Putting a car in Neutral might save your life

More than a few readers were surprised when our tests proved that a car’s brakes may not be enough to stop a car with a stuck throttle while traveling at highway speeds. A horrific fatal crash in Southern California last August drew attention to the possibility that a misplaced floor-mat could jam a car’s throttle down. Other culprits can cause the same problem, including a stuck cable or linkage or malfunctioning throttle body. Whatever the cause of runaway acceleration, there’s a simple solution that could save your life.

Here’s all you have to do:

1. Move the transmission to Neutral.
2. Use the brakes to come to a stop safely on the side (or off) the road
3. Shut off the engine with the transmission in Neutral
4. Put the car into Park

Most people who own cars with an automatic transmission have never had a reason to select Neutral, and some modern gear selectors are unconventional enough to cause confusion. (Try it with a new BMW or Mercedes-Benz!) A life-or-death situation might not be the best time to figure out how to do it.

Learn how
In a large empty parking lot or other safe area, practice sliding your gear lever into Neutral while driving at a low speed. That way, you will know how to handle a stuck-throttle emergency if one should ever arise. If the police officer whose Lexus ran out of control and burned last August had thought to slip the transmission into Neutral, the chances are that he and his family would have survived.

Engine shut-down is a worse choice
Shutting off the engine during an uncontrollable acceleration is another option, but we recommend against that. First, killing the engine will not allow you to slow down any sooner than shifting to Neutral will. Second, you can lose power steering assist, making the car difficult to control. And finally, if you should manage to turn the key all the way off, that could lock the steering wheel mechanism, making a safe stop all but impossible.

Bottom line
By practicing how to shift into Neutral and even how to make a panic, ABS-actuating stop, you will be better prepared for a scenario you will hopefully never face. But if you do, hopefully you can remain calm and stop the vehicle safely.

—Jake Fisher

Related:
Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test
Floor mat survey reveals problem with all-weather mats
Toyota and Lexus floor mat recall is official
Toyota advises 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota owners to remove floor mats
Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity

Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test

Recent reports of stuck accelerator pedals causing crashes and Toyota’s enormous recall has caused many to question whether or not a vehicle’s brakes are powerful enough to overpower the engine to stop a vehicle, and what you should do if you are ever in that situation. Most experts agree that a typical production car engine won’t overpower the car’s brakes from a stop. But what happens at speed is another question. Since we just happen to have a test track and a few dozen test cars at our disposal, our automotive engineers decided to play MythBusters and put it to a test.
 
Our first two subjects were the Mercedes-Benz E350 and Volkswagen Jetta Wagon, German cars with so-called “smart-throttle” technology. Both will electronically ignore the throttle input if the brake pedal is depressed. With both, we accelerated to 60 mph and then hit the brakes with the throttle pedal still planted to simulate a condition where the floor mat might have stuck it in place. With both vehicles, we were able to safely slow to a stop despite the engine having been at wide-open throttle. After stopping, the engines idled even with the throttle pedal still floored.
 
Verdict: The Mercedes and Volkswagen Smart-Throttle technology works.
 
Next up, we tried our Toyota Venza and Chevrolet HHR. Since these lacked smart-throttles, we proceeded more cautiously. So we decided to start this test by flooring the cars to 20 mph (instead of 60) and then slamming on the brakes. While we stopped both cars, the transmissions downshifted hard, trying to fight us on the way down, and we needed to exert quite a bit of brake pedal effort to stop completely. We then drove a lap around our test course to cool the brakes and repeated the procedure. This time we accelerated to 60 mph before we slammed on the brakes. Again, the engines downshifted and fought us all the way down. But by the time we slowed down to about 10 mph, the brakes had faded so much that we weren’t able to come to a complete stop.  If the driver had less strength or was traveling at higher speeds, they would not be able to slow down nearly as much.
 
Verdict: Most people will likely have a tough time stopping a car using the brakes with a stuck throttle without a smart throttle.

So what should you do if you are put in such a situation? The answer is simple: Put the car in neutral. In each one of the cars we tested, we were able to easily nudge the gear lever into neutral and stop the car quickly. All modern engines have rev limiters that prevent the engine from over revving and damaging the engine. You can safely shut off the engine after you come to a stop. However, we do not advise shutting off the engine while still driving. We tried this with our Toyota Venza—as Toyota suggests—by holding down the start/stop button for three seconds. While this also allowed us to stop, we lost power steering and had trouble maneuvering the vehicle due to the extremely heavy steering.

Related:
Floor mat survey reveals problem with all-weather mats
Toyota and Lexus floor mat recall is official
Toyota advises 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota owners to remove floor mats
Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity

—Jake Fisher, photo by Mike Leung.

Test complete: 2010 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry improves its fuel efficiency for 2010 with a new 2.5-liter engine and six-speed automatic transmission. This new powertrain combination delivered an impressive 26 mpg overall in our testing – fairly remarkable for a family sedan. In addition to the extra gear and .1-liters of displacement for the base model, now all Toyota Camrys are equipped with stability control. This ESC system improved the Camry’s at-the-limit handling in our testing.

While the Camry may not register high on the fun-to-drive scale for enthusiasts, it does offer a lot for the money. We paid just under $23,000 for our LE which proved to be a very roomy, comfortable, and smooth riding sedan. No wonder it’s been such a sales success. It is simply a sensible and pleasant car.
 
Watch the embedded video for more insights. Online subscribers can see our full Camry road tests and ratings, including hybrid and V6 versions.

—Jake Fisher

Test complete: Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Let’s get this straight: The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is not a coupe version of the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan. Instead, the Genesis Coupe is more like a very grown-up Tiburon with rear-wheel drive. We paid $28,375 for our Grand Touring model with a 306-hp V6 and a six-speed manual transmission. Simply put, it’s a lot of car for the money.
 
The Coupe is a sporty car with a stiff ride and handling like no other Hyundai we’ve ever experienced. For example, the steering is direct and communicative. On our track, the car was agile and very fun to drive. The most notable flaws were the manual transmission that makes the car jerk if you shift too quickly from first to second gear, and the stiff ride that can get grating on a long trip. The interior is nicely finished with leather, but – like most coupes – there’s not much room in the back seat.
 
Take a look at the video to see how it performs on our track. Online subscribers can read full test results and compare it to competing models, such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Subaru WRX, and Nissan 370Z.
 
—Jake Fisher

Reality check: 230 mpg in the Chevrolet Volt? Maybe if you think electricity is free.

Yesterday General Motors rolled out a bombshell: Their new 2011 Chevrolet Volt will get 230 mpg. The details were sketchy though. (Read: “2011 Chevrolet Volt: Fuel economy results may vary.”) The figure was according to the EPA’s new… uh… almost done… er “draft” testing methodology that they aren’t prepared to comment on. 

Let’s cut through the hype and break this down:

The “230 mpg” marketing suggests that the Chevrolet Volt will somehow have equivalent energy costs to a conventional, gasoline-fueled car rated at 230 mpg. The official GM press release quickly points out the low operating costs and quotes the national average electricity rate of $0.11/kWh. Further down it points out that $2.75 worth of electricity will get you 100 miles of driving. All the figures were based on city driving.

Here comes the grain(s) of salt:

1. Let me repeat: $2.75 for 100 miles. Well, $2.75 isn’t far off from what a gallon of gas costs these days. So 100 miles for what it costs for a gallon of gas? It would seem that something like “100 mpg gas equivalent” (at least in terms of cost to the consumer) might be more meaningful. While it may not make as many headlines, it would still be a rating to be proud of.

2. While $0.11 per kWh is the national average, areas such as California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York pay far more for electricity—notably states with major metropolitan areas well-suited to electrified motoring. Here at the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center in Connecticut we pay over $0.20 per kWh. At that rate, 100 miles would cost you about $5. In terms of fuel costs per mile, a Toyota Prius isn’t far off that figure in our testing. With moderate hypermiling, it is definitely possible.

3. While we are all ingrained with the fact that highway cruising is more fuel-efficient than city driving, the opposite is true for electrics. All the announced figures are for city driving. Driving the Volt at highway speeds is likely to use energy at a far quicker rate, and in turn activate the on-board gas engine acting as a generator.

4. Keep in mind that the Volt is designed to only go about 40 miles before relying on its auxiliary gasoline engine for charging the battery. Perhaps those 100 miles occur over three days? Or, the test allows for recharging—which seems disingenuous. The number suggests that in one trip, a driver can achieve the advertised number. Alas, that does not appear to be the case.

In the end, 230 mpg might be the exaggeration of the “century.” If you are a cyclist like I am, you may have heard about doing a “century,” riding 100 miles. But imagine that after you rode that distance, you found out that some agency has devised a way to calculate your ride as 230 miles based on the ratio of your front sprocket to wheel diameter, wind resistance, and the solar load on your front forks. Would you tell everyone that you rode 100 miles? Or would you say that you rode 230 miles based on a “draft” measurement that you can’t really talk about?

Turns out, we’re not the only one raising an eyebrow at this claimed figure. In a Tweet yesterday, Nissan claims 367 mpg for the electric Leaf based on the Department of Energy formula, also noting that its green machine will be priced significantly less than the expected Volt sticker. (Learn more about the Nissan Leaf electric car and see my colleague Jon Linkov discuss the Volt on the Today Show.)  

The Chevrolet Volt has impressive technology, and GM deserves all the credit they get for bringing it to market. However, misleading announcements like this aren’t helping anyone and they create risks when real-world tests are eventually performed. What if the Volt doesn’t live up to the hype? Truly, we hope it does, but the numbers don’t add up. Ultimately, despite GM’s effort to regain their image as a technology leader, it may be practical sedans like the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze that matter more to GM’s bottom line.

See our earlier report: 2011 Chevrolet Volt: Fuel economy estimated at 230 mpg city and our Chevrolet Volt preview for more information.

—Jake Fisher

Test complete: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350

Based on the C-Class sedan, we had high hopes for the Mercedes-Benz GLK. Mercedes sedans have a well-earned reputation for delivering an excellent, composed ride and agile handling. With the standard 3.5-liter V6 and seven-speed transmission, it appeared on the scene as a promising new competitor in the ever-growing luxury small SUV class.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t achieve its potential. The steering isn’t very responsive and the ride suffers from too much side-to-side rocking at low speeds. A cramped rear seat with narrow door openings and a wide expanse of a doorsill compromises utility. The refined powertrain does provide plenty of motivation, but the 18 mpg overall on premium fuel is less than you would get in a much roomier and better mannered Lexus RX350.

Overall, much like some others in this class - it’s difficult to find many reasons to pay the $41,760 sticker in our test car over a loaded Toyota RAV4 V6 or a turbocharged Subaru Forester. Both can be equipped with leather, offer comfortable rides, are more agile to drive, and cost around $10,000 less. Then again, they don’t have the coveted Mercedes Tri-star logo, nor distinctive Lego-block styling and golf-club cachet.

Learn more about the Mercedes-Benz GLK350, with road tests, pricing, and more, in the model overview (available to online subscribers).

—Liza Barth and Jake Fisher

Test complete: Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback

The Mazda3 has been one of our top-scoring small cars for several years, distinguished by agile handling and a high-quality, well-laid-out interior. The freshened 2010 model brought modest changes, including transmission upgrades and a new 168-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine for higher-level models. The 2.0-liter got an optional five-speed automatic and the 2.5-liter now has either the five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. Stability control is standard on all but the lowest two trim lines of the sedan.

We tested three Mazda3s: a pair of 2.0-liter Touring sedans—an automatic and a manual—and a Sport hatchback with its standard 2.5-liter. Prices ranged from $18,170 for the stick-shift sedan to $20,700 for the Sport hatchback.

While the Mazda3 rated well, it doesn’t quite take the top spot. The Hyundai Elantra is quieter; the Toyota Corolla gets better fuel economy; and most small cars these days have more room for rear-seat passengers.

Where the Mazda3 stands out from the pack is how it feels to drive. The 3 is almost like a good sports car, especially when equipped with one of the slick-shifting manuals. In fact, it’s vastly more fun to drive than some traditional “sporty cars” like the Scion tC or the Mitsubishi Eclipse. 

Learn more about the Mazda3 line, with road tests, pricing, and more, in the model overview (available to online subscribers).

—Jake Fisher

Preview: Muscle car showdown

As the economy takes its toll on Detroit, some look back to the good old days when rear-wheel drive V8 coupes were king. For a time in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the muscle car wars heated up with cheap horsepower and cheaper gas. That created cutthroat competition among the Big 3 (and smaller AMC), with essentially no foreign competition.

In a way, those good old days are back. Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford each have a redesigned or extensively freshened muscle-car for 2010, and they are better than ever. For a preview, we borrowed a Chevrolet Camaro SS and Ford Mustang GT (we’re shopping for our test cars now) and brought our Dodge Challenger R/T test car to our track.

I hope you have as much fun watching this video as we had filming it!

You can check out this video and more Consumer Reports videos on our YouTube channel.
 
—Jake Fisher

Corolla versus Range Rover: Brake dancing on ice

In this corner, our posh-and-pricey Lucerne Green 2008 Range Rover Sport. In that corner, with the silver trunk, our stick-shift 2009 Toyota Corolla. (See our Range Rover Sport and Corolla road test videos.) The 5,500-pound Rover has full-time all-wheel drive and beefy Continental Cross Contact low-profile, ultra-performance tires mounted on 19-inch alloy rims. The front-drive Corolla nudges 2,850 pounds and hunches over 15-inch all-season Firestone Affinity tires on painted steel wheels. The Rover had set us back $61,900. The Corolla $16,400. This unlikely paring was perfect for answering the age-old question, is a car or SUV better in foul weather?

The arena: A stretch of snow-covered, icy road at our test track.
The contest: Come to a dead stop from 30 mph.
The score to be settled: Which vehicle can brake better and stop shorter?

The stakes were high. The Range Rover Sport is furnished like a men’s club; the Corolla, well, more like a lunch room.

In the run-up, we’d already established that stopping distances from 60 mph on normal dry and wet pavement were pretty close. On dry pavement, the Rover stopped in 136 feet, five feet better than the Corolla. On wet pavement the Rover stopped in 145 feet, beating the Corolla by a mere 12 inches.

Now to the rubber match, a winter trial where we stop from 30 mph instead of 60 mph. We lined up the vehicles on a surface of hard-packed snow with an icy under-layer, the sort of horrid road conditions every driver faces in the course of a New England winter.

The moment of truth. The Range Rover stopped from 30 mph in 141 feet, which isn’t too bad. But the Toyota Corolla ate up only 124 feet—17 feet less than the Rover. That’s more than a car-length—a huge difference.

What does this tell us? First, that the big, sporty-looking tires you see on modern SUVs don’t necessarily cut it in the cold. Second, it demonstrates once again that four- or all-wheel drive may help you accelerate but won’t do a thing for stopping on icy roads and may even breed a false sense of security.

Since one of the main draws of an SUV is the promise of safety and peace of mind, you might think that original-equipment tires would play to those strengths. They don’t. If you ever have to stop short on an icy road, ultra-performance SUV tires don’t come close to the ordinary tires on a regular car. 

When it comes time to replace your original equipment tires, check our tire ratings to find the tires best deliver on the performance factors that matter most to you.

Read: "Tested: Snobootz winter traction aid for car tires."

Learn about safe winter driving, and see our complete tire guide with buying advice and ratings—including winter tires.

—Gordon Hard and Jake Fisher, photo by Mike Leung

Video: Honda FCX Clarity

We have driven the Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle on several occasions, including at the Consumer Reports Future of the Car event this fall and around the greater New York City area more recently.  While we have shared our impressions in the past in the blog, now join Consumer Reports Senior Automotive Engineer Jake Fisher for a virtual test drive of the production FCX Clarity at our test track.

Our resident hot-shoe explains both the technology and performance, sharing his experience of driving this innovative sedan.

To clarify, the FCX Clarity is not available for purchase at your local Honda dealer. Currently, Honda is only producing about 200 of them to be leased to drivers in Southern California—after they pass an interview!

Read other posts about the FCX Clarity:
Future of the Car: Honda FCX Clarity
Behind the wheel: Honda FCX Concept
Future Honda hybrid cars take shape
Want to lease a fuel-cell car?
Compare and contrast

Learn more about driving green. And see our New Car Preview for the latest models.
 

—Desiree Calamari