Most-Watched Videos of the Week

Cars.com sister site PickupTrucks.com put another feather in its cap of dominance of our most-watched videos this week. PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams invited viewers along on his first drive of the 2013 Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty in Michigan. The video debuted at No. 1, followed by Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek's critique of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which bowed at No. 2. PickupTrucks.com's pair of 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 videos held over from last week, as did the 2014 Mazda6. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2013 Ram HD First Drive and Impressions
2. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
3. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Impressions
4. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
5. 2014 Mazda Mazda6

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

In this week's most-watched video, PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams offers the Cars.com sister site's first impressions of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. Williams recently had an opportunity to tow, carry payload and even do some off-roading at Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio, Texas, and our No. 2 video features more of the Silverado from that visit. In third place was the debut of our new 2014 Mazda6 video. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Impressions
2. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
3. 2014 Mazda Mazda6
4. 2013 BMW 135is
5. 2014 Acura MDX

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

A fleet of newcomers elbowed their way into the top five this week, leaving only one holdover on our list of most-watched videos. The 2013 BMW 135is bumped previous No. 1, the 2014 Acura MDX, down to third place. In the video, Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley says that with the less-is-more attitude of the small, light 135is, BMW harks back to the days before large and luxurious gained favor over a fun driving experience. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2013 BMW 135is
2. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
3. 2014 Acura MDX
4. 2014 Subaru Forester (MotorWeek)
5. 2013 Honda Civic

PickupTrucks.com Drives the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The Silverado 1500 got a more sculpted looking exterior and upgraded interior materials for 2014; three new powertrains round out the big updates to Chevy's pickup truck. Our friends at PickupTrucks.com recently drove the new model and while they admit it's not the perfect truck, it's "probably the single biggest model improvement over the vehicle it replaces in a long time." Click here for the First Drive. 

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PickupTrucks.com: 2014 Chevy Silverado Adds High Country Trim, Texas Edition

Aiming to compete with premium trim packages offered on Ford and Ram pickup trucks, Chevrolet has introduced the High Country package and Texas Edition on the 2014 Silverado. High Country offers exterior flourishes like unique colors, chrome inserts, projector headlamps and body-colored bumpers, as well as a host of interior upgrades. Available engines include a 5.3-liter V-8 boasting class-leading 16/23 mpg city/highway and a 6.2-liter V-8. The automaker says the Texas Edition will be limited in availability for two trim packages and is a nod to the dominance of Texas in full-size pickup sales.

Check out the PickupTrucks.com links below for more details and photos.

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Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2013

Nissan and Ford led a strong month for the auto industry, with sales up 23.2% at Nissan and 17.9% at Ford thanks to big gains among both carmakers' strongest sellers. Nissan Altima sales gained 35.4% while Ford Escape sales spiked 52% — despite similar year-over-year incentives on both and lower dealership supply for the Escape.

It may seem bizarre that the Altima, then, isn't among the top 10 best-sellers. It's been there for ninth months straight, and in March it was the best-selling car (not truck) in America. But a year ago, sales were dismal — less than 17,000 in April 2012 — so even a healthy spike kept Nissan off April 2013's top 10.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord had higher-profile struggles. The Camry's sales drop could signal plateauing demand for Toyota's seventh-generation family sedan, whose year-over-year sales have declined for three straight months. The new Accord, meanwhile, is just 7 months old, and shoppers found significantly lower discounts versus the 2012 Accord a year ago. It's a factor that could affect Accord sales through autumn. Still, Ford didn't seem to have a problem with that. Anyone considering the new Fusion found a similar situation — lower discounts versus year-ago levels — but it didn't stop shoppers from flocking toward the popular sedan, whose sales boomed 23.7%.

Best Hybrids for the Money 2013

Gas prices remain volatile, but even so, no one expects prices below $3 per gallon ever again, and many parts of the country consistently see prices near or above $4. As much as ever, shoppers need to know how effectively hybrids deliver efficiency for your dollar — if they do at all.

To determine if a hybrid's added expense is worth the cash, we devised an efficiency-cost rating to reflect efficiency bang for your overall buck.

It's simply the combined city/highway mpg divided by the base price (MSRP plus destination charge). We then multiply that number by 1,000. This formula can be applied to any type of vehicle, hybrid or not. A high mpg rating and low price provide a high efficiency-cost rating. A higher score is the better score.

We don't account for equipment levels, quality judgments, cost of ownership or any variances from EPA mileage estimates. The goal here is to pay the least for the most mileage, barring all other considerations.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: March 2013

With the top seven automakers reporting numbers — which account for the vast majority of new-car sales — March sales have crept up around 3.2% over year-ago levels. Honda, GM and Ford saw the largest gains, but no major automaker saw a double-digit increase.

The top sellers are a reshuffle from February's list; all 10 are back. The Nissan Altima jumped three spots from February, and despite an 8% sales drop, it's the best-selling sedan by just 100 cars in March. Madness? Not really. Look back at March 2012 and the Altima even beat out the Chevrolet Silverado for a podium finish in monthly sales.

Lower year-over-year incentives played against Nissan's redesigned sedan as surging competitors — the Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion — saw larger gains. Ford says the Fusion had its best sales month in the nameplate's 7 1/2-year history, and this happened with fewer incentives than on last year’s outgoing model. The Escape hit its highest monthly total in its 12-plus-year history. Those two cars — and rising Explorer and F-Series sales — overcame falling Focus, Edge and Mustang sales to drive Ford to a 5.7% year-over-year increase.

PickupTrucks.com: GM Releases 2014 Silverado, Sierra Specs

Cars.com's sister site PickupTrucks.com notes that GM's announcement of performance specifications on its new half-ton pickups follows the automaker's tendency to feed us only morsels of info at a time. There's still plenty to chew on for those hungry for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra now that testing is completed on a new 5.3-liter V-8, one of three optional engines. According to reported figures, the half-tons will lead their pickup pack in fuel economy, payload and towing capacity — while preliminary pricing shows modest increases and in some cases none at all.

Check out PickupTrucks.com for the details.

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Honda Accord Still Most Popular Car to Steal

The bad news for Honda Accord owners? It was the most stolen car in 2012. The good news? It was also the most recovered.

LoJack Corp., which manufactures the Lojack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System, today released its fourth annual vehicle-theft recovery report based on statistics from 28 states. The study not only tracks auto-theft trends across the U.S. during the past year, but also serves as a de facto advertisement for the device, which in 2012 helped law-enforcement officials recover nearly $125 million worth of stolen vehicles.

Citing FBI reports, the study notes that a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds and that the recovery rate is at a 30-year low. Still, vehicles equipped with a LoJack were recovered 94% of the time, the company reported.

"Unlike other location-based systems, LoJack Police Tracking Computers can find vehicles in some of the most secluded locations, including shipping containers that are hidden amongst thousands of others onboard a ship that is about to depart the United States," said Patrick Clancy, vice president of law enforcement for LoJack, in a statement.

Click below for LoJack's top 10 "most stolen and recovered" vehicles for 2012 and here for a list of February's 10 best-selling cars; the Honda Accord ranks high on the list.