The 2011 Ford F-Series has been America's top-selling truck for decades. But in a nod to changing times, Ford is now also focusing on fuel economy for its iconic truck.

 

The F-150, which is offering a V6 again this year, will get 23 mpg on the highway and 16 mpg in city driving using the naturally aspirated, 3.7-liter V6 that makes 302 hp. It works with an upgraded six-speed automatic. The figures are pending final EPA certification and are for the two-wheel configuration.

 

This engine still puts out 278 lb-ft of torque, critical for the daily grunt most work trucks require, and can tow up 6,100 pounds.

 

Also impressive is the new 5.0-liter V8, which will get 21 mpg on the highway and 15 mpg in the city. This engine pumps out 360 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque with 10,000 pounds of towing capacity.

 

Buyers now know exactly what to expect from the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport. Suzuki has announced that, next year, the sharper version of the company’s midsize 4-door will be available in two configurations: GTS and SLS. The Kizashi Sport GTS will come packed with luxuries such as a moonroof, Bluetooth hands-free calling and a 425-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system. The SLS trim throws in leather seats, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights, among other things. All of those goodies are piled on top of a suspension that is both lower and firmer than that of the standard Kizashi, and Suzuki says that as a result, the Kizashi Sport serves up a sharper driving experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honda took home the Greenest Automaker title for the fifth year in a row from the Union of Concerned Scientists last week. The company narrowly beat Toyota and Hyundai for the top spot.

 

UCS's rankings judge automakers' environmental performance on a smog-per-mile basis, along with global-warming emissions for the entire fleet. The average of the top eight automakers is considered 100, where a lower score is better, higher is worse.

 

Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler rounded out the top eight, accounting for 92 percent of cars sold worldwide.

 

This year's rankings saw improvement from all automakers, though the Detroit Three still ended up in the bottom half. Fleet average global-warming emissions continue to be a factor in the rankings, but as new standards are phased in, the UCS said it expects to see progress in that segment as well.

 

Need a car for your upcoming visit to Vacation Hot Spot X, but saddled with paralyzing guilt over your massive carbon footprint? Love the Nissan Leaf you have on order so much that you can't bear the thought of parting with it when you fly off to a distant city? Worry not: Enterprise Rent-A-Car aims to fix your problem. The company recently announced plans to offer 600 electric vehicles for rent in various locations around the world.   

 

 

 

 

 

Bentley is considering equipping its future V8-powered Continental GT variant with a dual-clutch transmission that sister-company Audi badges as S-Tronic.

 

Bentley's engineers are doing engineering studies on the feasibility of packaging the S-Tronic into the Continental's transmission tunnel.

 

In an enormous building in Japan, Toyota has built what it says is the "world's most advanced" driving simulator. The Lexus-branded sim, which looks like a giant golf ball and rides on a series of tracks inside a massive hangar, can mimic every aspect of modern driving, from high speed to cockpit distractions. It was engineered to monitor driver behavior and reaction times, and to help develop active safety features that may appear on future models.  

 

 

 

 

 

It was only natural. With the SUV craze decidedly downsizing, BMW appears set to add an X4 -- with a range-topping M version -- as part of plans to expand its utility-vehicle lineup in 2014.

 

Conceived along the lines of the highly successful X6, the X4 is a smaller and more agile four-seater. Although it shares the same floorpan, drivelines, chassis and engineering hard points as the X3, the X4 is set to receive individual styling in a move to give it a more sporting image and enable BMW to position it higher than the SUV upon which it is based.

 

There’s no question that Americans are opening their minds and wallets to small cars. But how small are most people willing to go? That’s the question I have after testing the Ford Fiesta subcompact and its kissing cousin, the Mazda2.

 

The Ford and Mazda hatchbacks, like the Honda Fit before them, are cute and spunky, if underpowered. But I’m still not sure I’d buy one -- especially when I could have a slightly bigger, better compact like a Mazda3 or the new-generation Ford Focus for only a bit more money.