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Ditching Your SUV? Top Fuel Efficient AWD Cars and CUVs for Winter
By : Sheryll Alexander
Date : 10/10/2009

Lots of Americans are ditching their gas-guzzling SUVs for fuel-efficient all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles. More and more, less expensive and super fuel efficient cars now come with either standard AWD or an AWD option.

For winter driving, AWD vehicles generally give you better safety and handling. Plus, the advancement of electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control has brought even more performance safety technology to entry-level and mid-priced cars.

Unfortunately, you usually sacrifice cargo room and seating space when ditching your SUV. So, you may want to consider a five-door hatchback or a fuel-efficient mid-sized CUV. For example, the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse comes with an AWD option, seats up to eight persons, has versatile cargo capacity with flat folding seats and good fuel efficiency (23 mpg hwy, 16 mpg city).

How does AWD work and do you need it? With AWD technology, all four wheels receive torque from the engine simultaneously, allowing each tire to rotate at different speeds. Independent tire rotation improves a vehicle’s overall handling and stability, making it useful in rain, snow and dry pavement. All of the extra equipment needed for AWD makes the vehicle heavier; therefore, AWD vehicles usually have less fuel efficiency.

Remember, AWD is not 4WD. Four-wheel drive is usually found on trucks and SUVs that are made to go off road. AWD is mostly found on compact cars, sedans, CUVs and SUVs and it is not advised to take AWD vehicles out on unpaved roads, in mud or in deep snow.

Something else to remember is that AWD systems are also not always in full AWD mode. In fact, AWD vehicles drive most of the time just as any front-wheel-drive car. With advanced AWD technology, however, engine power automatically goes to the rear wheels when the front wheels begin to slip.

Thinking about getting electronic stability control (ESC) along with AWD technology? You should seriously consider it!

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates ESC will reduce crashes by as much as 34% (59% for SUVs with a great reduction in rollovers). The NHTSA estimates ESC technology will save between 5,000-9,000 lives and prevent around 200,000 injuries (once all light vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC) each year. (Note: Federal law now mandates ESC on all vehicles by the 2011 model year.)

So, which car company makes the best AWD cars? Subaru is known for putting its advanced AWD system on every single Subaru model. In fact, AWD has been a feature on all American-made Subaru vehicles since 1996. For 2010, Subaru has been garnering much critical acclaim for its lineup of super functional vehicles such as the newly-designed Outback and Legacy models.

The least expensive AWD vehicle in the U.S. car market today is the five-seat hatchback Suzuki SX4 Crossover. Priced at around $16,000, the Suzuki SX4 Crossover comes standard with a three-mode AWD system. I have road tested several Suzuki SX4 models and I’ve fallen love with this versatile hatchback for its overall versatility, excellent performance, standard Garmin navigation system and all-weather AWD technology.

What does this mean? The drive can choose between 2WD, 4WD Lock or 4WD Auto. In 4WD lock mode, the differentials lock together for low gear driving in snow, ice, sand and mud. The 4WD Auto mode is more versatile, allowing the driver to push power to all four wheels for extra safety and performance.

So, are you asking way too much for an AWD hatchback, sport wagon or SUV with GREAT (not just above average) fuel efficiency? Nope. For 2010, more and more of versatile vehicles come with all-weather AWD technology and fuel efficient engines. Plus, hatchbacks, sport wagons and CUVs give you that all-around versatility in a vehicle.

Unfortunately, most hatchbacks and sport wagons -- unless they are from luxury brands -- do not come with an AWD option. Here’s a list of top hatchbacks and sport wagons that come with standard or optional AWD:

These top CUVs get at least 28 mpg highway and come with standard or optional AWD:

Ready to drive your brand-new AWD vehicle this winter and save money at the pump too? Go for it, America!

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande

Two Odd Stories About the UAW
By : Charles Krome
Date : 07/30/2009

So this is what it comes to. After nearly seven decades setting the labor standard for both much-needed worker protections and much-derided job perks, the UAW is now forced to humbly beg Toyota to keep the NUMMI plant open.

NUMMI, of course, is the former General Motors/Toyota joint-venture factory in California that has been most recently producing the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. But with Pontiac headed for the graveyard and Toyota looking to slash costs in its suddenly unprofitable North American operations, the plant is thisclose to being shuttered. The new GM has already bailed, and Toyota has been desperately searching for a way out that wouldn't involve a media firestorm.

You know, the kind that the UAW is equally desperately trying to start. That's because even though NUMMI is now Toyota's problem, the fact that GM was involved meant that the plant was unionized to the current tune of 4,500 or so jobs — jobs that both the union and the state really really want to keep.

The UAW, for its part, has launched a drive to get members to contact their lawmakers, hoping to convince the latter to start gearing up ye olde inflammatory rhetoric machine. The main point being that Toyota's No. 1 U.S. market is California, so the company should repay the state for the business by keeping its only Golden State plant up and running, complete with a UAW labor force. Or, perhaps more realistically, the UAW hopes to at least get U.S. legislators to somehow ensure good-faith bargaining between Toyota and Motors Liquidation Co. (the old GM) as the companies wind things down.

And the effort is, in fact, making some sparks: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has put together a task force to try to keep the plant open, and one of his reps has already met with Toyota. In addition, 17 of the state's U.S. congressional representatives have gone the open-letter route, calling on Toyota's president to keep NUMMI going.

On the one hand, I wouldn't think Toyota could be shamed into keeping the plant running, especially considering its dire need to reduce costs. On the other, we've already seen political maneuvering affect which facilities GM is keeping open, and the Japanese automaker has shown an amazing tendency to follow the General's lead when it comes to making nonsensical business decisions.

And speaking of nonsensical, there's another UAW rumor floating around that's so insane I have to repeat it here — I mean, even if untrue, the mere fact people are giving it credence shows how far the UAW's reputation has fallen.

Anyway, for those who don't follow NASCAR, one of the sport's drivers, Jeremy Mayfield, is currently embroiled in a bit of a wild scandal involving both failed drug tests (for methamphetamine) and accusations of murder (of his father, by his stepmother).

Now, Mayfield's been suspended by NASCAR for the time being, and sold off his cars, and all of his big sponsors have deserted him, but the racer is still hoping to drive again once all the lawsuits are settled. In fact, he discussed a potential big sponsorship deal recently on NASCAR.com.

Mayfield was pretty cagey, but after describing his mystery sponsor he was quoted as saying, ""Sounds like a union, doesn't it? Imagine if they got involved, and they're behind me 200 percent right now."

When you consider that the UAW actually did sponsor Mayfield for five years earlier in the decade, well, it's easy to put two and two together here and come out with an irrational number. But, truth be told, I did contact the union on this and received a curt "We do not nor do we plan to sponsor him."

So, that leaves the UAW chasing Toyota — known for its less-than-friendly labor outlook — for jobs and Jeremy Mayfield — known for being a meth head — still chasing a sponsorship. And it leaves me thinking that, somewhere, Walter Reuther must be spinning in his grave.

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