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Unveiled: 2011 Dodge Durango - What do you think?

2011-Dodge-Durango-front
After a recent sneak peek, Dodge has officially pulled the covers off its all-new, third-generation Durango. While the original was a truck-based, rough-and-ready SUV, the 2011 Durango is a unibody crossover (available with rear- or all-wheel drive) promising more real-world refinement as well as off-pavement and towing abilities to satisfy the needs for most customers. Think of it as now targeting the Chevrolet Traverse, rather than the Tahoe.

It is powered by the new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine, with a 6,200-lb. tow capacity. For more might, a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 will be available with a 7,400-lb. tow capacity?more than enough for a typical 24-foot boat and trailer. Horsepower and fuel economy figures have not been released. However, we can guess the output, as these power plants are shared with the redesigned 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. There, the V6 produces 290 horsepower and the V8 churns out 360 horsepower.
2011-Dodge-Durango-rear
The three-row interior is said to be more passenger friendly than before, with better materials and attention to design. We had a chance to briefly preview the Durango, and the cabin made a better first impression than the outgoing model. We'll know more when we test a real production model.

Safety features include standard three-row curtain air bags, active head restraints, and stability control. Available premium equipment includes adaptive cruise control, collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-path detection.

The new Durango goes on sale late in 2010. See more 2011 Durango photos.

How do you like the overall package and styling? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

?Jeff Bartlett

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How will your car rate under new EPA fuel economy window stickers?

Epa-mpg-letter-grades-bcd
Even with fuel economy ratings on window stickers, it can be difficult for consumers to judge how efficient their car is compared to others at a glance. That's one thing that the Environmental Protection Agency's new fuel economy labels are designed to address by assigning letter grades to every model.

According to EPA assistant administrator Gina McCarthy, the letter grades?from "A+" to "D"?will be assigned on a bell curve, with the median being a "B-." That means most cars will cluster around a "B-," while few will get an "A+" or "D." Specifically, according to the joint notice of proposed rulemaking by the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 697 of the 2012 model-year vehicles will get a "B-," while 14 will get an "A-." There will be a dozen vehicles that get the lowest mark, "D." (The EPA counts each drivetrain variation within a model separately.)

For now, no cars rate an "A" or an "A+." According to the schema, only pure electric cars would be eligible for an "A+," only plug-in hybrids could get an "A," and only conventional hybrids could get an "A-," says McCarthy. (Whether those cars deserve that grade comes down to where the electricity they use comes from, which consumers can find out from the QR Code on the new window sticker.) So far only the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti rates a "D," and only the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Prius rate an "A-."

Other interesting examples include the Ford Escape, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry hybrids, which each get a "B+," and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which gets a "B." The Honda CR-V and four-cylinder Toyota RAV4 each rate a "B+," while other popular small SUVs such as the Subaru Forester and the V6-powered RAV4 only get a "B." Several family sedans such as the Honda Accord and Chevrolet Malibu are rated "B" with in their four-cylinder engine variants, while the V6 versions get a "B-."

Most large half-ton pickups, as well as popular midsized SUVs such as the Honda Pilot and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, are rated "C+."

If approved, the new system may take a little getting used to. But just like in school, a "C" isn't a very good grade, while only the stars will get "A+." To see how your car rates, check out page 37 of the PDF of the agencies' proposed rule.

Learn more about the window stickers under consideration, and share your opinion.

Also read:
New-car fuel-economy stickers promise abundant information and connectivity
Your vote: Should new car fuel economy labels include letter grades?

?Eric Evarts

See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline. Learn about future technologies in our guide to alternative fuels.
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Recall: 2010 Kia Soul, 2011 Sorento - Fire risk

2010-Kia-Soul-speaker-light
Kia is recalling 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento vehicles to address a wiring harness that may not have been properly soldered. The recall targets over 35,000 vehicles built between September 7, 2009 and July 30, 2010.

The wiring harness is used for lighting the Soul front-door speakers and Sorento accent trim. The concern is that when the lights are used in certain circumstances, an electrical short can occur and potentially result in fire.

Owners will be contacted this month, and dealers will replace the wiring harnesses free of charge.
Owners may contact Kia for more information: 800-333-4542

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Nissan Leaf electric-car charger installation cost proves shocking

Nissan-Leaf-recharger-plug
As the Nissan Leaf moves closer to production late this year, consumers who have put down $99 deposits on the all-electric car are learning more about the financial impact of driving on the leading edge. And the costs are shocking, potentially tallying thousands of dollars.

Electric-car buyers need to factor not just the purchase price (or lease payments) and energy consumption, but the cost for an at-home charger and its installation.

The charger runs from about $700 to $1,200. Being much more than a power cord, the charger takes the alternating current from your house or elsewhere on the grid and converts it to DC for charging the batteries. It also protects the batteries from overheating, overcharging, or charging too fast. Some chargers may also allow you to monitor or control charging wirelessly or over the Internet. Should power be interrupted, it will also safely restart charging so you don't find your car's battery still dead in the morning.
The other portion of the cost of putting a charger in your home is installing an outlet to run it. Level 2 chargers, which can recharge a pure electric vehicle overnight, require a dedicated 240-volt circuit with a capacity of at least 30 amps. Installing such a circuit requires a licensed electrician. But the cost of the circuit varies wildly. Some homes may already have a 240-volt, 30-amp circuit to run a clothes dryer or an electric oven. And some of these may have a 200-amp panel with enough room to install another powerful circuit. Even then, it's still going to cost homeowners to have an electrician pull wiring to your garage or driveway for a new circuit. The farther the charger needs to be from the panel, the more it will cost. (Remember, you can't use the existing dryer circuit; the charger needs its own.)

Many older homes with only 60-100 amp supply may need a panel upgrade to install a 240-volt circuit, which can cost several thousand dollars.

One program with federal support will provide free chargers to 5,700 of the first Leaf buyers in 13 cities. (It will also roll out an additional 6,350 public charging stations and 2,600 free chargers for Chevrolet Volt buyers.) The program, called the EV Project, will also pay for up to $1,200 of the cost of installing the circuit to power the charger.

If you're not one of those lucky 5,700 buyers, you'll have to pay for a charger and installing a new electrical circuit. However, some early Leaf buyers have found that without the EV Project subsidy, even the simplest charger installations are costing more than $2,000. One early buyer on the mynissanleaf.com forum, who recently built his own house with an electric vehicle in mind, had prewired a dedicated 240-volt, 50-amp circuit in the garage, found the charger company wanted to bill him a flat rate of $1,200 to install the $700 charger, even though the circuit was already there.

The EV charging industry is still in its nascent stages. Until it sorts itself out, early adopters may face significant bills to properly upgrade their homes, and it will take some effort to minimize those costs.

?Eric Evarts

See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline. Learn about future technologies in our guide to alternative fuels.
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Courts rule on legality of planting GPS trackers on suspects' cars without a warrant

Ford-Police-Interceptor-Explorer-GPS
GPS is everywhere. Now, according to a California court, it can also be used to track criminal suspects. 

In a case involving a marijuana grower, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has decided that police didn't violate the suspect's Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure by sneaking his driveway and attaching a GPS tracking device to the bottom of his Jeep. (Court document pdf.)

In a different case in Washington, D.C., an appeals court decision went the other way, ruling a lower court erred in admitting evidence acquired by the warrantless use of a GPS device to track that defendant's movements. The court overturned the conviction of one suspected conspirator. (Court ruling pdf.)

While your movements on public roads have never been private (an unmarked police car could legally follow you, for example), the Information Age continues to present new challenges to privacy, especially when it comes to law enforcement, from Internet usage to GPS signals in cars and cell phones.

Should law enforcement have access to GPS data? And is it fair to place trackers on vehicles without a warrant or permission if law enforcement has reasonable suspicions about criminal activity?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

?Eric Evarts


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New-car fuel-economy stickers promise abundant information and connectivity

New-EPA-window-sticker-letters
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put two basic proposals out to consumers for a vote. These car window stickers provide much more detailed information than today's Monroney stickers, giving consumers details on energy consumption and environmental impact.

Behind those proposed fuel-economy grade labels are a lot of numbers, including:
  • City and highway fuel economy ratings
  • Long-term fuel costs
  • Comparative ratings against all other cars
  • Greenhouse gas emissions in grams per mile, as well as a comparisonagainst all other cars
  • A bar comparing air pollution that is not included in the overall letter grade
One proposal includes all this information, along with a letter grade that attempts to sum it all up into one ranking. The other one contains less information, boiling it all down to overall energy cost for five years.

The array of information that goes into the new government ratings can be mind-boggling. Some might think they need a PhD in physics. But if it's presented too simply, something inevitably gets lost. The letter grades are not arbitrary, but mathematically derived from all the factors above. Therefore, the agencies are grappling with how much information to provide on the sticker, and how to provide deeper information for consumers who want it. (Tell the EPA which format you prefer and answer our informal poll below.)

Fuel-economy-qr-code
That's where both proposals use new technology to expand the sticker electronically. Both will list a website where consumers can look up deeper information for every car. But for certain smartphone users, the process is even easier. In one corner of each proposal is a black-and-white image called a QR Code ("QR" for quick response), similar to a bar code. The QR code allows a consumer to take a picture of the code with smartphone cameras, and the phone will automatically load the webpage with additional information. That seems pretty slick.

One of the biggest challenges comes from presenting gasoline-equivalent energy consumption for electric cars, for which overall efficiency and pollution are determined more by where the electricity comes from than from the car. The agencies have no legal authority to gauge the efficiency of powerplants for vehicles. But using the website and location information can allow you to see the implications for choosing an electric car over a gasoline-powered one, for example. As electric vehicles become more widely available, that could be an important resource for potential customers.

?Eric Evarts

The poll is not scientific. It reflects the opinions of only those Web users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Web users in general, nor the public as a whole. Consumers Union is not responsible for content, functionality or the opinions expressed therein.

See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline. Learn about future technologies in our guide to alternative fuels.
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Rate changes by the Fed can affect consumers' budgets. Here's how the Fed's announcement affects mortgage shoppers and ARM holders.
Rate changes by the Fed can affect consumers' budgets. Here's how the Fed's announcement affects home equity loans and lines of credit.
Rate changes by the Fed can affect consumers' budgets. Here's how the Fed's announcement affects auto loan rates.
Rate changes by the Fed can affect consumers' budgets. Here's how the Fed's announcement affects credit card interest rates.
Don't give out personal data to a middleman, and make sure a dealer isn't sneaking in unwanted fees.
 
The latest Jaguar XJ sedan is the first to depart from a styling theme established in the 1960s.When executives of Tata Motors were deciding whether to buy Jaguar, it took just one glance at what would become the 2011 XJ to persuade them.

Police and fire departments in some parts of the country have begun billing accident victims as a way to offset budget cuts.

To car collectors with an eye for detail, small-engine vehicles called microcars are both fanciful and funky.

The Fabers with their Covered Wagon.Vintage recreational vehicles are in high demand for display this year, as the industry celebrates its centennial.

The Recreational Vehicle/Motor Home Hall of Fame museum offers a nicely presented display of rolling American history.

Lee Friedlander?s ?America by Car,? opening Saturday at the Whitney Museum, consists of black-and-white photographs taken from inside cars.

 
 

I've written about retrofuturism several times in this blog. In case you missed it, retrofuturism is the movement in design that borrows cues from the past, sometimes whole looks, and updates them for a modern sensibility, but with the intention of bringing back an echo of feeling about the original design. Some dismiss retrofuturism as nostalgia, but when it is well-executed, it can take your breath away. The familiarity and newness combine to instantly bond you to the new product. In automotive design, we've seen the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Plymouth Prowler, the Chevrolet HHR and SSR, the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger, among others. But so far, the only really retrofuturist SUV is the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

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I drive a lot of SUVs, as you must realize. Every once in a while, when I get finished driving a new SUV for a week's test drive, I get a feeling. My feeling is: Some day I will own one of these. The feeling is rare, but I recognize it as more than desire. I recognize it as precognition, based on how well I understand myself and my tastes.

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There's good freshening, and there's bad freshening. When a celebrity gets some minor plastic surgery, most of the time you don't even realize it -- they just look better, fresher, more youthful than before, yet they still retain their essence. Bad plastic surgery, on the other hand, can make an aging celebrity look just plain weird, like there's something wrong with them. The outside doesn't match the inside, and the disconnect is disturbing -- I'm talking to you, Mickey Rourke and Joan Rivers.

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It seems like just yesterday that Ford introduced the Edge, its mid-size crossover vehicle. In fact, it was 2007, and they've sold over 400,000 Edges since then. Why mess with success? Because in the automotive industry, if you stand still, you get run over by the competition.

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     The 411
 
The information in this Lee Myles publication could save you a lot of money on repairs once you have learned a few basic facts about the automatic transmission in your vehicle.
Motor vehicles are getting more complex every year. The information in this Lee Myles publication could save you a lot of money on repairs once you have learned a few basic facts about the care and maintenance of your automobile.
Follow this link to find a Lee Myles TRANSMISSIONS and AutoCare center near you.
Download and print Lee Myles Internet coupons and specials.
Auto Care articles to help you prevent problems, reduce repairs and keep your automobile in great running condition.
Current automotive industry news and information. These news feeds are updated daily.
 
The exterior is taut and athletic, with sweeping curves on the chrome grille, headlights and taillights. Inside, the buttons, gauges and plastics are all high-quality.

Kia should check the security cameras at its offices.


Kia Motors is recalling about 35,000 Soul and Sorento vehicles to fix wiring in the interior lighting panels that could lead to fires.


The cars can sustain a separation in the steering shaft assembly that results in a loss of steering capability, a report says. Another report says a bolt in the steering system can become loose.

Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into reports of steering problems in the hot-selling 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedan.


The carmaker is ordered to face contempt charges in a suit filed by a paralyzed woman who received a $1.5-million settlement. She now says she settled only because the firm withheld documents.

Toyota Motor Corp. must face charges that it acted in contempt of court in a 2007 lawsuit involving a paralyzed woman, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled.


The automaker says it will recall 1 million 2005 to 2008 model year vehicles to address a problem with an electronic component that can cause the cars to stall. The recall also affects 200,000 Pontiac Vibe models.

Toyota has recalled more than 1 million of its Corolla and Matrix cars, just days after U.S. auto safety regulators stepped up a probe into the risk that the vehicles could stall because of defective electronic engine control units. The recall also affects 200,000 Pontiac Vibe models built by a joint venture between General Motors Co. and Toyota.


It's not the fastest of the four Corvettes, but the Z06 is probably the closest to race-ready a person would want for driving on the street.

There's just something about speed that makes a person feel omnipotent. Youthful. Alive. If you have any doubt, check out the 2011 Corvette Z06. After all, it's become the inadvertent poster child of the American midlife crisis.



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Here's a phrase 99% of you will never have any use for: 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene. You may never use the phrase, but in the next few years you'll surely find yourself using the stuff itself. 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, more commonly known by its DuPont/Honeywell trade name HFO-1234yf, is a new class of refrigerant that is fast being adopted by carmakers. To clear things up, this is an article about air conditioning. HFO-1234yf is being billed as a direct replacement for the current R-134a used in your car's air conditioning system. Why bother replacing it? For all its benefits, it turns out R-134a was still wrecking our atmosphere and HFO-1234yf is hundreds of times cleaner and safer. For most of us, this change will be nothing more than a blip on our personal radars. If you're interested in the details, I'm happy to <a href="http://autorepair.about.com/od/glossary/a/Hfo-1234yf-Is-The-Green-Alternative-For-Your-Cars-Ac-System.htm">tell you more</a> about HFO-1234yf.

I've talked to more than a few readers who tell me that they really love their mechanics. They trust their mechanics, they recommend their mechanics, but would they marry their mechanics? Not only did Maggie Paskiewicz of Racine, Wisconsin accept her mechanic's marriage proposal, she agreed to marry him right in the shop! I know a lot of guys who would have gladly exchanged vows with their loved ones in the shadow of a four-post lift with grease tray, but I don't think any of their wives would have obliged the request. I know it's a cheesy story, but even wrench turners have a soft spot!

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Windshield wipers seem to be one of those products that exhausted any opportunities for innovation decades ago. To be fair, there have been some serious improvements in rubber compounds over the years, but the wiper design itself has seen little in the way of advancement. If you're raising your hand to tell me about those slick double and triple blade conglomerations you had on your Escort GT in 1991, don't bother. Those things stunk and you know it. Let's not bring up the 3-vaned plastic wiper wings either. Today, we're finally starting to see a serious improvement in wiper design. I first noticed it on my wife's Mercedes -- the car featured a single wiper without a bulky metal carrier, and worked wonderfully. Now, some years later, the aftermarket has caught on and is offering this new style blade as a replacement for your car. We reviewed the Rain-X version of these wipers earlier in the year, but now we have a new set to try -- the Michelin Radius. Read the reviews to see how they stacked up.

I received a letter today from Sharon who told this story:

While I was travelling in eastern Washington in July there was a strong smell...that I couldn't figure where it was coming from. I tried closing the windows and recirculating the air in the car, thinking it was coming from outside...truck ahead of me or something sprayed on roadside. This continued on and when I pulled over for gas I started searching the car to find a can of Fix-a-Flat with the gas leaking out of it, in the trunk near the spare tire.

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It's easy to get wrapped up in gadgetry when you're talking about tools for auto repair. There are just so many exciting pieces of equipment, small and large, that perform their specific function with an amazing level of ease and precision. If you wrench for a living, these esoteric tools can be worth spending the money on -- a good tool will last a lifetime, giving you more than enough opportunities to justify the expense. But if you're a home mechanic working on the family people mover you'll want to stick to basics. One of the most basic of hand tools are the cutting pliers. This tool, referred to around our shop as "snips," is an absolute essential. Check them out, and if your tool box doesn't have a pair of cutting pliers, it's time get some.

A good friend of mine had a sudden and unwelcome realization this week -- don't trust your mechanic to do everything for you! He was driving about 6 hours away to visit a college buddy, so he decided it was time for him to get a new set of tires and an oil change. The shop that did the oil change also claimed to check and top off a number of fluids. This used to be a premium, signature, or other specialized oil change for additional money, but these days most of the quickie-lube type places offer the whole package for one low price. Three hours into his trip he looks down at his temperature gauge and notices it's higher than usual, higher than it's ever been in fact. As he slows down on the exit ramp to check it out, the temp skyrockets -- he's overheating. Now pretty much stranded, he pops the hood and sees the problem, there's no coolant -- none at all -- in the radiator or overflow tank. Thankfully he's across the street from a Turkey Hill and can top off his radiator with no less than 2 gallons of 50/50 mix!

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Don't insure your car for more than you have to. Follow these tips to getting cheap car insurance.
MILWAUKEE, Sept. 2 -- The Allstate Insurance Company today released its sixth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report(TM)." The report ranks America's 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers according to Allstate data.
Jeremy Cato investigates the real cost of car ownership, and has tips on used cars too.
Keeping a car on the road is expensive business. As well as giving you a great deal on your car insurance the kind folks at Quinn have provided us with some great tips for keeping your car in tip top condition.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Sept. 2, 2010; The Allstate Insurance Company today released its sixth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report(TM)." The report ranks America's 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers, according to Allstate claim data.
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