Tag Archives: Ford Escape

Mazda6 Wins Popular Mechanics Car of the Year Award

2014 Mazda6Last year, Popular Mechanics awarded their first Car of the Year award to the Ford Escape, but in its second year, Mazda has taken the magazine’s top honor.

In a joint press release, Mazda and Popular Mechanics announced that the 2014 Mazda6 was named Car of the Year. Vehicles that were in consideration for Car of the Year were judged by editors and contributors to the magazine, and their final decision was based on affordability, utility, fuel efficiency, performance, innovation, and bold design. Popular Mechanics also wrote in the announcement on their website that the Mazda6 is an “underdog story” that won the award because Mazda made a “truly great car.”

The 2014 Mazda6 comes with impressive standard features on the 2014 Mazda6 include leather steering wheel and shift knob, six audio speakers, MP3 audio input, USB connection, and front reading lights. Safety-wise, it also comes with standard 4-wheel ABS, dual front side-mounted airbags, front and rear head airbags, stability control, and tire pressure monitoring. In their review, Edmunds gave the Mazda6 a B rating, and at the time of publishing, it had earned a consumer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Readers, what do you think? Have you checked out the 2014 Mazda6, and did it deserve to win Popular Mechanics’ Car of the Year award? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

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CONSUMER ALERT: Recalls for 2013 Ford Focus, C-Max, and Escape

Edmunds is reporting a new recall on the 2013 Ford Focus, C-Max, and Escape, starting March 25.

Some of these new Ford vehicles have a faulty child lock mechanism installed on the left door of the backseat. Child locks are supposed to automatically lock the backseat doors from the inside while the engine is turned on so that children in the back seat cannot accidentally open the door.

Ford will replace the locks on all affected vehicles, and until then, it is recommended that any small children be seated in the middle or on the right side of the backseat. Fortunately, there have not been any reported injuries related to the faulty child locks, and with the recall, Ford hopes to keep it that way.

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Auto Loan: Finalists Announced for 2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year

This morning, the top 3 finalists for the 20th annual North American Car of the Year and Truck/Utility of the Year were announced at a luncheon for the Automotive Press Association. Contenders for Car of the Year will be the Cadillac ATS, Ford Fusion, and Honda Accord, and contenders for Truck/Utility of the Year will be the Ford C-Max, Mazda CX-5, and Ram 1500.

Finalists for both awards were voted on by 49 American and Canadian automotive journalists. 11 cars and 10 trucks/utilities made the short list of nominees. The Dodge Dart, BMW 3 Series, and Nissan Altima were among the cars that didn’t quite make the cut. On the truck/utility side, the Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Nissan Pathfinder didn’t make the top 3.

Here are the complete nominee lists for the 2013 North American Car of the Year and Truck/Utility of the Year Award.

2013 North American Car of the Year

BMW 3 Series
Cadillac ATS – FINALIST
Chevrolet Malibu
Dodge Dart
Ford Fusion – FINALIST
Honda Accord – FINALIST
Lincoln MKZ
Nissan Altima
Scion FR-S
Subaru BRZ
Toyota Avalon

2013 North American Truck/Utility of the Year

Acura RDX
Audi Allroad
BMX X1
Ford C-Max – FINALIST
Ford Escape
Hyundai Santa Fe
Infiniti JX35
Mazda CX-5 – FINALIST
Nissan Pathfinder
Ram 1500 – FINALIST

Both winners will be announced on January 14th as part of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Last year’s winners were the Hyundai Elantra and the Land Rover Range Rover.

Readers, we want to hear from you! Who do you think will win Car and Truck/Utility of the Year? Do you disagree with the top 3? Leave a comment below, and tell us what you think!

Are you ready to get into a new or used car, truck, or utility vehicle? Approved Loan Store can help! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get you the car you want at terms you can afford! Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and get the latest auto news and buying tips by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Toyota, Chevrolet Sonic Earn High Marks in Brand Loyalty

When shopping for a new car, I want to know which brands and models inspire brand loyalty. I want to know which drivers are going back to their current brand or model to look for their next car. Buying a car is a commitment, and brand loyalty surveys are the best way to gauge which drivers have buyer’s regret and which drivers really love their car.

A recent report on brand loyalty from Experian Automotive had some fascinating results. The report looked at which vehicles had returning customers when they went to buy their next car. The top 5 vehicle brands and top 10 vehicle models are as follows:

Top 5 Brands

  1. Toyota:  47.3 percent return rate
  2. General Motors:  46.2 percent
  3. Ford:  46 percent
  4. Hyundai:  45.3 percent
  5. Honda:  43.1 percent

Top 10 Models

  1. Chevrolet Sonic:  60.3 percent
  2. Ford Fusion:  59.9 percent
  3. Ford Flex:  56 percent
  4. Ford Edge:  55.1 percent
  5. Ford Five Hundred:  53.1 percent
  6. Toyota Prius:  51.8 percent
  7. Chevrolet Cruze:  51.7 percent
  8. Kia Forte:  51.6 percent
  9. Ford Escape:  51.4 percent
  10. Ford Fiesta:  51.2 percent

Toyota took the top spot for car brands even though it only had one vehicle in the top 10 models. Ford dominated the models list with the Fusion, Flex, Edge, Five Hundred, Escape, and Fiesta, more than half the list. Most surprising, though, was that the new kid on the block, the Chevrolet Sonic, came in first with model loyalty. The Chevrolet Sonic, formerly known as the Chevrolet Aveo, only premiered in the United States a year ago. The fact that it is already commanding such brand loyalty is really interesting and definitely something to watch in the coming years.

Readers, we want to hear from you! Did your favorite car make the top ten? When you look for a new car, what car makes and models stand out to you or draw you back again? Leave a comment below, and tell us what you think!

Are you looking to get into a new or used car? Approved Loan Store can help! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we want to get you into a car you want at terms you can afford! Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and get the latest auto news and buying tips by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!