The Week in Mother Proof

The mom-reviewers of Mother Proof offered up a bit of what they do best this week with a treatise on how to buy a car for your growing family. They offer shopping tips and some advice on the features moms on the go need most. Check it out over at motherproof.com, where you’ll also find insights on a couple of vehicles that might already be on your list: the 2007 Kia Sedona and Mazda Tribute Hybrid. While you’re there, check out the moms’ thoughts on insuring teen drivers, as well as news about alternative fuels of the future and catty commentary on a celebrity driver.

• Finding Your First Family-Mobile
• Danica Patrick Reveals Her Expensive Tastes
• Empty Your Wallet for Teen Drivers
• 2007 Kia Sedona Review
• Real Cars Running on Hydrogen, Really
• 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid Preview 

Cars.com Faceoff: Luxury Sedan Showdown

Someone recently asked us what the heck it is we do all day at the Cars.com offices, you know, besides blogging here on KickingTires. Well, one of the things we do is compare some of the big players in segments from convertibles to SUVs. This month we took three of the best entries in the luxury sedan market and compared the good, the bad and the kind of expensive. The 2008 BMW 528i, 2008 Cadillac STS and Infiniti M35 deliver style and value, but which one brings home the win?

Cars.comparison: Luxury Performance Sedans (Cars.com)

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.27.07

As I prepare to drive home in a Corvette Z06 — pity me, really — I get a chance to reflect on how varied our revolving fleet of vehicles truly is. This week, Kelsey Mays and I take a look at the all-new Land Rover LR2 and the Chrysler Town & Country. They’re two distinctly different vehicles, and both needed a reworking. Now, where is that Z06 key fob… 

2008 Land Rover LR2

Land Rover fans will love the brand’s latest baby. It has the flavor of its larger siblings — the window switches sit right up on the window sill, the center controls employ lots of scalloped dials, and there’s enough off-road equipment to get you to the Yucatan. Those looking for a regular SUV might take issue with some of the smaller details: Our LR2 SE had an uncovered tray in place of a real center console (the pricier HSE adds one) and it’s too easy to confuse the temperature dial for the stereo volume. As senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder noted in his review, folding the rear seats down requires first flipping the cushions forward. That’s old-school.

This Week in Ask.cars.com

Minivans are a staple for families that make vacations — or at least the driving portion — bearable by offering good passenger room and comfort. This week we answered the question, what is the best minivan for the money, with our recommended vehicle having already been distinguished multiple times at Cars.com for its value.

• What is the best minivan for the money?
• When does the 2008 Acura MDX go on sale?
• What is the cheapest car for a college student?
• How many distinct models are available for sale in the 2008 model year?
• What are the differences between the 2007 and 2008 Dodge Nitro R/T 4x4?

Trucks Lead Fuel Efficiency Gains

The Environmental Protection Agency released a report yesterday stating that the projected average fuel economy for 2007-model-year cars and light trucks is increasing .3 mpg because of higher fuel efficiency in the truck market. The gains are small for sure, but from 2004 to 2007 the average fuel economy for trucks has risen 1.0 mpg, while cars ticked up just 0.3 mpg in the same time frame. The EPA points to higher truck CAFE standards for the gains. It’s also impressive because market share for light trucks — which includes truck-based SUVs — has been steady during this time at 50% of the entire market.

Why aren’t cars gaining faster? The report points to increased weight due to more added features as well as higher performance. Those are two key factors in determining fuel efficiency.

Toyota Hybrid Credits Run Out Sunday

Can you hear the radio ad? “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! It’s your last chance to get a hybrid tax credit on all Toyota and Lexus green machines!”

We warned you earlier this month, but if you still haven’t gotten off your duff but don’t feel like paying for more carbon-offsetting, this is your last chance to get a tax credit on a new Toyota or Lexus hybrid car or SUV. This is part of the government’s phased credit program. After each automaker sells a certain number of hybrid vehicles, the credits dwindle per quarter until they’re gone. For Toyota — which has 75% of the hybrid market share — that time is now.

To see how much tax credit ka-ching is left for each model, keep reading. You can also check out other makes and models and their corresponding tax credits here.

Cars.com Reviews the 2008 Land Rover LR2

Senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder turns in his review of Land Rover’s Freelander replacement, the LR2, and comes away somewhat impressed. He wisely compares the LR2 to the BMW X3 and Acura RDX, its main competitors, and we always like to see how something measures up to the competition. Plus, we learn there are some incentives on the LR2.

2008 Land Rover LR2 Expert Review
More Land Rover News

New Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon Hybrid SUVs Get 21 MPG

GM told us the final mileage for its new hybrid full-size SUVs would be around 20 mpg, and the company was right. Today, it announced that the EPA has rated the two-wheel-drive Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon at 21/22 mpg (city/highway). The four-wheel-drive models get 20/20 mpg. The non-hybrid versions get 14/20 and 14/19 mpg with a similarly sized V-8 engine.

GM is touting the fact that the 21 mpg city figure is identical to a Camry four-cylinder sedan, while the Tahoe and Yukon feature a V-8 engine that can tow roughly 6,000 pounds. Obviously, the SUVs don’t compete with the Camry on highway mileage, but we found the comparison kind of silly to begin with. A comparison that isn’t silly is that the new hybrid SUVs get better city mileage and slightly better combined mileage than GMC’s Acadia crossover. It and other new GM crossovers were created to combat the gas-guzzling stereotype of full-size SUVs.

Pricing and an exact on-sale date haven’t been announced, but we’re interested to hear if this alters anyone’s shopping list for their next family-mobile.

Related
First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode Hybrid (and GMC Yukon, too) (KickingTires)
More Hybrid News (KickingTires)

Weekend Athlete: 2008 Ford Taurus X

I loaded up the new Ford Taurus X for Weekend Athlete duty, drove it, unloaded it and played with its features. It was nice, but I left knowing it wasn't something I'd buy.

It was the largest vehicle I'd tested up to this point, so there was enough room to put my bike in without removing the wheel. It's also the first vehicle since the Honda Element that held all my gear and my bike without taking the wheel off. If you plan on carrying a lot of stuff, don't get the optional center console in the second row — doing so eliminates a nice storage cubby.

VW Goes Diesel Happy: Jetta TDI Coming in '08

One of the surprising things about this job is hearing about cars people love with a passion you wouldn’t necessarily anticipate. Possibly the top car on that list is the Jetta TDI -- or any diesel VW, for that matter. Readers have commented that they go to extreme lengths to keep these machines running, even after they would have otherwise traded it in, simply because there is no new replacement.

Come the spring of 2008, there will be. Volkswagen is bringing its new clean-diesel 2009 Jetta TDI to the U.S., and we’re anxious to hear what KickingTires readers think about it.

The news comes in conjunction with VW’s new promotion called The Dieselution Tour, aimed at informing American consumers about clean diesel … and, presumably, to put their butts in VWs. Currently, the only VW diesel on sale in the U.S. is the Touareg 2 V-10 TDI, at a cost of $68,320. Think no one would buy it? We saw one in our parking garage this morning. As for the Jetta, we haven’t gotten full specs on the 2009 TDI yet, but we’ll keep you posted.