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Daily Long-Term Vehicle Updates
2013 Scion FR-S: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 5, 2013
In July we installed a supercharger kit on our long-term 2013 Scion FR-S project car.
Since then, we've added 1,246 miles to its odometer using 66 gallons of 91-octane fuel. We retested it, re-dyno'd it and passed the 20,000-mile point.
2013 Lexus GS 350: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 5, 2013
Great news! The month of July saw the fuel economy of our long-term Lexus GS 350 jump by a full tenth of an mpg! After 20,000 miles, our GS is getting 22.2 mpg on 91-octane fuel, or since MPG is Stupid , 4.5 gallons per 100 miles.
This would be against the EPA's estimated combined number of 23 mpg, or 4.35 gp100m.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Fuel Economy Update For July
August 2, 2013
During the month of July, our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD traveled 3,479 miles across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming. In that time it used 153.9 gallons of gasoline including a mix of 91, 88 and 87 octane. Higher octane was used in hotter climates where temps were regularly above 100 degrees.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
In July, our 2013 Cadillac ATS returned to service after a two-week stay in the body shop. We responded with 2,100 miles, an oil change and a tire rotation. Editor Travis put half of those miles on the ATS during a road trip to Nevada City, while Editor Brent contributed his share through two weeks of combing Central California roads.
2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
We put 1,225 miles on our long-term 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI during the month of July. That's a low total for us, but several of us are planning road trips in August, including our technical director, Dan Edmunds, who will be traveling to Oregon. One way or another, we'll get our diesel Passat's mileage up.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
Our new Kia Forte EX saw a decent workout schedule for the month of July, rolling up an additional 2,207 miles on the odometer. That included a trip to Las Vegas in 111-degree heat.
2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
We only took delivery of our new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado LT a couple of weeks ago, so it has barely had time to get broken in. With only 3 or 4 tanks through it so far, it's averaging just over 16 mpg with a best tank of 19.5 mpg.
2013 Dodge Dart: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
We've had our 2013 Dodge Dart about seven months and in that time we've driven it 12,705 miles, which works out to 1,815 miles per month. And that tally includes this past July, a fairly light month in which slightly less than 1,000 new miles were added.
Still, we'll reach our 20,000-mile goal if we can manage 1,450 miles per month through the end of the year. I think we can handle that.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
Even without any official road trips, our 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster went nearly 1,700 miles in the month of July. Apparently, we really enjoy driving the SLS. It has used approximately 150 gallons of 91-octane fuel over the last 30 days and we hit an mpg milestone. Can you guess what kind of milestone it was?
2013 Ford Focus ST: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
We added about 2,800 miles to our 2013 Ford Focus ST during July. Contained within that was the typical commuting plus a couple of road trips within California and one to Las Vegas.
For the month, we averaged 25.8 mpg. That's very close to the EPA's 26 mpg estimate for combined driving.
2013 Dodge Dart: Overselling MPG
August 1, 2013
I hate the way fuel economy is marketed and sold, and this 2013 Dodge Dart billboard is Exhibit A. Let's run down what's wrong with it.
The "41 mpg" Dart is really only good for 32 mpg. That's the EPA Combined rating, the one that really applies in day-in-day-out usage. Most car owners have a hard enough time matching EPA Combined. The highway by itself number is fairly useless.
The "41 mpg" Dart is in fact the Dodge Dart Aero, but by not disclosing that little nugget this billboard implies all Darts are good for 41 mpg on the highway.
The "41 mpg" Dart Aero is a $3,300 option package available only on the base SE trim. It's not standard equipment.
The "41 mpg" Dart Aero is not the one pictured on the billboard. They're showing an SXT with the Rallye package that looks exactly like our long-term test car. A real 2013 Dart SE Aero won't have the tough looking blackout headlights, blackout accent paint or fog lights. I just asked Dodge public relations for a stock photograph of a 2013 Dart SE Aero and they didn't have one.
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: Hauls Camaro Seats
August 1, 2013
Hauling two re-stuffed 1969 Camaro bucket seats isn't as easy as it looks. Car seats are big. Bigger than you'd think. They're also kind of cumbersome and difficult to handle.
Our long-term 2013 Santa Fe didn't even flinch. Once I folded Hyundai's third-row seat, the two black vinyl thrones fit perfectly in the crossover's cargo bay.
2013 Subaru BRZ: MotoGP Road Trip, Part Two
August 1, 2013
Picking up where Part One left off, photographer Kurt Niebuhr and I cruised around the Monterey Peninsula over the Moto GP weekend. Rather than take a shuttle from our Cannery Row hotel to Mazda Raceway, we made use of the parking pass we were given.
In the grayness of the morning, the 2013 Subaru BRZ seemed to get lost in the other shades of gray in the valet circle. Can you even spot it in the photo? Personally, I like the bright red color of our FR-S, as it seems more appropriate for such a fun car.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Automatic Brakes
August 1, 2013
Our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS has this automatic braking system that, um, automatically engages the brakes in certain situations, namely ones that have the ingredients for crashing. No matter the manufacturer, these systems aren't perfect. They can't possibly assess every situation accurately. I say this not to excuse them, rather to recognize that this aspect is not unique to GM's system.
With that said, over the weekend the ATS went to full ABS braking for a split second while the car was in no way in any kind of perilous situation whatsoever. The car dropped the anchors as hard as they would go, if only for an instant. I'd just made a left onto a street with a slight curve in it, and the system misinterpreted the cars in the opposing lane as an impending oncoming disaster, and acted accordingly.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Wyoming Road Trip Part 1
August 1, 2013
Last week, I piled the miles on our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 driving it more than 2,500 miles to Wyoming where the roads are straight and empty.
2014 Kia Forte: A Nice Little Touch
August 1, 2013
I was killing time at a stoplight on a recent hot summer afternoon, when my eyes landed on the passenger side door panel of our long-term 2014 Kia Forte. And I was struck by those subtle arching lines the designers put there. Everyone probably knows by now that the Forte was completely redesigned for 2014 and that Kia was trying to up the ante with this version of the compact sedan, especially when it came to interior materials and styling.
2013 Tesla Model S: Revised High Powered Wall Connector In-Hand
July 31, 2013
Just over a month ago we found out that our as-yet-uninstalled Tesla HPWC (High Powered Wall Connector) contained a flaw that would prevent it from working at the 80-amp charge rate it's supposed to. Internal fuses were blowing in customer units in the field, leading Tesla to send out a software update to all vehicles to prevent them from drawing more than 60 amps until they had a fix.
We learned about all this through a Tesla message board, but we'd heard nothing from Tesla directly. So we put our installation plans on hold and gave them a call to find out when we might get our hands on a revised one.
It arrived on my desk while I was on a business trip last week, about 4 weeks after I put in the call.
Here's what a new HPWC with "the fix" looks like inside.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Still Enjoy Driving It
July 31, 2013
I took our 2013 Ford Focus ST on a long drive recently. I'm quite familiar with the car, having driven it extensively during the car's nine-month stay at Edmunds so far. Yet I'm finding myself liking our ST even more.
This doesn't always happen with our long-term cars.
2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye: Missing Fender Clip
July 31, 2013
A clip from the 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye's right rear inner fender has popped out.
Since one of the door handles also previously came off in my hand, I'll be honest, I'm starting to have some questions about the build quality of the new Dodge Dart.
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