Car Insurance

BMW integrates the most technology into its cars. So says the Telematics Research Group , a Minneapolis technology consultancy. The TRG scored individual models in 30 areas including telematics, phone, head unit and navigation, audio, radio, video, and driver assist. BMW placed four individual models in the top 13, the odd amount because there’s a six-wasy tie for 8th through 13th place, while runner-up Mercedes-Benz had three.

The TRG Technology Index was more quantitative rather than qualitative. BMW aced the telematics and phone section with each of its four sedan/coupe lines and racked up points on the driver assist section with most models offering adaptive cruise control, sonar parking assist, head-up displays, and night vision.

BMW would have picked up another point had the index included cockpit control knobs , but the feature wasn’t on the list, and besides not every buyer believes controllers are a technology improvement. BMW lost opportunities to roll up the score by not having touchscreen displays, camera parking assist, and only one of the two satellite radio formats.

We also like the TRG Technology Index because it mirrors our Digital Drive awards Digital Drive Awards given to the 10 highest technology cars available in America. We included two hybrid models, TRG allowed different-model year duplicates and announced models , which cut possible overlaps to nine, and we were in agreement on four.

Our choices that didn’t make the TRG list were Acura TL; , Audi A6; , Buick Terraza, and the most distressing omission of all, our overall winner, the Infiniti M45, with its LCD displaying rolling up multiple cockpit functions and lane departure warning. Basically, the cars we liked a lot for industry-leading features, which we weighed heavily in our ratings, only got 1 point for that feature in the TRG Index.

The Case family is a pretty average American family when it comes to things automotive. That means we have two cars, one of which is an SUV. Granted, the SUV is a Toyota Highlander, which is relatively small as far as SUVs go, and the car is a Honda Accord Hybrid, which is somewhat more efficient than most 6-cylinder cars that push 260HP. The Accord can be considered small, at least when it sits next to a Ford Crown Victoria, but it’s still not small, in the way that a Mini Cooper is small.

Most small cars in the US are either specialized—like the Mazda Miata or BMW Z4—or are considered “economy” cars. “Economy” here is a euphemism for “cheap.” Most small cars sold in the US until this year have been low-cost cars with minimal amenities and designed for people with tight budgets.

Of course, there has been a gradual movement in the US to smaller cars that don’t completely suck, like the Mini Cooper or the Mazda3. But for the most part, the Chrysler Neons and Chevy Aveos of the world are boring and uninteresting. Honda and Toyota have recently introduced more interesting small cars, in the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, but these are still perceived as cars for the budget conscious—students, people on fixed incomes and people just getting started in the work force.

So when we took our vacation this year in the UK, I was impressed by the wide variety of small cars. Lo and behold, small doesn’t mean boxy or simply cheap transportation. For example, I saw the first Mercedes-Benz I would ever want to own: the A190. I don’t have a picture of the A190, but here’s an A150, which is pretty similar. The A190 has amenities like leather seats, room for five and a decent, if not large, hatchback area.

Another interesting vehicle is the Smart, which was co-developed by Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, but has since reverted completely to Mercedes. We’ve seen some press about the two-door Smart car in the US, but did you know there’s a four-door version, aptly called the “Forfour?”

Another car that I spotted was the Audi A2, and advanced technology car that has had a troubled history and isn’t currently being manufactured. Still, the form factor is pretty cool, the diesel version gets tremendous mileage, and it doesn’t lack for amenities relative to other small cars.

Speaking of diesel engines, they’re quite popular in the UK, and not just among European car makers. Until I made my trip to the UK, my impression of diesel cars came from the very loud diesel pickup truck that lives next door, or the Mercedes diesels that trail clouds of blue smoke around Silicon Valley.

But when we went on a tour of the area around Stratford-Upon-Avon, our host, Bob Ochoa of Diamond Tours squired us around in a Ford minivan. But this Ford minivan sported a diesel engine, and it was the quietest, easiest-starting diesel I’d ever experienced. And it scooted along just fine when fully loaded with five people. And there wasn’t a bit of blue smoke to be seen.

I’d love to see more creative and interesting small cars become successful in the US. The publicity around the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris may be well and good, but they’re still boxy and lack in amenities that might make them attractive to families with teenagers.

If small cars with interesting tech, cool features and acceptable creature comforts were available, would you get one? Or would you stick with big American cars? Drop by the forums and let us know.

This Week on ExtremeTech Usually, we tell you what you should do when you go about building a PC, but this week, Loyd’s sharing stories about what not to do when you build a system.

Meanwhile, Jason spends some quality time with a 23-inch wide screen PC display while Victor dissects a pair of home theater cases. Meanwhile, Jeremy Atkinson games with yet another oddball PC game controller.

Be sure to check out ExtremeTech’s weekly podcast, and don’t forget to check out the cranky geeks at DL.TV.

Japan’s gasoline-electric hybrid cars have now been available in the U.S. for nearly a year, and they are proving quite popular. According to Toyota, the waiting list for its Prius averages five to six months. The Honda Insight is available from most dealers with little or no waiting. Each of the cars has a high EPA city/highway mileage rate, with the Insight getting 61/68 to the Prius’s 45/52. Both models sell best in areas where there are high emission restrictions. California, for example, accounts for 36 percent of all Prius sales. Denver and Chicago are also hot markets.

Even members of Congress are fans of the hybrid car. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) owns a Prius, and he believes the car’s best feature is the environmental aspect. When at a stop, the Prius doesn’t bum energy. Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD) describes the Prius as a “green car with green technology.” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-MD) believes that such luxury cars as Cadillac and Lincoln will eventually embrace the hybrid technology. All three representatives chose the four-door Prius for its roomier interior and back seat; the Insight is a two-door, two passenger hatchback.

Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), and Senator Barbara Boxer (D) have also snapped up the Prius, and there might be more Congressional buyers on the way. Baird says that since he has started driving his new car at least a dozen colleagues have asked about it.

Honda plans to begin selling hybrid cars for the first time in South Korea by introducing the Accord Hybrid sedan in the second or third quarter of 2006.

The move is expected to lead Korean carmakers, such as Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, to an earlier-than expected sale of hybrids. Hyundai is still a couple years away from marketing hybrid cars of its own.

“We will unveil the hybrid model in June. Motorists will meet the new cars by July or August,” a Honda Korea representative said.

Buyers of the gasoline-electric Accord Hybrid sedans will also enjoy scheduled tax credits as soon as the policies become effective.

Though Korea is considering offering a variety of incentives, such as tax break and discount of insurance policies to hybrid car owners, it will not be easy for carmakers to be successful in their sales of eco-friendly cars as long as prices are above those of gasoline cars. But, in the U.S. and Europe, anxiety over the prices resolved itself.

The prices of Honda and Toyota’s hybrid cars will range between $20,000 and $30,000 (20 million and 30 million won) in North America.

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology, South Korea’s third largest carmaker, is mulling the marketing of GM hybrid SUVs next year.

Nothing ruins a car fanatic’s day like his or her favorite ride getting a check-rating from Consumer Reports . (Imagine if your Maria Sharapova-endorsed sneakers earned a Codgers’ Choice mark for comfort from Modern Maturity . You’d be conflicted, too.)

Actually, CR ’s testers are car nuts and SCCA racers, if not necessarily the editors who turn the testers’ enthusiastic thoughts into somber prose suitable for the finished pages. The magazine reported these top picks for 2006 cars from its April issue.

• Honda Civic (sedan under $20K) • Honda Accord (sedan $20K to $30K) • Acura TL (sedan $30K to $40K) • Infiniti M35 (luxury sedan) • Subaru Forester (SUV under $30K) • Toyota Highlander Hybrid (SUV more than $30K) • Toyota Prius (green car) • Subaru Impreza WRX / STi (fun to drive) • Honda Odyssey (minivan) • Honda Ridgeline (pickup truck)

Check back in a couple weeks to see the PC Magazine Technoride Ten, where we’ll honor our favorite technically adept vehicles. We’re happy (or sad) to say, a few cross over.