green living, smart spending
After more than a decade of promises and hype, Tesla has activated its first robotaxi service, in Austin, close to the company’s headquarters. Like Waymo when it first started, there’s a live person in the driver seat ready to take the controls to steer or stop the car if the AI doesn’t work as programmed. Here’s what top media and Tesla fans are saying.
The Ineos Grenadier is the best new SUV you probably haven’t heard of. Even so, you should consider this tough, capable and comfortable off-roader, available in North America in Fall 2023. I tested a pre-production model recently, over rocks and through mud, and was suitably impressed. The Ineos Grenadier merges the best off-road capability of
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As a swing dancer, I know that large, even overweight folk can be light on their feet and rock solid in quick maneuvers. That’s an apt description for the 2020 Mazda CX-9, the brand’s three-row seven passenger SUV, with features no swing dancer can claim. My recent route between New York City and ski resorts
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Every year, the Green Car Journal names the top green cars and green SUVs of the year. These are the ten finalists for the best 2020 Green Car of the Year and best 2020 Green SUV of the year, from Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Toyota and Subaru, with fuel efficiency ratings up to 52MPG. This
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The all-new sixth generation 2020 Subaru Outback eats off-road rocks and ruts for breakfast, winding mountain roads for lunch and dinner, and interstate highways for dessert. As my recent test drive proved, this is the best Outback since Subaru introduced this all-wheel-drive model in 1994. Outback propelled what was then a little known and struggling
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First Drive: An EPA rating of 53 MPG, well-designed cockpit, and fun to drive. What else do you want to know about the 2020 Toyota Corolla hybrid? Oh, yeah – starting price is under $24,000, making this one of the most affordable hybrids on the road. MSRP is around $1,000 less than the Toyota Prius,
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The 2019 Cadillac XT4 compact crossover is good looking, fuel efficient, filled with safety and comfort features, and fun to drive. And it’s all wrapped up in a package starting at $35,790, which makes it affordable for the young families and active singles, especially women, Cadillac has designed it for. ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter test drove
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Great looks, comfort, handling, fuel economy, luxury and high-tech features at an affordable price. There’s little more to say about the Lexus NX300 hybrid other than, “I want this SUV”. Okay, a lot more. I fell in love with the upscale hybrid on a recent test drive in the wintry Northeast that included a meterologist’s
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Seats five comfortably, head-turning good looks, and costs $37,490 fully loaded with all kinds of safety features not usually found at this price. Ditto the paddle shifters and leather-wrapped steering wheel. I was even more impressed by the fuel economy. I clocked an impressive 51.6 average MPG, nearly 10 miles more per gallon than the
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The first-ever plug-in-hybrid from the iconic MINI brand launches in 2017 with the same good looks and fun-to-drive appeal as its gas sibling, and with a knock-your-socks-off 72MPGe fuel economy. This is a MINI with maxi appeal. “It’s the perfect car for the U.S.,” project director Uwe Seitz told me at the MINI hybrid’s world
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