Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

Perhaps using its imposing makeover for 2013 to scare off competitors, the Toyota RAV4 continued its reign of terror atop our list of most-read reviews of the week. The compact crossover's nearest opponent, the 2013 Ford Fusion, generated a little more than a third of RAV4's reader interest. Maybe newcomers to the list, including the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (No. 6) and the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid (No. 10), will gain enough confidence in coming weeks to face down the RAV4.

Until then, check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2013 Ford Fusion
3. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
4. 2013 Ford Explorer
5. 2013 Ford Escape
6. 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
7. 2013 Toyota Avalon
8. 2013 Nissan Altima
9. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
10. 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

The 2013 RAV4 held off the competition once again to retain the top spot among our most-read reviews of the week. It was joined by some fresh faces this week: the 2013 models of the Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Fusion Hybrid landed at Nos. 6, 7 and 8, respectively, squeezing the Cadillac ATS, Mazda CX-5 and Acura RDX out of the top 10. Meanwhile, the Toyota Avalon, Ford Fusion and Ford Escape gained some ground, as the Ford Explorer, Nissan Altima and Subaru XV Crosstrek lost their footing.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2013 Toyota Avalon
3. 2013 Ford Fusion
4. 2013 Ford Escape
5. 2013 Ford Explorer
6. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
7. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
8. 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
9. 2013 Nissan Altima
10. Subaru XV Crosstrek

2013 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Join NHTSA's Five-Star Club

Several new vehicles joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's five-star club today, earning the top score of five stars overall in crash tests performed by NHTSA. New inductees are the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Lincoln MKZ and the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Meanwhile, the all-new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra didn't fare as well, with both having to settle for four stars overall.

The Fusion's and MKZ's front-, all-wheel-drive and hybrid models all received five stars in the frontal crash test and four-star ratings in side and rollover crash tests. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class' rear- and all-wheel-drive models scored five stars in the side crash test and four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests.

Both the C-Max Hybrid and Sentra fell short, receiving five-star scores in only the side crash test and four stars in the other two tests.

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Hybrid Mileage Lawsuit Hits Ford

A California law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford Motor Company on behalf of an owner of a new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The owner claims that he is not achieving anywhere near the EPA-stated fuel economy rating for his car. According to the Detroit News, the suit alleges "false and misleading" advertising regarding the C-Max, which is rated by the EPA at 47 mpg combined and which Ford advertises as achieving that level, handily trouncing main rival Toyota and its Prius v wagon.

The suit is being filed for one owner in particular who claims that he has achieved only 37 mpg in his C-Max—and a quick look at the EPA's website fueleconomy.gov reveals that 40 others have chimed in with their own mileage achievements, averaging only 39.7 mpg in the real world. The EPA has already stated that they intend to look into Ford's mileage ratings after receiving complaints about the new C-Max and Fusion Hybrids not living up to their advertised claims, including a surprising review from Consumer Reports that found Ford's new hybrids to have the widest variance between rated and tested fuel economy of any cars it has ever tested.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: May 2012

Toyota dominated the sales landscape last month, with May sales up nearly 90%. That's versus a weak May 2011, when Japan's earthquake and tsunami had shoppers thinking Toyota, Lexus and Scion showrooms would have few cars in stock. It actually wasn't the case, noted Toyota spokeswoman Carly Shaffner; Automotive News data show Toyota maintained higher inventory in May 2011 then it did this past May, but the perception dried up demand and the automaker lost a third of its sales. Last month, it more than made them back: Camry and RAV4 sales more than doubled, Corolla/Matrix sales jumped 87.5% and Prius sales tripled. Even sales for the Lexus RX, which topped last month's Buzz Index, gained 82.1%.

Toyota wasn't the only mover.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2012

Eight of March's 10 best-sellers returned to the table in April, but one of the newbies may surprise you. In March, an incentive-heavy Nissan Altima fell just 1,517 cars short of the redesigned Toyota Camry, clinching the No. 2 best-selling car position. Incentives remain high, but Altima sales dropped drastically enough to knock it off the top 10 list. Instead, shoppers drifted toward the Honda Accord and Toyota Prius.

The Accord, one of April's two newcomers, gained 25.6% last month, snapping three months' sales malaise to fall just 1,435 cars short of the hard-charging, recently redesigned Camry. The shift surprised us, given the Accord is in its final year before a redesign while incentives are about the same as a year ago.

There's little surprise that the Prius' sales catapulted 101.7% despite gas prices leveling off this month. Three new Prius variants — a subcompact Prius c, larger Prius v and rechargeable Prius Plug-in — accounted for 76% of that rise. Strip those away, however, and even the original Prius handily outpaced its year-ago sales.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Just face it: You want a hybrid, but you don't want to be seen in a four-wheel wedge, whether it's named Prius or Insight. Enter the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which sports the edgy — not wedgie — looks of Ford's sedan and gets 41 mpg. Kelsey Mays finds the technology Ford packs into the car quite impressive in his full review.

Ford Offering $1,000 Cash Back on 2010 Fusion

Ford has updated its incentive offers for April to reflect its new Advantage Plan we told you about yesterday. However, its traditional cash-back offers are still in effect and vary by model and year. One interesting find we discovered was $1,000 cash back on the all-new 2010 Ford Fusion sedan.

In the past it was rare to see a new model receive cash back, but in the past few years or so it’s become more common. We checked, and all regions returned the same $1,000 cash back, but go to Ford’s consumer site and enter your zip to double-check if you’re going shopping for a new Fusion.

There was no mention of the Fusion Hybrid, but it’s likely excluded from the cash-back offer.

2010|Ford|Fusion

Full Ford Hybrid Credit Expires March 31

The hybrid tax credits that have already expired for Toyota and Honda are still in effect for other automakers, including Ford — but not for long. Ford, which just celebrated the production of its 100,000th Escape Hybrid, is seeing its full credit expire at the end of the month.

Until then, tax credits of $3,000 for the two-wheel-drive Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute hybrids, or $1,950 for four-wheel-drive versions, will still be available. Ford’s all-new 2010 Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids are eligible for a $3,400 tax credit. Those two new hybrids might not be on lots today, but they should arrive before the end of the month. The Fusion and Milan hybrids get 41/36 mpg city/highway. The Fusion Hybrid starts at $27,270, while the Milan Hybrid starts at $27,500.

The credit will be cut in half for vehicles purchased after March 2009, and then in half again for ones bought after Sept. 30. Starting April 1, 2010, the automaker won’t get any more tax credits.

Unlike other Ford Escapes, the hybrid version does not have any incentives on it.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Ford Fusion

In 2005, Ford handed quite a burden to the Fusion: Replace the Taurus and carry the water for the midsize sedan segment. While it may have started out a few paces behind the likes of Honda and Toyota, the Fusion has made impressive strides. Cars.com’s David Thomas got behind the wheel of the 2010 Ford Fusion and was pleased to find a number of areas in which the sedan has improved tremendously, making it one of the better deals out there among midsize cars.

2010 Ford Fusion Review