KickingTires Latest Blog Posts

We get it: People like the Toyota 4Runner. But is it the most interesting story we’ve posted? Besides the 4x4 Toyota, it seems folks care about the future of Saab…but not as much as watching guys control a car using an iPhone. 1. 2010 Toyota 4Runner: First Drive 2. iPhone-Controlled Car ...

Nothing says vampires and werewolves like a stylish Swedish crossover. That’s exactly what Volvo hopes moviegoers will be thinking when they see the stars of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” driving the 2010 XC60 on the big screen. The mania around the movie certainly has spread to our own ...

A reader asks which new cars other than Buick offer a front bench seat, and Ask.cars.com provides a few options. Then, PickupTrucks.com reports on Toyota’s pending response to the investigation of Tundra frame rust problems. Finally, MotherProof.com takes a trip around the Internet for the ...

The four-cylinder engine powering Hyundai’s upcoming 2011 Sonata sedan will get an expected 35 mpg highway, the automaker announced. This bests any other midsize sedan on sale today; its closest competitor is the Ford Fusion, which in its S trim level can get 34 mpg highway with an automatic ...

As Cars.com reviewer Bill Jackson points out, the compact crossover segment is a crowded field populated by both luxury and non-luxury players alike. If you’re shopping for a small crossover, you are going to have an abundance of options. Which vehicles are a must test-drive? Despite a few ...

Kicking off today, Chrysler has announced its “Year-end Wrap-up” incentives on 2010 models for all four of its brands. Customers can choose from a few different options depending on which brand of vehicle they are buying. The deals will be offered now until Jan. 4, 2010. Incentives for ...

Iowa businessman Mike Howard’s philosophy on electric vehicles that can be summed up as, “You’ve got to start somewhere.” Thus, Elk Horn, Iowa – population 650 — has four charging stations built and waiting for EVs, with another four stations planned for next year. In terms of charging ...

If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the all-new crossover from Acura, your wait now has an end date. The ZDX will go on sale Dec. 15; it will start at $45,495, plus an $810 destination charge. There are three trim levels -- the base ZDX, ZDX with Technology Package (yes, that’s the trim ...

A reader wants to know which of the 2010 model year cars have the highest safety ratings, and Ask.cars.com explains how he can find out. Then, PickupTrucks.com has spy shots of the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Heavy Duty. Finally, MotherProof.com hops in the 2010 Buick LaCrosse for a full ...

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its 2010 Top Safety Picks , which include all vehicles that received a “Good” rating in the different crash tests, but what about those vehicles that didn’t fare so well? USA Today wondered the same thing and looked them up for us. The ...

As part of its bankruptcy filings, Chrysler terminated 789 dealers, leaving roughly 2,400 shops in the U.S. Now, a credit issue may cause another 145 dealers to close their doors. Chrysler Financial once backed loans to dealers so they could stock inventory. The company, which is owned by ...

Prices for new cars rose 1.6% in October, the largest month-to-month increase since May 1981, and used-car prices rose 3.4%, which is that market’s largest monthly increase since September 1980, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The consumer price gains for cars are a result of the ...

A week before Thanksgiving, a turkey became a local celebrity in New Jersey when she took up residence along Exit 14B on the New Jersey Turnpike, creating a hazard for motorists. Dubbed Tammy the Turnpike Turkey by the media, the clever bird managed to evade authorities for a week while ...

BMW announced the pricing for its all-new 2010 550i Gran Turismo ; it starts at $63,900, before a $825 destination charge. That may sound like a lot of money at first, but the 2010 550i sedan starts at $60,400 and doesn’t come packing the twin-turbo V-8 found in the GT, which is also ...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated money to buy 17,246 new vehicles, including 3,000 hybrids, in an effort to improve the fuel economy of the federal fleet across agencies as diverse as the Marines to the U.S. Forest Service. The General Services Administration claimed ...

It’s not exactly convertible season here at our home base in Chicago, but that isn’t about to stop Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays from tackling the Audi A5 soft-top convertible — with the top down. In the process, Mays discovers that the A5 offers a few features and amenities missing from its ...

GM’s 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee program has proven to be a confidence booster for the company. Today, GM announced that fewer than 200 buyers out of 222,000 who purchased a new GM car have returned them unsatisfied. However, that’s out of 658 who took the guarantee offer over $500 in cash ...

A reader would like a suggestion for a comfortable, fuel-efficient, reliable vehicle for a driver who puts 120 miles on her car each day, and Ask.cars.com provides a few suggestions. Then, PickupTrucks.com reports that Ram Dakota production could move to Argentina. Finally, MotherProof.com’s ...

Recently, rumors have sprouted on the Internet that consumers who took advantage of Cash for Clunkers will have to count the program’s rebate as income and pay taxes on it. For the record, this is not true. The Internal Revenue Service has said again and again that “the credit is not ...

GM will use the 2009 L.A. Auto Show to announce where you can buy a new Chevrolet Volt when the groundbreaking vehicle debuts next year. GM will begin production of the Volt late next year, and it’s scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2010. The announcement of the Volt’s initial retail ...