From Autoblog: Study: Cheaper cars are more expensive to insure

This makes no sense!! (OK, it does, but still!!!)
So basically, don’t buy too cheap of a car?! o.O
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2012 Honda Civic

Life is not fair. That’s about the only rational explanation we can offer for this little fact of life: A low MSRP is likely to mean big insurance payments.

Citing information from Insure.com, MarketWatch says the average price to insure a 2012 Honda Civic sedan, for instance, is about $2,353 per year, while a 2012 Toyota Sienna will run only $1,111 annually. The least expensive vehicles to insure tend to be relatively large vehicles, like minivans, trucks and SUV’s, according to the report. Even though those vehicles tend to be much more expensive than compact cars, they also tend to be driven by older, safer drivers.

Don’t think this is just a case of the rich getting richer, however, as expensive luxury and sports cars are none too cheap to insure either. The 2012 Audi R8 Spyder topped the Insure.com list of most expensive vehicles to insure at $3,384 per year. The Sienna had the lowest average insurance cost in the study, followed by the Jeep Patriot and Dodge Grand Caravan.

Insure.com’s editorial director, Amy Danise, told MarketWatch that the savings some people think they’re getting by buying small could evaporate because of the higher insurance premiums. Her advice to keep premiums low? “Buy the minivan, move to the farm, only drive it locally and make sure you never have an accident or kids,” she said.

I think we’ll just keep writing those checks to AAA instead.

 

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From Autoblog: 2012 Hyundai Azera priced from $32,000 and Gen Coupe from $24,250*

Awesome! I had a look at Azera (Grandeur in Korea) in Korea last year and it looks great! I just don’t know if the price increase from mid $20k’s to low $30k’s is going to work…
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We’ve gotten word from our man on location driving the new 2012 Hyundai Azera that the Korean automaker’s fully redesigned full-size front-wheel-drive sedan will start at $32,000, not including $875 in destination charges, when it goes on sale this spring. The only option available will be a $4,000 Tech package. We’re not certain yet what all will be included in the Tech package since items like touch-screen navigation and a back-up camera will be standard equipment on the 2012 Azera, but we’re looking into it.

Hyundai is asking an awful lot more for its new Azera compared to the one it replaces, which carried a base MSRP of just $25,495. We’ll have our First Drive report on the 2012 Hyundai Azera ready soon to let you know if the price jump is justified.

We likewise have pricing information to report for the refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which will start at $24,250, again not including $875 in destination charges. That’s for the four-cylinder 2.0t model with a manual transmission, while the upper bound on pricing is represented by the 3.8-liter V6-powered Track model with the new eight-speed automatic transmission that costs $34,250.

Lastly, while rumors had resurfaced again that Hyundai was considering creating a luxury sub-brand called Genesis that would sell both the sedan and coupe along with the larger Equus, Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik has told Autoblog, “There is no plan to create Genesis sub brand.” He did, however, indicate that the next-generation Genesis sedan should have all-wheel drive as an option.

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From Autoblog: Video: Translogic visits Europe, first to drive the Lightning GT

The Lightning GT all-electric supercar has been inching its way towards production for years now. The last time we talked about itwas November 2010, but it’s back thanks to Translogic.

The video series from our colleagues at AOL Autos took a trip to Europe and managed to score the very first drive of the Lightning GT before anyone else. Not even Top Gear has sat in this thing and it’s being developed in their backyard.

The specs for the car as they stand today are 400 horsepower from its electric motor powering the rear wheels for a 0-60 time of around 4.5 seconds and a maximum range of 150 miles. The folks behind the Lightning GT even claim that their lithium-titanate batteries (sourced from the U.S.) can be recharged in just 10 minutes when paired with a big daddy ultra powerful off-board charger.

Bold claims for sure, and we’d likely describe the Lightning GT as vaporware if Translogic didn’t just drive it. Drive it they did, though, so follow the jumpto watch Translogic host Bradley Hasemeyer be the first to put foot to floor in the Lightning GT.

Continue reading Translogic visits Europe, first to drive the Lightning GT

 

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From Autoblog: Video: This is the difference between a sports sedan and the GT-R

m5 versus gtr

Okay, this is an easy one. If we told you to pick a performance winner between the Nissan GT-R and the BMW M5, we’re guessing the vast majority of you would pick Godzilla to come out on top. Both vehicles feature over 500 horsepower, but the BMW weighs over 400 pounds more, and the GT-R counters with one of the world’s most impressive all-wheel-drive systems.

That didn’t stop the Autocar team from pitting the M5 against the GT-R in a test of acceleration, cornering, braking, G-force and general feel. Given the GT-R’s 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds and its reputation for otherworldly handling, you know how this one is going to play out. But will the Nissan super coupe take all five tests? To be honest, a few of the tests were a bit closer than we would have thought. Hit the jumpto check it out.

Continue reading This is the difference between a sports sedan and the GT-R

 

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From Autoblog: Official: 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe has the Civic in its Fluidic sights

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Hyundai wants its Elantra to dominate the C segment, and that means in all body styles. The just-introduced five-door GT is set to battle the Ford Focus and Subaru Impreza hatchbacks, and this new Elantra Coupe clearly has the two-door Honda Civic in its sights.

The four-door Elantra already wears pretty rakish sheetmetal that carries over nicely to the Coupe, which is actually half an inch longer than the sedan (173.8 inches versus 173.3 inches). The other dimensions are identical to the sedan, and Hyundai cites greater interior room as one of the Coupe’s advantages over its competition. By contrast, the Honda Civic Coupe is 0.3 inches shorter than the Elantra Coupe, and the Honda rides on a three-inch shorter wheelbase.

The Elantra Coupe has more power than the Honda Civic Coupe and the manual should get 1 mpg more in the city and 4 more mpg on the highway

Hyundai’s new two-door gets the same 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder being liberally spread across the line, with the same 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet as the Elantra GT and the same pair of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Mileage is estimated to be 29 city/40 highway for the manual and 28 city/39 highway for auto. This means the Elantra Coupe has more power than the Honda Civic Coupe and, if the fuel economy numbers hold true, the manual would get 1 mpg more in the city and 4 more mpg on the highway, but both slushbox cars would be dead even.

There will be two Elantra Coupe trims: base GS or top-spec SE. Both have been tuned for extra sportiness versus the sedan and, as we’ve come to expect, while Hyundai throws plenty at the GS, the SE gets the truly sporty goods. The SE swaps the 16-inch standard rims for 17-inchers, gets a rear “lip spoiler design element,” even more suspension tuning for its lower-profile tires, and only it offers the option of touchscreen navigation and a rear-view camera. Both models, however, will get seven exterior colors, three of them Coupe-only, but inside it’s nothing but black or grey.

Pricing should come soon, but for now, enjoy the press release after the jump and the high-res gallery of images. Stay tuned for more impressions live from the Chicago Auto Show floor.

Continue reading 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe has the Civic in its Fluidic sights

 

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