On the Cover Review: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The Genesis Coupe is not Hyundai’s first foray into the sports coupe arena.  Most people are familiar with the Tiburon, which actually seems to have a similar design philosophy as the Genesis Coupe.  At first, the Tiburon had relatively good reviews, and some thought Hyundai had really turned a corner from their cheap commuter image.  As it turns out, the Tiburon was OK, but it never really set the world on fire.  Now, the Genesis is supposed to show that Hyundai has again turned a corner.  This time, they supposedly benchmarked cars from the likes of BMW to make a world-class performance machine.  Could be.  It is nicer than Hyundais of the past (including the Tiburon), but it still comes off a little cheap compared to your bosses Bimmer.  And that odd dip in the quarter window and the lemon-sucking nose treatment are a constant reminder that you’re driving something a bit different. Engines include a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out 210-hp.  There is also a 3.8-liter V6 that belches out a respectable 306-hp.  The V8 from the Genesis sedan is not available thus far.  The Genesis Coupe comes across as a decent performance value.  Perhaps Hyundai really has turned a corner with this car.  Only time will tell if it is a new corner, or just the same one they went around with the Tiburon.

On the Cover Review: 2010 Mazda CX-9

Go anywhere there are young kids—school parking lots, soccer fields, parent’s night out—and you are going to see Toyota Siennas, Honda Odysseys, and Chevy Suburbans as far as the eye can see.  These people love minivans and SUVs.  And yet, you can’t pick up a car magazine that doesn’t remind us how much people hate the stigma of driving minivans and SUVs, so that’s why we have all these crossovers.  Somebody must be buying them, though, because there sure are a lot of choices.  The CX-9 is one of them.  It seats seven passengers.  You can buy it with front- or all-wheel drive.  Turning your two or four wheels is a 273-hp, 3.7-liter V6.  The CX-9 shares its basic platform design with the Ford Edge.  It doesn’t exactly drive as nice as a car, but it isn’t as top-heavy as a minivan, and anyway, most cars can’t carry seven people.  It isn’t as practical as a minivan, but hey, people can’t stand those things.

On the Cover Review: 2010 Honda FCX Clarity

What is that, the new Accord?  Well, not exactly.  In spite of its relatively normal appearance, the FCX Clarity is a very technologically advanced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.  And unlike the Accord, you can’t just run out and buy one at the local Honda store.  The FCX Clarity is more of an experiment than a real car.  A handful of people in the Los Angeles area were able to lease FCX Clarities for $600/month to see how they work in the real world—a pittance when you figure that each car cost upwards of seven figures to put on the road.  There are a few hydrogen refueling stations in southern California, which is why the test is there.  And just like that, we’ve revealed one of the drawbacks to hydrogen technology.  We have a nation that has been building and perfecting gasoline stations for some 100-years.  Changing the infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, as well as support the millions of gasoline-powered cars and trucks on the road, would be a monumental task.  Even Honda predicts this technology wouldn’t be available to the masses until around 2020.  So until then, the FCX Clarity is a concept car that is being tried out on the road.  It may or may not be the answer to eliminating our dependence on gasoline, but right now, it is way too early to tell.

On the Cover Review: 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T

The Dodge Challenger hasn’t been around all that long, but in the world of Pony Cars, it’s the old kid on the block.  The Camaro is brand new in 2010, and the Mustang received a major refresh.  So to combat all this newness, Dodge updated the Challenger by adding a very old color.  Huh?  Well, look at the picture, and you’ll see the vibrant Plum Crazy Pearl Coat hue, inspired by the popular Challengers and Plymouth ’Cudas of the early ’70s.  The R/T is the mid-level of the Challenger line, and comes equipped with a 370-hp, 5.7-liter “Hemi” V8, and it’s good for zero-to-60 times in the sub-six-second range.  Plum Crazy R/Ts are available with special white or black stripes down the side that really give the car a retro vibe.  The Challenger is often criticized for its size and weight, and since it is based off of the same platform as a Chrysler 300, there is some validity to that.  On the other hand, the Challenger feels strong, and it really is pretty fast.  Plus, all that weight makes it a nice highway cruiser.  And anyway, how fast do you need to go?  With that bright Plum Crazy paint job, you’ll have a hard enough time avoiding tickets!

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One of Penton’s strongest titles is also one of the least known throughout the company.  The Automobile Red Book, a production of Penton Business Media, has been a class-leader in automotive pricing guides since 1911.  

Used primarily by government agencies and insurance companies, the Red Book staff takes pride in providing the most accurate, comprehensive car and light truck VIN-decipherable pricing data in the industry.

“We have several State governments, insurance companies, and lenders that exclusively use the Red Book for their valuation and identification needs,” said Tom Fournier, Red Book Product Manager and 29-year Penton Media veteran, “so data accuracy is critical.”

One of the strengths of the Red Book is that is has been in business for 99 years.  It is the oldest value guide in existence, and puts that background and experience behind every valuation.

The Red Book doesn’t remain one of the most respected valuation guides in the industry by just looking to the past.  Even though the basic premise has never changed—accurate data with accurate pricing—the product has always kept up with the times.  In addition to the traditional printed version, Red Book data can also be accessed through a secure Internet site.  Some customers also require electronic data extracts in order to mate Red Book research to their computer systems.

The Red Book also includes vehicle evaluations to the printed version and the Price Digests website.  

“Automobile manufacturers and consumers respect our opinions,” stated Craig Hover, Red Book editor.  “We are frequently invited by the manufacturers to test and evaluate new vehicles.  We wanted a way to pass our opinions and experiences along to our customers, which is why we created our write-up section.”

The Automobile Red Book is updated monthly in digital form.  To learn more about this or any of Penton’s Price Digests valuation guides, click the product index tabs above left here at www.pricedigests.com.

On the Cover Review: 2011 Ford Super Duty

If Ford knows how to do anything really well, it is build pickup trucks.  F-250, F-350, and F-450 trucks, also known as “Super Duties”, are used and abused by happy owners every day.  And even though the idea of a pickup truck-type vehicle goes back to when people pulled wagons with horses, Ford continues to update, upgrade, and modernize their trucks with each passing year.  The 2011 truck is a good case in point.  Some of the changes are cosmetic, as it takes several design cues from the Super Chief concept that was shown at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show.  But under the hood, there will be a new 6.7-liter Scorpion Power Stroke diesel V8 available.  Ford promises more power, better fuel economy, and the ability to run the new engine on B20 biodiesel.  As time goes on, Red Book hopes to put the 2011 Super Duty to the test.  As we get more information, we’ll pass it along to our readers.