Family Travel Experts

Car Reviews

Boston Roadtrip with the Ford C-Max Hybrid

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2013-ford-cmax-hybridAs a runner, I wanted to pay my respects to the Boston Marathoners; as an environmentalist, I didn’t want to use a lot of gas to go to Boston.

We had no choice but to drive to Boston to pick my daughter up at college; the self-same daughter who refuses to eat industrialized food or buy clothing produced in sweatshops.

So we chose the Ford C-Max Hybrid, which got an amazing 44 mpg on our trip. I had heard that the car did not deliver on its promised 47 mpg, but the C-Max came tantalizingly close. When SheBuysCars reviewed the C-Max in February, Scotty Reiss noted some of the reasons why the car might not get the promised gas mileage, and also some of its very smart options. 
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2013 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: More Space, Luxury, and Better Gas Mileage, Too

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2013 Toyota Highlander HybridThomas Jefferson advised the we should have a revolution every 20 years. He meant government, but the idea applies to anything: If we don’t continually rethink how we do what we do, we risk becoming irrelevant. 

The U.S. nearly lost our automotive industry to just such irrelevance, and in the last few years, a reinvention has swept the industry. But way out in front, before change was forced on the industry by the economy and the president, there was another revolution under way: rhe Toyota Highlander Hybrid. 
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The Chevy Volt: A Dashboard View

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volt dashThe thought of driving an electric car always seemed a little intimidating to me. Is there a learning curve? What happens when you are in the middle of the highway and the battery runs out?

When it comes to the technology of electric cars I am a bit of an auto-techno peasant but I recently had a chance to test drive the new 2013 Chevy Volt at a Chevy-sponsored TravelingMom retreat in Orlando and got all my questions answered.

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2013 Chevy Spark: Sporty, Economical and Fun

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spark“Spark” is a very appropriate name for Chevy’s first mini car built for North America.  I had the opportunity to test drive the 2013 Chevy Spark on a recent Chevy-sponsored retreat in Orlando.  Salsa red with an appealing, feisty look; I could see myself dashing around town in it just as easily as I could envision it as my teen’s first car.  The 10 standard airbags give me peace of mind as they surround my new driver.
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Revamped and Refreshed for 2014: Not Your Grandpa's Chevrolet Impala

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1 Impala RedWhen Chevrolet unveiled the 2014 Impala last year it received kudos for its efforts and attention; the car had become a rental car staple, reliable, but also, not a car you pictured for your daily life. The redeisgn gave this car not just a makeover, but a rethinking. The 2014 edition is filled with the style and substance to accommodate our lives, our needs and our comforts.

Outfitted with some great technology, including a very clever way to keep your phone hands free--by you AND by your co-opting passengers (for me, that’s my kids)--the Impala’s design team took the opportunity to improve the car wherever they could. 
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