1999 Honda Civic Lx on 2040-cars

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Behind the scenes of our subcompact crossover comparison

The cameras had been set up for almost an hour, and now, the living room filled with the sweetness of freshly brewed blonde roast. The late-summer sun had just started peaking over towering maples. In a week the colors will start changing, the inevitable sign of the coming gray skies and snow. Half past eight, the editors arrived. The Scandinavian inspired house that served as the headquarters for our subcompact crossover comparison couldn’t accommodate all seven of us, so they had stayed at a turn of the century farmhouse down the road. While geese, chickens, cats and sheep made for an authentic Northern Michigan farm experience, ingredients for a good nightÂ’s sleep they were not. Within minutes Red Bulls cracked open and short, cocoa-colored mugs appeared, filled with a variety of caffeinated beverages.  “I thought we were gonna have fried eggs,” Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore said, smiling, before refusing a muffin. Associate Producer Alex Malburg ran from camera to camera, adjusting focus and exposure, trying to keep up with the ever-changing light, which poured into the room faster each minute.  “I was promised food. IÂ’m not filming.” Consumer Editor Jeremy KorzeniewskiÂ’s sarcasm thinly veiled his true feelings. To keep the group content I promised a craft-services buffet next time.  For the second time, we shot our comparison just outside of Traverse City. While we took advantage of a local off-road park for the first, this round proved a bit more tame, utilizing the hilly, winding, wine-country roads that define the region.  An air of nervousness could be detected. Only one person knew the outcome of our test, Senior Green Editor John Beltz Snyder. I found myself both impressed and surprised he had kept this secret overnight, though I came to find out later that he revealed the winner to Producer Amr Sayour on the drive to dinner the evening before.  The cameras started rolling, the audio recording, but the caffeine hadnÂ’t yet entered the bloodstream, with one exception. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale sipped his lime green Mountain Dew. That seemed to be working, as he passionately laid out his argument for the Kia Soul and his preference for winter tires over all-wheel drive. From behind the camera I silently disagreed with him. “No one buys winter tires,” Jeremy argued. As we consumed more coffee, the sun came up, and so did the energy of the debate.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Recharge Wrap-up: Innova EV Car Share, Mercedes to use CO2 A/C

Innova UEV will launch its carsharing program at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 2015 Conference & Expo. Called Innova EV Car Share, the program is designed for college campuses, and uses the Innova Dash neighborhood electric vehicle and solar charging stations. "The Innova UEV team is excited to introduce this innovative sustainability program to universities across the country as a way to reduce CO2 output as well as decrease congestion," says Innova UEV Founder and CEO Roman Kuropas. "Visionary schools that make this level of commitment to the environment are sure to add to their sustainability prestige as leaders in higher education." Read more in the press release from Innova UEV. Microsoft and ABB are launching a new EV fast-charging services platform. ABB chargers will connect to the Microsoft Azure cloud, allowing for smarter charging as infrastructure expands. "Platform performance and stability are critical differentiators for the successful operation of a modern, data-dependent EV charging station," says ABB's Pekka Tiitinen. "By partnering with Microsoft, ABB will be able to offer best-in-class operations as well as innovative advanced services - what we call the Internet of Things, Services and People." Perhaps we'll hear more specific details following the platform's launch at eCarTec in Germany. Read more from Microsoft. Honda is testing solar-powered EV charging in the Marshall Islands. The AC charging stations, called the Honda Power Chargers, will help power a fleet of Fit EVs on the remote islands as part of a pilot test. The Marshall Islands must import most of their energy supplies, so solar-powered mobility would help provide some self-sufficiency and cost savings. Honda, the Marshall Islands government, and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will use the experiment to determine if it would be worthwhile to expand the solar-powered charging infrastructure. Read more at Green Car Reports. Mercedes-Benz will use CO2 air conditioning to help meet the EU's 2017 environmental requirements. The European offerings of the S-Class and E-Class will be the first to use a CO2-based air conditioning system. The use of CO2 requires a redesign of much of the system, as it requires a much higher pressure than other refrigerants. The automaker will use the HFO-1234yf refrigerant in its other vehicles.