Archive for July, 2015
Test Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan S
Consumer Guide’s test 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan arrive in entry S trim with no additional options. Our front-drive test truck came to $27,210 including destination charge.
2015 Volkswagen Tiguan S 
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 242
Fuel Used: 11.3 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 21.4
Datsun B-210 Hatchback
by Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the June 2015 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Even before the first oil embargo, subcompacts like the Chevrolet Vega, Ford Pinto, and AMC Gremlin started to gain traction with American car buyers. Once gas prices spiked, smaller-still fuel-sipping imports increasingly caught buyers’ attention.
2006 Pontiac G6 GTP Convertible
by Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the June 2015 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Conventional collector-car wisdom says that convertibles are preferred over closed body styles, and “firsts” or “lasts” of a line have some added cachet. There’s a Pontiac G6 that is all of those things rolled into one.
The Consumer Guide Best Buys of 1974
Consumer Guide selected 10 Best Buys for 1974, along with several “second choices.”
The Consumer Guide Best Buy program is now more than 40 years old. For 2015 Consumer Guide divvied up the new-vehicle market into 19 categories. Back in 1974, 10 segments got the job done. Here we present all 10 of CG’s ’74 picks, plus the second-choice picks presented for some categories.
First Look: 2016 Kozy Koot
The 2016 Kozy Koot will start at $8995. Model above shown with optional equipment.
by Frank Peiler
A plug-in electric vehicle with a 30-mile range, the Kozy Koot (not Cozy Coupe) is for the get-up-and-go senior looking to relive his childhood–or just get around without walking.
Consumer Guide’s test Wrangler Unlimited arrived in Altitude Edition trim. Including the destination charge, our test truck came to $41,715.
Test Drive: 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Altitude Edition
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 123
Fuel Used: 8.7 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 14.1 mpg
Consumer Guide® Automotive’s “Daily Drive” blog and Collectible Automobile® magazine both collected a pair of medals when the 24th International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA) were presented on July 26.
First Spin: 2016 Mazda CX-3
Mazda’s new CX-3 subcompact SUV goes on sale in early August at a well-equipped starting price of less than $21,000. Shown is the top-line Grand Touring model (starting at about $26,000), which will most likely be the one shown in commercials, as it sports giant 18-inch wheels. All-wheel drive is a $1250 option on all models.
Now it’s complete.
The “Subcompact SUV” class initiated by the Mini Countryman, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, and Nissan Juke in 2011 (there were so few members that it wasn’t even considered a separate class then) and was joined in 2013 by the Buick Encore, exploded recently as five new entries were added just this year: the Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, and … last but not least … the Mazda CX-3. That makes nine in total, easily enough to qualify as its own segment.
Ford GT Grabs Trophy As Top Concept
Ford GT Concept
A lot of carbon fiber, plenty of horsepower, and a nod to history have combined to make the Ford GT the “Most Significant Concept Vehicle” of 2015. The mid-engine supercar claimed that honor when the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year (NACVOTY) awards were announced today.
At $35,175, the Acura Legend LS Sedan was the 5th most-expensive Japanese car of 1992.
Why 1992? Because ‘92 was the year one of my favorite cars of the Nineties, the Lexus SC, went on sale in the U.S. Also, by 1992 all three of the Japanese luxury brands (Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus) were up and fully operational, and giving U.S. and German premium carmakers fits.
