Auto News 5

Yountville, California

Gas prices have been as volatile as the stock market lately and experts assure us both will be rebounding, though nobody knows exactly when. Investing in the market now, though it might seem counterintuitive, could set you up for a handsome reward in the future. The same goes for buying a new fuel-efficient automobile. If you purchase a hybrid vehicle today, when demand for fuel-sippers is relatively modest, you'll probably end up getting a better deal on the car and you're also insulating yourself from future spikes in gasoline prices. Think of it as an automotive hedge fund, but without the sleazy Wall Street guys and enormous bonus scandals.

The Camry is roomy, well-equipped, and has a very straightforward hybrid monitoring system for the driver. You can look at a needle swinging through a large MPG gauge, which also alerts you to EV mode. I honestly never engaged with this car, mostly because it was so overassisted and underdamped. The front end bobs and wanders, needing constant steering-wheel corrections. The Altima Hybrid weighs 200 fewer pounds, gets better fuel economy, and is a more satisfying car to drive.

The 2009 Toyota Venza has some lovely styling elements (like the character line that forms its broad rear shoulders) and some not-so-lovely elements (like the entire front end). Unfortunately, it has way too many of all of them. In fact, the last blunt-nosed, overstyled station wagon to use this many clichd styling cues was the Family Truckster - the fictional monstrosity purchased by that lovable idiot Clark Griswold in the 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation.