YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Reports has named its Top Picks for 2009, which includes two new models--the Toyota Highlander and the Chevrolet Avalanche, as top choices for midsized SUVs and pickups.

Having proven reliable in its first year since a major redesign, the top-rated Toyota Highlander dethroned the Hyundai Santa Fe, last year's winner in the midsized SUVs category, while the improved reliability of the new Chevrolet Avalanche helped it to replace the Chevrolet Silverado as top pickup.

Those are some of the results of the Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Issue, announced today at a Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) press conference.

Despite the arrival of more gas/electric hybrids, the Toyota Prius remains Top Pick in the "green" car category for the sixth straight year. The Prius's 44 overall mpg is the best Consumer Reports measured in any five-passenger car.

Consumer Reports' Top Picks are the best all-around models in their categories and must meet stringent road test, reliability, and safety requirements. Each Top Pick scores at or near the top of its category among more than 300 vehicles Consumer Reports recently tested at its Auto Test Center; has average or better predicted reliability (based on the problems subscribers reported on more than 1.4 million vehicles in Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Survey), and performed adequately in overall safety if tested by the government or insurance industry. In addition, each model must offer electronic stability control (ESC), a proven lifesaving safety feature, as standard equipment or as a readily available option.

Consumer Reports' testing procedures are the most comprehensive of any U.S. publication or Web site. More than 50 individual tests are performed on every vehicle, including evaluations of braking, handling, comfort, convenience, safety, and fuel economy. Roughly 6,000 miles of general driving and evaluations are racked up on each test car during the testing process.

Here, by category, are the 2009 Top Picks.
-- SMALL SEDAN: Hyundai Elantra SE. The Elantra SE ($18,695) is a
comfortable, roomy small car that provides good fuel economy, a quiet
and nicely finished interior, and plenty of features for the money.
Only the SE version comes with standard electronic stability control,
which is absent on many other small cars.
-- MIDSIZED SUV: Toyota Highlander. The Highlander ($26,000 to $41,000)
is a very refined and versatile vehicle. It provides a comfortable and
quiet ride, a nicely finished interior, three rows of seats, and
decent fuel economy for its class. The Highlander Hybrid's fuel
economy, 24 mpg overall, is among the best of any SUV in Consumer
Report's Ratings. First-year reliability has been excellent.
-- PICKUP TRUCK: Chevrolet Avalanche. The Chevrolet Avalanche full-sized
crew cab ($36,000 to $47,000) is one of the most versatile and
comfortable pickups that Consumer Reports has tested. Its unified bed
and cab helps give it a solid feel and a comfortable, quiet ride. Its
innovative partition, between the cab and the bed, can be folded to
allow longer cargo to extend into the back of the cab.
-- BEST OVERALL VEHICLE: Lexus LS 460. With a road test score of 99 out
of 100, the Lexus LS 460 ($64,000 to $77,000) is Consumer Reports'
highest-scoring vehicle. It provides a luxurious, uncompromising
driving environment, with a supremely comfortable ride and a roomy,
well-finished, and exceptionally quiet interior. The LS is brimming
with electronic amenities, yet the controls are easy to use. Its
380-hp, 4.6-liter V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission deliver
smooth, quick acceleration and relatively good fuel economy.
-- FAMILY SEDAN: Honda Accord. The Honda Accord ($21,000 to $31,000) is a
roomy, well-rounded sedan that's easy to live with and enjoyable to
drive. It offers a comfortable ride, agile handling, and efficient,
refined four- and six-cylinder powertrains. Electronic stability
control is standard, and crash-test results are impressive.
-- UPSCALE SEDAN: Infiniti G37. One of the highest-rated sedans tested,
the G37 (33,000 to $36,000, formerly G35) combines sportiness and
luxury in a very appealing package. It has a very lively powertrain,
agile handling, a comfortable ride, and a nicely appointed interior.
For 2009, it also has a larger, 328-hp, 3.7-liter engine and a
seven-speed automatic transmission, which improves fuel economy.
-- FUN TO DRIVE: Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Miata ($22,000 to $29,000) is a
true sports car at a reasonable price. With quick, precise steering, a
crisp-shifting manual transmission, and balanced handling, it
virtually tied the Porsche Boxster in test scoring, but it costs about
half the price.
-- SMALL SUV: Toyota RAV4. Thanks to a larger and more powerful
four-cylinder engine and other upgrades for 2009, the RAV4 ($23,000 to
$30,000) narrowly outscored the Subaru Forester to remain our Top Pick
for the third straight year. It provides agile handling, a roomy and
quiet interior, a comfortable ride, and an optional third-row seat.
The four-cylinder version gets the best fuel economy of any automatic,
nonhybrid SUV CR has tested.
-- MINIVAN: Toyota Sienna. The Sienna ($26,000 to $38,000) offers a
spacious, versatile, and comfortable way to carry up to eight people.
Consumer Reports found that the quiet, well-finished interior rivals
that of some luxury sedans. Electronic stability control is standard.
This is the only minivan available with all-wheel drive.
-- GREEN CAR: Toyota Prius. Despite the arrival of more gas/electric
hybrids, the Prius ($22,000 to $24,000) leads this category for the
sixth straight year. The base model's 44 overall mpg is the best
Consumer Reports has measured in any five-passenger car. The interior
is roomy and versatile, and reliability remains excellent. A
redesigned Prius will arrive in early summer.

Source: Consumer Reports

Web Site: http://www.consumerreports.org/

Plug-In Hybrid, Hydrogen, Range Extended Electric, Battery Electric Cars Included

Five nominees have been identified for Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM), which acknowledges a vehicle that best envisions the road ahead. One of these five finalists -- the Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, Honda FCX Clarity, MINI E, or Mitsubishi i-MiEV -- will be honored as the 2009 Green Car Vision Award winner during a press conference on Public Policy Day February 3, at The Washington Auto Show in Washington D.C.

"Vehicles offering dramatically improved environmental performance are crucial to helping us move beyond today's challenges of oil dependence and growing environmental impacts," says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com ( http://www.greencar.com/ ). "While not yet widely available in new car showrooms, these vehicles each inspire in important ways with their advanced powertrains, use of cleaner or more sustainable fuels, vastly improved efficiencies, or a combination of these attributes."

Unlike concept cars, which tantalize us with wild designs or features that may or may not ever make it to the highway, these five vehicles are real. They are either in limited production or in demonstration programs now, or are in development and on the road to commercialization.

Dispelling the myth that innovation will only come from outside the traditional automotive industry, four of the 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM) finalists are products from major auto manufacturers. The fifth is from a new car company, Fisker Automotive, headed by Henrik Fisker, formerly director of Ford's Global Advanced Design Studio and before that president of BMW division DesignWorks USA.

Chevrolet's Volt is a range-extended, plug-in electric car with a scheduled introduction in late 2010. The Fisker Karma, to be shown in production form next month, is a plug-in hybrid luxury sedan that's set for sale in late 2009. The FCX Clarity, Honda's innovative hydrogen fuel cell sedan, is in very limited production and being leased to a small number of consumers now. The recently unveiled battery electric MINI E will be leased to 500 select consumers in three states. Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars are on the highway in a demonstration program with Southern California Edison and PG&E.

"The advanced technology vehicles now available at new car showrooms, like highly efficient gasoline-electric hybrids, are the result of visionary work that occurred years in advance of their introduction to the market," says Cogan. The five nominees for Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM) are exceptional examples of innovation at work."

The award-winning Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment since its launch in 1992. As part of its mission, the magazine hosts events, produces ride-and-drives of advanced and clean fuel vehicles, and conducts various outreach efforts to educate consumers on better and more environmentally positive vehicle choices.

The 67th staging of the Washington Auto Show: The Automotive Seat of Power will bring more than 700 new cars, trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles from over 42 domestic and import automakers to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Feb. 4 -- 8, 2009. Supporting its growing 'green' theme, a wide array of advanced technology and clean fuel vehicles will be displayed in a Green Car Pavilion and throughout the show floor. For more information visit the Washington Auto Show online at http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/ .

Source: Green Car Journal

Lexus RX 400h Review

The Gas Pump Has Never Been So Greedy

Gas prices are a hot topic right now, and have been for some time. With increased demand, especially from developing third world countries like China and India, continued unrest in the Middle East, and lack of investment in new refineries, the problem continues to grow worse and shows no signs of slowing down. And while we may certainly feel we have it bad, some countries actually pay more at the pump than we do, including the U.K, Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands, largely because of heavy government taxes on gasoline to discourage their consumption, a technique that is also employed with cigarette and alcohol taxes in some regions.

In the U.S, the price of a gallon of gasoline has nearly quadrupled in the past decade. Here's a quick look at the average price of gas through the past decade.

U.S. Regular Conventional Retail Gasoline
Date Cost Per Gallon

• Aug 3, 1998 $1.04
• Aug 2, 1999 $1.20
• Aug 7, 2000 $1.46
• Aug 6, 2001 $1.38
• Aug 5, 2002 $1.40
• Aug 4, 2003 $1.54
• Aug 2, 2004 $1.89
• Aug 1, 2005 $2.29
• Sept 5, 2005 $3.07
• Aug 7, 2006 $3.04
• Aug 6, 2007 $2.84

Source: Energy Information Administration

That price jumped dramatically since August of last year, with the price in New York topping $4 a gallon in May 2008. The scariest thing to consider is that gas prices have by no means hit their ceiling, with the cost of oil per barrel actually resting at a lower rate than it did in the late 1970's considering inflation, though the price of oil has gone up considerably in the past few years.

So what can be done, if anything? Is this just a natural case of supply and demand that we'll have to accept and cope with? The short term answer at least is yes. While oil companies make record profits that could be taxed by the government, therefore reducing personal tax on gas, this is unlikely to occur.

On the distant horizon of course is the creation of alternative fuels or methods of powering automobiles. The current main alternative is ethanol, but it currently costs even more than gas itself, and there are unanswered questions surrounding the impact it may have on food prices if it ever went into mass production.

Hybrid cars are another alternative, but also another expensive alternative, with studies estimating that the actual savings in gas would not make up for the difference in cost of the automobile over a standard economy car for as long as ten years.

Of course the best way to avoid gas prices is to avoid using so much gas. Biking is becoming a popular alternative means of transportation, and almost a necessity for cash starved people. Getting that office carpool set up, or finally caving in and joining it or other good choices.

As much as we may hope otherwise, high gas prices wreck household expenses are here to stay and should be considered the norm if anything, and not high. You can reserve the word high for what they will reach in the future, as it seems all but a certainty that they will continue to rise. Planning ahead for the future could save you a lot of money down the line. As for the present, pumping up those old bicycle tires and finding your helmet in that box in the basement would be a good start.

Michael Benifez sees everyday why so many individuals get frustrated with the topic of list of household expenses. More details are only a click away at http://everlife.com it's visited by thousands each day because of quality content in the world of money, debt and credit. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Benifez

Do you want to learn ways to increase gas mileage? Then visit hybridcarchat.com and check out the latest free information regarding hybrid cars and a free guide to increasing your car's gas mileage. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Jones