As far as their site is concerned, CarMax can confirm the wandering thoughts on which cars are being searched for today. And the two popular cars are the hybrid and diesel vehicles, two cars that cater to cheaper fuel that is easy on the pockets.

This is not entirely surprising considering that this trend has been all over the news and rampant among automotive discussions. People are becoming wiser, turning to these vehicles mainly because fuel is getting costlier by the day. Motorists are shifting towards alternative vehicles but you can be assured that a lot of the famous car brand names still come up.

Popular hybrid vehicles on carmax.com include the Toyota Prius, Lexus RX400h and the Honda Civic hybrid while popular diesel vehicles include the Ford F350, Dodge Ram 3500 and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

As you can see, the big name cars are still there. This stems from the fact that these auto manufacturers were ready since the whole fuel issue hit us. So with this post, you now have a guide for yourself in case you are looking for a reliable car to use.

(Source) Press

Tags: auto manufacturers, car brand, carmax, diesel vehicles, dodge ram 3500, ford f350, honda civic, honda civic hybrid, hybrid vehicles, lexus rx400h, motorists, pockets, popular cars, toyota prius, two cars, volkswagen jetta, volkswagen jetta tdi

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Among the new bumper crop of vehicles out in the market, there are certain features that people would love to change among them. But if there are two cars which have the least number of attributes that potential car buyers would change, two familiar brands popped out above the rest. The two car brands are Porsche and Ford which topped the 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). The IVAs are based on owners’ ratings of their new 2009 model year cars and trucks across 15 key vehicle attributes.

“In today’s economy, car buyers take many factors into consideration – styling, safety features, fuel economy and more,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “IVA winners deliver the most of what consumers are really looking for in their vehicles.”

The selection doesn’t seem that easy. Most cars offer great features while others leave it up to the buyers to modify. The Porsche and Ford Motor vehicles are equipped with one of the common and yet unique features which some would leave if the survey is any indication.

But basing it on tradition, these two car models have lived up to their name and such a selection should not really be surprising. For 2009, the top-rated premium brand is Porsche, outscoring Buick and Jaguar for the most ideal premium vehicle brand honors. The top-rated mainstream brand is Ford, outscoring Mercury for top mainstream brand results. Porsche and Ford were also the highest scoring premium and mainstream brands in the 2008 IVA rankings.

(Source) Press

Tags: attributes, Buick, bumper crop, car brands, car buyers, car models, economy car, ford motor, ford motor vehicles, fuel economy, george peterson, ivas, jaguar, mainstream, Mercury, Porsche, premium brand, safety features, two cars

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Don’t look know but it seems two familiar fixtures in the car industry are banding together to deliver an affordable sports coupe priced somewhere between $20,000 to $25,000. Coded as “086A” this new brainchild is a potential product from the reported talks being done at the moment by Toyota and Subaru.

If you are wondering what the assignments of the two cars would be, you can sum it up basically as Toyota will be in charge of the car’s styling while Subaru focuses on the car engineering.

Powering the future coupe will be Subaru’s 2.0-liter flat-4 equipped with a new direct-injection system, tuned to produce an impressive 200 bhp and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. The suspension will consist of MacPherson struts up front and a multilink setup at the rear, with the chassis based on that of the Subaru Impreza and Legacy.

Now this partnership and vehicle for that matter looks like it will be something to watch. Regardless, expect a great car to come out for 2012 thanks to the joint minds of Toyota and Subaru.

(Source) Auto Spies

Tags: brainchild, car industry, great car, macpherson struts, partnership, sports coupe, Subaru, subaru impreza, torque, Toyota, two cars

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“Chicks Dig The Car! Well if you want to go a bit into it, it should be “Chicks dig the Bentley”. The Telegraph writes up a study that showed women pictures of the same man sitting in two cars, a silver Bentley Continental and a battered Ford Fiesta. Surprise, surprise the women, who were aged between 21 to 40, chose the man in the Bentley.

The research from Dr, Michael Dunn, of the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, has been published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Psychology. His study also shows that men are more impressed by how a woman looks than what she drives.

Dr. Dunn says that women still look for wealth and status because they are seeking a man in “better condition to rear healthy offspring.” He says that this basic human trait is not likely to change even as women acquire more independence and wealth. Dr. Dunn, who drives an old Ford himself, will now do research to find out if luxury items help make up for “the attractiveness-diminishing effects of age.”

(Source) Telegraph.co.uk

Tags: Bentley, bentley continental, ford fiesta, luxury items, michael dunn, old ford, two cars

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Lancia of Italy has announced the launch of its two cars that can accommodate LPG fuel technology. The two cars are the Ypsilon and the Musa.

The 4-seater mini MPV Lancia Musa is powered by a 1.4 liter BiFuel engine that is good for 77HP. The same engine that has a system which can automatically switch between using gasoline or LPG is also fitted in the Lancia Ypsilon.

LPG gas is stored in a container that can store up to 39 liters of gas that is fitted in the spare wheel housing. To help compensate for a spare wheel, a tire inflation kit comes as standard. To enable the 1.4 liter engine to be fueled with LPG, Lancia, via Fiat’s Powertrain Techologies has modified the cylinder head with new valves and seats, and has also added a special inlet system to accommodate the LPG injectors.

With a full tank of fuel and LPG, both vehicles can deliver excellent fuel consumption figures. Out of 1,300 kilometers of driving range, the Lancia Ypsilon can deliver 425 kilometers with LPG while the balance 875 kilometers is achieved with gasoline. With a total of 1,200 kilometers of driving range, the Lancia Musa can deliver 419 kilometers with LPG and 781 kilometers with gasoline. Both Ypsilon and Musa models also produce 119 grams and 120 grams of emissions per kilometer, respectively.

(Source) Paultan.org

Tags: bifuel, cylinder head, emissions, fuel consumption figures, fuel technology, gasoline, lancia, lancia musa, lancia ypsilon, mini mpv, powertrain, spare wheel, tire inflation, two cars

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