http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:47:58 -0500 Tips and Advice -- find out how to maintain, service, insure, wash and wax, and change the oil in your car with tips from TheCarConnection.com. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037170_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-first-drive http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037170_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-first-drive Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Follow us on Twitter: @highgearmedia @carconnection @therealma @greencarreports and join our Facebook fan page Now that you've read all about the 2010 Volkswagen GTI, we've turned our attention to the next steps down the performance ladder at VW. Don't judge just yet: with the 2010 VW Golf and Golf TDI, Volkswagen's not dropping completely off ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035869_audi-a3-tdi-earns-over-78mpg-on-euro-road-test http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035869_audi-a3-tdi-earns-over-78mpg-on-euro-road-test Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:48:00 -0400 As Marty Padgett announced earlier this month, the 2010 Audi A3 TDI is slated to arrive in North America this November with a sticker price of $30,775. That's a fairly high sum for a fairly small car, but on this month's cross-European "Efficiency Challenge A to B", the diesel A3 has earned upwards of 94 mpg UK, which translates to a whopping ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034762_ford-unveils-new-green-power-stroke-v8-turbodiesel-for-big-pickups-only http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034762_ford-unveils-new-green-power-stroke-v8-turbodiesel-for-big-pickups-only Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:33:00 -0400 When we asked Ford executive vice president Mark Fields about diesels last week, he said mildly, "You'll see diesels used in our truck line, especially the larger models." Lo and behold, Ford has released details on its latest, 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel. It's the first one Ford has designed in-house after a deal with International to ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034719_five-questions-ford-evp-mark-fields http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034719_five-questions-ford-evp-mark-fields Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:40:00 -0400 Ford is in by far the best shape of the Detroit Three right now. Their sales are up compared to GM and Toyota, and their 2009 Ford Focus and 2009 Ford Escape were two of the top-selling cars bought using Cash-for-Clunkers credits. TheCarConnection.com was lucky enough to attend a Ford social event in New York City last night, part of a ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034638_chrysler-sues-daimler-over-supply-shortcomings http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034638_chrysler-sues-daimler-over-supply-shortcomings Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:40:00 -0400 Having just come through a complicated series of bankruptcy proceedings, you might think Chrysler would want to take a break from courtrooms for a while. However, on August 21 the company filed suit against its former parent, Daimler AG, in U.S. bankruptcy court. According to Chrysler, Daimler has reneged on supply contracts, and the resulting ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034539_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-priced-from-21990-hits-40-mpg http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034539_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-priced-from-21990-hits-40-mpg Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:39:00 -0400 Back in May our own Bengt Halvorson brought us the first impressions of a European-spec 2010 Golf TDI through American eyes, and now Volkswagen has released pricing information and fuel efficiency figures, helping to complete the picture of what will be on offer this year. Starting at $21,990, the TDI isn't as cheap as some of its Golf ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033890_renault-helps-mercedes-on-new-smart-plans-return-to-u-s http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033890_renault-helps-mercedes-on-new-smart-plans-return-to-u-s Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:30:00 -0400 No one can deny that French automaker Renault is on the move these days. In addition to its work with Nissan on electric vehicles, the company is in talks with Mercedes-Benz to develop a new model for Mercedes' Smart brand. And here in the U.S., the company is chatting with Roger Penske about selling Renault-badged vehicles on American lots ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022304_driven-2009-ford-fiesta-econetic-diesel http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022304_driven-2009-ford-fiesta-econetic-diesel Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:30:00 -0400 "We get squat." That was the pronouncement of a journalist and car-nut friend of mine named James who I bumped into on the streets of a northern Italian town this past spring. His pronouncement came when he spied a gen-VI 4Motion Golf TDI. "We" Americans don't get the new Golf (ne Rabbit) just yet and even when we do a TDI with all-wheel drive ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022227_nielsen-diesel-prices-and-diesel-hype-on-the-decline http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022227_nielsen-diesel-prices-and-diesel-hype-on-the-decline Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:17:00 -0400 Ethanol? Inefficient. Hydrogen fuel cells? Dead. (For now.) But surely everyone's still interested in diesel, right? Well, maybe not so much. The pollsters at Nielsen have been tracking America's online discussion of diesel, and they've noticed a curious trend: even as diesel prices have fallen 45% over the past year, online buzz about diesel ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021370_2011-mercedes-benz-m-class-diesel-hybrid-and-twin-turbos http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021370_2011-mercedes-benz-m-class-diesel-hybrid-and-twin-turbos Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:06:00 -0400 The Mercedes-Benz ML-Class sport-ute is nearing the end of its second generation. With a replacement due in 2011, the next M-Class could get a wide range of engines from a more efficient hybrid model to a twin-turbo AMG version, reports German car site Auto Bild. The next M-Class should arrive in the middle of 2011 and could be a 2011 or a ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021147_volvo-piles-into-plug-in-parade-with-first-vehicles-due-in-2012 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021147_volvo-piles-into-plug-in-parade-with-first-vehicles-due-in-2012 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:30:00 -0400 With its divorce from parent Ford Motor Company imminent, Volvo Cars is fast relearning how to develop its own technologies. Not that it ever lost its engineering skills; many safety technologies used across the Ford portfolio were pioneered by the Swedish firm. Volvo's latest foray is an announcement that it will put plug-in hybrid electric ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021022_really-hot-pursuit-2010-jaguar-xf-police-car-hits-the-streets http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021022_really-hot-pursuit-2010-jaguar-xf-police-car-hits-the-streets Wed, 27 May 2009 12:24:00 -0400 Here in the U.S., police generally make do with high-volume, low-tech fleet vehicles like the long-lived Ford Crown Victoria or the more recent Chevrolet Impala or Dodge Charger - all perfectly capable of the job, but not particularly luxurious or sporting. In the UK, however, things are apparently quite different. Jaguar has just unveiled a ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020855_dog-and-pony-shows-continue-gm-trots-out-new-fuel-saving-tech-for-2016-camaro http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020855_dog-and-pony-shows-continue-gm-trots-out-new-fuel-saving-tech-for-2016-camaro Wed, 20 May 2009 12:40:00 -0400 Because of the new rules regarding EPA fuel economy regulations, it only stands to reason that General Motor's PR department had a press release ready on a new fuel-saving technology to put in front of anybody in Washington, D.C. who would pay attention ... especially those responsible for voting on continuing support for the automaker. Will ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020745_engines-will-shrink-for-fuel-efficiency-but-youll-pay-more-for-less http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020745_engines-will-shrink-for-fuel-efficiency-but-youll-pay-more-for-less Fri, 15 May 2009 12:38:00 -0400 It's long been tradition that big cars have big engines. But fuel-economy standards (in the US) and carbon emissions limits (in Europe) mean that even the big cars of tomorrow will have to use far less gasoline than they do today. One way they'll get there is by radically downsizing the engines. Yes, diesel, hybrid, and electric powertrains ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020575_electric-cars-are-coming-hydrogen-maybe-not-so-much http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020575_electric-cars-are-coming-hydrogen-maybe-not-so-much Mon, 11 May 2009 14:52:00 -0400 We get asked a lot of questions by friends and colleagues looking to buy cars and trucks, as we noted elsewhere this morning. But we also get asked a lot about future cars, especially hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The standard question is either, "When should we expect hydrogen cars?" or, "How can I buy a ..]]>