Great Drives has moved.

You'll find all the same information at a new website in a new format on GreatDrives.net or Car-and-Travel.com. Same website. Two different ways to get there.

I hope you approve. I hope you visit.

Cordially,

Evelyn Kanter

A Moving Experience

You may have noticed there are not a lot of blog postings lately.

That's because I've moved Great Drives to a new website -- http://www.greatdrives.net/. Please catch me there.

Also, you can read more of my automotive articles on Examiner.com, where I am the Green Car Examiner, focusing on all things environmental.

Cordially,

Evelyn Kanter

Toyota is First Green Dealership in Western USA

We already know about the great drives from Toyota -- the best-selling Prius hybrid and the Camry hybrid. Now, Toyota has the first green car dealership in the Western USA, also the first and only LEED-Certified car dealership in Utah.

Mark Miller Toyota in Salt Lake City was designed from the ground up with environmental standards in mind, using construction elements designed to conserve both energy and water, and construction uses lots of local and recycled materials -- including recycled windshield glass pulverized into use as a carpet backing. How's that for ingenuity -- your footsteps are cushioned by smooshed glass.

Some other eco-friendly construction and design elements include --

• A high-performance, high-efficiency heating and cooling system;


• Innovative sun-tracking skylights that make the most of natural daylight and help reduce use of lights inside


• A cool-roof system to lower the overall heat that comes off large buildings


• Landscaping that requires a minimal amount of water


• Low-flow faucets and toilets and waterless urinals to conserve water


• A cistern system to collect and store rainwater and air conditioning
  condensation for irrigation and for washing cars


• High-speed glass service bay doors to reduce heat and cold loss from
  service areas at the same time they provide additional light to the interior


• Recycled materials used in tile, carpeting, wood paneling and cubicles


• A full-service cafe as well as a fuel facility on-site so employees and customers won't
  have to drive to get something to fill their bellies or their tanks.

Another feature of the dealership is a display that shows the building's energy use over the last half hour or so. It's the same kind of energy panel drivers of Toyota hybrid cars know well.

The dealership has applied for and expects to be awarded a Gold LEED certification in the next few weeks. Just so you know -- LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a voluntary program designed to promote and validate environmental leadership in the building industry. It's tough to get LEED certification -- there's an extensive application and review process, and you have to re-certify regularly to keep your eco-friendly status. As far as LEED certification is concerned -- you can honestly say (apologies to Kermit) it's not easy being green!

Pat Lobb Toyota in McKinney, Texas was the first dealership to earn LEED certification in 2006. Besides Mark Miller Toyota, five other Toyota dealerships in the country are built and either have received or are in the process of being reviewed for LEED certification. Three additional dealerships seeking LEED certification are under construction with several more in the design and planning stages.

So thank you, Toyota, for making great green drives and great green car dealerships, too.

Drive Smarter and Save Gas

Yea, yea, I know -- the price of a barrel of oil is dropping, and so is the price of a gallon of gas. But, since the value of your stocks, 401k and IRA also are dropping, this is no time to return to the gas guzzling habits of old. Save gas, save money with these fuel economy tips.

• Watch your speed. Your car creates the most pollution when driving at less than 15mph, and pollution decreases up to 60mph. After that, it increases again.


• Take roof-racks off when you don't need them, since they create wind drag. Ditto driving with the windows open -- also creates drag that reduces fuel efficiency.


• Take the junk out of the trunk -- remove unneccessary items from the car, such as tool boxes, golf clubs and bicycles to reduce weight.


• Remember your RPMs -- Keeping the engine speed between 1,200 and 3,000 rpm will help improve fuel efficiency of whatever you are driving.


• Keep your distance from the car in front. Sharp braking wastes fuel.


• Maintain your car properly. Have the engine tuned, change air filters and keep the tires properly inflated to reduce friction.


• Consolidate your trips --if you are picking up the kics from school, do the shopping on the way, in the same trip.

Some other things to remember --

• When you turn on something electric in the car, it increases fuel consumption. There is only one source of energy in the car, and that's the fuel tank. Don't over-use some electric features, such as the rear-window heater, or even the heated seats that make nice to your lower back pain.


• Keep the inside of your car windows squeaky clean. This stops the windows misting up, so that you don't need to use the rear-window heater or the air conditioning to dehumidify the car.


• If you've got a garage, use it -- that's because if it takes you 10 minutes to warm up your car in cold weather, it's costing you around ten cents a minute.

Chrysler Goes Electric and It's a Gem

Clean and green gets a new meaning with this great drive from Chrysler, through its GEM division.

GEM electric carts are popular transportation on golf courses and sprawling resorts where guests and their luggage need to be shuttled to far-flung villas, and for shuttling employees and supplies on college and corporate campuses. In the the famous Alpine village of Zermatt, Switzerland, where vehicles are not permitted, call a taxi and what you get is an electric cart.

But those don't look like the new Peapod design -- shown here -- that will be produced starting in 2009. GEM is headquartered in Fargo, N.D. It was founded ten years ago.

This is a pure electric vehicle -- just plug it, charge it up, and go. No gas, no emissions, no fuss.

Designs like this used to be called NEV -- for Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, and the neighborhoods included planned communities like retirement communities where people drive them to visit neighbors and get to the supermarket. But Chrysler is re-designing the NEV tag, too. The new name is 'GreenEcoMobility' - how clever for Chrysler to use the GEM acronym for the new generation of an existing concept -- the electric golf cart.

Yes, it is sleek and streamlined. Reminds you of the Smart fortwo, doesn't it. Maybe the success of that energy efficient little gem -- marketed by a division of Chrysler's former corporate mate, Daimler-Benz -- inspired and encouraged the 'divorced' Chrysler.

And just as Smart fortwo is now available in a four-passenger version, there are plans for larger Peapod models as GEM expands its 'no-gas, no-emissions' clean vehicle lineup. Regular GEMs are available in two-, four- and six-passenger models, as well as a utility vehicle. They have a top speed of 25 miler per hour and a range of 30 miles per charge -- more than enough to get you to and from the supermarket and the commuter rail station, although they are not street-legal everywhere because of their limited speed. Stay off the Interstate! And they can be recharged overnight in any standard 110-volt outlet.

Unlike ordinary golf carts, the new GEM Peapod has a trend-setting center console that will offer iPod integration and hands-free iPhone use.

GEM vehicles have been driven a combined 200 million miles and prevented more than 150 tons of pollutants from reaching the air, while saving 10 million gallons of gasoline.

Sweet Peapod!

Ford Ka Stars in Latest James Bond Movie

007 is more famous for driving -- and wrecking -- luxury cars like the Aston-Martin than he is for squeezing his hunky frame into a sub-compact. We'll have to wait for the latest James Bond adventure epic, "Quantum of Solace" to see his relationship with the tiny Ford Ka, a model popular in Europe and Latin America, but not sold in the United States.

Ford's cheeky little Ka makes its screen debut alongside the film's beautiful but feisty leading lady, Olga Kurylenko, who plays Camille, a woman with her own personal mission and who quickly becomes an unlikely ally for Bond.

The movie star Ka is unique with metallic gold paint and an exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim combination. Ford of Europe's Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Odell describes it as the "perfect match for the character of Camille - adventurous, individual and thoroughly modern." A proper gentleman, he does not describe any of Camille's features as sub-compact.

This is not the first Ford to star in a James Bond movie. The Ford Mondeo appeared in the 2006 blockbuster, 'Casino Royale', which introduced blue-eyed Daniel Craig as the latest in a long line of actors portraying Mr. Stirred-Not-Shaken.

'Quantum of Solace' opens in the UK and France on October 31st, then elsewhere November 7th.

Hybrid Cars at Beijing Olympics

We've been hearing a lot about the air pollution in Beijing -- bad enough that some Olympic athletes are worried it will affect their performances. So, it is great news that Olympic officials will drive green, hybrid cars during the two-week event.

If you think these hybrid vehicles are from China's next door neighbor, Japan -- the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, or Nissan Altima Hybrid -- you would be wrong. The hybrid technology for these green cars is from Ricardo, an engineering company based in Detroit. The actual powertrain and other technology for these hybrids are being manufactured at Ricardo's factory in England.

The hybrid motors and drive trains are being installed in 50 A5 sedans made by China's own Chery Automotibile Company Ltd. They are being called "Olympics Green Messengers," and are some of China's very first hybrid vehicles. The hybrids will go into full production in China in the months following the Olympic games, all the hope is that the fuel-efficient, eco-friendly Chery A5 Hybrid will become widely and wildly popular in China, just as the Prius has become in the USA.

The first Chinese hybrids are linked to a 1.6 liter gasoline engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. The next model will be a more comprehensive mild hybrid, with a smaller gas engine matched with a larger 151-volt electric motor.

This is just one more example of how necessity is the mother of invention. Here's hoping Ricardo will help auto manufacturers in other countries to speed development of great hybrid drives. Let's consider some possibilities --

India's Tata. Korea's Hyundai. France's Peugeot and Citroen. Italy's Fiat. Spain's Seat. Czech Republic's Skoda.

Volkswagen Announces New Factory in USA

Poor sales are driving General Motors to slow down production and park many of its employees on the unemployment line. GM has some great drives, including the award-winning Cadillac CTS and the icon Chevy Corvette, plus fuel efficient green drives such as the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. But, apparently, that's not enough.

The bad news from GM is at the same time that Volkswagen sales are booming enough that the company announced this week it will spend $1 Billion to build its first U.S. production facility, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The new assembly line is part of VW's plan to triple sales in North America in the next ten years.

Prof. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG, said the company hopes to sell 800,000 Volkswagens in the U.S. by 2018. Many of those will be the iconic Beetle, and the Beetle convertible, pictured here. The new factory will be able to produce 150,000 vehicles a year, including a brand new midsize sedan designed specifically for the North American market. Production is scheduled to begin early in 2011.

The new assembly line will add 2,000 jobs to the Chattanooga area -- perhaps some of them will be workers who move to VW from General Motors. And, maybe some of those about-to-be unemployed GM workers will head for the assembly line Toyota just announced it is building in the US -- its third US factory. See my article about that just below this one.

Top Cities for Hybrid Cars

Which cities are the most popular for green, fuel efficient hybrid cars?

According to Cars.com, the top five are all on the West Coast -- San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Sacramento and San Diego.

Those are the cities in which at least 50% of car shoppers already have purchased -- or are considering buying -- a hybrid as their next car.

Cars.com did a market-by-market survey of fifty cities. So if the West Coast is the most green, which part of the USA is the least green? The South.

Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Birmingham and Miami are the bottom five of green car cities -- numbers 46-50.

Shame on you Miami for being bottom of the green barrel! Surely you would move up a few notches if one of the car-makers introduces a hybrid convertible.

Actually, a Prius convertible would be a hot car!

More Top Ten 2008 Hybrids

Just like traditional cars, fuel efficient hybrid cars now come in all shapes and sizes, from small sedans to luxury performance sedans, plus minivans, SUVs and even crossovers. And just like traditional cars, the cost and -- more importantly -- cost savings of hybrids vary widely.

The top three hybrids for 2008, named by the website Cars.com are -- in this order -- Toyota Prius, Saturn Vue Green Line and Honda Civic Hybrid. Here's the rest of the top ten list --

4. Toyota Camry Hybrid
MSRP $25,200
EPA-estimated mileage: 33/34
Not everyone wants a small, less-refined car like the Prius, which makes the Camry Hybrid the one for the masses. It costs one-third more than the base four-cylinder model, but gets significantly better gas mileage, which can pay back that higher buy-in price if you drive a lot.

5. Lexus RX 400h
MSRP: $41,280
EPA-estimated mileage: 27/24
This luxury model SUV costs just 10 percent more than its gas-only sibling, the RX 350. Combined with a 50 percent city mileage improvement and 4 percent highway bump, it's a value alternative to the gas-only model. With optional AWD, the RX 400h (26/24 mpg) is an even better deal, with mileage improvements of 53 percent and 9 percent compared to the all-wheel-drive RX 350.

6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid
MSRP: $33,700
EPA-estimated mileage: 27/25
The Highlander Hybrid comes only with AWD. The most efficient gas Highlander has FWD. In comparison, the hybrid costs 23 percent more but delivers 50 percent better city mileage, but only a 4 percent highway improvement. If you want AWD, however, the hybrid costs only 17 percent more than the gas-only model and boasts 59 and 9 percent higher mileage in city and highway driving, respectively.

7. Ford Escape Hybrid (pictured above)
MSRP: $26,505
EPA-estimated mileage: 34/30
The Escape Hybrid's comparitively low rank in the top ten is surprising, given its impressive mileage, but it's hard to overcome the fact that it costs 40 percent more than the base, four-cylinder Escape. So, even with its 55 percent city and 7 percent highway mileage improvement, it's hard to pay back the gas savings. If you compare it to the thirstier V-6, however, this hybrid would be higher on the list.

8. Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid
MSRP: $49,590
EPA-estimated mileage: 21/22
Does a full-size truck defeat the purpose of a hybrid, or do people who who want or need a large SUV have an even greater need than the rest of us to save money at the gas pump? The Tahoe Hybrid is tough enough to tow a boat, and gets a stunning 50 percent increase in city mileage and 16 percent bump on the highway. It comes in eighth not because of its size, but because of its added cost: 43 percent more than the lowest-priced gas-only Tahoe.

9. Saturn Aura Green Line
MSRP: $22,140
EPA-estimated mileage: 24/32
This hybrid delivers modest mileage improvements over the four-cylinder Aura - 9 percent in the city and 7 percent on the highway - but its price premium is a mere 12 percent.

10. Lexus GS 450h
MSRP: $54,900
EPA-estimated mileage: 22/25
This luxury comes in last because its cost increase outweighs the gains it gets in mileage. There's a 24 percent premium between it and its gas-only siblingthe GS 350, for a 16 percent city mileage improvement -- and a 7 percent decrease in fuel efficiency in highway driving. No, that is not a typo -- Cars.com says the hybrid Lexus GS 450h guzzles more gas on the highway than its gas-only sibling. Hard to believe.

So, check the numbers carefully when choosing which 2008 hybrid to buy or lease. That includes price, fuel efficiency and tax credits.

Top Ten Hybrids for 2008

Hybrids are hot. It's as simple as that.

Which ones are the best? Cars.com has just published its list of top ten hybrids for 2008. No surprise -- the Toyota Prius tops the list for fuel efficiency and value for price.

So let's take a look at the two others in the top three:

The number two hybrid on the market is the Saturn Vue Green Line, pictured here.

Cars.com says the current Vue Green Line costs just 14 percent more than the gas-only version, but the hybrid gets much better mileage -- 32 percent better in the city and 23 percent better on the highway. What's more, the hybrid costs less than the gas-only V-6 Vue, whose mileage it roughly doubles. Right now Vue is the only hybrid SUV that does not offer all-wheel drive, but this will change with the 2009 model.
MSRP: $24,170
EPA-estimated mileage: (mpg city/highway) 25/32


Hot hybrid number three is the Honda Civic Hybrid. Cars.com says that even though it costs half-again as much as the base Civic is 51 percent, its city and highway mileage are 54 percent and 32 percent higher, respectively, than that already-efficient model. And that makes the payoff quite high. It happens to be an excellent car, too.
MSRP: $22,600
EPA-estimated mileage: (mpg city/highway) 40/45

So now back to the Number one hybrid -- the Toyota Prius, simply the most efficient and most affordable hybrid on the market. After seven years on the market, the Prius is still the best hybrid for people who just plain want to burn less gas and hope to save money in the long run, says Cars.com. The Prius was designed from scratch as a hybrid -- as compared with other hybrid models adapted from their gas-only siblings -- the Prius maximizes interior space. For example, there's a roomy cargo hatch instead of the bite-size trunks most hybrids have -- including luxury cousin Lexus 450h, which I test drove recently.
MSRP: $21,100
EPA-estimated mileage (mpg city/highway) 48/45

The rest of the top ten hybrid list in a future posting.

Saab 9-X Bio Hybrid is an Award Winner

The Saab 9-X BioHybrid has been voted “Best Concept” by the editors of AutoWeek. It's a hybrid that runs on E85 bio-fuel.

The revolutionary design was introduced at the auto show in Geneva earlier this month, and it's the latest in a series of bio-power concept vehicles from the Swedish auto manufacturer, which is a division of General Motors.

Clean, uncluttered lines wrap a package that features an ultra-efficient 200hp 1.4-liter BioPower turbo engine, mated to GM’s next-generation hybrid system.

The outside echoes Saab's roots as an aircraft designer. This is a truly aerodynamic design. No door handles or visible door mirrors stick out and break the flow. But, unlike those windows the size of postage stamps at 30,000 feet, this aero-design has a sweep of glass for unobstructed views of the great scenery of your great drives.

Inside, the traditional floor-mounted console, with its angled controls and displays, is gone. Instead, controls sweep out from the top of the door moulding, arching across the driver. Displays are visible as 3-D graphics which seem to be ‘frozen’ in ice, entirely appropriate for a company which also operates an ice driving school in Sweden.

There is a wireless hook-up for what Saab calls "nomadic" devices -- things like your iPod, BlackBerry, iPhone and Treo. Also new is that the wireless function lets passengers in the back use a different device than what's operating in the front. True multi-media on four wheels.

And heavier nomadic devices such as luggage, infant strollers, skis, kayaks and surfboards, slide in and out of the cargo area easily thanks to an electrically-powered slide-out floor, which is activated when the bottom half of the split tailgate drops down.

There's mood lighting, too. This concept lets you change the cabin light from bright and cold to warm and soft. The feature can even be programmed, for example, to reflect the pattern of the changing seasons, or if you want to set the scene for a hot date.

What a Concept! From Suzuki

Suzuki calls it the Concept Kizashi 3, and describes it as 'sleek and athletic'. Also shiny silver.

This is the newest addition to Suzuki's Kizashi concept series.

Why are concept cars important? Because they give us buyers, gawkers and lurkers a hint of what's to come from the company's designers and engineers.

This concept tells us Suzuki intends to offer a larger and more upscale sport sedan.

Suzuki says this concept series reflects "a dynamic athlete in motion, taking its design cues from a strong, honed physique while displaying the performance, strength and style befitting a flagship vehicle." So there.

The Kizashi 3 makes its formal debut next week at the New York Auto Show, where it will be on display along with versions #1 and #2.

Other concepts on display include models from Honda, Chrysler, Mazda, Saturn, Land Rover, Saab and Dodge.

Volkswagen 2009 Models Feature ESP as Standard Equipment

Volkswagen will be including its Electronic Stabilization Program as standard equipment on every 2009 model.

This is an industry first.

Volkswagen is the first non-luxury manufacturer to include ESP at no additional cost on every vehicle it sells in the USA – passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and minivans.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires all vehicles produded for the 2012 model year and after to have such systems. Volkswagen is beating the deadline by three years.

NHTSA predicts nearly 10,000 lives could be saved each year if all automakers included electronic stabilization systems as standard equipment.

Stability control systems help you keep control in dangerous driving situations -- what the car makers call 'dynamic conditions' Like systems from other manufacturers, Volkswagen's ESP works in conjunction with the anti-lock braking system (ABS), anti-slip regulation and additional sensors.

Just so you know -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker.

Volkswagen models include the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Eos, and Touareg SUV. And the luxury sedan Phaeton, which is not sold in the USA.

Worldwide Fiesta for Ford

Fiesta is the global name for Ford's new fuel efficient small car, which begins production in Europe this year and will be launched worldwide by the the end of the decade.

The car is new, from what Ford is calling its "new global development process", but the name is not. There's been some version of a Ford Fiesta somewhere in the world for more than 30 years.

The Fiesta was offered in the US from 1978 to 1970, and another version of the small car with the same name is a best-seller now in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

"The new Ford Fiesta captures every aspect of what's defined Ford as a small-car leader in Europe and builds on it in terms of driving dynamics and design," said Mark Fields, president of the Americas, Ford Motor Company, who predicts it will set a new standard in the small car segment.

Over the years, more than 12 million vehicles named Fiesta have been sold, making this one of the world's most popular vehicles. So the all-new design is carrying a lot of expectations in its small trunk.

Starting in the early 1970s, the Fiesta project became a personal mission of Ford's chairman, Henry Ford II, fueled by the 1973 gas crisis, when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries -- OPEC -- cut off shipments to the United States. It caused long lines at the gas pumps and gas prices nearly doubled -- from 39 cents a gallon to 55 cents a gallon.

Henry Ford II also chose the name Fiesta, to reflect the car's new manufacturing plant in Spain. The 21st century Fiesta also is being manufactured in Spain, and in Germany, too.

The Ford Motor Company has about 100 factories and 250,000 employees worldwide.

Best Family Vehicles of 2008

Three-row 'Crossovers' are replacing the SUV and Minivan as the vehicle of choice for families. And the four-door sedan, too, such as the Chevrolet Malibu (pictured), which has been named 2008 Car of the Year.

That's according to Kelley Blue Book, which reviewed dozens of family-haulers and rated them for feautres like safety, roominess, fuel economy, affordability, and family-friendliness. These are the winners, all 2008 models, grouped by manufacturer:

• Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Tahoe


• Hyundai Veracruz


• Mazda CX-9


• Dodge Grand Caravan


• Saturn Outlook


• Ford Taurus X


• Subaru Outback


• Honda Odyssey


• Toyota Highlander

Half of this list is made up of three-row crossover vehicles, which have come to represent the standard for family vehicles in 2008 by combining SUV-like functionality with car-like ride and handling. The rest of the list is sedan (Chevy Malibu), a wagon (Subaru Outback), an SUV (Chevy Tahoe) and two minivans.