Full-Size SUVs Bet on Fuel Saving Tech

It used to be that large SUVs were all about capability. They were the vehicles buyers chose because they needed V8 power, beefy towing abilities and room for up to nine people. Times have changed. Upcoming large SUVs are focusing on getting better fuel economy.

Ahead of the Dallas-Fort Worth auto show, Ford announced that the refreshed 2015 Ford Expedition will eschew the old model’s V8 engine in favor of one of the company’s EcoBoost V6 engines. According to Ford, “The new EcoBoost engine dramatically changes the driving characteristics of Expedition. Compared with the 5.4-liter V8, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost gives drivers not just better fuel economy, but more power and torque on demand at very low engine speeds.”
The powertrain changes on the redesigned 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, a direct competitor to the Expedition, aren’t as dramatic. Still, Chevrolet says that the Tahoe’s V8 engine has been modified to squeeze out as many MPGs as possible. “A more-efficient, direct-injected EcoTec3 powertrain coupled with improved aerodynamics help offer greater estimated highway fuel economy based on GM testing while preserving overall performance and capability. Official EPA estimates are not yet available.

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Preventing a Vehicle Rollover Requires Catlike Reflexes

Would a tail enhance the Jaguar F-Type's catlike reflexes? (U.S. News and World Report)

Automakers might be able to learn a couple new tricks from big cats, at least according to a recent study from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. PBS.org reports that researchers Amir Patel and Martin Braae unveiled a remote-controlled car named Dima, which remains stable in sharp turns with the help of a cheetah-inspired tail.
Dima has a top-heavy design, but its tail eliminates some of the rollover risk that’s generally associated with vehicles that have a high center of gravity. “Normally, top-heavy cars are poor handlers, and engineers go to great lengths to push as much of a vehicle’s weight as low as possible,” PBS.org reports.
In contrast, cars like the Tesla Model S (which earned a five-star safety rating from NHTSA) are extremely planted because the batteries are located under the passenger floor and make up a significant amount of the vehicle’s weight. PBS.org writes, “The Model S is so unflappable that, to test the strength of its roof in a rollover, crash testers had to devise a new way to get the vehicle to turn over—they couldn’t get it to flip at normal test speeds.”

The researchers demonstrated how the tail counterbalances Dima’s top-heavy nature, allowing for better weight distribution during turns. IEEE Spectrum reports, “After a bunch of experiments with both tail-less and tailed versions of Dima, results showed that the addition of the actuated tail allowed the robot to make stable turns at over twice the speed that it would be able to otherwise (7.5 m/s as opposed to 3.1 m/s).”
Kicking Tires writes, “The tail experiments could have implications with regard to how vehicles are, well, tailored — particularly emergency-response vehicles such as ambulances, police cars and military vehicles — to literally give them catlike agility at higher speeds.” Swinging a robotic tail could also work wonders for keeping tailgaters off your bumper.
Although we probably won’t see cars flicking their tails on the road any time soon, Kicking Tires notes that luxury cars like the 2014 Acura RLX, BMW 5-Series, Infiniti Q70 and Porsche 911 Turbo are available with four-wheel steering, which “turns all four wheels in the same direction at high speeds, more evenly distributing weight for improved stability.” If you want a closer look at Dima in action, check out the video above.

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Software, Electronic Glitches Cause Toyota Recall of Almost 1 Million U.S. Vehicles

Toyota is voluntarily recalling about 960,000 vehicles in the U.S. for software and electronic circuit issues. The Toyota Prius, RAV4 and Tacoma, as well as the Lexus RX 350, are part of the safety recall.
About 700,000 Toyota Prius hybrids from the 2010 to 2014 model years will receive a software update to fix a malfunction where the car can go into a failsafe mode. Multiple warning lights will go off before the vehicle goes into the failsafe mode, though. Toyota says in a statement, “In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop.”
Toyota will also update software on some 2012 RAV4 SUVs, 2012 and 2013 Tacoma trucks and 2012 and 2013 Lexus RX 350 SUVs to repair an issue with an electric circuit that it says can cause safety systems including the anti-lock braking system, traction control and vehicle stability control systems to “intermittently turn off.” Toyota notes that this electronic circuit problem does not affect the vehicles’ braking ability. About 260,000 models are part of this software update.
Two weeks ago, Toyota issued a stop sale of vehicles equipped with heated seats, including the 2013 and 2014 Corolla, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry and Camry Hybrid. Toyota said that “the seat heater, which is a small portion of the soft materials of the seat assembly,” doesn’t meet a federal stipulation “requiring materials to retard flame at a specified rate.”

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2015 Subaru Legacy Loses Manual Transmission, Gains MPG

The 2015 Subaru Legacy made its debut at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show yesterday. Subaru says that the redesigned Legacy retains its standard all-wheel drive, is more fuel-efficient and spacious, and features a host of new and updated technology features.
The 2015 Legacy's base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 175 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. A 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine is optional, which is rated at 256 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. The Legacy comes standard with a continuously variable transmission, as Subaru has dropped the six-speed manual that is standard on the 2014 model.

2015 Subaru Legacy (Subaru of America, Inc.)

Subaru says that the 2015 Legacy gets better fuel economy than the outgoing model, at up to 26/36 mpg city/highway, though this estimate has yet to be confirmed by the EPA. By comparison, the 2014 model earns up to an EPA-estimated 24/32 mpg city/highway. The improved efficiency helps bring the Legacy's fuel economy closer to that of midsize cars like the Mazda6, Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, all of which earn an EPA fuel economy estimate of at least 36 mpg highway.
The Legacy gets updated styling, and Autoblog says the overall look is "bordering on boring at first glance." Still, the publication adds that the Legacy's updated grille "lends a little upscale panache over the current car's simple, rectangular front end."
The 2014 Legacy’s cabin is slightly larger than the outgoing model’s, and Subaru claims the Legacy has the most passenger space among midsize cars. There is also a revised dashboard and door panels, which Kicking Tires writes has a clean design and is built with more soft-touch materials than are in the outgoing model.

Standard features include a new infotainment system with a 6.2-inch touch screen, Bluetooth and a backup camera. A navigation system, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and a 7-inch touch screen infotainment system with text messaging capability, satellite radio and two USB ports are optional. Subaru's EyeSight driver assistance system is also available, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and pre-collision braking. There is also an available rear radar safety system, which provides blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.
The 2015 Subaru Legacy will hit dealerships this summer, but pricing has yet to be announced, For reference, the 2014 model starts at $20,295.

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February's Best Finance, Cash Back and Lease Deals

A cold, snowy January put a freeze on new car sales, according to many analysts. For February, automakers are responding with a wintry mix of cash rebates, lease deals and promotional financing incentives to get car shoppers out of the cold and back on the showroom floor. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy or lease, February is a great month to get into that new car, truck or SUV you’ve been considering.
Many February lease offers feature low monthly payments when you put a few thousand dollars down, but there are a number of car lease deals that don’t require a down payment. If you want to buy, automakers are offering cash rebates and interest rates as low as zero percent, as well as a wealth of low-interest financing offers of 4 percent or less this February.
[Best February Purchase Deals]
You can’t beat free money when you’re financing a new car, and a number of automakers will put you behind the wheel with zero percent financing on their new 2014 inventory. You’ll find interest-free financing on 2014 models like the Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse and Volt, the Ford Escape and Explorer, the Hyundai Sonata, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Mazda Mazda2, Mazda5 and CX-9, the Subaru Outback and the Toyota Camry, Prius and Sienna.
Great deals that include no-interest financing and cash back are also available on some 2014 models, including the Buick Enclave, the Ford Fiesta and Mustang, the Nissan Altima and the Nissan Titan. A number of other cars, trucks and SUVs are offered with low-interest financing this month, and in some cases, you may be able to find an enticing deal on remaining 2013 models.
If you plan to finance through your bank or credit union or pay cash, February car deals won’t leave you out in the cold. You’ll find attractive rebates and cash back offers on a number of 2014 vehicles. The Ford Taurus is available with $4,500 cash back this month, and you can also get up to $3,000 cash back on the Focus or a $2,000 rebate on the Explorer and Fusion. Nissan is offering up to $3,500 cash back on the Titan, while the Hyundai Sonata and Genesis are available with $1,500 and $1,000 rebates, respectively. Three-row SUV shoppers can slash up to $2,000 off the price of the GMC Yukon, and the GMC Acadia is available with $1,000 cash back.
[Best February Lease Deals]
Lease offers that fit nearly any budget are available in February, and you’ll even find low monthly payments on hybrids and luxury models. The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid is available for $409 per month for 36 months with $2,399 due at signing and the Volvo S60 is offered for $299 per month for 36 months with $3,499 down. The Acura TL is available for $309 per month for 36 months with $2,499 due at signing, or for $370 per month for three years with no money down.
If you’d like to keep your monthly payments even lower, SUVs like the 2014 Buick Encore, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V are available for less than $300 per month when you make a down payment. Additionally, cars like the Kia Forte, the all-wheel drive Subaru Legacy and the Volkswagen Jetta are all available for less than $200 a month when you put money down at signing.
Some of the newest cars on the market are also offered with strong lease incentives this month, including the turbodiesel 2014 BMW 328d, which is available for $399 per month for 36 months with $3,874 due at signing. The redesigned 2014 Cadillac CTS is offered this month for $439 a month for 36 months with $4,449 down, and the all-new 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class can be leased for $329 per month for 36 months with $3,623 due at signing. Lease shoppers can also get a great deal on the new 2014 Infiniti Q50, which is available for $369 a month for 39 months with $2,999 due at signing. You can also get an all-wheel drive Q50 with the same monthly payment and a slightly higher down payment of $3,399.

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Winter Weather Freezes New Car Sales

After a strong 2013, new car sales were mixed in the first month of 2014.
Automotive News reports that in January, “Automakers and dealers sold 1,011,187 light vehicles for the month. The seasonally adjusted annual selling rate was 15.2 million, virtually unchanged from last January, but down slightly from December's 15.4 million SAAR.”

Most analysts agree that abnormally cold weather and high snowfall kept car shoppers away from dealerships. Jessica Caldwell, senior an analyst at Edmunds.com, says, "The weather clearly affected January sales, and not just in traditionally cold areas. After the first polar vortex at the beginning of the month, we saw the market start to make up some of those lost sales. But by the time the second vortex struck last week, there wasn't enough time to make up all of January's lost sales. A preliminary study finds that the second polar vortex affected a total of 37 states, which generally account for about 61 percent of all new car sales. We expect most - if not all - of those sales to be made up in February, assuming this cold wave doesn't continue."
The 3 percent drop in new car sales overall from January 2013 wasn’t spread evenly among all automakers. While Ford and General Motors saw sales declines of 7.5 and 12 percent, respectively, Subaru sales shot up 19 percent and Nissan saw a 12 percent sales jump.
Though sales declines typically mean better deals for car shoppers, that may not be the case now.  Car companies have gotten better at managing their inventories, and this drop is being seen as a temporary dip. Plus, according to Kelley Blue Book, the slow sales in January only lead to a 1.4 percent decline in the average new car sale price compared to December 2013, which works out to savings of just $464 on average for buyers.  If new car, SUV and truck sales remain sluggish, automakers may increase discounts and incentives.

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Toyota Halts Some Vehicle Sales over Seat Heater Woes

Toyota announced yesterday that it has issued a stop sale of certain models to address a non-compliance issue with seat heaters. The following models equipped with heated seats from the 2013 and 2014 model years are affected by the stop sale: Corolla, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry and Camry Hybrid.
In a statement, Toyota says that “the seat heater, which is a small portion of the soft materials of the seat assembly,” doesn’t meet a federal stipulation "requiring materials to retard flame at a specified rate." The automaker says it is working on a fix for any affected vehicles that are currently in dealership inventory. According to Toyota, there have been no reports of any problems related to this issue. No recalls have been issued as of yet for vehicles that have already been purchased.
This problem does not arise at a good time for Toyota. Kelley Blue Book Senior Analyst Karl Brauer explains, "Given that much of the U.S. is currently in the grips of a record cold snap there’s sure to be high demand for models with seat heaters." According to KBB.com data, 37.8 percent of 2013 and 2014 Toyota models listed for sale are equipped with heated seats.
The Associated Press spoke with John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman, who says it shouldn't be a problem for current owners of affected vehicles, as there have been no related incidents reported. Hanson says that it shouldn't take long to get the new parts and remedy the issue. He notes that vehicles at the factory are already being installed with the new, federally-compliant seat heater material. There is currently no word on when the stop sale will be lifted.

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