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2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI Wins Most Earth Friendly Car of the Year

Volkswagen Passat TDI Road Test Review by Martha Hindes With hybrid and electric autos taking the share of attention in America these days, is there room for a rebel with a cause? What about a family-sized sedan that takes a different direction from the crowd and plants its reputation solidly on the least popular auto technology, but one of the most promising to come down the interstate in a long time? What if it offered more interior room for five, at less or comparable cost, with higher mileage than its competitors down the block. That might sound like the 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI turbo diesel. After a year on the sidelines, the front-drive Passat is making reappearance on the national scene for 2012 with a number of changes. A noticeable transition is its switch from more limited near-luxury level status to a mainstream, competitive cost, made-in-the U.S. participant. This isn't your mother's Passat of yesterday with a hint of snob appeal and exclusivity. This newest offering is meant more for the masses. And if Volkswagen got it right, not only will it put more Passats on the road but will help to bring diesel autos to the forefront. Diesel technology has been more rare in America than in other countries for a number of reasons. A major one is the thankfully faded memory of earlier diesel auto tailpipes that belched thick smoke while their engines grunted with the effort of climbing almost any hill. About five years ago industry regulators got serious and began phasing in mandated Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel with more stringent emissions standards that included scrubbing away those annoying bits of grit diesels used to leave behind. Companies like VW, mostly the European brands, responded by bringing in engines that run clean and lean, while generally gaining higher mileage than their gas-fueled counterparts. While that might seem like a pretty strong claim, let’s compare some results. The often heavily tax incentivized hybrid cars that mate gasoline engines with battery-powered electric motors have reached the 40 mpg mark and in a few cases more, after years of costly development and continuing market hype. Electric only autos coming on scene require a place to plug in. But the TDI (for turbo diesel injected) version of Passat rips off a cool 31/43 miles to the gallon of diesel fuel with manual transmission, or a no-slouch 30/40 with automatic, all riding on a 2.0-liter, 140-horsepower inline four. The Selective Catalytic Reduction System ensures this earth friendly clean diesel vehicle meets the emissions requirements of all 50 states. Those are some of the reasons the Earth, Wind & Power award's jurors chose the Volkswagen Passat TDI as the 2012 Earth, Wind & Power Car of the Year for Most Earth Friendly. According to Courtney Caldwell, founder and director of the awards and publisher of Earth, Wind & Power Magazine, the award determined by a field of longtime, well-known auto journalists goes to the production vehicle that contributes most to eliminating pollution and protecting the environment while providing the most exciting, pleasurable and useful driving experience around. “The 2012 VW Passat TDI beat out its competition by a landslide,” said Caldwell. "The vehicle not only is fuel efficient and eco-friendly, but its styling, performance, power and pricing leaves one feeling like they’re driving a high performance vehicle with no tell tale signs of lag or noise that other diesel engine vehicles tend to still leave behind." [Full story]

2012 Hyundai Veloster Wins International Sporty Coupe of the Year - Most Personality

2012 Hyundai Veloster Named
2012 International Sporty Coupe of the Year
- Most Personality -
by Road & Travel Magazine

Hyundai Veloster Road Test Review by Martha Hindes

If you're an auto company with a name no one can pronounce correctly, is it any wonder you'd have a few quirks in product as well? We'll address the question directly to the Hyundai (like Sunday) Veloster, the Korean automaker's new, kinda kinky, definitely robust and offbeat little sporty coupe -- or something. The 2012 Hyundai Veloster fits those descriptives like a `T.

The designation fits this newcomer so well and has so many interesting facets, that it just won, hands down, the 2012 International Sporty Coupe of the Year -- the one code named "Most Personality." According to ICOTY founder and Road & Travel Magazine publisher Courtney Caldwell, the awards measure the emotional impact a new or substantially revised vehicle has on the psyche. Does it get in your face, grab your attention, demand to be noticed, intrigue you beyond curiosity? In the case of Most Personality touch points, the Hyundai can answer "Yes" times four.

Caldwell knows how such an emotional connection can win an unmatched sense of loyalty from consumers that few products can claim. "The ICOTY Awards are not about power and performance, but rather about personality, passion and personal lifestyle," said Caldwell.

Bridgestone, longtime lead sponsor and supporter of the ICOTY Awards, recognizes the consumer-product relationship as critical to vehicle success. “Bridgestone is proud to support the ICOTY awards, and applauds the efforts of Hyundai that like our company demonstrates a strong commitment to innovative technology,” said Michael Martini, president, Consumer OE, Bridgestone Americas. “Through the combined efforts of everyone in the auto industry, and led by automakers like those being recognized in the 2012 International Car of the Year Awards, we will continue to meet and exceed the demands of the motoring public.” Full Story

Porsche 911 Wins 2012 International Sports Car of the Year - Most Sex Appeal

2012 Porsche 911 Named International Sports Car of the Year
- Most Sex Appeal -
by Road & Travel Magazine

2012 Porsche 911 Road Test Review by Martha Hindes

What do Carly Simon, Heinz Ketchup and the 2012 Porsche 911 have in common? In a word, "Anticipation!" OK, so when Simon wrote the song back in 1971 she wasn't referring to a subsequent ketchup commercial using her music, or a blazing fast sports car. But her wait for a late date must have been almost as frustrating as it was for Porsche fans who endured a long, long wait for the seventh generation of the classic auto that finally hit the ground running in September.

Porsche probably relished the ongoing drumbeat of speculation that had preceded the launch. Automotive experts had turned over just about every facet of the 911 Carrera as they speculated about the upcoming changes a full redesign would bring some two years in the future. Would the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera have cameras instead of side view mirrors? Would the manual trans be history in lieu of (gasp) a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the bane of some enthusiasts who cringe at the idea of not having perceptible shift gates to rip through?

Seems the longing was well worth the wait. While it must be a challenging job redefining something with such iconic status, the wizards at Porsche have managed to refine the 911 in such a way that it has kept its hot cool without disrupting its lofty aura. Since the agonizing delay finally ended at its Frankfurt, Germany motor show reveal late last fall, it has reached a new level of respect. And adoration.

For ICOTY judges, this all must have been somewhat amusing, since those autophiles know the true meaning of "gotcha" goes well beyond a stat sheet when it comes to a vehicle's allure. ICOTY -- short for International Car of the Year awards -- metes out honors based on that indefinable, yet tantalizing quality a car can have that makes it simply delicious to be around and breathtakingly lusty to drive. Those judges in fact found the new 2012 Porsche Carrera 911 so appealing, they voted it the International Sports Car of the Year for its high sex appeal X factor, eliciting the most passion of all 2012 vehicles.

ICOTY founder and Road & Travel Magazine publisher Courtney Caldwell knows well the impact such allure can bring. People who have a true emotional attachment to their vehicles tend to stay in the fold rather than straying towards other brands, whether it's a budget compact or a sports car with a six-digit price tag, she said. The automaker that can tap into that emotional passion has half the game won when it's time for someone to look at a new set of wheels.

"The ICOTY Awards are not about power and performance, but rather about personality, passion and personal lifestyle," said Caldwell.

Bridgestone, longtime lead sponsor and supporter of the ICOTY Awards, recognizes the consumer-product relationship as critical to vehicle success. “Bridgestone is proud to support the ICOTY awards, and applauds the efforts of Porsche that like our company demonstrates a strong commitment to innovative technology,” said Michael Martini, president, Consumer OE, Bridgestone Americas. “Through the combined efforts of everyone in the auto industry, and led by automakers like those being recognized in the 2012 International Car of the Year Awards, we will continue to meet and exceed the demands of the motoring public.”  Full Story

2012 Ford Focus Wins International Compact Car of the Year - Most Spirited

2012 Ford Focus Named
2012 International Compact Car of the Year
- Most Spirited -
by Road & Travel Magazine

2012 Ford Focus Road Test Review by Martha Hindes

A funny thing happens every time we see the 2012 Ford Focus approaching. There's a little sense this isn't a Ford at all. There's this feeling of recognition when spotting the bib-like grille extending obliquely down the front of the face, the low-slung nose, the cat-like headlamps perched at the upper corners. It took a few nano-seconds after we first saw the car to understand what it reminded us of. (Of course, that distinctive bib is a trademark of Germany’s luxury Audi.)

Ford's version of the bib front isn't an exact replica of the Audi, of course. The shape is different enough and with two lower vents close by, couldn't be called a copy. But we think someone at Ford would enjoy our reaction, especially since it endeared some of us so much to the look that we just named it the 2012 International Compact Car of the Year (ICOTY), AKA "Most Spirited."

Focus is most spirited, all right. And we love the attitude it exudes, which is a reason the ICOTY awards are given. According to ICOTY founder Courtney Caldwell (also publisher of Road & Travel Magazine) a cheeky bit of one-upmanship (deliberate or not) helps us love this car even more. After all, the purpose of the awards is to honor the qualities of new or newly refreshed vehicles for the emotion they bring out of us.

Caldwell knows how such an emotional connection can win an unmatched sense of loyalty from consumers that few products can claim. "The ICOTY Awards are not about power and performance, but rather about personality, passion and personal lifestyle," said Caldwell.

Bridgestone, longtime lead sponsor and supporter of the ICOTY Awards, recognizes the consumer-product relationship as critical to vehicle success. “Bridgestone is proud to support the ICOTY awards, and applauds the efforts of Ford Motor Company that like our company demonstrates a strong commitment to innovative technology,” said Michael Martini, president, Consumer OE, Bridgestone Americas. “Through the combined efforts of everyone in the auto industry, and led by automakers like those being recognized in the 2012 International Car of the Year Awards, we will continue to meet and exceed the demands of the motoring public.” Full Story

2012 Green Car Buyer's Guide

by Martha Hindes
Road & Travel Magazine Names Chevy Volt
Most Earth-Friendly Car of the Month

Deciding to drive green isn't an easy task. We can't simply go to a "green store" to swap out yesterday's wasteful wheels for an environmentally correct auto to replace it, since there's more than one remedy. In the past few years, hybrid vehicles that combine a small gasoline engine with a small electric motor have been gaining popularity as one earth-friendly solution. But it's not alone. How about clean diesels now just coming online that no longer belch dark clouds of sooty, smelly grit out of tail pipes? Or plug-in electrics on the horizon that never go near a gas pump and are just beginning to make a buzz.

Flexible fuel vehicles that can scarf down liquified plants or even moonshine to power them have been around for a decade or two. And research is continuing on other futuristic technologies such as fuel cells most people haven't yet heard about.

What's a buyer to do? To help answer that question, RTM has put together its 2012 Green Car Buyer's Guide with some of the various ecologically sensitive, fuel efficient vehicles you can buy today without mortgaging one's future in the process.

We choose the Chevy Volt from today's stable of contenders as our favorite for many reasons -- fuel economy, driving agility, security, interior space and style among them. And besides, it's so hot that dealers and buyers alike are falling all over themselves to get one. Full Guide - click here.