On the Move by Tallahassee Democrat

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ON-THE-MOVE

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012

Confidence Comes Standard! Visit Cars.com for side-by-side comparisons, consumer, expert reviews and more! For advertising information, contact your local Cars.com On-The-Move Sales Team at 599-2329.

ADVICE

Luxury crossovers earn approval

Toyota exec predicts growth in North America Move is hedge against strong foreign currency By Tom Krisher Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Toyota’s top U.S. sales

TOYOTA

The Lexus RX 350 crossover SUV makes Cars.com’s Best Bets list for 2012.

Q A

All of these SUVs qualify as Best Bets because they have average to above-average fuel economy within Cars.com lists several 2012 their segments, average or better reliability and average or crossover SUVs as O EAD M RE AT R better performance in Best Bets for 2012, givcrash tests, plus they ing you a variety of good earned a seal of approval choices. Among them are from the Cars.com’s edithe Acura MDX, BMW Go to Cars.com for tors who reviewed them. X3, Infiniti EX35, Lexus reviews and advice, You can use the RX 350, Mercedes-Benz and Ask.cars.com to find answers Cars.com Vehicle RecGLK-Class and the to your questions. ommender to narrow Volvo XC60. down the candidates to In addition, the BMW X5 35d diesel and Lexus RX 450h the ones that offer the attributes and are “green” Best Bets because of features that matter most. their fuel economy. ASK.CARS.COM Which luxury crossover is a best buy?

executive predicts that his company will add jobs and build more models in North America as a hedge against a strong yen. Jim Lentz, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said Toyota already makes around 70 percent of the models sold in North America in the region. He sees that percentage continuing to grow. “With the yen where it is today, I think it’s only a matter of time,” Lentz said. Toyota Motor Corp. has been hammered by the strong yen, putting extra pressure on the automaker to stay lean and come up with innovations. A strong yen cuts into overseas earnings for all Japanese automakers, and makes it harder to offer products at cheaper prices abroad. It takes just 78 yen to buy

Jim Lentz, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A, who makes the Prius, predicts that his company will add jobs and build more models in North America AP

NORTH AMERICA PRODUCTION Toyota builds 12 Toyota and Lexus models in North America, including the Camry and popular Corolla. Its new Avalon large sedan was engineered and designed near Ann Arbor, Mich., and the company expects more models to be designed in the U.S., where it employs about 30,000 people.

a dollar, fewer than the 100 yen it took in 2009. It’s a sign of the currency’s growing strength against the greenback, and a tough trend for Japanese manufacturers. So in the past eight months, the world’s top automaker has announced it would hire 3,500 workers in North

America and invest $1.6 billion its factories here. “The hedge against currency is to build cars where you sell them,” he said. Lentz said further investment depends on the value of the yen, sales and the ability of Toyota See TOYOTA » 2D

Toyota Continued » 1D

to engineer and design vehicles in the U.S.

Honda Civic development Toyota isn’t alone in moving research and production to North America. Honda announced at the conference that engineers in the U.S. would lead development of the

next-generation of Civic compact cars. Honda builds in North America more than 85 percent of the vehicles it sells in the region. About 30 percent of its North American model lineup was developed here, said Erik Berkman, the company’s president of research and development for the Americas. North America leads development of all Acura vehicles and all light trucks, including the Honda Ridgeline and Pilot, he said.

The company has a product development research center near Columbus, Ohio. Toyota already builds 12 Toyota and Lexus models in North America, including the top-selling Camry and popular Corolla. Its new Avalon large sedan was engineered and designed near Ann Arbor, Mich., and the company expects more models to be designed in the U.S., where it employs about 30,000 people. Toyota doesn’t have

firm plans to shift production of more models from Japan to North America, he said. But one model Toyota would consider building here is the Lexus ES series. Toyota, like other manufacturers, would make changes to squeeze more production out of existing plants rather than building new buildings, he said. A new plant costs about $1 billion, Lentz said. Toyota still thinks automakers can sell 14.3 million vehicles in U.S. this

REVIEW

year, he said, even though sales have slowed the past two months, and some analysts have cut their forecasts. But Lentz said pent-up demand should prop up sales. The average vehicle in the U.S. is nearly 11 years old, and people have to replace their aging rides. Toyota, he said, has fully recovered from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hobbled its Japanese factories and caused model shortages worldwide. In the U.S., the

company’s dealer inventory dropped to around 120,000 vehicles last summer. Now it’s back to 299,000, which is near the 300,000 that Toyota considers optimal. Lentz also said discounts are starting to surface in the luxury market, which has dropped to around 10 percent of total U.S. sales this year. Normally it’s around 12 percent, he said. But although discounts may rise, Lentz doesn’t think an all-out price war will break out.

TRENDS

Panamera can cater to families

Diesel car sales climbing

PORSCHE

Acceleration and braking are impressively smooth in the 2013 Panamera GTS. By KRISTIN VARELA CARS.COM FAMILY

2013 Porsche Panamera

Starting MSRP: $75,850 to $175,300

he 2013 Porsche Panamera might just be the perfect car for the mom or dad wanting prestige, performance space that’s big enough for most tasks a and panache, with just enough comfort family can throw at it. The two seats in the back were a good and functionality thrown in to work as a O fit for two kids, even in R daily driver. M E AT D REA booster seats. Rather than having a While I generally loved sporty car for fun and a fammy two weeks in the Panamily sedan for function, blend era GTS, I missed keyless the two in the 2013 PanamGo to Cars.com and era GTS, which is a new- www.kickingtires.net for access and start, ventilated more family-oriented seats and steering-wheelcomer to the model’s lineup. news and reviews mounted audio controls. Because it’s so long, the about cars. Acceleration in the Panamera can have four full-sized doors so rear passengers can Panamera GTS is shockingly smooth. easily climb in and out. And its larger Braking was also incredibly smooth rear end results in a hatchback cargo and responsive.

2 » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

AUDI

The diesel trim for the Audi A3 compact hatchback is proving to be popular. KICKINGTIRES.NET

he U.S. sales of diesel-powered vehicles are on a roll. According to research firm Baum and Associates, sales of diesel vehicles during the first six months of 2012 are up 27.5 percent. Through June of this year, 61,214 diesel-powered vehicles have been sold in the U.S., which doesn’t look like much, but sales are on a steady climb. U.S. sales of clean-diesel vehicles increased 22.3 percent in June, compared with last June. Sim-

ilarly, they increased 14.4 percent in May and 28.2 percent in April compared with those months in 2011. This is in the face of higher prices for diesel fuel. Bright spots in the market, according to Baum’s report, are Audi TDI trims. They made up 64.8 percent of sales of the Audi A3 compact hatchback and 37.1 percent of Audi Q7 SUV sales. Volkswagen’s Passat is sharing similar success: The TDI trim made up 21 percent of the sedan’s sales in June.

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TRENDS

REVIEW

PHOTOS BY NISSAN

The 260-horsepower 2013 Pathfinder, above and below, is on sale this fall.

“Every gram had to earn its way into this car,” said an ATS engineering manager.

Cadillac makes weight a priority as it builds new 2013 ATS By MARK PHELAN

DETROIT FREE PRESS

here’s both more and less than you may expect to Cadillac’s new 2013 ATS sport sedan, and those are both good things. I spent a day recently with the engineering and design team driving the car in the hills and on a racetrack near Atlanta. A couple of things leapt out at me after my day with the ATS: 1. It’s bigger than I expected, with more road presence. The car is a compact, by the interior-space-based vehicle classes the EPA uses, but it’s no Golf- or Civic-size luxury wannabe. The ATS is 2 inches longer than a Mercedes-Benz C250, 0.3-inches longer than a BMW 3-series. Developed to compete with the world’s best sport sedans, it’s squarely in their class of size and power. The cars we tested

carried myself, another journalist and an engineer quickly and comfortably. 2. GM may have figured out how to build a really good, really light car. Every extra pound reduces fuel economy and performance. The ATS is significantly lighter than the 3-series, C-class and Audi A4. “Every gram had to earn its way into this car,” ATS engineering manager Larry Craig said. Building a light vehicle takes attention to detail, and a willingness to spend money on materials like magnesium, aluminum and high-strength steel. Cadillac engineers shaved 2.2 pounds from the rear suspension by evaluating every bolt and using smaller ones where possible. Feather-light magnesium engine mounts secure the four-cylinder engines to the chassis.

4 » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

Nissan readies Pathfinder New, lighter 2013 model to get better gas mileage

USA TODAY

issan has unveiled the new production version of the 2013 Pathfinder, a family hauler that sheds 500 pounds for better fuel economy compared with the outgoing model. The Pathfinder shifts from being a body-on-frame SUV to being a unibody crossover to achieve most of its weight savings. Nissan says the result will be a 30 percent improvement in gas mileage. The front-wheel-drive version can now achieve 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. Yet it still can tow up to 5,000 pounds. All 2013 Pathfinders come equipped with an advanced 260-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine matched with a continuously variable transmission. Nissan says it will be the only vehicle in its class with selectable twoor four-wheel drive. “While traditional SUV customers are looking for improved fuel economy, they still demand a vehicle that can do all the things they need, like carrying seven people, towing, and providing the surefootedness in all conditions of a four-wheel drive,” Al Castignetti, general manager of the Nissan division, said in a statement. The new Pathfinder will be built in Smyrna, Tenn., and goes on sale in the fall.

Used cars edge closer to new models in price By Chris Woodyard and James R. Healey USA Today

Prices of recent-model used cars have risen so much that some are now within a few hundred dollars of the same vehicle new. On average, new vehicles are selling for only 11.5 percent more than a comparable 1-yearold used car, says Kelley Blue Book, a price-tracking service.

Some models have virtually closed the gap. A year-old Chevrolet Camaro LT, for instance, sold for an average of $25,135 in the most recent survey of actual prices paid, only $126 less than the average paid for a new 2012. A 2011 Toyota 4Runner SR5 was only $254 less. “It’s just crazy,” says Juan Flores, KBB’s director of vehicle valuation. He says the gap, which can range up to 20 percent, appears to be the narrow-

est in 14 years of tracking prices. Used-car prices have risen in recent years as supply, particularly of late-model cars, shrank: Fewer people traded in vehicles because of a tough economy and credit squeeze. At the depths of the recession, car leasing, a big source of recent-vintage used cars, all but dried up. And the overall quality of vehicles has risen, so consumers aren’t as fearful of holding onto an older

car. Meanwhile, automakers have cut new-car manufacturing to try to keep supply in line with demand, also leading to higher resale values. Including financing costs, a used car actually can cost more overall than a new one, as usedcar loans typically carry higher rates. Car-shopper site Edmunds.com calculates, for instance, that you’d likely pay $452 a

TRENDS

month for a year-old Honda Odyssey minivan, versus $445 a month for a new one. Edmunds bases that on typical 60-month loan rates for new and used cars and average transaction prices. The narrow gap between new and slightly used cars won’t last, says Tom Kontos, chief economist for Adesa, which runs used-car wholesale auctions. Supply will rise again, lowering prices. “At some point, something has to give.”

TRENDS

F-Series still leads in sales The 2012 sales figure for Ford F-Series trucks shows 350,455 sold through July.

MERCEDES-BENZ

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK compact SUV is rated at 19/24 mpg city/highway.

Mercedes adds power to GLK at 16/21 mpg city/highway and the dditional horsepower and increased 2013 model is rated at 19/24 mpg. Mercedes-Benz says the fuel efficiency aren’t D MORE AT A mpg jump is thanks in part E always mutually exclusive. R to a new automatic For the 2013 model year, start/stop system and Mercedes-Benz’s refreshed electromechanical steering, premium compact SUV got which replaces the prior both. Go to Cars.com for reviews and advice, hydraulic setup. When the The 2013 GLK gets and www.kickingtires. auto stop/start feature is power from last year’s 3.5net for news and activated, the car shuts off liter V-6. In the updated updates. while stopped and automodel, it makes 302 horsematically restarts when your foot leaves power, up 34 hp from last year. According to the EPA, fuel economy the brake pedal. It’s engaged via a butis also up: The 2012 version was rated ton on the instrument panel. KICKINGTIRES.NET

FORD MOTOR CO. PICKUPTRUCKS.COM

ales continue headed in the positive direction for the pickup truck segment, with Ford still dominating the dealership wars in July. As expected, the midsize Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Chevy Colorado are doing very well. As good as these numbers are, they could be getting better, as it is not unusual to see stronger full-size truck sales numbers in the second half of the year, as buyers prepare for the coming winter months. Some analysts predict 55 percent of the year’s sales to happen in the final six months.

Top 10 year-to-date truck sales as of July 2012 1. Ford F-Series: 350,455 2. Chevrolet Silverado: 223,480 3. Ram Trucks: 162,405 4. GMC Sierra: 84,050 5. Toyota Tacoma: 78,503

6. Toyota Tundra: 54,287 7. Nissan Frontier: 34,996 8. Chevrolet Colorado: 25,553 9. Ford Ranger: 18,855 10. Chevrolet Avalanche: 12,825

ONTHEMOVE » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » 5

SUVs offer high-end touches J

eep redesigned the Grand Cherokee SUV for 2011, moving it further into the crossover realm by giving it a carlike four-wheel-independent suspension. Based on price and equipment, the 2012 GMC Yukon sits between the Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade.

CHRYSLER

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Starting MSRP: $27,195 to $54,670

■ 290-hp V-6 or 360-hp V-8; three 4WD systems; available Quadra-Lift air suspension; 7,400-pound towing capacity; new high-performance 470-hp SRT8 version. For 2012, V-6-powered Grand Cherokees now have electro-hydraulic power steering, and V-8-equipped models have a revised automatic transmission that provides six manual-shift gears. Seats five. ■ City: 12 to 17 mpg; Highway: 18 to 23 mpg

2012 GMC Yukon

COMPARISON

Starting MSRP: $40,085 to $58,005

New or notable

■ All engines are E85 compatible; six-speed automatic; seats up to nine; available backup camera; StabiliTrak now includes electronic trailer-sway control and hill start assist. Four-wheel drive is available. The Yukon SLT now comes standard with heated leather front seats; a heated steering wheel is optional. When properly equipped, can tow up to 8,500 pounds.

Fuel economy

■ City: 13 to 15 mpg; Highway: 18 to 21 mpg

■ Sleeker-looking than the model it replaced, the Grand Cherokee still resembles a Jeep, but it’s perhaps the brand’s greatest stretch so far. Traditional Grand Cherokee cues remain, including a sevenslot grille and horizontally arranged headlights, but the rear end was completely reworked. Exterior features include: standard 17-inch aluminum wheels; 18- or 20-inch wheels optional; standard heated power side mirrors; standard fog lights; optional power liftgate; optional sunroof; optional high-intensity-discharge headlights.

Exterior

■ The Yukon has a one-piece grille and taller headlights than its sister Tahoe, with jewel-like bezels and a wider, lower air dam. The rest of the body features blocky fenders, long rear-quarter windows and a squared-off back end. Higher-end Denali models come with 20inch wheels, chrome exterior trim and a power-operated liftgate. Integrated running boards; standard 17-inch aluminum wheels; standard heated power side mirrors; optional 20-inch wheels; chrome honeycomb grille (Denali); optional power-operated running boards.

■ The cabin has nice materials, with well-integrated center controls and genuine wood trim on uplevel models. Available leatherwrapped dashboard. Interior features include: standard cloth upholstery; leather available; rear seats can recline several degrees or fold flat in a 60/40 split; available heated and ventilated front seats; available heated rear seats; available heated steering wheel with power tilt/telescoping adjustments; available navigation system and panoramic sunroof.

Interior

■ The domed instrument panel, carlike dashboard and flushmounted buttons make for a handsome design. Can seat up to nine occupants when benches are placed in all three rows. Some models replace first- and second-row benches with captain’s chairs, lowering seating capacity to seven. Standard leatherwrapped steering wheel with audio controls; standard Bose stereo; available sunroof, cloth or leather-appointed seats, integrated backup camera in rearview mirror, and heated/cooled front seats.

■ Standard safety features include front-seat side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags for both rows. Active head restraints, fourwheel-disc antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are also standard. Available: backup camera; rear parking sensors; blind spot warning system; rear cross path detection; collision alert.

Safety

■ Options include a blind spot warning system, rear parking sensors and backup camera. Standard features: side curtain airbags with rollover sensor; seat-mounted side-impact airbags for the front row; four-wheel-disc antilock brakes; electronic stability system with traction control, trailer-sway control and hill start assist; recovery hooks.

6 » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

New Ford C-Max hybrid bests Toyota Prius in gas mileage Associated Press

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. says its new C-Max hybrid wagon gets 47 miles a gallon in city and highway driving. That beats its chief rival, the Toyota Prius V, which gets a combined 42 miles a gallon. Ford announced the gas

mileage Tuesday after it was certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. The C-Max is Ford’s first hybrid-only vehicle. It’s intended to compete directly with the Prius. The C-Max starts at $25,200, which is $1,300 less than the Prius V. Ford will also offer plug-in

hybrid and electric versions of the C-Max. The company says the plug-in hybrid will go up to 85 miles per hour in all-electric mode, or 20 miles per hour higher than the plug-in Prius. The plug-in version will be available in 19 U.S. markets this fall. Ford plans to offer it in all 50 states by early next year.

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The EPA has certified that Ford’s new C-Max hybrid wagon gets 47 miles a gallon in city and highway driving. PAUL SANCY/AP

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Top-selling vehicles in July

Honda, Toyota sales soar with help from popular models

A matte-black hood and 10-spoke wheels help set the 2013 Camaro 1LE apart.

New Camaro stays under $40K system, a manual transmission with liqhat Chevy calls its “most capable uid cooling and a higher final-drive track-day” Camaro yet, the 2013 ratio, and monotube rear dampers. Twenty-inch aluminum Chevrolet Camaro with the D MORE AT A E wheels and ultra-high-per1LE Performance Package R formance Goodyear tires makes good on the carmakcomplete the package. er’s promise of coming in Aesthetically, the 1LE under $40,000. It will start at Go to Cars.com for can be picked out from a $37,035, including a $900 reviews and advice, crowd of Camaros by its destination charge, when it and www.kickingtires. distinct matte-black hood, goes on sale later this year. net for news and updates. front splitter, rear spoiler The new 1LE Performand unique 10-spoke alloy ance Package is offered on SS coupes with a manual transmission wheels. In the cabin there’s a flat-botonly. Updates in the $3,500 package tom, suede-wrapped steering wheel and include a variable-effort electric power- a shifter trimmed in suede microfibers. The car goes on sale later this fall. steering system, a dual-mode exhaust

KICKINGTIRES.NET

NISSAN

Nissan sold 26,602 Altimas in July, making it one of the best-selling vehicles. KICKINGTIRES.NET

ales in July flew 45.3 percent at Honda and 26.1 percent at Toyota, as cars like the outgoing Honda Accord and redesigned Honda Civic trumped onetime top-10 placers the Chevy Malibu and Hyundai Sonata. The Accord has as many incentives as Honda would ever unleash; the Civic’s inventory is back to near-industry-average levels. Higher incentives brought shoppers to the Ford Fusion, whose sales over July 2011 gained 20.7 percent for its best July ever. Nissan says the redesigned Altima played a big part in the nameplate’s 24.7 percent sales gain.

Best-selling vehicles in July 1. Ford F-Series: 49,314 2. Toyota Camry: 29,913 3. Chevy Silverado: 28,972 4. Honda Accord: 28,639 5. Nissan Altima: 26,602 6. Honda Civic: 25,004 7. Ram 1500/HD: 23,824 8. Toyota Corolla/Matrix: 23,640 9. Ford Fusion: 23,326 10. Ford Escape: 21,572 KICKINGTIRES.NET

ONTHEMOVE » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » 7

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8 » MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » ONTHEMOVE

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