Archive for June, 2010

Summer is here and that means that millions of families around the country are getting ready for road trips.  If you’ve ever tried to travel with children, you know they need space…space for toys, space for snacks, and space to prevent fights in the back seat.

For many families, owning a minivan or SUV with three rows of seating is a necessity.  But which ones are best suited for the job?

Since nobody is more in tune with these needs than Moms and Dads, we searched through Honk to find parents who had recently purchased a new family vehicle with top safety ratings and three rows of seating.

Here’s our list of the Top 10 Best Cars for Families, as determined by the families, themselves.  You can also click over to Honk to see the full and complete list of the top-ranked cars for families or you can quickly and easily build your own list from scratch.

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1. Honda Odyssey

The Odyssey has been a top choice for families for many years now, with owners raving about the handsome styling and car-like handling.  “Acceleration is quite surprising,” boasted one reviewer.

This Honda is tough too, acing frontal and side-impact crash tests from both NHTSA and IIHS.  There’s a wealth of family-friendly features, including available tri-zone climate control and DVD player.  The interior has seats that can slide or fold flat for maximum flexibility in carrying people or bulky cargo.

As one reviewer put it, the Odyssey is, “a little more expensive than the competition, but more than worth the price.”

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2. GMC Acadia

If a minivan is not quite your style, the GMC Acadia is a stylish alternative that doesn’t skimp on space or practicality.

Compared to full-size SUVs, the Acadia rides smoother and is lower to the ground so kids can easily climb in and out.  GMC’s family-friendly vehicle has many thoughtful touches, like a second row seat that’s light enough for kids to operate and a low cargo loading height to help with loading strollers and soccer gear.

Power from the Acadia’s V6 engine is excellent and fuel economy is respectable for a vehicle of this size.  You’ll also be pleased with the 5-star ratings for frontal and side-impact crashes.

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3. Honda Pilot

Yep – Honda’s got another vehicle in the top five.  It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s got seating for up to eight people.

Honda decided to target Dads rather than Moms when the Pilot was redesigned in 2009 and the resulting look is more testosterone-infused and industrial than its predecessor.  Families love all the utility afforded by the Pilot’s strong, boxy shape.  “I always have room for stuff/people, yet never feel like I’m driving a huge SUV – just what I wanted,” boasted one owner.

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4. Acura MDX

Looking for a more luxurious way to transport your family?  Acura’s MDX crossover vehicle seats seven and features a sophisticated all-wheel drive system that gives the car surprising agility on curvy roads.

Owners rave about the well-appointed interior and abundance of high-tech gadgets.  There’s an available Blind Spot Information System that can alert you to vehicles in your blind spot and a Collision Mitigation Braking System that can sense an impending collision and then tug at the brakes and beep to warn the driver to take evasive action.

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5. Mazda CX-9

Can a family vehicle be fun to drive?  Mazda seems to think so and has endowed the CX-9 with some of its trademark Zoom-Zoom.  “The chassis and suspension are well-sorted and it drives like a much smaller vehicle,” noted one owner.

Inside, you’ll find a beautiful cabin with a clever second-row seat that slides to allow easier access to the third row.  The optional rear seat entertainment system includes a 115-volt power outlet and audio/video inputs so that the kids can bring along a home video game system for long trips.  There’s also an advanced Blind Spot Monitoring system that uses radar to detect and alert you to vehicles that may be hiding just beyond your view.

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6. Volkswagen Routan

You might be surprised to learn that this “German-engineered” minivan – through a partnership with Chrysler – is actually a Dodge Grand Caravan with a few important tweaks.

This is great news if you’re looking for a minivan with moves because VW re-tuned the suspension for a sportier ride.  They also simplified the amount of options and made many helpful features standard.  Dual power-sliding doors are standard on all but the base trim level, for instance.

You get the best of both worlds with the Routan: many years of minivan know-how from Chrysler and crisp styling and handling from Volkswagen.

And though the Routan may cost more than it’s counterpart from Dodge, you’ll get Volkswagen’s complimentary “CareFree Maintenance” plan which more than makes up for the price difference with free scheduled maintenance for the first three years of ownership.

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7. Dodge Grand Caravan

The Grand Caravan was one of the very first minivans to hit the market when the modern segment was born in the 1980’s and Dodge has continued to innovate since then.

One of the most popular features is the standard “Stow ‘n Go” seating which allows the middle seats to be folded underneath the floor to make room for cargo.  When the seats are up, their storage cubbies can be used to hide valuables.  An optional “Swivel ‘n Go” seat allows the middle seats to face backward so that kids can play games together on long trips.

If you’re looking to save some money for the kid’s college fund, you’ll also appreciate that the Grand Caravan is the most affordable of all the full-size minivans.

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8. Chrysler Town & Country

If there’s such thing as a luxury minivan, this is it.  The Town & Country can be had with leather seats, a navigation system, power-adjustable pedals, three-zone automatic climate control, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

Owners tell us that they were won over by the many multimedia options available to keep their kids happy (and quiet).  This Chrysler has an optional DVD system, 3G-based wi-fi internet, and even a mobile television service that plays Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network.  Where was all this stuff when we were kids?

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9. Ford Flex

Sometimes taking the road less traveled is a very good thing.  Ford challenged its designers to come up with a vehicle that was as practical as it was stylish and the result is the Flex.  It’s boxy, it’s family-friendly, and it most definitely stands out.  One owner bragged that her Flex “gets many questions and positive comments.”

Beyond the unique rectilinear look, the Flex earned its place in the top ten thanks to an enormous and very upscale interior.  There’s a multi-panel Vista Roof option that bathes the cabin in natural light and Ford’s excellent SYNC system to manage your media and phone calls with ease.  Kids will have plenty of space to stretch out in back and enjoy the DVD player.

If you’ve got older teenagers in the house, you’ll also love the MyKey safety system which allows you to set limits on the top speed and maximum volume for the audio system before you send Junior out on the road.

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10. BMW X5

Coming in at the number ten spot is BMW’s spirited X5.  It may cost a pretty penny – starting price is around $47k and can quickly balloon past $60k with options – but this Bimmer can haul your family and carve corners with equal ease.

The parents who chose this BMW love the composed handling and aggressive looks.  One reviewer explained that the X5 “makes you feel good. It’s cool and savvy. It exudes confidence.”

Due to a tight third-row seat, the X5 falls a bit short on family duty.  But if you’ve got a small family and only need to use the third row occasionally, this BMW’s taut moves and undeniable curb appeal will win you over.

The next three years will be exciting for early adopters in the car industry. As mentioned in a previous post, automakers plan to release next-generation technology that will revolutionize the way we drive. They are part of a new wave of electric vehicles that are designed to reduce overall driving costs, clean our air, and create an interactive driving experience like no other.

But what is it really like to drive an electric car? This week, I interviewed Stefano Paris, who leased an all-electric MINI Cooper (the MINI E) this past year. He gives us the low-down on what it’s like to be one of the first to drive an advanced electric vehicle.

Keep in mind that Stefano has been one of the very early adopters for this technology. Those lucky enough to secure a Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, or Ford Focus Electric will benefit from a newly established charging infrastructure in one of ten regions across the country, as well as the opportunity to benefit from being able to actually purchase their vehicles. This is historically monumental.

Q: What excites you the most about driving an electric car?

Stefano: The sensation of driving a high performance electric car is one of seamless power, lightning quick acceleration, and effortless glide. The convenience and time saving of charging up at home also insures a fully “fueled” vehicle every morning.

Q: What motivated you to be an “early adopter” for new clean car technology?

Stefano:  Several years ago I installed a SunPower 4kW photovoltaic solar system on my roof that generates more energy than required by my house.  I saw a perfect marriage between solar power and electric cars, as I could do all my yearly driving on the excess solar energy and still have a $0 electrical bill.

Q: What is it about the MINI E that attracted you?

Stefano:  The MINI Cooper was already a very cute and adorable car.  Adding an electric drive system could only increase their appeal.  What is particularly pleasing and provides 50% of the fun of driving electric is the very efficient and aggressive regenerative braking of the legendary AC Propulsion drive systems.  As soon as I learned the MINI E was powered by AC Propulsion, I knew the MINI E was going to be fantastic, powerful, quick, and tremendous fun.

Q: How did you apply? Why do you think you were chosen?

Stefano: The application process was very selective and arduous.  Initially everyone that was interested added their email address to MINI’s database to be informed of future MINI E announcements.  On November 19^th, 2008 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW officially announced their MINI E one year lease only program and opened up a website where one could apply to be a MINI E “test driver” after completing a very thorough 2 hour online questionnaire. I received notice in January that I had passed their initial MINI E applicant screening via the online questionnaire.  Selected applicants had to then pass insurance and garage inspection processes.

Q: What did you like the most about being an early adopter?

Stefano: I enjoy adopting early in order to help make the future happen today, within my lifetime.  We can wait around forever for the future to arrive or we can make conscious efforts to improve our living for a more sustainable world. Every single drive of my MINI E was always a smile inducing special experience.  Driving electric has yet to get mundane and continues to be a magical experience even after 20,000 electric miles.

Adopting early also requires you to be flexible and inventive.  Given the lack of compatible public charge stations, I quickly learned and built a significant “charging kit” of cables and adapters that allowed me to drive my MINI E anywhere I wanted.  I even drove my MINI E on a memorable weekend trip to Northern California to visit family.

Q: What did you like the least about your car?

Stefano: The MINI shape isn’t all that aerodynamic.  A more aerodynamic shape (like a Honda CRX or EV1) would have allowed for more range with a lower energy consumption rate.

Q: Would you sign up to be an early adopter again? Why or why not?

Stefano: I’ll continue to be early adopting of all types of technologies, including electric vehicles, but will choose the purchasing and ownership route only.

Dr. Shannon Arvizu is a clean-tech consultant and educator in the plug-in vehicle field. You can read more at MissElectric.com.

You may not like the looks but the tiny T.25 city car is revolutionary in every way.  So revolutionary, in fact, that it may very well become the world’s next Ford Model T or Volkswagen Beetle.

As with those motoring icons, the T.25 is a small car that’s affordable to build and affordable to own.  It comes from a small engineering firm in England that’s led by legendary car designer, Gordon Murray.  If you’re a fan of exotic sports cars or Formula One racing, you’ll recognize Murray’s name as the driving force behind the McLaren F1 supercar and several championship winning race cars.

Murray brought a “clean sheet of paper” mentality to the T.25 project and designed this new city car with a changing world in mind.  He wanted a car with a small carbon footprint to battle global climate change and a small physical footprint to contend with crowded mega-cities.  The resulting T.25 gets 74 miles per gallon on the European test cycle and can be built in a factory that is only 20% the size of a traditional operation.

With a length of only 94.5 inches, the T.25 makes the 106.1-inch Smart ForTwo and 145.6-inch Mini Cooper look positively enormous.  Like the Smart, the T.25’s small size allows for drivers to head-in park in parallel parking spaces in Europe (illegal here in the US).  The car is so small that three can fit side-by-side in a single parking space.

Murray also sees potential for two T.25s to share a single lane during rush hour, increasing the number of cars that can safely squeeze onto major roads.

The iconic design features a central driver’s seat flanked by two seats in the rear.  There are no traditional doors, either.  You enter by tilting the entire front portion of the cabin forward.

Even more revolutionary than the car is the process used to build it.  Murray and his team re-thought the whole factory, resulting in a facility that is only 20% the size and that outputs no chemical pollution.

What this means is that we could start to see T.25s licensed and produced in huge numbers all over the world.  Thanks to the low capital investment needed to build a T.25 factory, small companies in India, China, and Eastern Europe could compete with larger companies and start producing cars for their local markets.

Assuming the world stays on its current trajectory, the innovative T.25 – and upcoming T.27 electric vehicle – seems poised for success.  And if Murray’s team succeeds, they are likely to spark a new push toward sustainable manufacturing for established automobile companies.

Sound off below and let us know if you’d consider buying a T.25 or T.27, yourself.

A couple of weeks ago, Mini challenged Porsche to a race at Road Atlanta between the 172-horsepower Mini Cooper S and the 385-horsepower Porsche 911 via Facebook campaign, full page ad in the New York Times, and a viral video.  Needless to say, Mini’s little car is super scrappy.

Despite the fact that Porsche was favored to win, the sports car maker initially declined the challenge with a buzzkilling letter to Mini chief, Jim McDowell, that stated, “Porsche doesn’t race for fame, stunts or publicity.”

In response, Mini (no doubt in an effort to be subtle) launched an air raid on Porsche’s headquarters and released, yet another, viral video.

And all this back and forth is nothing compared to Mini’s next move – a spoof on Rocky IV:

The German sports car maker finally caved in to the pressure and accepted Mini’s challenge.  Surprise, surprise: Porsche won the race.  David did not beat the 385-horsepower Goliath:

Despite all the sensational coverage, do you think that this race was a good move on Mini’s part?

Last week we reported on the story of Marlene Taylor, a Kentucky woman who claimed that her Chevrolet Equinox experienced sudden unintended acceleration while traveling on Interstate 64 on May 27th.  Taylor drove at speeds approaching 90 miles per hour with her two toddlers in the car, swerving in and out of traffic for 40 miles until law enforcement officials stepped in and managed to slow her vehicle using a squad car.

New details have since surfaced that raise doubts about Ms. Taylor’s story.

We spoke with GM spokesperson, Alan Adler who explained that Ms. Taylor’s vehicle was subject to an extensive investigation on May 31st and June 1st which ultimately discovered no electronic or mechanical problems.  GM believes that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and is standing firm on the issue.

According to Adler, the investigation revealed that no diagnostic trouble codes were recorded by the vehicle’s computer during the incident.  The team uncovered 2.5 seconds of data from the vehicle’s event data recorder which showed that the vehicle was traveling at a steady speed of 87 miles per hour with the cruise control engaged.  The brakes were not depressed during those 2.5 seconds.

The GM team did find an aftermarket floor mat placed on top of the standard Chevrolet floor mat.  As popularized during Toyota’s recent recall scandal, floor mats can sometimes entrap the accelerator pedal if they are not properly secured or if they are not shaped correctly to fit in the footwell.  The constant 87 miles per hour revealed by the event data recorder suggests that the accelerator pedal in Ms. Taylor’s car was not stuck at the time, however.

Further, GM found only normal wear and tear on Ms. Taylor’s brake rotors and brake pads.  “If the driver tried to apply the brakes and cruise (control) did not disengage,” notes GM senior engineer, Vic Hakim, “I would have expected to see some over-heating and there was none of that.”

Adler also reminds that Ms. Taylor placed two calls to OnStar during the incident and that 911 authorities instructed her to apply the brakes, place the transmission in neutral, disengage the cruise control system, and shut off the ignition.  She was unable to use any of the four suggestions to slow the vehicle.

For her part, Taylor claims that the brakes did not slow the vehicle and that the pumping action she used at the time explains why there was no evidence of heat buildup or unusual wear on the brake rotors.  She further claims that the transmission lever was stuck and that she was afraid to shut off the ignition for fear that she’d lose control if the steering wheel locked.

Taylor claimed immediately after the incident that she simply wanted for GM to investigate the vehicle and provide the public with some peace of mind.  She nonetheless hired an attorney to represent her.

Adler notes that the attorney, “sought a significant cash payment  and a replacement vehicle,” soon thereafter.  The firm is no longer on the case, though.  Taylor claims that she never authorized her attorneys to demand the settlement and that she later dismissed them.  She demands that GM continue to investigate the vehicle.

Here is a video of a follow-up interview from Louisville’s WHAS Channel 11 News: