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ON-THE-MOVE

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

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New Jaguar F-Type looks to glory days By Lori Hinnant Associated Press

PARIS — Its predecessor is among the most beautiful sports cars ever made — and now Jaguar showed it was trying to go one better than the glory days of the 1960s with the new F-Type. The Indian auto company Ta-

ta bought Jaguar Land Rover for $2.3 billion in 2008, betting that it could revive two venerable British brands that had lost a bit of luster over the decades. The new F-Type, the first Jaguar two-seater in a half-century, is the first major Jaguar design shepherded through by the new owners. Tata has been a hands-off

All People Are Approved With A Job And Money Down

owner for Jaguar, largely letting its British team make the major decisions on the car. At Wednesday’s unveiling, Tata executives were in the crowd, but it was the Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum, who took center stage. And the designers looked to the past — and the famed EType, beloved by aficionados

everywhere — to inspire what they hope will be the automaker’s future. “It’s just a tremendous challenge today to produce a beautiful car that meets all the world regulations,” said Philip Porter, a Jaguar historian who has written a book about the E-Type. He hasn’t driven the F-Type yet, but likes what he’s seen so far. “It’s a

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D L O S

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2 » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

Jaguar

type; 4.8 seconds for the S and 4.2 for the V8.

Continued » 1D

Outside

Under the hood

The body is aluminum and evokes the E-Type in details such as the center hood bulge, the line of the body and the rear flare.

There are two supercharged engines: A 3-liter six cylinder with 340 horsepower for the normal F-type, and 380 horsepower for the S; there’s also a 5-liter V8 with 495 horsepower. Jaguar says the 0-60 time is 5.1 seconds for the normal F-

Inside The lines are clean on the inside, pared down considerably from many newer cars. Rather than

now commonplace touch controls for everything, the heating and ventilation are old-fashioned.

Open question It remains to be seen whether potential buyers looking at the Porsche 911 or the Mercedes-Benz SL will see the F-Type as a real alternative. Fifty years is a long time to wait between models, and memories of the good old days have faded.

Jaguar’s newly unveiled F-Type sports car evokes the company’s revered E-Type sports car of the 1960s. PR NEWSWIRE

TRENDS

Two models join 911 lineup

PORSCHE

The 911 Carrera 4 features Porsche Traction Management for the 2013 model year.

ﬂat-six engine, seven-speed manual or the 2013 model year, the sev- transmission and the electromechanienth-generation Porsche 911 Car- cal steering (which we thought was rera gets a new all-wheel-drive system well-executed). With the addition of the Carrera 4, and two new models — the Carrera 4 Porsche is making adaptive and Carrera 4 S. AD MORE AT cruise control and a collision The Porsche 911 Carrera RE warning system available on 4 gets an updated version all 911 models. of Porsche’s all-wheel-drive Go to Cars.com for The 2013 Porsche Carrera system, called Porsche Tracreviews and advice, and 4 will be priced at $91,030 tion Management. www.kickingtires.net for news and updates. for the coupe and $102,930 Besides that, the rest of the for the convertible. mechanical upgrades are the The Carrera 4 S will start at same as the ones found on the 2012 rear-wheel-drive Carrera. That means $105,630 and $117,530, respectively. The 2013 Porsche Carrera series it beneﬁts from the longer wheelbase, lightweight aluminum-steel body, new will go on sale early in 2013. KICKINGTIRES.NET

USA TODAY

The key fob can now lock the Ram boxes on the 2013 Laramie Longhorn.

Laramie Longhorn even fancier By CHRIS WOODYARD USA TODAY

am’s plushest pickup, the 2013 Laramie Longhorn edition, has gotten a handy touch that will make life with it even easier. Now, the key fob also can be used to lock or unlock the big pickup’s “Ram boxes,” those twin boxes on either side of the bed that have become a signature of the brand. With the key fob, now you can lock the rear boxes at the same time that you’re locking the truck. The Longhorn also now has an pneumatic lifter that lets die-hard

pickup drivers choose how much ride height they would like — more for rough roads, less when backing up to hitch up a trailer. For about $50,000, Ram has made the ’Horn as Texas-styled as possible, from the belt buckle-type badge on the sides to saddlebag leather to the barbed-wire motif in the ﬂoor mats. The driver gets a few nice touches, too, like a shifter that moves to the dash as a knob. The Larame Limited trim is available on the 1500 as well as the 2500 and other heavy-duty models.

ONTHEMOVE » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » 3

Crossovers seat up to seven A

vailable in ﬁve- or sevenseat conﬁgurations, the Dodge Journey is offered with front- or all-wheel drive. The Kia Sorento crossover seats up to seven in three rows. It competes roughly with smaller crossovers that also offer a third row, like the Journey.

CHRYSLER

2013 Dodge Journey

Starting MSRP: $18,995 to $30,795

KIA

COMPARISON

2013 Kia Sorento

Starting MSRP: $23,150 to $33,400

■ Standard four-cylinder engine; optional V-6; FWD or AWD; optional 8.4-inch touch-screen entertainment system. For 2013, 17-inch wheels are newly standard while the uplevel Crew gains premium leather, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. The R/T model gains a performance suspension . ■ City: 16 to 19 mpg; Highway: 24 to 26 mpg

New or notable

■ With its crosshair grille, lower bumper styling and ﬂared fenders, the Dodge Journey has an aggressive-looking front end. The R/T trim level has a monochromatic exterior appearance and 19-inch aluminum wheels. Nineteen-inch aluminum rims optional; standard power heated side mirrors; optional roof rails, LED taillights, front fog lights and power sunroof.

Exterior

■ The Sorento’s creased lines and Acura-like headlights have a clear resemblance up front to the Forte and Optima sedans. Exterior features include: 17-inch wheels standard; 18-inch wheels optional; available fog lights and rear spoiler; available roof rails; available panoramic sunroof; available LED taillights and powerfolding side mirrors.

■ All Journey trim levels have a touch-screen stereo, but the optional Uconnect Touch 8.4 system has a large 8.4-inch touchscreen interface for functions like air conditioning and audio, and it can incorporate a Garmin-based navigation system. Standard fabric-covered seats; leather-trimmed seats optional; optional heated front seats; standard manual air conditioning; automatic air conditioning optional; standard tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls; standard second-row ﬂoor bins and illuminated cupholders; standard CD stereo with 4.3-inch touch-screen, MP3 jack and USB port; optional Inﬁnity premium stereo; optional built-in second-row booster seats.

Interior

■ The Sorento’s dashboard houses each gauge within a separate portal and places major stereo and climate controls on an elevated central dashboard section. The second row folds flat into the floor; so does the optional third row. Interior features include: air conditioning; available dual-zone automatic climate control; steering-wheel-mounted audio controls; CD stereo with USB/iPod compatibility and satellite radio; Bluetooth connectivity; available Uvo multimedia system; available Infinity premium stereo; available navigation system.

■ Standard antilock brakes; standard side-impact airbags for the front seats; standard side curtain airbags; standard driver’s knee airbag; standard stability system with electronic roll mitigation and trailer-sway control; standard front active head restraints; optional rear parking sensors; optional backup camera.

Safety

■ Safety features include: antilock brakes; traction control; electronic stability system; hill descent control; front-seat sideimpact airbags and active head restraints; side curtain airbags for ﬁrst and second rows of seats; available backup camera.

4 » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

Fuel economy

■ Four-cylinder or V-6; car-based construction; FWD or AWD. Trim levels include the LX, EX and SX. The 2013 model year brings leather seats for the EX trim and a third-row seat for the V-6-powered LX model. A new LX Convenience Plus Package features an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. ■ City: 18 to 22 mpg; Highway: 24 to 32 mpg

Ford has bold expectations for new 2013 Fusion hybrids By Alisa Priddle Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has amped up its ambitions for the all-new 2013 Fusion hybrid powertrains. Consumers looking at

the new midsize sedan can choose from five powertrains, but the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker expects at least15 percent of them to drive off with the gas-electric hybrid or Energi plug-in models. That is a big leap. Hy-

brids accounted for 3.9 percent of Fusion sales through August and were 4.5 percent of 2011 sedan sales. If Fusion’s 2013 sales are 300,000, then the hybrid/plug-in target would be 45,000, or more than

twice the Fusion hybrid’s previous best year of 20,816 in 2010, according to HybridCars.com. And Ford expects that 25 percent of those will be the Energi plug-in that will go See FUSION » 6D

TRENDS

The 2013 Ford Fusion is introduced during the North American International Auto Show on Jan. 9 in Detroit. AP

TRENDS

Fusion Hybrid gets 47 mpg

FORD MOTOR CO.

The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid can achieve up to 62 mph on electric-only power.

There’s a regenerative braking system he new 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery has a 47/47/47 mpg city/highway/ for power storage. The hybrid system can travel on combined rating from the EPA under its more stringent ﬁve-cycle testing electric-only power at speeds up to 62 mph. methodology. AD MORE AT The Fusion SE Hybrid The Fusion SE Hybrid RE also comes equipped with starts at $27,995, including leather upholstery, heated destination. Go to Cars.com for front seats, dual-zone autoThe mileage is a big imand advice, and matic climate control, Sync, provement over the 2012 reviews www.kickingtires.net for MyFord Touch, a 10-way Fusion Hybrid, which gets news and updates. power driver’s seat and 1741/36/39 mpg. All Fusion Hybrids come equipped inch alloy wheels. A leather-wrapped steering wheel with a 141-horsepower, 2.0-liter inlinefour-cylinder and a 118-hp electric and shifter, 18-inch alloy wheels, a motor/generator mated to a continu- navigation system, moonroof and ously variable automatic transmission. adaptive cruise control are optional.

KICKINGTIRES.NET

The new 2013 Cadillac XTS was tested by GM for its long-term reliability.

GM focuses on car reliability By MARK PHELAN

DETROIT FREE PRESS

M will put mega-miles on all its new vehicles to test long-term reliability before production starts. “There’s a new emphasis on long-term reliability,” Alicia BolerDavis, GM vice president of quality and customer experience, said. “We’re building a high-mileage ... ﬂeet of 20 vehicles of each new car we make.” The new 2013 Cadillac XTS luxury sedan was the ﬁrst vehicle de-

veloped this way. GM accumulated more than 1.5 million miles running the test vehicles around the clock. “We’re starting this program very early in the development process so we have a good understanding” of potential problems long before production begins, Boler-Davis said. It’s part of a new plan to address complaints from inﬂuential outside voices like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. “We win when the customer tells us we win,” Boler-Davis said.

ONTHEMOVE » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » 5

Fusion Continued » 5D

into production in December for sale in February, said Samantha Hoyt, Fusion marketing manager.

New pricing strategy Upward trending gas prices, a slew of new

competing hybrids and the Fusion’s bold exterior styling should help. So should a pricing strategy that makes the hybrid version only slightly more expensive than some gas-engine options. The 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine with a start-stop system that shuts the car off when stopped is priced at $26,380, with a combined fuel-economy rating of 29 miles per gallon. For $1,615 more, a

buyer can get the full hybrid and 47 mpg. The outgoing Fusion hybrid was as much as $8,000 more than its base gas-engine counterpart. Raj Nair, head of Ford global product development, said the strategy is to offer the $295 startstop system for 3.5 percent better fuel economy or go straight to full hybrid.

6 » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

GM offers discounts to boost Volt sales By Tom Krisher Associated Press

DETROIT — General Motors rolled out the Chevrolet Volt two years ago with lofty sales goals and the promise of a new technology that someday would help end America’s dependence on oil. So it seemed like a good thing in August when sales of the $40,000 car set a monthly record of 2,800. But a closer look shows that things aren’t what they seem for the cuttingedge car. Sales rose mostly because of discounts of almost $10,000, or 25 percent of the Volt’s sticker price, according to figures from TrueCar.com, an auto pricing website. Other pricing services gave similar numbers, and dealers confirmed that steeply discounted Volts are selling better than a few months ago. GM’s discounts on the Volt are more than four times the industry’s pervehicle average, according to TrueCar estimates. Edmunds.com and J.D. Power and Associates say they’re about three times the average. Discounts include low-interest financing, cash discounts to buyers, sales bonuses to dealers, and subsidized leases. Americans have been slow to embrace electric cars. But the Volt’s August sales show they’re willing to buy if prices are low enough. Even so, electrics have a long way to go before they enter the mainstream and make money for car companies. Electrics and gas-electric hybrids account for 3.5 percent of U.S. auto sales this year. GM is losing thousands of dollars on every Volt, raising the question of how long it can keep eating the steep

Sales of the Chevrolet Volt set a monthly record of 2,800 in August, mostly because of steep discounts. AP

losses. For the foreseeable future, carmakers will have to cut prices to move electric vehicles off dealer lots. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the cost of electric cars must drop to be competitive with gasolinepowered ones. GM executives have conceded from the start that they were losing money on the Volt, and that was before the big discounts. Now the losses could be even higher. It costs $60,000 to $75,000 to build a Volt, including development, manufacturing and raw materials, estimates Sandy Munro, president of Munro & Associates, a Troy, Mich., a company that analyzes vehicle production expenses for automakers. Much of the cost comes from an expensive combination of two power systems — electric and gasoline. With a sticker price of $40,000, minus the $10,000 the company pays in incentives, GM gets roughly $30,000 for every Volt. So it could be losing at least $30,000 per car. “It certainly wasn’t a rousing success,” Carter Driscoll, senior analyst for CapStone Invest-

ments who follows electric cars, says of the Volt. GM confirmed there are incentives on the Volt and that the company loses money on the car. But the automaker declined to give figures for the discounts or the losses. The figures exclude a federal tax credit that goes to buyers. The automaker says Munro’s estimate is high because it doesn’t spread the Volt’s costs far enough into the future, when more Volts will be sold. Automakers typically spend $1 billion or more to develop a car, and sometimes don’t recoup the investment and start making money until late in its life. Also, Volt technology will be used in future cars and trucks, eventually leading to profits, the company says. GM spokesman Jim Cain says most of the Volt discounts come in the form of lease deals, which account for about twothirds of sales. In some markets, Volts can be leased for $249 per month with $2,400 down. “We’re trying to create a market for a brand-new technology,” Cain says.

Automakers see young buyers return Brand loyalty early good for later sales By James R. Healey USA Today

Young buyers are inching back into the new-vehicle market after several

years on the sidelines, helped by easing credit and a slightly improving job market. “Younger buyers have returned to market at a higher rate than any other age category,” according to a recent report by J.D. Power and Associates’ Power Information Network.

The young buyer group — from teens through age 35 — is a hefty 23 percent of so-called retail buyers, the highest since 2008, according to Power. Data from Polk, which tracks new-vehicle registrations, not sales, found a similar move, showing buyers 18 to 34 provided

12 percent of all new-vehicle registrations from January through July this year — the highest since 16.4 percent in 2007. Power’s Thomas King, a senior director, says high used-car values could be helping younger buyers with something to trade in. Credit is also easier to get now, he says, and

REVIEW

the group is seeing growth in longer-term loans, 72 months and over, which cuts monthly payments. Long loans, however, can lock buyers into long ownership. It takes years before the loan balance is less than the value of the car, delaying the next purchase.

Still, the rebound is huge for car companies, which depend on an influx of youthful customers as their lifeblood. Younger shoppers don’t typically buy high-profit vehicles, at first. But if they can be kept loyal, automakers believe, they’ll move up to very profitable models as they get older and richer.

REVIEW

Cars.com Family Car Seat Check

2013 Volvo S60

FORD MOTOR CO. VOLVO CARS.COM FAMILY

Latch system: There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats. The seat cushions easily part and the anchors aren’t inset too deeply, so using them was easy. Booster seat: The backseat is slightly bolstered. The booster seat had enough room AD MORE AT RE and was held snuggly in place by the bolstered seat. Convertible seat: The forwardGo to Cars.com and facing seat had plenty of room. www.kickingtires.net for In the rear-facing position, the family-oriented news and car seat needed a bit more room, reviews about cars so we had to move the front passenger seat up about an inch. Infant-safety seat: The front passenger seat had to be moved up a bit more to accommodate this rearfacing seat. Taller front passengers will need more legroom to be comfortable. How many car seats ﬁt in the second row? Two.

e use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infantsafety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and a Graco highback TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. In the second row, the booster seat is behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are behind the passenger seat.

The 2013 Ford Taurus trunk handled bike trip gear for three adults and a toddler.

Taurus boasts immense trunk By JENNIFER GEIGER KICKINGTIRES.NET

UVs and vans are the only way to go when packing for a long trip full of gear, right? Think again. Some sedans have really large trunks, and the 2013 Ford Taurus’ has room to spare. I put it to the test during a long weekend full of biking gear, and it passed — and then some. It’s got 20.1 cubic feet of trunk space. It’s one of the largest trunks on the market. And all the stuff we ﬁt into it speaks volumes. Three adults and a toddler on a threeday bike trip require a lot of gear. The Taurus managed to swallow all of it:

three backpacks, one large cardboard box filled with 25 water bottles, two duffle bags, several grocery bags, three bike helmets, three bike bags, two camping chairs, one toddler bike seat, one inflatable bedroll, one sleeping bag and three pillows. To be fair, at 202.9 inches long — the same as a Honda Odyssey minivan — it’s got a few inches of length on its competitors, but it eclipses them in trunk space by quite a bit. No, we didn’t put the kitchen sink in there, but we managed to squeeze in a tiny set of mounted antlers — a souvenir from the trip.

ONTHEMOVE » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » 7

Nissan offers Leaf discounts Associated Press

PETR DAVID JOSEK/AP

High hopes for Hyundai TRADITIONAL ENGINE WILL HAVE A PLACE

By James R. Healey USA Today

John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America since 2008, has overseen fantastic growth, and now he has a different challenge: Keep the pot boiling. Hyundai’s rocket ride up the U.S. sales chart is over — it can’t make cars any faster. The automaker is hitting full production capacity in South Korea, where most models sold in the U.S are made, and is adding a third shift this month at its Montgomery, Ala., plant that builds its two highest-volume U.S. models, Sonata and Elantra. Much of the momentum Krafcik inherited was his own doing. Before he became CEO, Krafcik was vice president of product development and strategic planning. When he took that job in 2004, Hyundai’s share of U.S. new vehicle sales was 2.5 percent, according to Autodata. Now, it’s 5 percent and Hyundai is the seventh-biggest car company in the U.S., ranked by sales, behind the Detroit Three and Japan’s top trio, Toyota, Honda and Nissan. What’s in Krafcik’s crystal ball includes the following: » Gasoline engines. Hyundai will field some alternative-power models — already it is selling a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Sonata, and a hydrogen-fueled car is due in 2015, he says — but the future belongs to the venerable gasoline engine. Refined, evolved, downsized, engineered to a fare-thee-well, for sure, but still the recognizable internal combustion engine trace-

ROBERT HANASHIRO/USA TODAY

John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai, thinks the future is bright.

able to the first practical car, built by Karl Benz in 1886. Even Hyundai’s hydrogen car won’t be exclusively an alternative fuel model. “It would be a platform where we could also put in internal-combustion” engines. » Four-cylinder engines. Hyundai was a pioneer of four-cylinder power when it introduced the redesigned 2011 Sonata midsize sedan only with four-cylinder engines, dropping the V-6 option. They are more sophisticated fours that use high-tech direct fuel injection for both better mileage and more power — even though the technology is costlier and noisier. Direct injection is making its way into the mainstream, but when Sonata was launched it was mainly a premium-brand feature. “Four-cylinders are absolutely the future,” Krafcik says. » Unique cars for unique markets. “We don’t believe in one-carfor-the-world, as some of our competitors do,” says Krafcik. “We view the American market as different from the European market. Rear-seat packaging (for example)

8 » MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

Nowadays the politically correct view is that non-petroleum power is the future. Nonetheless, others agree with Hyundai CEO John Krafcik. One school of thought says that biofuels made from waste — cornstalks or wood chips, for instance, instead of feed corn as is done now — eventually could be produced in such quantities that they could be sold at the pump cheaper than gasoline. A report this month from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says lifetime costs associated with electric cars are “generally higher than those of a conventional vehicle or traditional hybrid of similar size and performance.” On average, CBO says, costs run $16,000 to $19,000 more than a comparable gas-engine vehicle.

is more important in the U.S.” That puts him head-on against his old employer, Ford Motor, which has pushed hard for uniform global designs in its One Ford strategy. That makes it possible to build any car at any of its factories around the world and requires only relatively small changes to suit various markets. Thus, it is cheaper and quicker to get models to market. » Continual weight loss. Mazda claims that as part of its Skyactiv suite of technologies, it will cut vehicle weight 7 percent each time it renews a model. Hyundai cut about that much from the Santa Fe SUV in the redesign for 2013, from 3,725 down to 3,459 pounds. Lighter cars take less energy to move, so use less fuel.

Nissan is offering cheap leases and big discounts on the Leaf because of slow sales of the all-electric car. Nissan Motor Co. sold only 4,228 Leafs this year through August, almost a third fewer than a year ago. It also has a big inventory of the cars nationwide. At the end of August it had enough 2012 models in stock to supply dealers for 114 days, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank. Earlier this month,

Nissan started offering Leafs for $219 per month with $2,999 down for 32 months. That’s down from $249 per month earlier in the year. Also, the TrueCar.com auto pricing site says Nissan raised discounts to $3,250 per Leaf in August from $850 in January. The Leaf, which can go up to 100 miles on battery power from a single charge, starts at $36,050, including shipping. Both cars are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.

Automakers aim for quieter cars By Chris Woodyard USA Today

When it comes to creating quieter cars, automakers are giving a whole new meaning to the sounds of silence. More of them are using technology to mask bad sounds and enhance good ones. Engineers say manipulating sounds in a car adds to a perception of quality and harmony. “Our aim isn’t to trick the customer,” said Chuck Gray, chief powertrain engineer on Ford’s electric vehicles. “It’s to give them the best experience.” When it comes to eliminating unwelcome sounds, the new technology works like noise-cancelling headphones. Speakers drown out bad sounds. The new 2013 Honda Accord, with the goal of making the cabin as quiet as possible, employs microphones to

pick up engine, wind or road noise. A computer then produces almost indistinguishable sounds, projected back into the cabin through four speakers, in frequencies that reduce or cancel the unwanted sounds. Drivers tune in to engines. At the same time, automakers are also taking steps to enhance the good sounds. In performance cars, they are literally piping sounds from deep within the engine, like in the new BMW M5 and M6. Some automakers allow drivers to tune the sound to their preference. Bose gets in on the technology. But mostly, the emphasis is on quiet. Infiniti’s technology in its M sedans, which also involves four microphones in the cabin, is from Bose, a leading maker of noisecanceling headphones.