Tag Archives: mpg

2012 Mazda 2 Full Review:

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The 2012 Mazda 2 reviewed by txGarage

The 2012 Mazda 2 reviewed by txGarage

Small, compact cars are really making a comeback in America, and we’ve driven quite a few here, including the new Ford Fiesta. The all new Mazda 2 is based on the same platform as the Fiesta, so you’d assume they are pretty similar cars. While they’re similar in size, that might just be where the similarities stop. We’ve had the opportunity to drive a few different models of the Fiesta and on every occasion we’ve come back with the same opinions. It’s a great car for the money. Lots of fun to drive on tight, twisty roads and economical. So what did we think about the Mazda 2?

Mazda obviously has roots in racing and they have been branding their portfolio to remind you of that fact. So the first area where the Mazda differs from the Ford is in the weight of the car. Mazda knows lighter is better. The Mazda 2 is only a few hundred pounds heavier than the Lotus Elise, one of the best handling and fun cars you can buy. It’s also a few hundred pounds lighter than it’s cousin, the Ford Fiesta. Continue reading →

2012 Mazda 5 full review

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Family wagon, mini-mini-van, crossover, people carrier, or standing in a class of it’s own? The Mazda 5 was introduced in the American market back in 2005. Although small family cars like this are popular in Europe and Asia, they are not prevalent in America. There isn’t much here that competes directly with the Mazda 5 and it’s not terribly hard to see why. We love our SUV’s. If you’re looking for a vehicle to carry 6 people, there are a slew of options that are bigger and have much more interior room. What if you’re looking for fuel economy and price point though?

Being a driver in Texas, you keep in the back of your mind, while car shopping at least, that you never know what kind of terrain you may encounter. The idea of a taller, more rugged SUV is a very appealing one for a family. But SUV’s are expensive, and even the ones that are good on fuel economy, aren’t that great. The Mazda 5 on the other hand is a bargin for a vehicle that can seat 6 people in comfort. In the 2012 model, Mazda implemented more of their flowing design style. This makes the 5 appear smaller than it actually is. So as you stand outside of it thinking, how am I going to fit anyone into that third row, it’s easy to doubt this cars appeal. Continue reading →

The 2012 Honda Civic Coupe Reviewed

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2012 Honda Civic Coupe reviewed by txGarage

2012 Honda Civic Coupe reviewed by txGarage

We had a chance to do a Quick Drive review of this 2012 Honda Civic Coupe back during the Texas Auto Roundup where to be quite honest, we were fairly unimpressed at that time. It didn’t help that just before driving the Honda Civic Coupe we took the Kia Forte 5 out and thought it was everything we wanted the Civic to be. We now have this car for an extended period where we can really check it out and let you know what we think.

Exterior
At first glance it doesn’t seem like the 2012 Civic is much different looking than the 2011 model. Take a closer look though and you’ll see the lines are much cleaner and more swoopy. It’s more wedged and has a more aggressive stance making it look more sporty. After spending some time really studying the lines and design of the car I actually quite liked it. Continue reading →

2011 Ford Explorer reviewed

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2011 Ford Explorer reviewed by txGarage

2011 Ford Explorer reviewed by txGarage

In the time leading up to us reviewing the 2011 Ford Explorer, I was already quite excited about it. All Ford products we’ve driven in the last few years have been getting better and better and there is no getting away from the fact that this is one nice looking SUV. Continue reading →

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed w/ Video

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed by txGarage

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed by txGarage

I’ll admit, after selling my Acura Integra in 2002, I really didn’t pay much attention to the Acura brand. Their styling seemed to go from bad to downright ugly. Their performance seemed to run away after letting the Integra go and featuring the RSX. At the Main Street in Motion event, I test drove the new Acura TSX in comparison to the Buick Regal turbo and was quite shocked at how well I liked it. Then I drove the 2012 Acura TL around the infield track at Texas Motor Speedway. Again, I was shocked at how well the car handled, how balanced it was, how nice the steering was, and how good the paddle shifters on the automatic transmission were.

After seeing the commercials for the new TSX Sport Wagon, my first impression was amazement that they’d bring this to America. My next impression was that it couldn’t be as good as the TSX was. Of course now we have the chance to test it out and see what’s really what. Continue reading →

2012 Ford Focus Reviewed

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2012 Ford Fucus Titanium Sedan – Ingot Silver Metallic

The 2012 Ford Focus Titanium Sedan by txGarage

The 2012 Ford Focus Titanium Sedan by txGarage

The Ford Focus has never been that strong of a competitor in the U.S. market. Although having great success with the Focus, and growing the platform, over seas Ford neglected the Focus brand here in their home market keeping a cheaper and older platform. The enthusiast community, including us here at txGarage, have cried for years for Ford to bring the Euro market Focus here to the United States. We’ve talked about cars like the Mazda 3 and the Volvo C30 which share the Euro Focus platform and how that makes them better than the American Focus.

Well you can forget about all of that now. In 2010 Ford announced that the new Focus would be the same in the Euro market and the American market. Finally they are bringing the enthusiast car into America, but does it live up to they hype? How does the 2012 Ford Focus handle Texas and our great terrain? Continue reading →

Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

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2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius

This week on txGarage we are testing the all new 2010 Toyota Prius. In all honesty, I’ll have to say none of us were too thrilled about driving the Prius for the week, Hybrid cars just are not our style. Let’s start out with our preconceived notions about the Prius itself. Although I have never driven the 1st gen or 2nd gen Prius, I’ve always heard the same; they are slow, they are heavy and handle horribly, and they cost too much to make up the benefit of the gas savings. Not to mention that it’s not much of a looker. So, why buy a Prius then? Continue reading →

Video: 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

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We had the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid for a few weeks during the Christmas break and really enjoyed our time in it. This is our video showing a little bit of what we thought about the new Milan. For a full review check out our post here, or hit the jump to see the video.
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Review: 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

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2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

Driving on icy highways is no fun anywhere, but in Central Texas it becomes downright dangerous. A large percentage of Texans drive trucks, rear-wheel-drive with no traction. Couple that with the fact that we never seem to be prepared for ice or snow and it really gets dangerous. Heading home from visiting family for Christmas Eve, we hit the worst part of a bad snow day. A two hour long journey would be turned into a five hour marathon as we crept along the icy highways. We hit an enormous amount of traffic and hardship along the roads. Trucks would spin their tires desperately trying to climb hills; 18-wheelers would jackknife or would be unable to gain traction; Mustangs and 350Zs littered the ditches and medians; and mangled vehicles crept down the highway trying to get home. All I could think of, after the safety of my family of course, was not hurting this new press vehicle loaned to me by Ford. Surprisingly though, this 2010 Mercury Milan handled the snow and ice with ease, never did I think I would be happy that I was driving a front-wheel-drive car. Continue reading →