G. David Felt

I have to say that this is a SEXY CUV!

But Quality tires with 75 to 100K miles pay for themselves rather than every 40-50K miles replacing tires. The premium cost for a long life quality tire is worth it to me. I get easy 100K miles out of the BF Goodrich AllTerrain 22" tires and I expect a good long life on the Duelers I have on my Trailblazer also.

It is amazing to see how far we have come as all the auto's back then really looked alike. Glad we are beyond there.

Good News for Jeep, It will be interesting to see how the Cherokee does next year and if the Renegade as well as Patriot and Compass replacement add too or take away from this.

Would be interesting to see how many of the cruze diesel have this issue.

Interesting, did not know that Ram required mid grade fuel. That blows.

The biggest turn off on the German interiors besides being dated like BMW is the floating NAV screen thing that MB has gone to. It looks out of place and just wrong. It actually looks like an after thought.

The big news here is that Hyundai new design on CNG tank weights about 175lbs for the 10 gallon tank. This compares to normal steel tanks of the same capacity that weight between 350 to 400 pounds. As such this makes a huge difference in fuel efficiency and of course weight of the auto.

Very Cool, Looking forward to hearing all about it and the tracking of the build. I understand the cost of the TDI being an issue. Best of luck with the truck.

Happy B-Day!

You could also just go with a bigger tire and stay on those rims. BF Goodrich is awesome tire even when you have plenty of pot holes. Since the Dueler on here is a 285/45 22 you have the following options of tires: 295/40 22 305/45 22 325/50 22 Then you have a wider tire siding and you fill in the huge wheel wells. Just an Idea.

FYI, I also have the Bridgestone Duelers on my SUV, they are Awesome, quiet tire and I feel superior to the Michellin option. I love the look of this truck and would get these rims / tire combination. Well worth it in my opinion.

I have to disagree with Ocean, I have them on my SUV and they are superior in handling and comfort. Yes the ride is firmer, but unless you want the lazy boy float ride, these will handle much better in all conditions, the cost of tires is minimal as I have replace a set of tires once and it was not that big of a deal. Like anything if you go with long miles quality tire you should have a bigger gain with handling, performance and ride than the minimal cost of the tire. Only you can decide if the added cost, ride, look and end result is worth it to you. I strongly suggest you TEST back to back two closley identical auto's, one with the 22 and one with 20 or 18 to see how you like the drive.

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Hyundai i30 CNG Wagon Launches Lucky for us there are alternative ways to find out information even when a corporation chooses to not post information about a great release on their web site. NGV Journal attended the Paris show presentation, Hyundai Senior VP and COO for Hyundai Motor Europe introduced the new i30 CNG wagon for Europe. i30 CNG has the following specifications: New 1.4L T-GDI engine 86kW (115HP), Torque 206Nm (152lb ft) from 1500rpm 7 speed Dual-clutch transmission Powertrain meets the strict Euro6c emissions standard that goes into effect in 2017, 3yrs ahead of schedule. Innovative CNG Storage Tank, Rectangular floor pan ensuring interior space and trunk space are equal to the gas and diesel powered versions of the i30. The new tank is a glassfiber reinforced plastice tank with a gas-impermeable polyamide matrix inside that is half the weight of conventional steel type 1 tanks. The i30 Wagon is a bi-fuel car that starts and runs on CNG but switches to the gas tank once CNG is used up for long distance driving. Hyundai is committed to creating sustainable mobility using alternative fuels for Europe and the world according the Allen Rushforth. HYUNDAI i30 WAGON WEB SITE

Yes, my wife and I have loved it from the begining.

Interesting, other than #1 & 2, the R63 AMG Mercedes Station wagon I have not seen. So a total of 3 auto's for me. City of Seattle still has a number of the S10 EV pickup trucks. Use them for maintaining the parks around the city with no emission.

Makes sense that you have a performance line as Halo to your mass selling product line.

Coupe equals limited sales market. CUV's are a better focus for Volvo.

Drew, did not know you did TV. You look good in that suit!

I would have to agree with you. I will take her with the car too and my mind is telling me it would not be safe for viewing either. Course I could see her dressed like this for the Bond Movie! Wonder if she will be good or bad?

I totally agree with you Drew on the Jeep Comments!

But does the sales numbers really support the cost of R&D to put a manual into the auto's? Seems more and more people are wanting the stronger Auto than the manual. I fear that us manual drivers are a dying breed.

I was simply comparing the numbers on the first chart (total sales) with the numbers on the second chart (North American built sales). Corolla --> 25,609 - 25,608 = 1 Camry --> 28,846 - 28,842 = 4 Got it, now I see where you were looking. Thank you for pointing me at it.

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com 15 New Car Auto's to Avoid Forbes published their 2015 list of 15 cars to Avoid. #15 - Smart ForTwo - due to premium fuel, under powered and lack of space #14 - Scion iQ - oddly aligned seeting for 3, lack of room, poor quality, etc. #13 - Nissan Titan - Outclassed in every way by US trucks and worst values. #12 - Nissan Armada - Poor reliability, ownership cost, fuel economy and quality #11 - Mitsubishi Mirage - Sluggish engine, performance, quality, value #10 - Mitsubishi iMiEV - Rock bottom residual value, lowest performance score for EV's #9 - Lincoln MKT - Below average quality, reliability and depreciation #8 - Lincoln MKS - Below average performance, quality, value and residual value #7 - Jeep Wrangler - Poor passenger comfort, harsh ride and handling, noise, value & quality #6 - Jeep Patriot - poor performance, reliability and below average residual value #5 - Jeep Compass - poor performance, reliability and below average residual value #4 - Fiat 500L - poor quality, performance, reliability and below average resale value #3 - Dodge Journey - poor quality, performance, reliability short and long term. #2 - Cadillac XTS - Poor Value, Quality, performance and resale value #1 - BMW 7 Series - Poor Handling, Highest Operating cost, worst value and below average performance Forbes compiled this list based on ratings from consumers reports and JD power. They looked at these models compared to like models in the same segment in coming up with these top 15 versions to avoid. An interesting observation is that all of these auto's are also known to have electronic issues according to their research making them more expensive than normal to fix once out of warranty. Now that you have Forbes top 15 autos's to avoid for the 2015 model year, what are your top 15 cars to avoid in the coming new year?

They have hit their Marketing just right with the let rain wash your car and we will still just keep working and taking you to do what ever you want to do. The High Tech workers seem to buy up Subarus big time I have noticed. If you are into the outdoors, camping, skiing, etc tech workers seem to be buying up AWD auto's like Subaru. If you are not into those things then it is the luxury makers.