By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Unless there is a compelling need for a specific vehicle type or model, new car shoppers are confronted with difficult choices balancing between utilitarian, sporty, practical, economical and a dozen other attributes….
FAMILY-SIZE PLUG-IN HYBRIDS By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Each year members of the Northwest Automotive Press Association meet to evaluate some of the latest and greatest environmentally friendly vehicles available to U.S. consumers. This year the competition was held at the Pearson Air Museum located on the grounds of the Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve in…
“2018 Cadillac CT6 2.0E Plug-in Hybrid RWD” New Plug-in Hybrid Caddie is electrifying Over the past few years, the Cadillac team of General Motors has been busy to say the least, launching the ATS, a third generation CTS along with emotion-stirring V performance versions for both, a newly styled Escalade, the new XT5 crossover and…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Ready or not, you are likely to be driving some variation of an electric vehicle soon. For example, Honda estimates that about two-thirds of their global sales will be electric vehicles by 2030. With that target in sight, Honda has introduced its latest foray into the kilowatt kingdom, the 2018…
“2018 BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance Sedan” Plug-in Hybrid Drive System developed from BMW I Models Thanks to both domestic and global vehicular governmental mandates, the auto industry’s focus seems to be shifting from performance excess to more efficient, sustainable transportation. A prime example is the 2018 BMW 740E xDrive iPerformance Plug-in Hybrid sedan. It is…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer To plug in or not plug in, that is the question…when it comes to many of today’s hybrids. Kia moved into the hybrid crossover segment last year in direct competition with the giant of the hybrid market, the Toyota Prius. And Niro racked up impressive sales the first year selling…
“2018 Volvo XC60 T8 e Plug-in Hybrid Inscription AWD” Arguably One of the Safest vehicles on the Planet The Volvo XC60 is considered to be a small premium sport utility vehicle – more akin to a wagon, but it comes across as so much more. The 2018 XC60 comes in variety of forms. There is…
“2018 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid Touring” Clarity unmatched in Alternative Fuel Choice Flexibility In terms of electrified powertrain technology, the Honda Clarity may well be the industry leader, with model options that include a pure electric, a plug-in hybrid and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle as well. These options represent unmatched flexibility as far as…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Like it or not, the electrification of the automobile is proceeding at the pace of an avalanche. As one of the leaders in the movement, BMW, going full speed ahead, but with no compromise to their trademark performance. BMW’s latest electric addition falls in the 5 Series column, with their…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer With 12 variations, the Ford Focus could almost be considered a brand all alone. From the variety of Focus sedans, hatchbacks, electrics, hybrids and even a performance version, there is nearly something for every driver application in the mid-size four-door configuration. We recently spent a week in the Ford C-Max…
