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2015 Volkswagen Golf: Green Car of the Year?

As you may recall, VW's compact Golf was voted 2015 North American Car of the Year by a jury of 57 veteran automotive journalists (including this one) and named Car of the Year by Motor Trend and Yahoo Autos and Best Car to Buy 2015 by Green Car Reports. "The range of green options in the 2015 Volkswagen Golf range is hard to beat," says Green Car Reports editor John Voelcker. "With more fuel-efficient gasoline engines, a new TDI diesel option that comes close to real-world hybrid mileage levels, and the all-electric VW e-Golf, the 2015 Golf gives buyers a good-better-best menu of options for driving green." The car was also a finalist for Green Car Journal's "Green Car of the Year," but ultimately lost to the BMW i3 EV. When I saw GCJ editor Ron Cogan at last November's Los Angeles Auto Show, he asked me to guess which finalist would win. Based on its efficiency and versatility, I guessed the Golf. He smiled but the next day, he named the i3 the winner. Okay, the technically impressive, carbon-fiber-bodied i3 is a formidable green machine wearing a prestige German label at a semi-affordable ($43,000) price. But it comes in just one (somewhat odd-looking) body style with a choice of all-electric or range-extending electric powertrains, and its EPA-official ranges are 81 miles for the former and just 150 for the latter, costlier version, which totes a tiny (647cc) 34-hp two-cylinder BMW motorbike engine in its tail. By contrast, the 2015 Golf comes in 3- and 5-door hatchback and even more practical Sportwagen body styles and offers a wide range of eager yet fuel-thrifty turbocharged gas and clean-diesel engines, most with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. An all-electric e-Golf, one of the best EVs we've yet driven, is also available in some areas, and that will be followed, VW says, by a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and even a CNG-powered model. No question this all-new seventh-generation 2015 VW Golf is easily the best ever. A bit larger, roomier, aerodynamically slicker and more fuel efficient than the Gen VI Golf it replaces, it's built on an all-new modular platform and boasts an amazing range of models, powertrains and features.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Car and Driver shows off awesome 1960s ads

Someone must have recently rediscovered the keys to the archives at Car and Driver, and the access has been put to good use. Following last month's fantastic look at automotive ads from the '50s, there's now a new gallery running from March 1960 through December 1969. This collection provides a great overview of a decade full of iconic cars. If you're a fan of Carroll Shelby, particularly his Mustangs, then there's a lot to love among this group. One ad from July 1965 aimed to sell the GT350, but with an ocean of text and a tiny picture, it probably could've used a once-over by Don Draper's team. By December '65, the copywriters ironed out the problems with a spot proclaiming boldly "Shelby GT350 is 'Son of Cobra.'" The company offered some great accessories, too. For those into European motoring, there's a humorous attempt to sell the Alfa Romeo Giulia as both a racecar and family hauler. Toyota also boasts about the winning record for the 2000GT. Among the best text comes from BMW for lines like: "What's BMW got? The most advanced high-performance engine in any production car, for a cruising speed of 100 mph." Of course, Volkswagen's famous "Lemon" ad for the Beetle also gets its due here. Separately, each of these ads is fascinating, but taken together they tell the story of a great decade of motoring. Go give them all a read at Car and Driver. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Alfa Romeo BMW Ford Toyota Volkswagen shelby alfa romeo giulia shelby gt350 toyota 2000gt