Monday, May 31, 2010

2011 HONDA CRZ REAL WORLD FUEL ECONOMY TESTED BY EVO

honda crz
In issue 144 of evo magazine, the Honda CRZ was put through its paces alongside the diesel-powered Seat Ibiza FR TDI and the Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI 160. Although evo's editors were keen on discovering the extent to which the honda CRZ would live up to its predecessor, the Honda CRX, evo also wondered what relation the CRZ would have to the first-generation Honda Insight. Performance and fuel economy were equally important parameters in this test.

evo stuck with the manufacturer's claims for specific acceleration and top speed tests but fuel efficiency was rigidly tracked. Thankfully, evo didn't just drive a few hundred miles before spitting out a figure. The three cars were tested on a "B-Road Blast", a hard drive on twisty roads; then on a highway "cruise"; and finally the "urban crawl". It goes without saying the Honda CRZ evo tested wouldn't be identically equipped to those North Americans will be able to purchase soon. Obviously the Volkswagen Scirocco and Seat Ibiza aren't even available to us. Nevertheless, the Numbers you can read after the jump don't lie.

Before you go any further, keep in mind these are translated figures, not the actual Numbers you'd see in evo 144. The Imperial gallon is equal to 1.2009499 U.S. gallons. MPG figures after the jump are based on U.S. gallons.




B-ROAD BLAST
Honda CRZ: 28.7 miles per gallon
Seat Ibiza: 25.6 miles per gallon
Volkswagen Scirocco: 22.4 miles per gallon

THE CRUISE
Honda CRZ: 36.2 miles per gallon
Seat Ibiza: 35.9 miles per gallon
Volkswagen Scirocco: 28.2 miles per gallon

THE URBAN CRAWL
Honda CRZ: 24.3 miles per gallon
Seat Ibiza: 16.2 miles per gallon
Volkswagen Scirocco: 11.1 miles per gallon

honda crz

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
2011 Honda CRZ A Mixed Bag
A Plea For The VW Scirocco
Seat Ibiza Bocanegra Gallery
Fuel Economy In Car And Driver June 2010
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SMART FORTWO CAR WASH PHOTOGRAPHY

Harsh Canadian winters, even on the mild Atlantic coast, are full of salt and grime. As preventative maintenance, washing one's car becomes habitual. Difficult; but habitual. Once spring and summer arrive, bringing with them warmer temperatures, car washing is a wholly different experience. The easier the better, right?

If an easy car wash is your cup of tea, it doesn't get any better than rinsing, soaping, sudsing, and rinsing a smart fortwo. Even in enlarged generation 452 form, the smart fortwo is a ridiculously small car. Its height - the most challenging dimension - is surprising but still completely manageable for a regular-sized human. The financial savings provided by the smart's tidy proportions may not be as pronounced as the savings smart drivers enjoy at the fuel pump, but you'll use less water, less soap, and less time at the Rubber Duck Car Wash than on any other car on North American roads.

Pictures from the most recent car wash of GoodCarBadCar.net's long-term 2009 smart fortwo pure are in the Gallery below. All photos were shot by The Good Car Girl, aka S on Alfresco Photo.



Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Smart Fortwo Pure Driven
Niche Car Sales In Canada - April 2010
GCBC Gallery Of The Volvo XC70 T6
The Good 12 v3.0 Part X - smart fortwo
GCBC Gallery Of The 2010 Ford Taurus SEL AWD
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PREMIUM SPORTY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

audi r8
A million comparison tests may have gone its way, but customers still turn to the (sometimes) less-expensive Porsche 911 more readily than the Audi R8... at least in Canada, at least in April. 

News for sellers of the Audi R8 in Canada last month was actually much better than just, "We lost to the 911 again". Audi R8 sales doubled from April of 2009. In fact, of the cars mentioned below, only the ageing BMW 6-Series suffered severely declining sales compared with April of 2009 (Benz SL-Class sales were down slightly from 35 to 30).

As for the indomitable Porsche 911, sales through April of this year are up from 166 to 209; April sales rose from 57 in 2009 to 92 this year. I believe the phrase is, "Oldie but a goodie".
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SPORTY AND LUXURY SPORTY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

bmw z4
Before calling the Audi A5 the most successful luxury 2-door in Canada, remember BMW's Sales Stats don't break down sales of the 3-Series. More than likely, the vast majority of BMW 3-Series sales were of the 4-door variety. However, with over 1,200 units pushed in Canada last month, the 3-Series coupe could possibly be quite a challenger for the Audi A5.

So a comprehensive Graph this is not. But that doesn't make it any less interesting. Wholeheartedly a mismatch of a variety of sporty/sporting/sportish sports cars, the chart below highlights the success of certain models (the Hyundai Genesis Coupe really does trounce the Nissan 370Z, no doubt thanks to its lower price) and the lack of interest shown in others, most notably the rotary-powered Mazda RX-8. Also curious is the close numerical values held by four directly comparable Germans in April - 53, 46, 39, and 30 sales for the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and Audi TT respectively.
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Sunday, May 30, 2010

NICHE CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

Unlike its equivalent Sales Stats chart from the United States, Canada's Niche Car Sales Graph doesn't include any so-called 4-door coupes. There's not a single Scion, either. Scions won't be available in Canada for a few months and the Germans (Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen) link their CLS-Class and CC sales with the E-Class and Passat, respectively.

What's the purpose of linking together the vehicles mentioned below? Where else do we put them? These are the vehicles with little or no direct competition, a little bit of indirect competition at best. Rather than see other vehicles in this Graph as rivals, then, look at them as individuals.... the fringe... society's loved outcasts. Of course the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube have got to be the most cross-shopped vehicles of the group (GoodCarBadCar.net even has a section devoted to Cube vs Soul) but you'll ignore this for the purposes of including niche automobiles in the monthly rundown of Canada's Auto Sales.
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Saturday, May 29, 2010

CHEVROLET vs FORD, BOWTIE vs BLUE OVAL - APRIL 2010 IN CANADA

Where the three most successful automotive brands are leaps and bounds in front of all other entrants in monthly vehicle sales, Canada's Sales Stats routinely reveal a less consistent story. Honda and Hyundai were both close to Chevrolet's territory, and Dodge (basically the 6th ranked best-selling brand in America) sold more cars and trucks than Chevrolet in Canada last month to finish third overall. In other words, the Chevrolet vs Ford sales comparison in Canada isn't as interesting as it is south of the border, particularly with Ford dominating even Toyota in Canada.

Nevertheless, the first publication of what will hopefully be a monthly entry into the Canada Auto Sales section of GoodCarBadCar.net can be seen below.

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Friday, May 28, 2010

COMPACT LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

Audi A3 sportback
The Good Car Guy has some harsh criticism for only two members of the compact luxury car field in Canada. The Lexus HS250h was berated in The Bad 8 v3.0, so there's no need to do so here. The Acura CSX buyer should really be more interested in a Honda Civic Si sedan, but unfortunately, the image-concscious quadrant of their brain makes necessary a luxury-badged car. As for the other four cars, there's a little bit of bad but plenty of good.

The Volvo C30 is gorgeous. The Germans? B-Class Benz hatchbacks are really a very nice family vehicle. The Audi A3 is a blast to drive. And the BMW 1-Series is what some of us wish the 3-Series still was. Judging by the sales figures of all six vehicles, few people really care at all about any of them.
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ENTRY-LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

What's new, BMW sold a whole bunch of 3-Series sedans, coupes, convertibles, and wagons in Canada in April. Wow, sounds an awful lot like March of 2010. In fact, it sounds an awful lot like something we'll be hearing in April of 3010. 

GoodCarBadCar.net is certainly of the belief that BMW deserves customers. But it still makes for an awfully unsurprising reveal of the Entry Luxury Car Sales Graph each month. Better than winning for BMW must be the fact that BMW beat itself: sales of the 3-Series are up 22.8% from April of 2009. The C-Class Benz, Audi A4, Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKZ and Acura TSX all improved on their April 2009 totals, as well.
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MIDSIZE LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

lincoln mks
Is that trouble in paradise you're smelling? Sales of the toothy Lincoln MKS, thought to be a rather impressive Ford Motor Company sedan if you can ignore the nose, tanked in April. Lincoln MKS sales are off 9.4% in the first four months of 2010, down 22% in April. Of course, Ford can't be worried about a low-volume product in a low-volume country, but it's interesting that MKS sales could be struggling so early in its product cycle. Let's not kid ourselves, Lincoln MKS sales are down in the United States, as well (12.3% for the year, 1.5% in April). But trouble in paradise? No, Ford's sales momentum has the strength of a boulder rolling down a mountain pass.

Other midsize sedans suffering from the malady of declining sales in April included the Lexus ES and GS, Acura TL, Cadillac STS, and Jaguar XF.

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LARGE LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

lexus ls
The LS400 was Lexus' genesis. Lexus Canada isn't typically the dominant force in luxury car sales Lexus USA manages to be, and evidence of that fact can be seen in sales of the current Lexus LS460 (and LS600h). While the Lexus LS managed to overcome Toyota's turmoil to be the best-selling large luxury car in America last month, Canadians favour more expensive alternatives. 

What then will May's Sales Stats prove? The Lexus LS is currently under a stop sale order from Toyota. The Good Car Guy already wrote about the Top 5 Less Expensive Lexus LS Alternatives. And April was a far more successful month for the makers of the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and Porsche Panamera, at least in Canada. The availability of a brand new Jaguar XJ and a brand new Audi A8 could lift their totals in May, too. 
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SUBCOMPACT CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

Profiled as one of Canada's Top 20 new car deals this week, the Hyundai Accent is racking up sales like there's no tomorrow. What does this say for the potential of the next Hyundai Accent? It'll be more stylish and more refined; probably more fuel efficient and more powerful. But.... the Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2 will be new rivals in the sandbox. 

The Accent's total Canadian sales figure in April was enough to propel it to #5 on Canada's Top 10 Best-Selling Cars list. Hyundai has actually watched Accent sales slip slightly in 2010, but sales of the Honda Fit have fallen, too, and Toyota Yaris sales have slipped, fallen, broken necks, and severed limbs. Yikes. After four months of 2009, 9,795 Toyota Yarises (Yari?) had been sold. Through the first third of 2010, 5,896 Yaris sales appears downright abysmal. Better to be a Yaris salesperson than a seller of Suzukis - only 6 Swifts were sold in April.
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COMPACT CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

In terms of witnessing the mass purchase of vehicles which.... well, aren't the best, the compact car category is second only to that of the subcompact car vehicle category. Why? At this price point, each and every month there are thousands of consumers who are on the lookout for the best deal; regardless of the deal that's available from their favoured automaker or on a recommended car. 

This is why you see astoundingly high April sales from a vehicle such as the Chevrolet Cobalt in Canada. First off, the Cobalt isn't the most desirable vehicle. Second, a new Chevrolet small car is on the way - it's called the Cruze, and it looks to be a nice ride. In light of a vastly improved Chevrolet product on the way, why did consumers flock to the outgoing Cobalt in April? Deals. Deals, my friends. Deals. 

Also known as incentives, they mean much more to a buyer interested in spending less than a certain (low) dollar figure per month. These are often younger, less experienced drivers who spend more on insurance and sacrifice a chunk of their income to cover debt each month. $5,000 off a car they didn't really want in the first place? They'll take it. However, and a big however it is, Mazda and Honda and Toyota know how to attract customers with 0% financing or cash back deals, too. Plus, they have the better product. 

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MIDSIZE CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

ford fusion
To save space and to recognize the achievements of a couple hot-selling wagons, The Good Car Guy began (in this Graph only, not in Best Sellers lists) to link the Toyota Venza with the Toyota Camry and the Subaru Outback with the Subaru Legacy. It makes sense to include the Outback and Venza, as vehicles like the Volkswagen Passat Wagon and Honda Accord Coupe and Crosstour are predetermined to be accepted members of the segment, so why not wagon versions of other midsize cars? We'd certainly do so automatically if Toyota called the Venza the Camry Venza (as they do with the Corolla Matrix) and if Subaru still called the Outback the Legacy Outback as Fuji Heavy Industries once did. Arguments against doing so are easy to come by, but a decision's been made. You'll survive.

For its part, the Toyota Venza is one of Canada's most popular cars. 1,058 sales in April weren't enough to get it on the Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In Canada list, but as a member of the Camry's joint task force, Toyota could be selling Ford on the need for a Fusion wagon.

April of 2009 wasn't the brightest time for selling automobiles the world over. However, the recession didn't blanket Canada as harshly as it did the United States and new vehicle incentives were advertised everywhere. To see declining sales of the Nissan Altima, Mitsubishi Galant, Volkswagen Passat, Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, Kia Magentis, and Honda Accord isn't so surprising then. The brand new Hyundai Sonata is a hot seller and sales of four domestic products - Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, and Ford Fusion - improved in April 2010.
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LARGE CAR SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

chrysler 300
Apart from the budget-priced Chevrolet Impala and the combined sales of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, sales of large sedans in Canada last month weren't much to get excited about. Hearing the words, "April of 2010" next to large sedans doesn't really seem all that normal anyway, right? I mean, talk at Ford isn't of the Taurus; it's all in regards to the upcoming Fiesta, a much smaller vehicle.

That said, sales of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Buick Lucerne, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima, and Toyota Avalon were all higher in April 2010 than in April of 2009. Could the era of large sedans be on its way back? With quality vehicles like the LaCrosse and Taurus it wouldn't be hard to imagine it. And I did hear about the regulated fuel prices in Nova Scotia falling three cents this morning....

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Thursday, May 27, 2010

NICHE SUV & TRUCK SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

honda ridgeline offroad
Certain automobiles have little or no direct opposition. Automakers like to call this type of a vehicle a "niche product", always as though they were the first to locate the specific area of appeal.

Although this Graph is filled with such vehicles, accurately defining which vehicles belong and which do not is not a perfect science. Certain SUVs have been placed in specific segments, such as the Infiniti FX's spot in the Midsize Luxury SUV group. Don't place the Jeep Wrangler's success above that of the Chevrolet Avalanche; don't critique the Cadillac Escalade EXT in light of its failure to succeed where the Honda Ridgeline has. This Graph is only here as information, not for comparison. 
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LARGE LUXURY SUV SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

range rover
Toyota doesn't list the Land Cruiser as a vehicle of choice on its Canadian website. But every month, a few sales of the favoured African safari vehicle show up on the sales charts. Well, most every month a few Toyota Land Cruisers show up on the sales chart. In April, there's just the one.

Seeing as how Toyota is making a very unconscious effort to market the Land Cruiser to Canadians, we'll forgive the exclusivity. When perusing this month's Graph, keep in mind the large black pie slice belongs to two vehicles; one of which likely sells very little. The old-style Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen is linked up with the new GL-Class by Mercedes-Benz Canada. (Mercedes-Benz Canada also hands out sales figures with combined stats for the S-Class and CL-Class as well as the E-Class and CLS-Class.) It's safe to say the Escalade and GL-Class Benz are competing over most large luxury SUV sales in Canada, or at least did so in April. Range Rover sales, by the way, were way up in April and are way up for the year, too. A 58.1% increase over 2009 thanks to a revamped engine lineup is quite something for an aging vehicle. 
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MIDSIZE LUXURY SUV SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

Not benefiting from the graces of improved sales like their smaller brethren, midsize luxury SUVs in Canada sold at a decent clip in April, but many struggled to find buyers on a grand scale. Acura MDX sales rose to 619; Lexus RX sales fell 34% to 635. As for smaller slices of the pie, sales of the Porsche Cayenne fell of a cliff in advance of the 2011 Porsche Cayenne. Volkswagen Touaregs were by no means flying off the shelves, but a 155% gain over April 2009's sales is pleasing to Volkswagen, I'm sure. The Volvo XC90 has been around about as long as the Department of Homeland Security - luxury SUV customers thus ignore the XC90. Sales of the Volvo fell from 141 last April to 84 last month.

However, arguments against the constancy of the segment ought to fall on deaf ears. Even in Canada where fuel prices are higher and the market size is smaller, five midsize luxury SUVs/crossovers sold at a rate better than ten per day. American sales analysts will scoff at the number. Canadian sales consultants enjoy the commissions.
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SMALL LUXURY SUV SALES IN CANADA - APRIL 2010

saab 9-4x
Interested in starting up a new luxury automaker? In days gone by, the obvious first step was a roadster or small sports sedan. In 2010, a good first step would probably be a small crossoverish SUV. All but one of the vehicles in the Graph below posted sales improvements this April. Only the Land Rover LR2 (down 16% in Canada from April 2009) failed to improve in April of 2010.

So a small segment it may be, but a small segment that's growing. Sales of the Mercedes-Benz GLK trailed only the C-Class among Benzes. Likewise the Audi Q5 was the second best-selling vehicle for Audi Canada in April. The Acura RDX, Volvo XC60, Cadillac SRX, and Infiniti EX each held the title of second best-selling vehicle for their respective brands in April. If Spyker-owned Saab can get itself off the ground, don't be surprised if the 9-4X is one of the more successful Saabs in 2011.

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