Auto Trends

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and it is time to prepare for what will hopefully be a great New Year. But before we close the curtain on 2008, we would like to go over some of the highlights and low points of this past years vehicle selection. This year has been a tough year for all manufacturers, but a few of them managed to rise to the top, while others were scrapping the barrel just hoping to find a few customer scraps thrown their way. We will continue our review with the best and worst of the SUVs.

BEST: Toyota RAV 4

2008 Toyota RAV 4 Sport, originally uploaded by Anthony Martinez

For a functional, small SUV, the Toyota RAV 4 finds a perfect balance in fuel economy (19 City, 27 highway), power, comfort, roominess, and price. While not going to satisfy the enthusiast looking for the largest work horse in the class, the RAV actually behaves in much the same way as many of its mid-sized competition (assuming you splurge on the V-6). Its 269 horsepower, 3.5 liter V-6 is probably one of its greatest features, having 100 horsepower more than most compact SUV’s, yet remains quite comfortably within their same (4-cylinder) MPG bracket.

While classified as more of a compact SUV, the RAV 4 still seats a family of five very comfortably, including plenty of amenities like cup holders, entertainment systems, and extra storage bins. With the seats tucked away to haul cargo, the RAV is capable of accommodating 73 cubic feet of anything you can fit through the rear cargo door. Thanks to its relatively low cargo floor area, those with less than perfect lower backs will also appreciate the ease of getting cargo in and out of the RAV, including groceries, golf clubs, and yup, the kids too.

Vehicle: RAV 4 SUV

Base Price: $21,500 to $27,000

Available Engines:

2.4 liter Inline-4, 166 horsepower, 165 lb-ft torque

3.5 liter V-6, 269 horsepower, 246 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 104 inches

Length: 181 inches

Height: 66 inches

Curb Weight: 3,300 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 19 MPG City, 27 MPG highway

WORST: Hummer H2 (H3 not falling far behind)

Hummer H2, originally uploaded by cel.????

The failing Hummer H2 has had quite a bad year. It is just not too high up on the consumer list of vehicles to covet these days no matter how hard GM tries to improve things. Actually it is about as low as it can go with a slew of middle fingers to prove it. The Hummer has developed quite a bad reputation as an environmental home wrecker. Not only trampling over flowers and bushes, but poking holes in the ozone with an abysmal MPG that the EPA won’t even bother calculating. But this is not why we don’t like it. We give it plenty of Kudos for GM having made some nice improvements, including an heartier V-8 engine with enough horsepower and torque to break the 10-second 0-60 barrier, a new soft touch interior, and a safety score that would give anyone piece of mind.

Why we fail to see the appeal of the H2 is its general all around impracticality. Once again we have a very niche oriented vehicle with poor visibility, poor fuel economy, limited cargo support, and a mug that only a mother or a Hummer enthusiast could love. It’s design has not been updated in so long, that it is sometimes difficult to tell a new H2 from an old one, especially considering that these are mostly trophy vehicles that do not get out too often to get any real wear on them. There are two kinds of folks in the world. Those who love Hummers and those who hate them. The others simply forget they even exist, which is exactly what we suggest you do!

Vehicle: H2 SUV

Base Price: Starting at $57,000

Available Engines:

6.2 liter V-8, 393 horsepower, 415 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 6-speed automatic (with manual shift control)

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 123 inches

Length: 190 inches

Height: 79 inches

Curb Weight: 6,614 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: Don’t even ask!

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and it is time to prepare for what will hopefully be a great New Year. But before we close the curtain on 2008, we would like to go over some of the highlights and low points of this past years vehicle selections. This year has been a tough year for all manufacturers, but a few of them managed to rise to the top, while others were scrapping the barrel just hoping to find a few customer scraps thrown their way. We will begin our review with the best and worst of the trucks.

BEST: 2008 Chevrolet Silverado

2008 Chevrolet Silverado LT, Z71 Crew Cab, originally uploaded by findcardealers

Just about every reviewer this year would agree that the Chevrolet Silverado deserves top honors in the truck category. The Silverado is both a practical and functional work truck. For 2008, the Silverado featured a new and improved ride, better interior quality, increased durability, and greater reliability for 2008. While the Toyota Tundra was right on its tail, the V8 powerhouse version of the Tundra received less than stellar reviews on reliability, so we proudly gave the award over to the Silverado.

For an average cost of under $30,000, the Silverado offers all the power, towing capability, and payload handling that a full-size truck is supposed to. Yeah, it has nice looks, a great ergonomic interior, but for those looking for a truck to USE as well as show, then the Silverado is certain worthy of your consideration. There are a number of cab configurations to choose from to customize your needs, such as a long or short bed and a two or four-wheel drive option. Here are the specifics:

Vehicle: Silverado 4-Door Pickup

Base Price: $18,000 to $39,150

Available Engines:

3.0 liter V-6, 195 horsepower, 260 lb-ft torque

4.8 liter V-8, 295 horsepower, 305 lb-ft torque

5.3 liter V-8, 315 horsepower, 338 lb-ft torque

6.0 liter V-8, 367 horsepower, 375 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 119 to 158 inches

Length: 206 to 249 inches

Height: 74 inches

Curb Weight: 4,450 to 5,600 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 13 to 15 MPG City

WORST: 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Cadillac Escalade EXT Custom, originally uploaded by Digicoffee

While no doubt this will be a controversial choice for some Cadillac owners, let us describe the rules which we based this decision on. While the Cadillac EXT is without a doubt a well-built vehicle, we have serious doubts as to its relative usefulness in the real world. While clearly the EXT was designed more for the urban commando, it sheer size make it a rather large chore to maneuver in most cities and even small towns for that matter. This gives the impression that much of its bulk and size is related to its status symbolism, rather than its necessity.

Yes, the Escalade EXT is beautiful (for some), it is powerful, offers a smooth ride, comfortable interior, and features a semi-versatile cargo, but its choices are very limiting for the consumer who is really in the market for a fully functional truck. The EXT offers only one cab configuration, one engine, and a price tag that could theoretically buy you two Silverado’s for your buck. This is a niche vehicle for sure, and while we have not rated it as such, in today’s dog-eat-dog economy, there is not much room for these niches if there aren’t enough buyers to support them!

Vehicle: Escalade EXT 4-Door Pickup

Base Price: $55,000 to How much you got?

Available Engines:

6.2 liter V-8, 403 horsepower, 417 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 130 inches

Length: 222 inches

Height: 79 inches

Curb Weight: 5,800 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 13 MPG City

Mrs. Claus is a hot mama with a red Corvette, originally uploaded by karrelbuck

Santa has always been pretty cool in our book. Yeah, he’s getting a little dated at at least a couple hundred years by our calculation, but he seems to keep up with technology pretty well each year. He is also pretty eco-conscious, being that the worst pollution he puts out each Christmas Eve is no more than eight or nine gaseous reindeer, and possible Santa himself depending on what he had for dinner the night before.

He is no doubt in need of speed with such a hectic schedule, so he wouldn’t want one of those putsy Smart cars or tiny NEV’s (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles), of which he would quite frankly be lucky to squeeze his left butt cheek into anyway. Yeah, the Corvette has always been a favorite of his and Mrs. Santa (pictured above), but with the oil related problems of the past year (importing gas to the North Pole is like a kick where the snow don’t fall), Santa would have no doubt parked the Chevrolet and be looking for an alternative.

Originally uploaded by Mhuang

From a little start-up company in California has come some pretty big accomplishments. So far the Tesla has gained quite a bit of ground and despite some financial difficulties, has emerged as a contender in the super sport car market. Their all electric drive Tesla roadster is a beautifully built vehicle. This is one “green car” that can actually get away with the “red car” attitude.

This baby features an air-cooled 375 volt motor that pumps out a burst of 250 horsepower and 275 ft-lbs of torque at its discretion. While taking a bath with a hair dryer would be bad enough for your health, you would not want to slip into a jacuzzi tub with a 375 volt Tesla battery. These batteries are actually quite impressive with a claim of 244 miles per charge, which is a good 200 miles of coverage beyond most EV’s (Electric Vehicles) currently in production.

One of the best sport features of the zero-emissions electric car is its ability to have complete power and torque on command. There are no combustion chambers, valves or pistons that need to be revved, so instead of a torque curve which builds with the rpm, you get 275 ft-lbs or torque weather you just pulling out from a red light, or are cruising the open highway at max speed. Now 275 ft-lbs may not seem like a lot, but it is enough to catapult the 2,700 pound Tesla Roadster (1,000 lbs of that being pure battery) from zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds.

A fat man in a sleigh with eight or nine magical reindeer might even have a hard time keeping up with that kind of a solid launch… So this year we proudly nominate the Tesla Roadster as the car most likely to be driven by Santa.

You disagree? Give us your own nomination…