Filed under: Car Buying, Etc.
Honda Element, one of AAA's best dog-friendly vehicles - Click above for high-res image gallery
Dog owners looking for a new set of wheels can take heart; the American Automobile Association has taken the time to pick a handful of vehicles best suited to moving your furry friend from one place to another. With around 45 million households across the country boasting at least one dog in the family, it should be no surprise that the ability to conveniently and safely move a pet plays a big role in which vehicle consumers choose to buy. A total of 11 SUVs, crossovers and wagons have made the AAA list, each divided into categories like luxury, active lifestyle and efficient and fun.
While we weren't surprised to see cars like the
Subaru Forester and
Honda Element make the cut, others, like the
BMW 3 Series Touring and the ever fun-to-fling
Mazda3 five-door were vehicles we wouldn't have necessarily thought of as doggie rides. Thrifty buys like the
Kia Soul and
Nissan Cube found particular favor on the AAA list, thanks in part to their ability to serve up plenty of space with their rear seats folded down. We still say a
Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon would do just fine - at least for a low-profile dog like a dachshund or beagle.
Hit the jump for the press release after checking out our complete gallery of canine-correct-carriers below.
[Source: American Automobile Association]
Continue reading Bang for Your Bark: AAA picks best canine-friendly cars
Bang for Your Bark: AAA picks best canine-friendly cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrid, Crossover, Reviews
2010 Ford Escape Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery
The
Ford Escape Hybrid was the first mass-produced battery-assisted SUV on the market when it launched in 2004, and from day one it's delivered on Ford's promise of class-leading economy. It also offered similar performance and handling to its gas-powered counterparts with virtually no compromise. Sales have steadily risen each year and The Blue Oval even began eeking out some profit after trimming production costs by 30 percent. It's now seven years later and the Ford Escape Hybrid is a well established product that seems to have risen above the hoopla of being a hybrid. It's just a good CUV with great fuel economy. Even the president thinks so, having traded in his V8-powered Chrysler 300C for an Escape Hybrid during the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.
Ford gave the entire Escape line a visual makeover back in 2008. A year later it revamped each model's drivetrain, giving the gas-powered models new or updated engines and transmissions while also upgrading the Escape Hybrid's powertrain with a larger, more powerful 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and new nickel metal hydride battery pack that was 20-percent smaller and significantly lighter.
But for some reason, all of those changes haven't translated into increased sales. In fact, sales have dropped each year since the redesign. A certain global financial meltdown is probably to blame, but newer entries in the small CUV segment have also given potential Escape buyers something to think about. We spent a week with a fully loaded 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited 4WD model to find out if Ford's top-of-the-line hybrid CUV is still a serious contender.
Photos by Chris Shunk/ Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading Review: 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid makes being green easy
Review: 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid makes being green easy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 May 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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