Autos

Pony up!

On a clear day, even a cloudy one, you can see that the 2009 Ford Mustang pays homage to others through the line’s 45-year history. There are the round headlights and the oversized red taillights. The grille leans forward as if it’s leading the car aggressively up the road, which it is.

2009 Ford Escape

When it comes to the smallest of the sport utility vehicles on the road, the Ford Escape doesn’t fall into the category of dainty-looking. No, the Escape still has a touch of something a bit larger in its appearance.

Test pilots

Ragged potholes. Deep sand. Loose gravel. Tight curves. Blinding dust. Extreme heat. Bitter cold. Automakers put new cars through intense maneuvers like these before they go on sale.

A Sporty Evolution

Honda continues to improve its design with the 2009 Accord. The exterior suggests a sports-car look in a European style. The coupe and the sedan models are powered by 4-cylinder or V6 engines that deliver an impressive amount of power when called upon.

Credit Qualifiers: Financing your drive

Here’s a once-popular phrase that’s lost traction in the current economic downturn: “What will it take for you to drive home in this car today?” Salespeople and well-informed shoppers at any new-car dealership know that the issues of financing and credit mean it can simply take longer to complete the deal.

More Focus from Ford

Even though the Ford Focus received a makeover for 2008, tweaks have been made for 2009. A compact-car model with four sedan trims and two coupe trims, the Focus has a new front fascia and rear end.

A Grand Caravan

Sometimes driving pressfleet vehicles can be bittersweet; you have to give them back. That was the general feeling in our newly expanded family when we had to return the Dodge Caravan.

Safety on the road

Cars go green

Methanol: Renewable energy could power tomorrow's cars

The idea of powering a car on fuel made from cheap, abundantly available and completely renewable sources like municipal garbage or even seaweed must seem a pipe dream. But according to one expert, the notion of vehicles someday being fired by methanol isn't that farfetched.