10 Most Fuel Efficient SUV for 2015

The modern day SUV has been increasing in popularity over the past decade. These are not serious off-road vehicles but do include AWD (all-wheel drive) and are perfect for rural and bad weather situations. Below you will find the list of top 10 most fuel efficient SUV based on the study from Kelly Blue Book.
All SUV in the list are 2015 models, fuel consumption numbers are city/highway (mpg and L/100km)
1.
Hyundai Tuscon Fuel Cell **  48/50 (4.9/4.7) ** 134 hp (hydrogen fuel cell with electric motor)

2.
Lexus NX hybrid *********  35/31 (6.7/7.6) ** 194 hp (2.5-liter inline-4 engine & electric motor)

3.
Subaru XV crosstrek ******  29/33 (8.1/7.1) ** 148 hp (2.0-liter boxer-4 petrol engine)

4.
BMW X3 ***************  27/34 (8.7/6.9) ** 180 hp (2.0-liter turbo diesel inline-4)

5.
Lexus RXh **************  32/28 (7.4/8.4) ** 245 hp (3.5-liter V6 & 123-kW electric motor)

6.
Nissan Juke *************   28/32 (8.4/7.4) ** 188 hp (1.6-liter turbo 4 cylinder petrol engine)

7.
Chevrolet Trax ***********  26/34 (9.0/6.9) ** 138 hp (1.4-liter turbo 4 cylinder petrol engine)

8.
Honda CRV *************  27/34 (8.7/6.9) ** 185 hp (2.4-liter 4 cylinder petrol engine)

9.
Mazda CX-5 ************   26/32 (9.0/7.4) ** 155 hp (2.0-liter 4 cylinder petrol engine)

10.
Mercedes-Benz GLA ****   25/35 (9.4/6.7) ** 208 hp (2.0-liter turbo 4 cylinder petrol engine)

Colour codes: fuel cell technology, electric hybrid technology, diesel, all non coloured are petrol powered (gas).
If you are opting to purchase any one of these SUV try to compare similar technologies. As well take a look at the maintenance schedule and warranty information of the vehicle. You may save fuel in the early years but pay some hefty repair costs in the later years. Of course this should be considered by those who plan on keeping their SUV for a long term period.
Full article may be found on the Kbb.com site by following this link: http://www.kbb.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars/suv/2015/10/
More detailed information can be found by clicking on the picture of the SUV. All pictures are courtesy of Google images.

All new BMW i8 turbo (hybrid-plug in)

It is touted as a revolutionary vehicle. So is the all new BMW i8 revolutionary, lets take a look.
First of all it's design is original, looks are modern but not so much as to repel the prospective buyer. If you look closer you can see a slight resemblance to an older BMW model the 850i.

Here are the key facts of the BMW i8:

• It's a plug in hybrid, electric motor and combustion engine. The combination of BMW eDrive technology and a BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5 Liter, three cylinder petrol engine.
• It's scissor doors are made of aluminum, carbon and thermoplastic, they are approximately 50% lighter than conventionally built doors.
• Lightweight construction, the passenger compartment is made of a carbon fiber composite. Carbon fiber composite is up to 50% lighter than steel and approximately 30% lighter than aluminum, yet provides the same stability and crash-safe material properties.
• The LifeDrive architecture is made up of two units. (1) the drive module, an aluminium chassis with the electric motor located in its front section. In the rear part of the drive module is the three cylinder petrol engine. Joining the two sections is the high-voltage battery. (2) the life module, an ultra light passenger cell made of high-strength carbon. 
• 50:50 axle load distribution.

 For a full list of the BMW i8 technical specs follow this link: http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i8/2014/showroom/technical_data.html

ENGINE AND DRIVE:
The BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5 Liter three cylinder petrol engine, (all new) the "engine management guarantees optimum charge changing processes across the ignition point and ensures a rapid response from the turbocharger." During operation the maximum output of the engine is 170 kW (231 hp) and up to 320 Nm of torque. The best part of this engine is it's outstanding efficiency with a combined consumption of only 2.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 49 g/km.
Driving is possible up to a range of 37 km on the electric motor alone. With a maximum speed of up to 250 km/h, power is delivered to all four wheels (see next paragraph).
There are three driving modes comfort, eco pro, sport, and the eDrive button optimizes the vehicle's properties to suit the driving situation.
With the eDrive button pressed, 100% electric driving is possible with power delivered to the front wheels only. The hybrid mode allows the intelligent combination of two types of drive (electric and petrol) that provide optimal traction in every situation.
The electric drive is located on the front axle, while a high-performance 3-cylinder engine works at the rear axle. All four wheels can thus be powered simultaneously by two engines.

The price? It will set you back $137,450 US, $145,000 Canadian, 126,000 Euros in Germany or 99,125 British pounds.

Further information on the BMW i8 can be found on BMW website by following this link: http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i8/2014/showroom/technical_data.html
All photos curtsey of BMW website.

Best Resale Value Cars for 2015

Kelly Blue Book has posted it's 2015 Best Value Award winners. You may find some vehicles on the list as quite a shock, I did. Remember this list is for best resale value and not for best quality.

Here is the list:

BEST BRANDS WINNERS

Subaru takes the top spot for best brand, while Lexus wins the best luxury brand award. No surprise here both are known to built solid vehicles which retain a high resale value for years to come.
Lexus of course for it's high quality materials and excellent assembly quality. Subaru on the other hand while not a high quantity vehicle manufacturer offers a great all-wheel drive (AWD) system on their entire lineup. Along with an above average build quality this makes Subarus highly sought after vehicles, especially in Vermont and eastern Canada where the winter weather tends to get nasty.

TOP 10 MODELS:

1. 2015 Toyota Tacoma: "Even in its last model year before a complete redesign, the Toyota Tacoma boasts the best resale value in the business."
2. 2015 Jeep Wrangler: "The Jeep Wrangler is seemingly unstoppable off-road, and positively resilient when it comes to retaining value."
3. 2015 Toyota Tundra: "The Toyota Tundra is far from winning the full-size truck war, but it continues to win the resale value battles."
4. 2015 Chevrolet Colorado: "The Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck returns from hiatus with an all-new design, more capability and Top 10 resale value credentials."
5. 2015 GMC Canyon: "The all-new GMC Canyon offers the same excellent resale value as its Chevy Colorado corporate cousin, but with a tougher look."
6. 2015 GMC Sierra: "The GMC Sierra full-size truck may trail its Silverado sibling in sales, but it edges the Chevy on the list of resale value standouts."
7. 2015 Chevrolet Silverado: "Fresh off a full redesign last year, the Chevrolet Silverado remains the second-best-selling vehicle in the country by combining capability, comfort and resale value."
8. 2015 Toyota 4Runner: "The Toyota 4Runner features truck-like, body-on-frame construction, qualifying it as one of the most capable SUVs in existence."
9. 2015 Ford F-150: "Not just a resale value standout, the totally redesigned Ford F-150 also took home our inaugural Overall Best Buy Award this year."
10. 2015 Honda CR-V: "Impressively enhanced for 2015, the versatile and refined Honda CR-V is a resale value all-star as well as our first-ever Compact SUV Best Buy."

I must say that I'm not too pleased with this list. First of all most of the vehicles are pick-up trucks. Secondly there is overlap between the GMC/Chevrolet models, which are practically the same except for some exterior styling notes.

At least there is my favorite section the CATEGORY WINNER and they also added the two runner-ups:

Best Subcompact Car Winner: 2015 Honda Fit
runner-ups, 2015 Nissan Versa, 2015 VW Golf

Best Compact Car Winner: 2015 Subaru Impreza
runner-ups, 2015 Toyota Corolla, 2015 Scion xB

Best Mid-Size Car Winner: 2015 Subaru Legacy
runner-ups, 2015 Toyota Camry, 2015 Honda Accord

Best Full-Size Car Winner: 2015 Dodge Charger
runner-ups, 2015 Toyota Avalon, 2015 Chevrolet Impala

Best Sporty Compact Car Winner: 2015 Subaru WRX
runner-ups, 2015 VW GTI, 2015 Honda Civic Si

Best Sports Car Winner: 2015 Chevrolet Camaro V6
runner-ups, 2015 Dodge Challenger, 2015 Porsche Cayman

Best High Performance Car Winner: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette
runner-ups, 2015 Chevrolet Camaro (SS/Zl1/Z28), 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT/Hellcat

Best Entry Level Luxury Car Winner: 2015 Lexus RC 350
runner-ups, 2015 Lexus ES 350, 2015 Lexus IS

Best Luxury Car Winner: 2015 Lexus GS 350
runner-ups, 2015 Audi A5, 2015 Audi A7

Best High-End Luxury Car Winner: 2015 Lexus LS 460
runner-ups, 2015 Porsche Panamera, 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Best Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car Winner: 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid
runner-ups, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid/ Natural Gas, 2015 Lexus ES 300h

Best Plug-In Vehicle Winner: 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
runner-ups, 2015 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, 2015 Ford Fusion Energi

Best Compact SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Jeep Wrangler
runner-ups, 2015 Honda CR-V, 2015 Subaru Forester

Best Mid-Size SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
runner-ups, 2015 Toyota 4Runner, 2015 Toyota Highlander

Best Full-Size SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Chevrolet Suburban
runner-ups, 2015 Toyota Sequoia, 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe

Best Luxury Compact SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK
runner-ups, 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA, 2015 Lexus NX 200t

Best Luxury Mid-Size SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Lexus GX 460
runner-ups, 2015 Mercedes-Benz G, 2015 Infinity QX 60

Best Luxury Full-Size SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Lexus LX 570
runner-ups, 2015 Cadillac Escalade, 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL

Best Hybrid SUV/Crossover Winner: 2015 Lexus RX 450h
runner-ups, 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, 2015 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid

Best Mid-Size Pickup Truck Winner: 2015 Toyota Tacoma
runner-ups, 2015 Chevrolet Colorado, 2015 GMC Canyon

Best Full-Size Pickup Truck Winner: 2015 Toyota Tundra
runner-ups, 2015 GMC Sierra HD, 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD

Best Minivan/Van Winner: 2015 Toyota Sienna
runner-ups, 2015 Ford Transit Van, 2015 Honda Odyssey

This is a pretty exhaustive list from KBB, if you want to read the full article you can click on this link: http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/