mpg-o-editor

2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid First Drive

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With California the most important domestic market for electrified vehicles, it came as no surprise that Ford chose San Francisco and the Northern California coastline as the backdrop for the C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid media drive.

The crossover-esque C-Max has been available in Europe since 2003 and comes to our shores for the first time. The C-Max rides on the Focus platform. It’s only available in America in hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form.

The standard C-Max hybrid is rated at 47 city / 47 highway miles per gallon (MPG). The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid uses a larger lithium ion battery to deliver up to 21 miles of pure electric driving, at speeds up to 85 miles per hour, before it switches to conventional hybrid mode.

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2013 VW Jetta Hybrid First Drive

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I can hear what you’re thinking … Volkswagen, selling a hybrid sedan?

Aren’t VW’s fuel-efficient TDIs the best-selling passenger car diesels in America?

Indeed they are, but VW faced a dilemma.

The typical Toyota Prius owner, they say, rarely considers buying a diesel.

So Volkswagen decided to build a hybrid of their own. A very different hybrid. One with a turbocharged engine. Marketed to folks that love to drive.

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid at the Gas Pump Museum in New Mexico

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2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Review Summary: With a starting price of $37,895, the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR packs a remarkable amount of punch for the all-wheel-drive (AWD) dollar, with the legendary Subaru WRX STi the only real competition in its price range ($34,295 with a six-speed manual, automatic not available). If you want to take it up a few notches and have more money to plunk down ($49,000 with the seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic and quattro AWD), the 333 horsepower supercharged Audi S4 is a far more luxurious option than the EVO MR, but it’s no faster in the 0-60 mile per hour (MPH) sprint.

2013 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO MR profile

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How Many Times Has Bruce Springsteen Mentioned Car Brands in His Songs?

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While it’s slow going, the revival of the American economy can be clearly linked to the renewed strength of our domestic automobile industry. At a rally yesterday at Cuyahoga County Community College in Ohio supporting President Obama, Bruce Springsteen gave thanks that General Motors is still making cars, remarking ”What else would I write about?”

That quote got me thinking about the wealth of automotive imagery in Bruce’s songs over the years, dating all the way back to his very first album, Greetings From Asbury Park. There’s The Angel’s mention of VW – “The interstate’s choked with nomadic hordes in Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors,” and the pure American brother in Lost in the Flood, “dull-eyed and empty-faced, race(ing) Sundays in Jersey in a Chevy stock super eight.”

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2013 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Chevrolet Suburban Review Summary: The 2013 Chevrolet Suburban is the Big Daddy of traditional body-on-frame American SUVs, with half- and 3/4-ton versions that can seat up to nine people with a maximum towing capacity of 9,600 pounds.

We put a loaded AWD half-ton Suburban LTZ to the “take your kid to college” test, packing the cargo area full, and taking to the open road for a 700+ mile round trip. The Suburban delivered plenty of creature comfort, while consuming a considerable amount of fuel.

2013 Chevy Suburban LTZ 4WD half-ton - rear view

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