Auto News 5

With all the attention Toyota and Honda are getting for their hybrid programs, it's worth reminding you that Ford introduced the first hybrid SUV, the 2005 Escape Hybrid, and that the hybrid Escape won the prestigious North American Truck of the Year award in 2005. Ford used knowledge gained from the Escape Hybrid project to construct a hybrid-powertrain Fusion sedan with class-leading fuel economy and refinement.

The Focus used to be much more sporting. We had this discussion in the kitchen yesterday, agreeing that the second-generation Focus was the "one." And then Ford got deadly serious and made it to big and bland. The 2009 Focus SES gets some spunkiness back, but still needs to move from tidy design to really hot.

Cars such as the new Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Dodge Challenger promise to deliver a modern driving experience wrapped in sheetmetal that evokes the glory years of the first muscle car era. But if you're hankering for the throwback aesthetic in a package that delivers contemporary performance, there is another option: the Richard Childress Racing Series 3 Camaro.

To understand the Camry Hybrid's position in its segment, you need only realize that both the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima's powertains are based on Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (Nissan actually licenses the technology, Ford's setup is independently developed but essentially identical). If that's not enough, recall that the Camry has been the best selling car in America for eleven of the last twelve years. Clearly, the Camry is the car Nissan and Ford designers had at the center of their sights. Unfortunately for Toyota, both have been quite successful. While the Camry Hybrid is still a strong choice, its age is starting to show.