If put to a real-world test, which of these cars would get the best fuel mileage? That's the question we intended to answer with our test of a 2008 Ford Focus, 2005 (certified used) Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2008 Toyota Prius and 2008 Smart Fourtwo.

So we ran each of them through an identical test loop of close to 1,000 miles. The loop included everything from highway travel and constant speeds to stop-and-go driving in one of the most congested towns on the planet (not L.A.) to medium speeds on deserted two-lanes. When you put a diesel (Jetta) up against a hybrid (Prius) up against a traditional economy car (Focus) up against a...a -- well, whatever the Smart car is -- what do you get in terms of fuel mileage and fuel costs?

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I already reported that Toyota sales are down so far this year, something the automaker rarely has to report. But the bigger news, reported by Automotive News, may be that Toyota's sales have been on a sales slide for four straight months. That's the first time in 13 years that Toyota's sales have slid for four consecutive months. Ouch. And is it the big trucks/SUVs that are pulling down Toyota's sales? Nope. Those vehicles are off 5.3 percent, but Toyota's cars are off 5.9 percent. Double ouch!

Don't write them off just yet. Remember, most of the industry is down this year, and in terms of market share Toyota is still on the rise. They are at 16 percent so far in 2008, versus 15.6 percent for the same period last year.

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Inside Line just published an excellent test comparing a Crossover vs. a Minivan vs. an SUV. When you think about it, these vehicles really just represent a history of the family vehicle (though we left the wagon out). When minivans first arrived they were seen as super functional (and super cool) alternatives to the stodgy old station wagon that could carry the family around. Then came the SUV, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman. Then came the crossover, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman without having the ride/handling characteristics that felt like a rugged outdoorsman's vehicle.

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"Why doesn't Ford bring back the Zephyr?"

I can't believe anyone ever actually said this, but lo and behold that paragon of 1970s Mercury style and performance did return in 2006 -- as a Lincoln. Actually, the Zephyr was originally a 1930s-era Lincoln before it was a '70s Mercury, but how many people know (or care) about that? Should Ford have revived this nameplate? I guess its staying power (Lincoln changed that model's name to MKZ after one year) is answer enough.

I was recently thinking about dead nameplates that should not come back after someone brought up Edsel in conversation. I'm assuming Ford will never revive that nameplate, and I don't expect to see the words "Aztek," "Chevette" or "Volare" on a future model, either. But then again, who would have predicted the rise of "Aspen" from the automotive underworld. Which brings up today's burning question:

What dead vehicle nameplates do you most fear the return of? In my opinion there are two reasons for a nameplate to never come back: (A) it's associated with a horrendous vehicle (Aztek) or (B) it was a horrendous name itself, regardless of the vehicle it was affixed to (Probe).

Here are my Top 5:

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If you saw our Consumer Comparison Test last December you know how well it worked out in terms of getting real-world feedback from real-world buyers. We pitted the all-new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accord against the new-for-2007 Toyota Camry. Our six consumer test drivers split on their first choices, with three picking the Malibu and three picking the Accord as their favorite models.

With the positive feedback that test generated we're now pondering a follow-up comparison, but we're not yet locked in on which segment to feature.

Considering the "real-world" nature of this content it makes sense to ask you guys from some direction here. So here goes: What segment/vehicles would you like to see featured in a consumer-scored comparison test? Here are some of the ideas we've come up with:

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The fact that Toyota's 2008 Sequoia feels HUGE from behind the wheel shouldn't really surprise me. After all, it rides on the same platform used for the all-new Tundra pick-up, and that truck ain't exactly diminutive. Hop up, into the Sequoia's driver's seat and look around the cabin. Unlike the previous Tundra, which was often described as a 7/8th scale full-size truck, the new Tundra and Sequoia feel more like 9/8ths scale vehicles. It's like those medieval churches in Eastern Europe -- walk through the 18-foot entry-ways, gaze up at the 40-foot arched ceilings, and you start thinking "Was this structure made for a larger breed of humans? Did people used to be bigger?"

The Sequoia's roominess might sound great, but reach for the radio tuning knob and you quickly realize size matters -- and sometimes bigger isn't better. That knob, and the other buttons on the far side of the central display screen are difficult to reach, even for our six-foot-plus staffers. Thankfully the Sequoia can be had with both audio and climate controls on the steering wheel. So once you get your radio stations plugged into the memory presets you, hopefully, won't be needing those controls very often (or maybe you can bring a passenger along to operate them).

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If you've been watching either the Straightline blog or the Strategies blog you've already heard about our Consumer Comparison Test pitting the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry against each other. Feel free to predict the finishing order of this comparison test (that's what they're doing over at Straightline) but this post will be focusing on a different aspect of the event.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is HUGE. It's not huge because it involved letting consumers drive three competing models and provide feedback. We've seen that in various "buff books" ad campaigns for a couple years now, not to mention recent television commercials and radio spots. No, what makes this huge is the fact that no manufacturer was involved in the testing process. 

Every previous "consumer" test I've seen has always been backed by a specific manufacturer. The buff book campaigns I just mentioned involved the Cadillac CTS and Jaguar X-Type -- with associated ad pages and tiny "advertisement" text on those pages (Ugh! -- I felt dirty just quickly thumbing past them). The recent television/radio ads we've likely all seen or heard involves Ford's "Swap My Ride" effort to show that the Fusion and Edge are "better" than the Camry and Highlander. Any guess as to which vehicles fared well in those tests?

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How would you describe the Toyota Prius? Do you consider it a mainstream vehicle, or a niche product with a fanatical (and hardly mainstream) following? What if I told you that the Toyota Prius -- by itself -- outsold entire automotive brands (that's all models added together) in the month of November. You'd probably say, "I'm sure the Prius did outsell some entire brands in November, brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and maybe even Jaguar, Land Rover and Hummer too."

Actually, it outsold all those brands...added together. But the Prius outsold some other brands last month, too. Brands you've probably heard of...

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In the evolution of the family car, Toyota's all-new 2008 Highlander probably represents the current state of the segment better than any other single model. Not as SUV-like as Honda's Pilot, not as sporty/crossover-like as Mazda's new CX-9, and not as big and "trucky" as the new GM Lambdas or Ford's Edge (those last models drive much better than any truck, but they are still "truckier" than the Japanese versions). I suppose it's not surprising that Toyota should represent the "average" or "middle ground" of the segment better than anyone else -- it's their specialty, and the sales figures prove it.

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Superb story from The Economist explaining the current challenges faced by Toyota, and how they may affect the brand's march toward world domination. Toyota was clearly on track to be the world's No. 1 automaker this year, but a (modestly) resurging GM (at least in sales) combined with a series of quality/reliability slips for Toyota has made this a bonafide horse race.

It's interesting to read about Toyota's struggle to rapidly increase production capacity while trying to maintain quality control. I give the company credit for doing as well as it has over the past 20 years, but it appears they've finally crossed some sort of "Quality vs. Quantity" line that even their stringent corporate philosophy can't overcome.

However, the most intriguing aspect of the article is the one we've already talked about on this blog: How can Toyota be the hero of environmentalists as it continues to roll out bigger, stronger and thirstier models? Obviously it can't, and the backlash (like most green backlashes these days) has grown from a low-frequency mumur to a high-pitched screech.

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