2011 Drive Whatcom Spring Edition

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The and the present

Ferndale charging station services electric vehicles on the I-5 corridor..........................................C5

2012 Honda Civiccoming to NorthwestHonda in April.................................................. C6

Three yellow Beetles converge atthe Fairway Center....................................... C8

Whats Inside...

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The and the present DriveWHATCOMSpring 2011

A supplement of the

&

Diesel makes a green come-back thanks to the Audi A3 TDI at Roger Jobs Motors

SeeC3 inside

SPRING DRIVE WHATCOMC Lynden Tribune|Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | Ferndale Record

(1) APR offer good on new 2011 Jetta Sedan models. Excludes TDI models. Example: For 2.9% APR, monthly payment for every $1,000 you finance for 60 months is $17.92. No down payment required with approved credit through Volkswagen Credit. *Not all customers will qualify for lowest rate. See dealer for details. Offer valid in US. (2) *APR offer good on new 2011 Jetta TDI clean diesel Sedan models. Example: For 3.99% APR, monthly payment for every $1,000 you finance for 60 months is $18.41. No down payment required with approved credit through Volkswagen Credit. Not all customers will qualify for lowest rate. See dealer for details. All offers expire March 31, 2011. Photos for illustration purposes only. 2011 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

3.99% APR/60 mos.(2)

2011 Jetta Sedan2.9% APR/60 mos.(1)

Excludes TDI models.

2011 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel Sedan

CSPRING DRIVE WHATCOM Lynden Tribune|Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | Ferndale Record

Audi A3 is green standard for clean diesel technologyModel won 2010 Green Car of the Year award

See TDI on C4 The Audi A3 TDI has helped redefine what diesel represents in the United States. Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

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The New 2011 SorentoA departure from the expected

The Kia 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program includes various warranties and roadside assistance.Warranties include powertrain and basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited.

The Kia 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program includes various warranties and roadside assistance.The Kia 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program includes various warranties and roadside assistance.

Built in the USA.

A departure from the expected

2011 IIHS

Top Safety

Pick

2011ConsumerDigestBest Buy

The New 2011 SorentoThe New 2011 SorentoA departure from the expected

One of the Best New Cars for 2011 US News and World Reports

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SPRING DRIVE WHATCOMC Lynden Tribune|Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | Ferndale Record

See NEW TECH on C10

AAA announces its top picks for new vehicle technology

The Audi A3 TDI is usually spoken for by the time it reaches a dealer lot anywhere in the United States. Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

qualifiedthanAuditoclaimthemantle. Perhaps the biggest drawback tobuyinganAudiA3isthewait,sincedeal-erlotsaroundthecountrymovethroughtheir limited inventories as quickly astheycanobtainthem. HelpingtofuelthatdemandareA3squalitylightweightmaterials,superlux-uryandyearsofexperienceinthedieselmarket, with engines that produce 30percentfewercarbondioxideemissionsthantraditionalgasolineengines. A2011AudiA3TDIretailstypicallyinthe$30,000rangedependingonfea-turesincluded,butitcansavemoneyinthelongrun. Theefficiencyofdieselmeansget-tingalotofbangforeachbuckspentatthepump.Infact,althoughthe2.0literTDI clean diesel engine produces 140horsepower, it still gets a luxury class-leading 30 miles per gallon in the cityand42milespergallononthehighway.Inaddition, theA3achieves50percentbetterfueleconomythanacomparablegasolineengine. GraddonsaidAudisdieseltechnol-ogyspeaksforitself.AcloseexaminationofanA3tailpipewilldiscovernosootorodors, and it performs quietly. Dieselcars,althoughmorecommoninEurope,have taken a long time to find accep-tance in theUnitedStates.However, in2009,Volkswagen,whichownsAudi,re-enteredtheU.S.dieselmarket,openingthewayforAuditotakethelead. Formoreinformation,contactRog-erJobsat734-5230orvisitat2200IowaSt.inBellingham. E-mail Mark Reimers at [email protected]

Continued from C5

TDI: Earns best-in-class ratings for fuel economy

BELLEVUE AAA has released itsbiennial list of toppicks fornew vehicletechnology. Developed by automotive expertsatthenationslargestmotorclub,thelistfeatures a variety of interesting vehicletechnologies intended to improve safety,increaseperformanceandreducetheen-vironmentalimpactofsomeofthenewestmodelsonthemarket. Every model year, automakers findnewways to employ technology in theirvehicles to enhance the driving experi-ence,saidJohnNielsen,AAANationalDi-rectorofAutoRepairandBuyingServices.Whilemanyoftheinnovationscontinuetofocusonsafetyandperformance,werealso seeing more new technologies thataddresstheenvironmental impactof thevehicleswedrive,whichisevidentinthisyearslist.

Automakers go for greener as well as safety and performance AAAsexpertswarnthatnoteverynewvehicletechnologynecessarilyhasaposi-tive effect on function or safety. Manytechnologiescandistractdriverswhoendupmulti-taskingbehindthewheel,whichtakes their focus off the primary task athandsafelydriving their car,Nielsensaid. Thisyears toppicksbyAAAfornewvehicletechnologyinclude: All-Electric Vehicles While manyautomakers have electric vehicles in theworks,theNissanLeafisthefirsttomar-ketfromamajorcarbrand.Withanesti-mated 100-mile range between charges,theLeafisaviableoptionformanycom-muters.Itdrivesnicelyandhasawell-de-signedinterior.Calculatedonacents-per-mile basis, the electricity that powers itcostslessthanhalfasmuchasgasolineinfuel-efficientcars.

Plug-InHybridsThesecarsprovidethebenefitsofanelectriccar,whilemain-tainingthesamedrivingrangeasconven-tionalvehicles.VehiclesliketheChevroletVoltandthesoon-to-arriveplug-inToyotaPrius operate in all-electric mode for alimited local range, afterwhich a down-sized gasoline engine is used to eitherpowerthevehicleorrechargethebatterywhilethecarmoves. Turbocharging and Supercharging These systems have long been asso-ciated with performance, but they alsocan produce enhanced fuel economy.Turbochargers and superchargers letautomakers install smaller engines thatburn less fuelduringnormaldriving,yetoffer the performance of a larger enginewhen acceleration is needed for passingormerging. Fords EcoBoost engines are

anexampleofthistechnology,whichwasrecentlyintroducedintoitsF-150models,withothermanufacturersmoving to fol-lowsuit. InflatableRearSeatbeltsBothFordandMercedes-Benzareworkingwiththistechnologythatpromisestobringalargemeasureoftheairbagprotectionaffordedto front-seatoccupants to thosewhoarebuckledupintherear.Inacrash,theseat-beltsinflate,spreadingtheforceoftheim-pactoveralargerareaofthebody,whichreducesthelikelihoodofinjuries. Start-Stop Technology Commonin other parts of the world, but only inlimitedUnitedStatesuse,start-stoptech-nologyismakingitsmainstreamdebutinAmerica via Mazdas i-stop feature. Thetechnologyshutsofftheenginewhenthecar is at a stop, and instantly restarts itwhenthedrivertakeshisfootoffthebrake

CSPRING DRIVE WHATCOM Lynden Tribune|Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | Ferndale Record

American-made Tesla Roadster popular worldwide

See TESLA on C9

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Celebrating 30 YEARS

Megan ClaflinFerndale Record editor

FERNDALEBusinessownersandemployees working near the FerndaleEventsCenter,justoffInterstate5atExit262,areaccustomedtoasteadystreamoftravelers.However,recentlyafewnewvisitorsarecommandingmorethanjustanupwardglance. Eachweek,TeslaRoadsters,Ameri-can-made high-end electric vehicles,findtheirwaytothepublicchargingsta-tion located in the centers parking lotandarriveinarainbowofcolors,saidAnnaSc