The Ford Focus was first sold in Europe in 1998. Then in July 1998 the Ford Focus was released in the United States. Since then it has becomes Ford’s flagship of small affordable car class.

The 2012 Ford Focus hit the streets in May of 2011. The Focus comes in two basic trims; a 4 door Sedan and a 5 door Hatchback. Both trims seat 5 people. The Hatchback comes with the potential of hauling 44.8 cubit feet of stuff.

Under the hood is a 2.0 liter engine delivering a modest 160 horsepower to a five speed manual or six speed automatic transmission.

Edmunds.com reviewer expressed their expectation for the arrival of the 2012 Ford Focus. “This was because Americans could finally get a world-class small car from a Detroit label.”  The reviewer likes the nimble handling, refined ride, stylish and well made interior, along with the abundant list of upscale and high tech options. They did not like, “Annoying shift programming from automatic transmission; backseat is a little short on legroom; infotainment controls are finicky to learn and use”.

Last September AutomobileMag.com stated, “It’s no secret that the Jeep Patriot … the bottom rung of the Jeep lineup”. The next paragraph started with the statement, “the 2011 Patriot receives some much-needed updates in the form of an exterior face-lift and some polishing to its underpinnings.” Today we are going to look where the Jeep Patriot stands today.

The Jeep Patriot has only been around since 2007 manufactured Daimler. It originally showed up at the New York Auto show in 2006, where it was marketed as a small sports utility vehicle.

We are continuing our look a the top trucks of 2011 with the Nissan Frontier. The Nissan Frontier is a full size truck that comes in five different trims. All of them designed for the no nonsense working man. They Each body style has a variety of options that mean business.

The five trims are S, SV 4Cylinder, SV 6 Cylinder, Pro 4X, and the SL. The S comes with a either king or crew cab. The king cab comes with a 2.5 liter engine while the crew cab bumps that engine size up to 4.0. The difference in the SV4 and the SV6 is the engine size while the SV6 offers a long bed for hauling. Pro 4X is just a beefed up version of the SV6. Finally, the SL has a crew cab with roof rack and style.

Did you know that Chrysler had a recall for engine stalling? Did you know Ford had a recalls for fuel leaks and electrical shorts? Well, we have been so absorbed with the events in the Middle East and Japan these recalls have gone unnoticed.

Most auto recalls rarely hit the Today Show’s news desk unless it happens to be a slow news day. The same goes for the local new as well as the local paper. Then where should we find out the recalls?

On Wednesday, I usually focus on shopping for cars, truck and any other motor vehicle that is driven on public streets. In those post I devote a few sentence to a paragraph to recalls. Why recalls?

In 2001 the Volvo S60 replaced for the Volvo S70. The Volvo S60 is considered as a mid range sedan. The Volvo S60 stands out as an unconventional member of the entry-level luxury sedan segment.

The Volvo S60 comes in two basic trims; the 2.5T and the T5.

Under the hood of the 2.5T is a turbocharged 2.5 liter in line five cylinder engine that is rated at 208 horsepower. The T5 features has a slightly smaller 2.4-liter inline five cylinder engine. The turbocharger does boost the horsepower up to produce 257 horses. The 2.5T comes with a five-speed automatic transmission that will transmit power to either to the front wheels or all four on all-wheel-drive. Unfortunately, the T5 is front wheel drive only. However on the T5 buyers do have the choice of a five speed automatic or a six speed manual transmission.

This has been a rough year for the Toyota motor company. During the first part of 2010 news came out about how Toyota had covered an accelerator problem with the Prius. Just a few month ago Toyota recalled a long list of cars because of brake fluid issues. Still I am seeing quite a few Toyota’s on the road.

I am not hearing of any major issues with the Toyota brand in the news. However, Automotive.com does list a very large number of makes and models that have been recalled this year.

At the start of 2010 The Huffington Post report there was a recalls for gas pedals sticking. The Toyota Prius was not in this list. There was quite a large number of other models on the list.

The Hyundai Sonata is another one of those family cars that I have seen driving down the street more and more. I have not seen or read much about it in the news. So I thought it would was time to investigate this vehicle a little more.

The first generation Hyundai Sonata was introduced in South Korea in June of 1987. Then it was in Canada in September 1987 as a 1988 model. Hitting the United States the following year. Since then the Sonata has gone through four evolutionary changes. Each an definite improvement over the previous one. In that time the Hyundai Sonata has racked up an impressive list of awards.

The Ford Explorer is one of the most popular SUV’s. It has been around for years. Dubbed the “Everyman’s SUV” back in the 1990′s when America started its love affair with multi passengers big family vehicles.

What make the Ford Explorer so popular with government agencies or anyone else who has to transport small groups. The  Ford Explorer can seat up to seven people or carry a maximum of 85 cubic feet of cargo.

The 2011 Explorer comes equipped with either a 210 horsepower 4.0-liter V6 or a 4.6 liter V8 that delivers 292 horsepower. Ford gives you with either engine size the option of two or four wheel drive.

The Chevy Equinox is classified in what some people want to call “plus-sized crossover, small SUV”. This basically means the Equinox is smaller than a full size SUV and larger than your standard crossover.

The much advertised feature of the Chevy Equinox is the rear seating and rear storage.  60/40-split rear seat that could be slid almost 8 inches front and rear. In the rear cargo section there is a self that increases storage options. This rear shelf can double as a picnic table.

The Volvo car company is a Swedish car company that can be dated back to 1920. I remember back in the 70′s Volvo was considered it a reliable luxury car that you had to take to the local Volvo dealer if anything went wrong.

Over the years Volvo has been seen on the road. I have noticed it but not paid much attention to them. Today, I want to take a look at the Volvo V70. The V70 is in a long line of safe and practical midsize wagons from the Swedish company