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Click above for high-res gallery of each crash testThe Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released complete crash test scores today for eight SUVs including the 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue, 2009 VW Tiguan, 2008 Chevy Equinox/Pontiac Torrent, 2008 Jeep Wrang......

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Mazda6.Despite having the ability to snatch the 2.3-liter gasoline-electric hybrid from FoMoCo's arsenal – the same engine found in the Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid and 2009 Fusion – Mazda has decided to keep the new Mazda6 hybrid-free f......

The car-buying public has put its collective foot down and demanded fuel-efficient vehicles, and automakers are likely to do anything to answer customer demand. That may include reinventing the wheel, as more automakers look into incorporating low rolling resistance tires into non-hybrid vehicles. T......

Click above for a gallery of the Euro-market Ford FocusFinally. The European Ford Focus will go into production in the United States in 2010 along with the Fiesta. This has been officially confirmed by Ford, which will offer the Euro Focus here in both four- and five-door body styles. That's not the......

Click above for more shots of the Ford Escape PHEVIn what seems like a convenient answer to Mark Fields' request just yesterday for government assistance for the development of plug-in hybrids, the Department of Energy has just announced that it will be granting up to $30 million for just this type ......

My fiance and my parents are both in the market for a new car, and they both want the Prius. Too bad, I told them, because there's a global shortage of nickel-metal hydride batteries that's crippling the supply of Toyota's feel good go machine. I didn't bother telling them that the Prius is essentia......

Click above for a high-res gallery of the lifeguard EscapesThe Los Angeles County Lifeguards (cue the Baywatch theme and visions of Pamela and the shirtless Hoff) are getting new rides. A fleet of customized 4WD Ford Escape Hybrids is replacing the group's current pickup trucks, and the first ten (o......

Click on the 2009 Ford Escape for a high res galleryThe 2008 redesign of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner wasn't the clean-sheet redesign Ford would like people to believe. In fact, only the parts visible to the naked eye were "all new." Aside from the body and interior, the working bits that mak......

Click above to view videos after the jumpOne of the cool features that Ford is introducing for the 2009 model year is its updated navigation system with Sirius Travel Link. When we went out to drive the updated 2009 Ford Escape this week, Ford's chief technology spokes-model Alan Hall gave us a gui......

For 2009, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner (as well as the Mazda Tribute) are getting the powertrain updates that they missed out on when their exteriors were revamped last year. While the 2008 models had all-new looks and interiors, the engines and transmissions were carried over from 2007, incl......