Click on the image above for high-resolution shots of the Aprilia Scarabeo 200

There's no arguing with the fact that high gas prices have fueled an increase in motorcycle and scooter sales. As Consumer Reports shows, the overall scooter market in particular is up a whopping twenty-four percent. Still, there are many issues with using two-wheelers for everyday transportation chores, with safety being of paramount concern. As CR reports, riders involved in motorcycle crashes are thirty-four times more likely to be killed than individuals in automobiles. Interestingly, head injuries make up a very large chunk of serious motorcycle injuries, which means riders wearing helmets are considerably safer than riders who choose to go out sans head protection.

For this reason, the popular consumer guide is beginning to study the market in an effort to provide its readers with valuable information regarding this recent trend and is considering creating a special set of testing procedures for two-wheelers. Data shows that the majority of motorcycle accidents could be avoided with proper training, so we look forward to seeing what, if anything, CR comes up with for testing.


[Source: Consumer Reports]

There is a great deal of controversy regarding Consumer Reports these days, given the recent erroneous test results of children's car seats (CR will redo their tests under the correct conditions), however, many still rely on the magazine for help in choosing their next vehicle. The full list is below, but a few choices caught my eye. The Honda Fit won the "Best Budget Car" category, the Toyota Prius the "Best Green Car" category and the "Best Midsize SUV" award going to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Honda Fit was chosen by the editors of Motor Week as the Best of the Year as well.

According to our very own Dan Roth and Alex Nunez, the testing facilities and personnel at the Consumer Reports facility are first-rate.

Consumer Reports Top Picks for 2007

• Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Small SUV: Toyota RAV4
• Small Sedan: Honda Civic
• Family Sedan: Honda Accord
• Minivan: Toyota Sienna
• Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M45
• Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Green Car: Toyota Prius
• Upscale sedan: Infiniti G35
• Budget Car: Honda Fit

[Source: Consumer Reports via Autoblog]

The Toyota Prius holds its value better than any other 2004 vehicle, according to the Consumer Reports depreciation ratings. But, says CR, "Good luck trying to find a used Prius." Other value-priced and fuel-economy-minded vehicles such as the Mini Cooper and Scion xB were also high on the list. Number 10 was the Honda Civic and Civic Hybrid. All of the Top Ten vehicles are Japanese or German imports. Nine of the bottom ten, says CR, are domestic brands. The numbers are calculated based on the difference between the MSRP of a 2004 model and its current value. The average depreciation is 45 percent of value.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

The University of Arizona switched many of the vehicles in its fleet to E85 in August. Despite an unflattering test in Consumer Reports that shows E85 is less fuel efficient, university officials say they'll keep using the cleaner-burning mix. A university official said fuel economy is 10 percent less than with gasoline (which skeptics would challenge since most tests, including the CR review, reveal at least a 25 to 30 percent drop in fuel economy). A check of the Tucson prices showed E85 only a few pennies less than gas, so the switch is a money-loser on the bottom line to the university, even at the 10-percent reduction in mileage. Officials stress that there are other benefits to consider and with expanded use of ethanol there will be a "substantial impact on improving air quality."

[Source: Arizona Daily Star]

The crew over at Consumer Reports' Cars blog weigh in on the subject of tires today. Tires are probably one of the single most important variables of a vehicle's performance. They impact acceleration, braking, handling, ride, and noise. Tires also have an impact on fuel economy. If you've ever had a balloon you know that over time, the air will seep out of the balloon and it will slowly deflate. Tires work the same way. Over time the air molecules will seep between the rubber molecules of the tire. Left unattended, a properly inflated tire will end up under-inflated. Under-inflated tires cause a variety of problems including un-even tread wear, loss of lateral and longitudinal grip leading to poor steering, handling and longer braking distances.

Low tire pressure also causes increased noise and rolling resistance. Increased rolling resistance has a negative impact on fuel economy, so it's important as gas prices rise to make sure that you check your tire pressures with a gage at least once a month. Unlike the old days of bias ply tires, it's hard to tell from visual inspection if a radial tire is low on pressure until it's almost completely flat. Without a gage it's almost impossible to distinguish a radial at 15 psi or 35 psi by sight.

One thing to avoid is anyone trying to sell you nitrogen for your tires. Nitrogen is used in race car tires because it has less thermal expansion than regular air. Air however, is already almost 80% nitrogen. Race cars are very precisely aligned, and suspension components are regularly replaced as they wear. Race engineers are constantly monitoring tire temperatures and pressures. Small changes in alignment and balance caused by expanding tires has a noticeable impact on high end race cars. On the road where cars goes tens of thousands of miles between suspension component changes, the difference attributable to filling tires with nitrogen are negligible. The gross changes caused by differences 10 psi or more. are measurable so save your money and the best advice is to just keep your tires at the recommended pressure.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Honda's alternative-fuel efforts are focused on compressed natural gas, not ethanol. Consumer Reports has just released its test of the Honda Civic GX, which is priced about $7,000 more than a standard Civic. But the benefits include much cleaner emissions and energy cost that is about half that of gasoline.

CR tried out the home refueling station called Phill and said Honda can apply what it learns about CNG refueling to its future hydrogen efforts. The big problem, of course, is that natural gas is not available everywhere.

CR didn't notice a difference in driving the vehicle and acknowledged that some states allow CNG vehicles in the HOV lane.

The EPA says the Civic GX has the cleanest internal combustion it has ever tested. That draws the attention of lawmakers who offer federal and sometimes state tax credits. California even offers credit toward the purchase of a Phill unit.

Other notes from the CR test: range was about 220 to 260 miles. Natural gas in your home isn't pressurized, so it takes Phill all night to fill up the tank. The federal government says CNG vehicles are as safe as gas vehicles.

Bottom line: CNG has its advantages and disadvantages.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Consumer Reports discovered the overall fuel mileage on a flex-fuel 2007 Tahoe went from 14 mpg on gasoline to 10 mpg on E85.

CR quoted an average price of E85 at $2.91 and said that drivers would essentially pay almost $4 for the equivalent gallon of gasoline. From a different angle: the Tahoe's driving range decreases from 440 miles on a tankful to 300 miles.

A review of the study on MarketWatch pointed to the political and environmental benefits of using E85.

Another story on the CR test at ConsumerAffairs.com noted that the highway mileage decreased from 21 to 15 mpg and the city driving dropped from 9 to 7 mpg. It said CR took the Tahoe to an emissions lab and found significant decreases in NOx while running E85.

Both stories cited benefits to the automakers in meeting CAFE requirements as one of the reasons for the current rush to build more flex-fuel vehicles.

[Source: MarketWatch]

According to CR's blog, Notes from the test track, the hybrid article in the April issue struck a chord among CR's readership. Though Notes only provided a sample of the responses, they showed a gamut of reactions from agreement ("...the facts are in and I agree that maybe hybrids aren't the best investment...") to opposition. ("All of your hybrid car reviews are crap.") Two readers even shared contradictory experiences with their Highlander hybrids.

The hybrid reaction, though, is apparently one bag of mail. Notes will later present accusations that CR is biased against domestic vehicles.

Related: Consumer Reports: "Mea Culpa" on hybrids
Consumer Reports joins the auto blogosphere

[Source: Notes from the track]

Walter McManus over at Hybrid Cars published a little mea culpa about his recent estimates of the real-world cost of owning and operating a hybrid vehicle. His estimates of the costs from a few weeks ago showed, like the recent Consumer Reports numbers, that most ended up being cost disadvantages for consumers. This means that they cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more than similar non-hybrid vehicles, even when you figured in reduced gas consumption. The hybrids tested were the Escape, Accord, Lexus RX400h, Highlander, Civic and Prius.

Well, McManus decided to recalculate his numbers using hedonic estimates instead of P. Value, which he used the first time. The results? Five of the six hybrids tested now had cost advantages, some over $9,000. The lone hybrid that still has a disadvantage was the Accord Hybrid, which is the car McManus drives.

[Source: HybridCars.com]

Those of you who love the feeling of farfegnugen were probably dissapointed to learn that the Taureg was listed as the 11th meanest car for this model year. Can you still drive a Volkswagen without feeling like you're sucking up gasoline and encouraging global warming? If you buy a diesel, you have a chance.

Consumer Reports just looked at the diesel version of the Jetta, the TDI. They looked first at the gas mileage: was it any better? Yes. The regular gasoline version of the Jetta got 482 miles to the tank; the TDI went 665 miles before it needed a fill up. If you're looking just at fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, the TDI is a clear winner.

But what about the problems with diesel fuels? They're notoriously dirty and smelly, aren't they? Testers agreed that the exhaust smells bad and acknowledges that current diesel blends put out more soot and causes more allergies, although the EPA says that's going to change. Other drawbacks to the TDI included slow acceleration and a noisy engine.

Thank you, Joel A., for the tip. [Source: WRAL]