Kia Picanto

The Kia Picanto, a small and quirky city car available with 3 and 5 doors, launched in 2004 and has been popular worldwide ever since. In January 2013 it was voted the most reliable car in the UK and comes with a variety engines.<br /> <br /> As a small city car, it is rather good looking, full of prominent lines, grills and fashionable headlamps. Kia have spent a lot of money designing the look of this car, and it seems to have paid off. Making this car good looking has attracted a younger clientele, especially with most models having free road tax and being cheap to insure.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcUW3JFetpMxlGStEqAwpWBoxWNzKH5mNVhR4BIJuqUFQyrnsqza2egxK3f2YjYEwEkcZ_wkfGdkJ_A5xrYpf_XoT_lhkOvVT7Ugo_iZMuqrdQBKFrkQAG_XpkzNursLLyNFooYZrwLpH/s1600/kia+picanto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcUW3JFetpMxlGStEqAwpWBoxWNzKH5mNVhR4BIJuqUFQyrnsqza2egxK3f2YjYEwEkcZ_wkfGdkJ_A5xrYpf_XoT_lhkOvVT7Ugo_iZMuqrdQBKFrkQAG_XpkzNursLLyNFooYZrwLpH/s400/kia+picanto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> All in all, a good looking reliable car. But, and that's a big but, this is far from the most practical car for people with disabilities.<br /> <br /> The Picanto is small, possibly too small for anyone with physical difficulties. The cabin is cramped and if there are 4 people in the car, the boot is near non-existent, so no room for a wheelchair on scooter, and with the Picanto being very low down, getting in and out could be very tricky.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-UmcA_KfOHYFTvmklekdigbySoLnIrhejb3EAeXhxqTWDQ_achfLKpD3cXl7luIgFBZmuNqZLGXflr8Uvf2xZm5lT1SQY5dGnqm1m8-CS1VyIotAnFqdwu0N4M4tY1WOU-uOma96RTeu/s1600/kiapicantostats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-UmcA_KfOHYFTvmklekdigbySoLnIrhejb3EAeXhxqTWDQ_achfLKpD3cXl7luIgFBZmuNqZLGXflr8Uvf2xZm5lT1SQY5dGnqm1m8-CS1VyIotAnFqdwu0N4M4tY1WOU-uOma96RTeu/s640/kiapicantostats.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Emma Lou owns a 1.1 '2' automatic Picanto, she doesn't use a wheelchair but describes what her car is like from a disability point of view.<br /> <br /> "My Picanto is a 1.1.2. It's just the basic, I didn't have to pay any money upfront. The boot is tiny, i cant even get my mums case in it. I dont have a wheelchair, but I think it wont have much room for one unless they have the all the back seats down, or split seats. It goes really well, petrol is a little thirsty, but then it depends how fast you drive.  To me I can get in and out easily, as i'm only little with an extra cushion to sit on.<br /> <br /> I have the Auto 5 door, so far this car is the best I've had, though the Ford Fiesta Zetec was just as good."<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoecUUacBJRin8OxK3uEOra6j39jufFQfcYNcBHlGtyzf50z2GwRYLc262BC-3Zjxf2VTm0ZLldkmDCOmD3Jmn_fZxB61BkABv5NP9DOyR-w_9dPzPCwOc1kOnO9eJfvAIWm9afJL1SdX/s1600/kia+inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoecUUacBJRin8OxK3uEOra6j39jufFQfcYNcBHlGtyzf50z2GwRYLc262BC-3Zjxf2VTm0ZLldkmDCOmD3Jmn_fZxB61BkABv5NP9DOyR-w_9dPzPCwOc1kOnO9eJfvAIWm9afJL1SdX/s400/kia+inside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> One thing this car does have in ample amounts, is safety equipment. From the common 6 airbags and Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), to doors that lock when you drive, and automatically unlock after a collision. The latest Picanto scored 4 stars on the Euro NCAP test, not bad for a small city car. Kia have built this car to be as safe as possible for the driver and passengers.<br /> <br /> So, a small city car that is easy to drive, easy to park and safe but not so easy to live with. The Picanto seems to be having an identity crisis, and it's the practicality side that really lets this car down.

Kia Picanto

The Kia Picanto, a small and quirky city car available with 3 and 5 doors, launched in 2004 and has been popular worldwide ever since. In Ja...

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Acura ILX Hybrid

With the 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid, we celebrate two milestones. "ILX" is a brand-new nameplate for Honda's luxury division and it's also the first hybrid the Acura brand has ever offered. And while it shares much with its corporate cousin, the Honda Civic, the ILX Hybrid burst onto the scene with a smarter drivetrain, a more stylish exterior, and greater level of sophistication both in regards to its onboard tech and aesthetically enhanced interior. <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyDuHa_60O2WZSBpho_28uXgBO59CzfTMn8WQT1OD9kI3xFmD_qa9rvK4an0alAGKcJ4jI-hACYS9qseTX68_f7CiJHfGtCVq7QFGuS9hKzAYQ2CVreqQ8Sr2V1MFQaOahAa6h2FnMY8/s1600/acura-hybrid-ilx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyDuHa_60O2WZSBpho_28uXgBO59CzfTMn8WQT1OD9kI3xFmD_qa9rvK4an0alAGKcJ4jI-hACYS9qseTX68_f7CiJHfGtCVq7QFGuS9hKzAYQ2CVreqQ8Sr2V1MFQaOahAa6h2FnMY8/s400/acura-hybrid-ilx.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Will Acura's newest baby become the luxury segment’s equivalent to the Honda Civic? Or will it suffer the same identity crisis many Acuras of late have undergone? <br /> Most automakers have turned to cramming their hybrid models with all the latest tech features (especially in the luxury segment) by default. Meaning, you don't get the option to opt out, you just automatically get to pay more for the hybrid drivetrain and all the extra goodies thrown in as "standard". Acura has driven down a slightly different road with the ILX, offering both a base hybrid model ($28,900) and an upgraded version that's equipped with a technology package ($34,000). Our review car had the tech package and sported a decent number of welcome features that certainly add up to make the 2013 ILX Hybrid a strong choice for drivers hoping to get a large serving of digital goodness to go along with that fuel-sipping, earth-saving drivetrain. <br /> <br /> Outside, there isn't much to distinguish the ILX Hybrid with the non-hybrid models save for two blue hybrid badges to the side and rear of the vehicle. Overall, the design is handsome if not a little unassuming. It's not as dramatic or refined as we'd come to expect from an entry-level luxury car but we'll take it all the same. And to be fair, it's not the weakest-looking model in Acura's lineup – that honor goes to the TSX's annoying mug. <br /> <br /> Unlike other hybrids, like the <a href="http://neohybridcars.blogspot.com/2013/05/toyota-prius-c.html">Toyota Prius</a> and even the Honda Civic Hybrid, the ILX is unable to operate on electricity alone; however it does employ a regenerative braking system that traps the kinetic energy created during braking and converts it to electricity in order to give the lithium-ion battery a little more zap. <br /> <br /> Apparently, Acura's designers are a lot braver than we are and while its sensitivity calibration is certainly not a dealbreaker, it does become a nuisance.

Acura ILX Hybrid

With the 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid, we celebrate two milestones. "ILX" is a brand-new nameplate for Honda's luxury division and it...

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Toyota Auris Hybrid

<div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> It's almost a year since the mother of all traffic jams entered the record books – Beijing's 60-mile, 12-day monster. It spawned its own micro economy with food sellers and laundry workers plying the lines of trapped drivers, while the rich abandoned their cars and paid others to sit in their static vehicles.</div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> The jam put into context the paltry three-hour tailback I was stuck in over the bank holiday. We lay on the grass embankment and chatted to our new neighbours about the Ohio kidnappings, the Padstow boat tragedy – and about the sheer waste of resources a standstill jam causes.</div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> Which is why, in some small way, I was glad the car I was stuck in was <a href="http://neohybridcars.blogspot.com/2013/06/toyota-auris-hybrid.html">Toyota's Auris Hybrid</a> – an eco car that does almost 75 miles to a gallon with just a nostril caressing whiff of emissions – 85g/km. The ethically pure Auris is as clean as Jay Rayner's dinner plate…</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h6X55Gsub5YOznfQ6Dofku8xX7eMmqn9rVC7tkA53D4ZdH0D9OyzyKkDn1eIpK4CRp9cqrliF_XmtSU9aCu08JEnROkKJ_71JVRvtnm_KxwymTw1hdrTVHAaRpGB-mDVnJuu8U9oUEY/s1600/Toyota-Auris-Hybrid-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h6X55Gsub5YOznfQ6Dofku8xX7eMmqn9rVC7tkA53D4ZdH0D9OyzyKkDn1eIpK4CRp9cqrliF_XmtSU9aCu08JEnROkKJ_71JVRvtnm_KxwymTw1hdrTVHAaRpGB-mDVnJuu8U9oUEY/s400/Toyota-Auris-Hybrid-010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> The notion of a green car will, of course, always be oxymoronic. Like false truths, turkey ham or Arsenal trophies, some pairings seem poles apart. But manufacturers are working hard at pulling the opposing ends together. And with its Auris hybrid, Toyota is doing better than most. Thanks to aerodynamic improvements, weight saving, engine readjustments and technological cunning, this Toyota has beaten off the likes of Volkswagen's Golf Bluemotion and BMW's i3 electric supermini to claim the title of Green Car of the Year 2013.</div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> Hybrids, electrics and alternatively fuelled cars have all been hailed as the solution to our motoring ails, but they tend to be over expensive, over complicated and, frankly, over-rated. They're ordinary cars that have been forced into a new template in a vain attempt to capture the green pound. They feel heavy, fragile and unreliable. But they're getting there, and this new Auris is another step forward.</div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> With its 1,798cc, four-cylinder petrol engine plus two electric motor generators, this flagship model is fun, responsive, clever, laughingly easy to control and strikingly good looking. It's a hybrid car I'd happily own. Not because it feels like the latest and best of the current crop, but because it feels like the first of the next.</div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Price from £21,745</strong><br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">MPG up to 74.3</strong><br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Top speed up to 112mph</strong></div>

Toyota Auris Hybrid

It's almost a year since the mother of all traffic jams entered the record books – Beijing's 60-mile, 12-day monster. It spawned it...

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Subaru Outback Hybrid

<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> The 2013 Subaru Outback ranks 1 out of 8 Wagons. This ranking is based on our analysis of 19 published reviews and test drives of the Subaru Outback, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> Test drivers say the 2013 Subaru Outback successfully combines the utility of an SUV with the driveability of a car, making it one of the best wagons in the class.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWpg9RHmG0-NEy2XpFeDEFrT0HCGhAj-ueUc7xmOYmeq6C9YUef2EI-a03wWyRM9YEUQGen91ltCtl5h_yO_MdfpEK0GeAxf61eX-lTg10Ztf4UzhN0uvdeZVxvGmW09ZzLHXBtG4NLk/s1600/subaru_outback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWpg9RHmG0-NEy2XpFeDEFrT0HCGhAj-ueUc7xmOYmeq6C9YUef2EI-a03wWyRM9YEUQGen91ltCtl5h_yO_MdfpEK0GeAxf61eX-lTg10Ztf4UzhN0uvdeZVxvGmW09ZzLHXBtG4NLk/s400/subaru_outback.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> The 2013 Subaru Outback has standard all-wheel drive and a choice between a four- or six-cylinder engine. Test drivers note that the four-cylinder engine is best for commuting and in-town driving, but the six-cylinder is better at freeway passing and merging, as well as navigating hilly terrain. Handling is a standout for the Outback, with most test drivers agreeing that it drives like a sedan, with confident handling and a smooth ride. Kelley Blue Book says the Outback is "as spacious and capable as a conventional mid-size SUV, but delivers the fuel efficiency and driving characteristics of a sedan." Safety is another high point for the Outback. The 2012 model, which is similar to the 2013, is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick for its strong crash test performance.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> The Subaru Outback is the 2013 Best Wagon for the Money because it has the best combination of ownership costs and positive reviews in its class. The Subaru Outback is also the 2013 Best Wagon for Families because it has the best combination of quality, size and family-friendly features in its class.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> Reviewers say the interior of the 2013 Subaru Outback is well-built, with nice materials for the price and plenty of space for passengers and cargo. The five-seat Outback features a back seat that reclines, as well as newly-standard Bluetooth phone and music connectivity. Reviewers say the base stereo doesn't sound very good, however, and recommend upgrading to the premium system. Also new for 2013 is Subaru's EyeSight crash mitigation system, which works to detect and prevent or mitigate collisions. </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> The Outback is available as a 2.5i or 3.6R model. The 2.5i comes in base, Premium and Limited trims, and the 3.6R is offered in base and Limited trims. The Outback was redesigned in 2010 and receives only minor changes for 2013. As a result, this review uses research from the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 model years.</div>

Subaru Outback Hybrid

The 2013 Subaru Outback ranks 1 out of 8 Wagons. This ranking is based on our analysis of 19 published reviews and test drives of the Subar...

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