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Lower gas prices mean there are excellent deals on green cars right now

The phenomenon was big enough to make news in 2006, then in 2008, in 2011, in 2012, in 2013, and again last year: a big move in gas prices means a big move in alternative-fuel-vehicle sales. True Car's TrueSavings report, which averages transaction prices across the country to figure out what people are paying compared to MSRP, shows that electric cars and hybrids are ripe for excellent savings right now. The Ford Focus Electric presents the greatest disparity, with the average transaction price of $25,168 representing a 16.1-percent saving off its $29,995 MSRP. The Kia Optima Hybrid and Toyota Prius also snagged spots in the top five, with the Kia offering a 10.7-percent discount and the Toyota a 10.1-percent discount. One hybrid managed to show up among the top five lease offers, too: the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is just $315 a month for 36 months after $3,875 down in some markets. Alt-energy vehicles got bumped out of the top five finance deals, however. That was dominated by light trucks and, oddly, two subcompacts. The press release below has more details. TrueCar finds hybrids, EVs top list of best savings in January Gasoline price plunge = savings for consumers on alternative fuel vehicles SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford's Focus Electric hatchback, which sells at an average of 16 percent off MSRP, tops January's list of best savings on new vehicles, according to TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE), the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. The "TrueSavings" monthly report analyzes current transaction prices and identifies opportunities for consumer savings. "Fuel savings are not top of mind to many consumers right now, and that makes this a great time to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle," said John Krafcik, president of TrueCar. "With gasoline prices now averaging just $2.10 per gallon, and vehicle preferences tied so closely to short-term gasoline prices, automakers are heavily discounting their most fuel-efficient cars to clear inventories." Toyota's Prius, the world's best-selling alternative fuel vehicle for more than a decade, also makes January's list of best savings. Customers who purchase a Prius Two model this month can save 10 percent off the hybrid car's $25,025 MSRP. "Gasoline prices and vehicle type preferences are strongly related, and this relationship is cyclical in nature," said Krafcik.

12 best hybrid SUVs for 2022

If you're searching for the best hybrid SUV, the truth is there actually aren't that many choices. While there's an endless sea of those powered solely by gasoline, those that add batteries and superior fuel economy to the mix are few and far between. The very good news, however, is that the choices you have are actually excellent. The top-selling and top-rated Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are not only available as hybrids, for instance, but are actually at their most appealing as hybrids.  Luxury hybrid SUVs are a different story. While Lexus offers each of its crossover SUVs as a conventional hybrid, those of other brands are by and large plug-in hybrids that provide a relatively brief amount of all-electric propulsion, superior fuel economy and higher prices that are somewhat countered by EV tax rebates. We include both conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids in the below list of best hybrid SUVs. All are listed alphabetically within each category. Best small hybrid SUVs   |   Best midsize hybrid SUVs Best luxury hybrid SUVs   |   Best luxury plug-in hybrid SUVs Best small hybrid SUVs Honda CR-V Hybrid Why it stands out: Best-in-class back seat space; hybrid's distinctive EV-like power delivery; middle lower LATCH anchorCould be better: Antiquated and glitchy tech interface; a bit dull Hybrid fuel economy: 38 mpg combined (AWD only) Read our 2022 Honda CR-V Review Consider the CR-V the baseline for any compact SUV search. Objectively speaking, it's tough to beat due to its massive cargo capacity, voluminous back seat, well-balanced driving dynamics, competitive pricing and features, strong safety ratings and well-regarded reliability. In terms of its hybridness, we like that Honda's distinctive hybrid system sees most of its propulsion handled by the electric motor (the engine rarely powers the wheels directly), resulting in a more EV-like, torque-rich power delivery and a less obtrusive gas engine. For the vast majority of compact SUV buyers, and especially families, the CR-V Hybrid checks every box.    Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Why it stands out: Beautiful interior; excellent infotainment and safety technology; traditional automatic transmissionCould be better: No spare tire; styling a tad outrageous Hybrid fuel economy: 37-38 mpg combined (AWD only) Plug-in hybrid electric range: 33 miles Plug-in hybrid fuel economy: 80 MPGe Read our 2022 Hyundai Tucson Review The Tucson is the new kid in town and it's made quite an entrance.

Lincoln Sync 3 Infotainment Review | Clean and eminently usable

Many of the newer Lincoln products might be vastly different in design and experience than their Ford counterparts, but infotainment software is still heavily shared between the two brands. That said, Lincoln has made a great effort to make its version of Sync 3 feel more upmarket and premium compared to Ford’s. If you can think of it in terms of Android smartphones, Sync 3 in Ford vehicles is like stock Google software. Sync 3 in Lincoln products is akin to SamsungÂ’s UI, which amounts to a totally new look and added features. The core interface remains the same across the two brands. LincolnÂ’s snazzy new look can be customized with a few different color combinations, but they generally all consist of muted tones that exude old-world luxury more than the heavy-handed blue hues on Ford's version of Sync. One convenient commonality between the two is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, both of which require wired connections. Some may find the functionality of the Apple/Android interfaces to be compromised as detailed in our Ford Escape interior driveway test). Sync 3 has a bottom bar of quick toggle, commonly-used apps, and a Home button in the top left corner. It makes getting to any particular set of menus quick and painless. Squared-off icons are used within menus with large font and intuitive scrolling functionality. There are no redundant scroll wheels or touchpads to control the screen interface in any of LincolnÂ’s vehicles, so youÂ’ll need to be comfortable with a touchscreen. Thankfully, there are hard buttons on the dash for the climate controls and common audio functions.  Lincoln Sync 3 Infotainment View 10 Photos In the Lincoln Navigator weÂ’re using to demonstrate the technology, Sync 3 is smooth and generally free of hiccups. However, itÂ’s not infallible and tablet-smooth as plodding through BMWÂ’s or MercedesÂ’ latest infotainment systems is. Lincoln uses Sync 3 on all of its current models, and in the Navigator, itÂ’s playing on a large 10-inch screen. The added luxury features for Lincolns tends to dictate all of the extras you see in the software. There are settings for a vast array of ambient lighting, hugely complex seat controls (for the 30-way massaging seats) and a number of customization options for the excellent Revel audio system (optional). Lincoln differentiates itself even further with the fully digital instrument cluster flanking the big screen.