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Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Mazda engineer wants new rotary to be turbocharged

Hope springs eternal for Mazda to revive the high-revving Wankel engine for a new sports car, and the company keeps feeding that thirst with hints that it could happen. To make the possibility even more tantalizing, Mazda drivetrain and powertrain assistant manager Tetsushi Marutani tells Motoring that he wants the updated mill to pack a turbocharger. "Personally, I think that a rotary with some turbo or compressor would be good," Marutani said to Motoring. "Because a rotary, in my opinion, they require more [torque at] low speed, low down torque. So if we have some small compressor or turbo it would help." Mazda hasn't sold a rotary-powered model since the RX-8 and hasn't had a turbocharged one since the third-generation RX-7. However, the recent RX-Vision concept (above) at least hinted at a possible Wankel revival, and Mazda officials confirmed that its engineers continued to develop the engine since the RX-8's demise. The RX-Vision used a next-gen rotary called the Skyactiv-R, but Mazda didn't officially confirm any details about it. Rumors suggested the engine had a two-rotor layout with a total displacement of 1.6 liters. A two-stage electric turbo and hybrid powertrain would allegedly boost the total output of around 450 horsepower. The electric assistance could also counter the Wankel's lack of torque at low revs and poor fuel economy. Those rumored specs sound fantastic, but we still take the rotary's return with a grain of salt. Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai is adamant that it's not worth the company's limited resources to develop a niche sports coupe instead of better selling vehicles. Related Video:

Subaru, Mazda profits dip; both blame exchange rates

While some larger automakers took a beating on Q4 earnings, some of Japan's smaller operations managed to keep their heads just above water despite currency issues and slumping sales industry-wide. Subaru, which capped off its 11th consecutive year of U.S. sales increases, reported a 42-percent drop in operating profit in the final quarter of 2019; Mazda, which operates on an even smaller scale, saw a 76-percent drop.  Per Automotive News, both companies faced challenges apart from navigating currency exchanges.  Subaru Subaru's 2019 was marred by warranty costs stemming from repairs on high-volume models, including the Impreza and Crosstrek. Despite the drop in profit, company revenues only slid 2.3 percent. The company also says that it has managed to curtail incentive spending, largely thanks to replacement models that needed less help moving out of showrooms.  America remained a bright spot, with 2019 sales volumes increasing by nearly 3 percent over 2018. Subaru is hoping that figure will increase to 4.0 percent in 2020. Subaru's wholesale deliveries also increased in western Europe, but dropped precipitously (28 percent) in the company's home market.  Mazda The smaller Mazda faced similar challenges, but its 2019 lacked some of Subaru's more dramatic bright spots. Worldwide shipments of new vehicles dropped by 8 percent, aiding a revenue decline of 5 percent. Mazda's vehicles remained profitable on a per-unit basis, but only just.  Mazda has been undergoing aggressive cost-cutting measures, but even those were no match for reduced volumes and unattractive currency exchange rates.  Despite these challenges, both companies are keeping their earnings outlooks unchanged. The fourth quarter of 2019 represented the third quarter in both companies' fiscal years, which will end in March.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Subaru WRX STI S209 | POV Drive