Archive for April 14th, 2010

Spring is finally here.  Birds are chirping, flowers are in bloom, and thousands of new college grads are anxiously waiting to throw their hats in the air.

Here at Honk HQ, we decided to get ready for commencement day by heading to the library and researching the most popular cars for new grads.

Our final paper is full of coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks with plenty of personality.  Compared to previous years, however, you may notice that this list of top cars for the Class of 2010 comes up short on pickup trucks and SUVs.

Given their general sensitivity to the environment and the sky-high fuel prices this class experienced at the end of their Sophomore year, the shift to smaller and more fuel efficient cars makes a lot of sense.  Who wants to spend hard-earned cash on a gas guzzler when there are expensive student loans to pay off?

What you’ll find in place of off-roading gear is technology – and lots of it.  Gadgets and software are a way of life for these members of the Echo Boom generation and it shows in their vehicle choices.

The winning Mazda 3 on this year’s list can be had with a Bluetooth hands-free phone system, satellite-based navigation system, keyless engine start, rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic climate control, and high-intensity discharge headlights that can swivel to illuminate corners at night.  These kinds of features used to be reserved for mom’s Mercedes, not fuel-sipping junior sports sedans.

So finish cleaning out your dorm room and take a look at Honk’s 21 Best Cars for College Grads:

1. Mazda 3

2. Nissan Altima Coupe

3. Honda Civic



4. Scion tC

5. Toyota Corolla

6. Subaru Impreza

7. Ford Focus

8. Mitsubishi Lancer

9. Volkswagen GTI

10. Ford Mustang

11. Honda Accord Coupe

12. Chevrolet Cobalt

13. Scion xD

14. Jeep Liberty

15. Volkswagen Jetta

16.Lexus IS250/350/F

17. Hyundai Elantra

18. Mini Cooper

19. Toyota RAV4

20. BMW 1-Series Coupe

21. Nissan Cube

Consumer Reports has announced a rare “Do Not Buy” rating for the Lexus GX460 sport utility vehicle. While performing a standard handling test, CR found that the GX460’s electronic stability control was extremely late to intervene.

The maneuver tests for a condition called ‘lift-throttle oversteer’ which is the tendency for a vehicle to fishtail when a driver steers the vehicle into a turn and then lifts off the accelerator pedal suddenly. Drivers in the real world may face this same condition if they veer onto a highway exit ramp too quickly and then try to slow.

The Lexus GX460, which is mechanically similar to the Toyota 4Runner, comes standard with an electronic stability control system that is supposed to detect a slide and then carefully activate the brakes to help the driver regain control of the vehicle.

Consumer Reports found that the electronic stability control system in the GX460 was extremely late to intervene. So much so that the vehicle was almost completely sideways before the system activated.

Curiously, the Toyota 4Runner had no such issue when it was run through the same test by Consumer Reports.

The magazine notes that in the real world, a GX460 may come into contact with a curb or slide off the pavement, which may “trip” the vehicle and cause a dangerous rollover crash. CR notes that ‘tripping’ is the number one cause of rollover crashes.

Consumer Reports goes to great lengths to remain objective, even purchasing its test vehicles from dealerships anonymously, so as to avoid foul play. (It’s rare for a manufacturer to specially-prepare test vehicles for the media, but several enthusiast magazines have reported this happening in the past.)

The magazine tested their own GX460 and then paid Lexus to borrow a second vehicle from the media test fleet. Tests on the second vehicle produced the same fishtailing outcome.

For its part, Toyota’s luxury division is responding quickly. Lexus has announced a stop-sale for all GX460 models and is offering free loaner cars to its affected customers. The company states that its, “extensive vehicle testing provides a good indication of how our vehicles perform and we are confident that the GX meets our high safety standards.”

Nonetheless, the company has dispatched engineers to investigate the claim and potentially develop a fix.

For embattled Toyota, this is the latest in a long string of serious safety issues and the price tag for recalls, government fines, lawsuits, and lost consumer confidence is likely to continue climbing.