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.

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.

Ford Escape Tops List of Most-Stolen SUVs

The Ford Escape tops a new list of the most-stolen SUVs and crossovers, according to a study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The NICB — an insurance-supported nonprofit in Des Plaines, Ill. — combed through vehicle thefts from Jan. 1, 2008, to June 30, 2012, on 2009, 2010 and 2011 model-year cars.

Of nearly 20,000 reported thefts in those parameters, the Escape topped the list: 1,014 were stolen. Other hot SUVs included the Chevrolet Tahoe (856 thefts), the Toyota RAV4 (801), the Ford Edge (739) and the Dodge Journey (721). California, Texas and Florida experienced the most thefts, but New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit had the highest thefts for specific metropolitan areas.

The list suggests the Escape, Tahoe, RAV4, Edge and Journey may be the most-stolen vehicles in total. But like many stolen-vehicle lists, it gives little sense of how much theft risk you incur when buying a particular car.

Recall Alert: 54,686 Model-Year 2013 GM SUVs and Trucks

GM is recalling 54,686 model-year 2013 versions of several trucks and SUVs due to a faulty park lock cable, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were built from Nov. 7 through Dec. 18, 2012, and include the 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL. Check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.

In these vehicles, a fractured park lock cable or malformed steering-column components could allow drivers to shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the key in the Off position. This could cause the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of injury or accident.

GM will notify owners starting Jan. 17, and dealers will replace the affected parts for free. Owners with questions can call Chevrolet at 800-630-2438, Cadillac at 866-982-2339 or GMC at 866-996-9463. NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline (888-327-4236) can also provide more info.

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Third-Row Access: Captain's Chairs Save the Day

I recently test-drove a luxurious, comfortable car that got decent gas mileage and came standard with a roomy third row. However, there was a problem: My son had to vault over the second row to get to his car seat in the third row. Because I had my girls' child-safety seats installed in the second-row outboard positions, this car's slick one-touch flip-and-fold feature was rendered useless.

For better or worse, my son's vault training didn't start with this car. Many cars on the market require athletic skills to access the third row once you have car seats installed in the second row. This is definitely something to consider if you — like me — have more than a couple of children in car seats and need a three-row vehicle.

A minivan is an obvious solution, but there are other options. One of the best ways to avoid this third-row-access debacle is to opt for captain's chairs in the second row, creating a little pathway to the third row. Several savvy automakers offer this option. While this may knock your second-row seating capacity down a notch, it also increases your possibility of getting children and even adults into the third row without resorting to vaulting.

Consider the Dodge Durango (photo above): It's long been popular for families, but it lacked practicality for those of us with three or more children because of the crossover's bench-only second row. For the 2013 model year, the Durango will offer second-row captain's chairs for the first time.

Hurricane Sandy Recovery: Automakers Pitch In

Million-dollar donations to Hurricane Sandy-relief efforts from high-wattage celebrities like Lady Gaga are guaranteed to make headlines, but automakers are also making major contributions to help those impacted by the storm. Many automakers have made contributions of as much as $1 million, started payment-relief programs and donated vehicles for use in disaster areas. That's in addition to varied discounts, cash-back bonuses and other programs aimed at helping storm victims replace damaged and destroyed cars.

Car-Payment Relief
For the scores of disaster victims facing with massive personal-property losses, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota are offering some leeway with regard to car payments. 

Are GM's Big Hybrids Headed to the Chopping Block?

Before the Chevrolet Volt and GM's new eAssist models, the carmaker's hybrid offerings were mainly composed of a small number of dual-mode hybrid SUVs and trucks. Now there's some uncertainty as to whether those hybrids will be around when the next-generation models arrive, according to GM Inside News and PickupTrucks.com.

It's speculated that the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid, GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid and GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid may get cut when the new models come in the 2013 and 2014 model years, according to GM Inside News, an enthusiast site. The forum says the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid may get renewed, however.

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevrolet's full-size Tahoe SUV excels at towing, but it's also dated and thirsty, says Cars.com Managing Editor Dave Thomas. If you don't need Tahoe's hefty towing capacity, there are other vehicles on the market that offer more passenger and interior cargo room, like Chevy's own Traverse three-row crossover. It's cheaper, more fuel efficient and offers more cargo room than the Tahoe, Thomas says.

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Review

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Video

Chevrolet's traditional Tahoe SUV may be one large, dated and thirsty vehicle, but its hefty towing capacity makes it a great choice when carrying people and towing cargo. Those in market for a crossover should check out Chevrolet's roomy Traverse instead. It's cheaper, more fuel efficient and offers more cargo room than the Tahoe.

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe: Car Seat Check

Talk about a family car. The 2012 Chevy Tahoe can fit up to nine passengers in three rows of seats. That's more passenger-hauling ability than any new minivan currently on the market. Of course, we're looking at child-safety seats and how well they fit in this SUV. Our test Tahoe had seating for seven with captain's chairs in the first and second rows and a standard three-seat bench in the third row.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.