Countdown to Black Friday: Best GPS deals

Black Friday is the busiest day of the holiday shopping season and with the state of the economy, a number of stores are offering great discounts and deals on a number of popular items. In fact, some are so anxious, they are offering door-buster-grade deals well in advance of the official sales holiday.
From the deals we’ve discovered, portable navigation systems (PNDs) have come down considerably in price and many of our top-rated models are now more affordable than ever. Some are basic models that will get you easily from point A to point B, but increasingly affordable mid-level models offer added features such as a wide screen, spoken street names, and traffic capability.

Whether buying a gift or for personal use, consult our GPS buying advice to learn about key features, then check the Ratings, which will soon be updated with three new models—the Garmin 1690, Magellan RoadMate 1700, and TomTom XXL 530. There is a convenient product selector to help sort and filter the GPS Ratings based on the features that matter most to you. (Ratings and selectors are available to online subscribers.)

The best GPS deals

We have scoured the brand-name retailers who have historically offered good GPS deals and pulled together a list of standout deals. Last year we saw new, smaller brands challenge the market giants with low-cost (and often low-rated) units. Still sore from the 2008 bruising, Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom have come out this season with aggressive pricing on good devices, effectively reclaiming the space in sales flyers and door-buster status.

Below is a list of GPS deals available for Black Friday, November 27th. Better pricing may be available at other retailers, particularly Web-based stores. Availability and pricing may change at any time, so it’s a good idea to confirm all the details with the individual retailers. As of today, a number of companies including Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Circuit City have not yet announced their Black Friday sales, but we’ll bring you more GPS deals next week.

Remember, ordering online may save you from the harried competition and waking up at the crack of dawn. You can compare prices from with our GPS model pages by using the Price & Shop function, tapping in approved stores, each listed with a user rating.

Definitely check the ratings before buying. In the list below, there are two and even three product generations represented from the manufacturers. In many cases, buying a newer unit will be the right move, as it will have more advanced features and fresher maps. (Older units may well have been sitting on a warehouse shelf for a long time.)

Happy shopping!

Garmin Nuvi 205W
$99.99 Best Buy

Garmin Nuvi 205
$89.99 Sears

Garmin Nuvi 255WT
$129.99 Best Buy

Garmin Nuvi 255W
$119.99 Staples

Magellan RoadMate 1220
$89.99 Sears

Magellan Roadmate 1440
$119.99 Sears
$119.99 Kmart

TomTom One 130
$77.99 Office Depot
$79.99 Kmart
$79.99 Sears

TomTom Go 630
$169.99 Office Depot
$169.99 Sears

TomTom GO 730
$174.99 Best Buy

TomTom XL 340S
$97.00 Target

TomTom XL325-SE
$89.00 Walmart

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

—Liza Barth

Toyota takes on IIHS Top Safety Picks

Just days after its public shouting match with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over sudden acceleration claims, Toyota is now arguing with the nation’s top private safety organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

On Wednesday, the IIHS released its list of Top Safety Picks for 2010. This year the Institute added a new roof strength test to its requirements for cars to receive the rating. That demanding criteria dramatically shortened the 2010 list.

In its press release announcing the results, IIHS called out Toyota for having no vehicles that qualified.

In response, yesterday Toyota called IIHS’s new methodology “extreme and misleading.” In a statement, Toyota Vice President of Public Affairs Irv Miller said, “There are 38 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models, and only three were tested for roof strength by IIHS: Camry, RAV4, and Yaris.” He said all Toyota products meet government standards for roof crush. The new IIHS test for roof strength is much tougher than the government standard, which NHTSA looking to make more stringent.

Later yesterday, Russ Rader, an IIHS spokesman, essentially told Toyota to put up or shut up. He is quoted in the New York Times stating that all automakers were invited to nominate vehicles to be tested (and reimburse IIHS for the test.) “We don’t think there are automakers who would miss the opportunity to have their vehicles tested if they thought they met the criteria. We can only assume the [manufacturer’s other] vehicles would not do well for roof strength.”

While Toyota still has among the most reliable and fuel-efficient car lineups Consumer Reports has tested, the bloom may be coming off the company’s rose. While its cars generally do well in most safety measures, this pattern of blasting the messenger isn’t helping its public image, an image that is increasingly under attack.

Over time, the IIHS is expected to test more vehicles for roof strength. The test is performed by pressing a metal plate against one side of the roof at a constant speed. To earn a Good rating, a vehicle must withstand a force that is four times the vehicle’s weight before compressing five inches. This tough new test adds another dimension to the Top Safety Picks.

For information on how vehicles perform in government and IIHS crash tests, see the safety tabs in the model overview pages, available to online subscribers.

Watch more than 300 crash tests videos to see how vehicles perform in frontal offset and side-impact tests.

—Eric Evarts

Consumer Reports family sedans chat

Today, Consumer Reports experts will be online to discuss the latest road test group—family sedans—here in the Cars blog at 1 p.m. ET.

As seen in the December 2009 edition of Consumer Reports magazine, we tested several all-new and updated models, including the Ford Fusion, Mazda3 iTouring, Subaru Legacy, and Toyota Camry.

Our automotive experts will field questions about these cars and other sedans during the live, interactive chat, sharing test findings and helping you make the right buying decisions.

Pricing: 2010 Acura ZDX

Acura has announced a starting price of $45,495 for the new ZDX four-door luxury crossover. The sleek, new MDX-based car will be available in three trim packages: base, Technology Package ($49,995) and Advanced Package ($56,045). All models come standard with all-wheel drive and a 300-hp, 3.7-liter V6 engine. EPA mileage is estimated at 16/23 city/highway.

Standard features on the base model include a panoramic glass roof, concealed rear door handles, and leather accents on the dash, center console, and door panels. The Technology Package adds a navigation system with voice recognition, real-time traffic and weather, a full display screen, and multi-view rear camera. Also included is an upgraded audio system with a built-in hard drive to store up to 3,500 songs; a GPS-linked, solar-sensing, dual-zone automatic climate control system; and keyless entry with push-button start.

The Advance Package adds a blind-spot information system, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance system, Integrated Dynamic System (IDS)--which offers a Comfort and Sport setting--and heated leather front seats.

We recently took a ride in the new ZDX and found that style has trumped utility. The fit and finish is first rate, the exterior attractive, and there are a number of interesting features, but the low roof, close quarters, and poor access will have limited appeal even to the targeted affluent empty nesters.

All models include $810 for destination and handling. The ZDX will hit dealerships on Dec. 15th.

Read our first impression on the Acura ZDX, and visit the ZDX model overview page.

—Liza Barth

Tires Q&A: Can I replace one or two tires at a time on my car?

Consumers Union held their annual open-house tour on Saturday, October 17 at the company headquarters in Yonkers, New York. Visitors got a chance to tour various stations to hear how Consumer Reports tests different products. It’s always a nice opportunity to talk about how we test tires at this event and as in past years there were a lot of interested visitors looking for more information on tires, particularly on how to buy.

Question: By far, the most common question asked this year was: “Is it OK to purchase just two tires at time?”

Answer: A simple question, indeed, and the simple answer is yes you can in most cases--but there are many considerations.

Most importantly, CR recommends rotating tires routinely following the guidelines spelled out in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, typically every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. The owner’s manual will have a rotation pattern to follow as well. Following the routine rotations will optimize a tire’s tread life and will wear all four tires evenly. Bottom line: when it comes time to replacing the worn-out tires, buy four new ones.

Many drivers may not rotate tires at all or not on a routine schedule. Owners of front-wheel drive vehicles will likely be replacing the front tires two to three times more often than the rear tires --since the front tires are doing most of the work by driving the wheels, doing most of the braking, and steering the car. The rear tires have a much easier life, being generally lightly loaded and free-rolling. In this common scenario, where only two tires are worn out and need replacing, CR recommends at least purchasing new tires of like brand and model as those already on the car, despite the best practice of purchasing a full set of four new tires. Mixing tire brands or even different models may cause handling instability. And when replacing only two, we recommend installing the new tires in the rear and placing the (older but still decent) rear tires in the front. This may help prevent a spinout or oversteer condition on slick roads. Both these recommendations apply to rear-wheel drive vehicles as well.

Finally, if you own an all-wheel drive vehicle, the first step before buying a new tire or pair of tires (short of installing four new ones) is to read the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Many makes of all-wheel drive vehicles will stipulate that all four tires must be of the same size, brand, model, and state of wear. Any deviation could result in an all-wheel drive system failure due to the stress placed on it from rotating dissimilar overall diameter tires.

Now wasn’t that simple?

To see full details on all tire models we tested, check out our Ratings and recommendations (available to subscribers). In addition to our updated Ratings, all site visitors can access our free buying advice for tips on getting started, types of tires we test, features that are important in making a tire purchase, and general tire care. Also, be sure to check out our TireTalk forum to interact with our tire engineers and other drivers.

—Gene Petersen 

Algae slime makes good “Fuel” for moviegoers

For an alternative perspective on the future of the automobile, it may help to look at an alternative film. “Fuel” by Josh Tickle is a thought-provoking documentary that examines America’s addiction to oil and what we can do about it.
 
Tickle does a good job of keeping the serious subject rather upbeat and hopeful, as he travels the world in his so-called Veggie Van, fueled by used vegetable oil. The film is engaging and friendly, cajoling audiences into sympathy with its message, not browbeating them.
 
Tickle is a fan of biodiesel, and a lot of the movie is focused on that fuel. Biodiesel is a promising alternative that until recently had problems only with scalability. It worked terrifically for the few consumers who made the commitment to use it, but it looked difficult to supply enough to fuel more than a million or so of America’s roughly 240 million cars. (Read “Diesel vs. biodiesel vs. vegetable oil.”)
 
“Fuel” also documents the growth of the algae biofuel movement, which promises to create economies of scale that biofuels have not had before. (We’ll look into this fuel movement and share our own findings later.)
 
Statistics on alternative fuels are notoriously squishy. Different studies show different advantages. But as a student of these studies, Tickle’s numbers are within the range of those cited by neutral sources, unlike those of some other documentaries on the automotive industry.
 
That’s not to say the movie doesn’t occasionally paint a rosy picture. As with other documentaries, its problems are more of omission, rather than commission. Framing the discussion around biofuels results in a myopic exclusion of any discussion of fuel cells, batteries, or the micro-level economics fundamental to most American families.
 
For example, after it spends a significant amount of time interviewing officials and citizens of some European countries moving off of oil, and noting how they may pay less for biodiesel than for petroleum-based fuel, it fails to mention that consumers in the United States almost always pay more.
 
And “Fuel” misses the point that the government is now heavily subsidizing the development and distribution of electric cars and plug-in hybrids to wean the U.S. off of oil. And while it touches on the future of wind and solar power, it never mentions the fact that these alternatives also need advanced batteries that can piggy-back off the development of new batteries for cars.
 
One amazing statistic in the film compares the cost of funding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (to protect American access to oil, the film posits) with the cost of providing enough solar panels to meet the electricity needs of every household in the United States. Based on our check of government and solar industry figures, the cost would be about $350 billion, or about three years of averaged war funding. (Admittedly, the issue is more complex than pure dollars, but it is an interesting bit of trivia, nonetheless.)
 
Accepting the biodiesel emphasis for what it is, leaves an informative and engaging documentary. It raises interesting questions worth considering, and it’s worth seeing even for those who consider themselves pretty well informed on alternative fuel issues.

—Eric Evarts

Survey: SUVs are top choice as consumers consider their next vehicle purchase

Over half of Consumer Reports online subscribers plan to buy or have recently purchased a new vehicle, and SUVs are the number-one pick for those still considering which vehicle type to buy, according to a recent survey. The popularity of SUVs signals a return to larger, versatile vehicles, despite the steep prices at the pump last year that led to a surge in small car sales. These findings are from a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center that included more than 2,000 interviews of ConsumerReports.org subscribers.

Survey respondents who recently bought sport/utilities, or anticipated buying one, had several reasons for why they considered SUVs to have unique benefits and advantages over other vehicle types. Space, convenience, and perceived safety are three examples cited by at least a third of CRO subscribers.

Leading reasons to purchase an SUV

63 percent said they need extra cargo space
59 percent said they like to sit up high and see over other cars
51 percent said they need all-wheel drive to handle bad weather
41 percent said the SUV's versatility is worth the lower gas mileage
37 percent said they feel safer in a SUV
31 percent said they don't like the image of minivans
27 percent said they need room to carry more than five people

SUVs can range in size and price, and all of the reasons listed above show why they appeal to various types of drivers. (See our in-depth SUV buying advice and Ratings.) 

It should be noted, however, that because of their taller height, SUVs as a class are not as nimble as passenger cars and have a greater rollover risk in emergency handling maneuvers. Also, their added weight compromises fuel economy. For these reasons, and more, a station wagon or minivan are worthwhile alternatives.

Station wagons--like a Subaru Outback--and even some hatchbacks combine the cargo-carrying flexibility of a small or midsized SUV with the comfort, fuel economy, handling, and performance that can rival a sedan. Even a small hatchback such as the Honda Fit can provide a lot of cargo room for its size. Also, all-wheel drive is not limited to SUVs. An increasing number of cars are offering AWD.

Read our wagon buying advice and ratings, available to online subscribers.

—Maggie Shader with the Consumer Reports National Research Center

Consumer Reports family sedans chat

Friday, November 20th, Consumer Reports experts will be online to discuss the latest road test group—family sedans—here in the Cars blog at 1 p.m. ET.

As seen in the December 2009 edition of Consumer Reports magazine, we tested several all-new and updated models, including the Ford Fusion, Mazda3 iTouring, Subaru Legacy, and Toyota Camry.

Our automotive experts will field questions about these cars and other sedans during the live, interactive chat, sharing test findings and helping you make the right buying decisions.

Go to the family sedan chat. The chat will be archive and can be read at any time.

—Jeff Bartlett 

Recall: 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler

Chrysler is recalling over 161,000 Jeep Wranglers equipped with automatic transmissions manufactured between June 2006 and July 2007. The vehicles were not equipped with a transmission fluid temperature warning system, and a fire could result if the fluid boils over and comes in contact with the engine or exhaust component.

Dealers will inspect the 2007-2008 models and enable a “hot oil” warning light on the dashboard and an audible chime indicating when transmission fluid temperature is elevated.

Typically, for the transmission fluid to reach a high temperature in an SUV, the vehicle would need to be used for a heavy-duty purpose, such as serious off-roading or pulling a heavy load. Both scenarios are easy to imagine with a Wrangler, as it excels in its off-road ability. Owners should also be aware of the tow capacity for their Wrangler, which is between 2,000 and 3,500 lbs. depending on the trim line. Those owners who do push their Wranglers hard might also consider an aftermarket transmission cooler.

For more information, owners can contact Chrysler at 1-800-835-1403.

See our Jeep Wrangler review.

—Liza Barth

Audi, MIT develops dashboard robot AIDA as a mobile assistant

Lots of people talk to their cars—even if few admit it. So far those conversations are pretty one-sided, with the exception being a voice-recognition navigation system. That may one day change. Exploring the potential for future man-machine interaction, Audi has teamed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop an interactive robot that not only talks back, but can also learn your driving habits, help you navigate, and even warn you of danger approaching.
 
Nicknamed AIDA, for Affective Intelligent Driving Agent, this robot  sprouts up from the top of the dashboard, smiles, frowns, and tilts its “head” to convey emotion. It is like having your own in-car Wall-E. So if the MMI isn’t enough of a distraction, here comes AIDA.
 
Researchers at MIT say that within a week of driving AIDA will learn where you live, where you work, and the route you take in between. If that route is congested, it will suggest alternate routes. If the car is low on gas, it will suggest you travel through the cheapest gas station along the route. Within a month, it will learn where you like to shop, and can route you by the grocery store.
 
AIDA can be more than a frivolous companion, though. Using forward radar, electronic stability control and other sensors, AIDA can warn of possible collisions and advise you on how to avoid them. The system’s virtual eyes merge into a cyclops – a single circle of dots surrounding a red warning triangle. And by choosing the shortest routes and avoiding traffic, it can save gas.
 
Having your car look after you, however, strikes some as “nannying.” Further, depending on how well AIDA can keep secrets, there may be a way for others to know where you’ve driven, including a spouse or car thief.
 
Should mobile assistant technology advance, those old jokes about the car knowing its own way on familiar routes may become all too true. However, AIDA is unlikely to appear on production cars any time soon.
 
Would you want AIDA for a copilot? Share your thoughts in the comments.
 
—Eric Evarts