Tesla Model 3 Long Range rating of 310 miles: Is it understated?

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Amidst all the coverage on Wednesday of the Tesla Model 3 production numbers, we realized we'd forgotten one piece of the Model 3 saga. That would be the official EPA range and efficiency ratings for the 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long Range version. Those were issued at the end of November, and they seemed worth highlighting as a way to compare the Model...

2018 BMW i3s: range, efficiency lower for sportier model of electric car

2018 BMW i3sAs a given generation of any vehicle ages, German companies in particular often spice up the allure of the aging car with new and sportier versions. Porsche is a master at rolling out new versions of its models across the entire life of a generation, but BMW has learned the trick too. Thus in the fifth model year for the BMW i3, we have the new...

2018 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid SUV: bigger battery, slight range boost

2018 Volvo XC90It's a shock to realize that the Volvo XC90 large luxury SUV is now in its third model year. The first new Volvo in more than five years when it debuted in 2016, the seven-seat XC90 was an entirely new design that redefined luxury in a Swedish vein and won numerous awards, including North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. It also came with a...

New 2018 Jeep Wrangler boosts fuel economy, from bad to less bad

2018 Jeep WranglerAhead of the next-generation 2018 Jeep Wrangler's debut, the EPA released fuel-economy estimates for the V-6 powered model of the archetypal SUV. They're higher, as are the ratings for pretty much every new model, courtesy of steadily rising corporate average fuel-economy rules for model years 2012 through 2025. The biggest help for the Wrangler...

For 2018, only 12 diesel vehicles offered in U.S. (guess who has most)

2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel, first drive, Teaneck, NJ, Aug 2017With the permanent end of diesel sales in the U.S. by three VW Group brands—Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche—the number of diesel passenger cars and light trucks has plummeted. In fact, for the 2018 model year thus far, there are only 11. One of the two companies offering the largest number of them may come as a surprise, too. That number...

For 2018, only 12 diesel vehicles offered in U.S. (guess who has most)

2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel, first drive, Teaneck, NJ, Aug 2017With the permanent end of diesel sales in the U.S. by three VW Group brands—Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche—the number of diesel passenger cars and light trucks has plummeted. In fact, for the 2018 model year thus far, there are only 11. One of the two companies offering the largest number of them may come as a surprise, too. That number...

2018 Nissan Leaf: does it pioneer the ‘mid-range’ electric car?

2018 Nissan LeafWith the 2018 Nissan Leaf due to arrive at U.S. dealers in four or five months, next year is shaping up to be a very interesting test of what buyers want in battery-electric cars. Much of the focus has been on the new car's range rating, projected to be 150 miles combined when it's confirmed by the EPA. The new Leaf enters what carmakers call...