Year: 2008

2008 Toyota RAV4 Limited MPG Review

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Toyota RAV4 MPG-o-Matic Toyota RAV4 Review Summary: The Toyota RAV4 is one of the best-selling five-seat SUVs for good reason. Solid gas mileage, a roomy interior, and a generous cargo capacity are among its most appealing attributes.

The Toyota RAV4 competes with the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, and Jeep Liberty, among many others in the five seat SUV market.

Our 2008 RAV4 Limited test unit was fitted with the 3.5 liter DOHC VVT-i V6 engine, which produces 269 horsepower (HP) and 246 foot pounds of torque. A more economical 2.5 liter inline 4 is available.

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2009 Pontiac G5 XFE MPG Review

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Pontiac G5 MPG-o-Matic Pontiac G5 XFE Review Summary: The Pontiac G5 XFE is an eye-opening ride with a Jeckle and Hyde personality. After a 600 mile review, we’re impressed by the combination of highway gas mileage results, driveability, and value.

The Pontiac G5 XFE Coupe competes with the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, VW Rabbit, and Mazda3, among others in the sportcompact market. The “extra fuel efficient” XFE is the most thrifty of the G5 range.

Under the hood, the G5 XFE is fitted with 2.2 liter DOHC four cylinder engine, producing 148 horsepower (HP) and 152 foot pounds of torque.

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MPGomatic Now in Alltop and iTunes

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It’s been a busy couple of weeks behind the scenes. I ran a panel discussion at the Blog World conference on Sunday the 21st and have been playing catch up since then. I landed mid-morning on Friday and got to the conference just in time to catch Guy Kawasaki and Steve Rubel’s keynote luncheon. Lady … Read more

Hybrid Audi A1 Sportback: First Look

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Audi pulled the cover off their shiny new plug-in hybrid A1 Sportback concept this week at the Paris Auto Show.

The five-door sub-compact four seater is fitted with a 150 horsepower (HP) 1.4 liter TFSI engine along with an electric motor, which drive the front wheels through a S Tronic dual-clutch transmission. Needless to say, this isn’t your Aunt Emma’s pokey hybrid. The A1 Sportback’s 27 HP electric motor delivers an extra 110.6 foot pounds of torque during acceleration, and can provide a very respectable range of 62 miles when driven at low speeds in full-electric mode. Leave it to Audi to build a hybrid that can both crawl and fly. The simultaneous drive provides the A1 Sportback with the ability to reach 62 miles per hour (MPH) in 7.9 seconds, with a top speed of 124 MPH.

Audi A1 Sportback front view

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Inside the Jetta TDI Cup Paddock

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Ever wonder what a grid full of race cars look like after a hard fought race? I wandered into the VW Jetta TDI Cup paddock with my trusty DVX after the first race of a double-header weekend at the NJ Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ last Saturday and had a bit of fun catching these … Read more