Minivans with a Major Flaw: 3 Models have Dire Small Overlap Results
A group of four minivans recently tested by the Institute for protection in small overlap front crashes shows some of the worst possible outcomes for this type of crash, with only one vehicle performing acceptably.
The Nissan Quest, the Chrysler Town & Country and its twin, the Dodge Grand Caravan, all earn poor ratings. The exception to the disappointing pattern is the 2015 Toyota Sienna, which earns an acceptable rating. It joins the Honda Odyssey, which last year earned a good rating in the small overlap crash test, in the ranks of TOP SAFETY PICK+ award winners.
READ MORE about the safety results.
Remember the Hydrogen Car?
A decade ago, President George W. Bush espoused the environmental promise of cars running on hydrogen, the universe’s most abundant element. “The first car driven by a child born today,” he said in his 2003 State of the Union speech, “could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free.”
Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was President Obama’s first Secretary of Energy did not feel that the economy would convert to hydrogen-car over the next 10 or 15, 20 years. The administration slashed funding for hydrogen fuel cell research.
Attention shifted to battery electric vehicles, particularly those made by the headline-grabbing Tesla Motors.
Ford F-150 Is Highest-Mileage Gas-Powered Full-Size Truck
With newly released EPA test numbers in hand, Ford Motor Co. has declared its 2015 F-150 the nation’s most fuel-efficient gas-powered full-size pickup truck. Based on EPA numbers and what Ford billed as apples-to-apples comparisons, the new aluminum-bodies F-150 will get anywhere from 5% to 29% better mileage – in some cases as much as 7 mpg – over the prior model.
Automakers Adopt Protocols to Handle, Protect Consumer Data in Connected Car Era
The world’s automakers have a message for customers: where you drive and how you drive is your business, not ours.
Cars are rapidly transforming into smartphones on wheels, sending enormous amounts of data to manufacturers over connected-car services such as General Motors’ OnStar or through built-in 4G data connections.
Hoping to harness this data to offer more services without eliciting an outcry over the misuse of personal information, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, Mitsubishi and Mazda today agreed to industry-wide principles to handle consumer data and safeguard customer privacy.
Subaru Legacy ‘Best Car to Buy in 2015’
Subaru of America, Inc. announced that The Car Connection has named the all-new 2015 Subaru Legacy as its “Best Car to Buy 2015.” Editors of the car review and research website applaud the sedan for its exterior design, spacious interior, fuel economy and safety features.
