of CruiseCast, which brings satellite TV directly to your car.

Which Would You Suggest Between a 2010 Mazda3 Sport Hatchback and a 2009 Subaru Impreza i Hatchback? (Ask.cars.com)
Is This the Cummins Light-Duty V-8 Diesel Engine? (PickupTrucks.com)
AT&T CruiseCast Brings In-Car TV to 2009 (MotherProof.com)

Could Autonomous, Motorized Living Rooms Be the Future of Cars?

People have been talking, speculating and predicting about driverless cars forever, but it’s still fun to take a look at some of the ideas out there — especially when they come from the designers of the Google phone.

San Francisco industrial design firm Mike and Maaike has come up with the atnmbl (which is “autonomobile” minus the vowels). The atnmbl is a driverless, seven-person living room that runs on solar and electric power. Passengers sit back, relax, surf the internet and even enjoy a drink at the bar while the vehicle takes them where they need to go.

The firm calls speed and acceleration “irrelevant considerations,” but the vehicle will have different settings, such as “I’m in a hurry” and “Take the scenic route.”

Mike and Maaike aren’t yet saying our roads will soon be packed with atnmbls (and boy, does that name have to go). They don’t see the vehicle hitting streets until 2040. In the meantime, we will not be holding our breath.

The End of Driving: Mike and Maaike Introduce the Autonomobile (Core77 via Autoblog)

Mini E Driver Reports on First Thousand Electric Miles

Lyle Dennis, editor in chief of the website AllCarsElectric.com, recently posted a review of his first 1,000 miles driving the Mini E all-electric prototype. After three weeks of driving the Mini E exclusively on his 26-mile commute, which blends mostly highway and some city driving, Dennis remains happy and impressed with the car.

Still, the particulars of his experience go a long way toward explaining why electric cars have a ways to go.

First of all, Dennis has been limited by the 110V charger, which manages only a paltry 3.5% of charge per hour. A 100% charge is good for 100 miles of range, according to BMW. He’s managed to get by on this, but eagerly awaits the 240V charging cord that will juice the E faster.

Dennis also calculates the real-world range of the E at more like 70 miles on a full charge when you factor in use of the air conditioner and the temptation to speed due to a “responsive” accelerator. This is still much more than he needs for his commute, but Dennis admits to experiencing “range anxiety” at times.

Also, keep in mind that when Dennis parks at work he merely plugs into normal outlets in underground parking garages, effectively stealing electricity. There are no charging stations, which remains one of the most severe obstacles that electric and plug-in hybrids must overcome. Because of how long it takes to charge and its limited range, the Mini E is effectively useless outside a certain radius.

The First 1,000 Miles of Driving the Mini E Electric Car (AllCarsElectric.com)