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SEDAN BUYING GUIDE

Automakers drop prices on 2012 models to boost sales

By Jessica L. Anderson | Kiplinger – Wed, Dec 7, 2011 6:17 PM EST

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After auto sales fell off a cliff in 2009, carmakers enticed customers back into showrooms by holding the line on prices – or even reducing them – for many redesigned vehicles, even as they added new features. The value-pricing trend continues for the 2012 model year. For example, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class crossover, the Honda Civic and the Subaru Impreza are all rebuilt from the ground up but have the same starting price as last year's models. And a number of redesigns sport a price cut (a few noteworthy models are below).

2012 Lincoln MKT2012 Lincoln MKTAll vehicles get standard stability control for 2012, thanks to federal mandates. And the government’s push for more-fuel-efficient vehicles – brands must average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 – means that automakers are increasing fuel efficiency across the board, too.

Biggest discounts. The midsize Volkswagen Passat, which dropped out of VW’s lineup for the 2011 model year, returns for 2012. In addition to more legroom and more cargo space, the Passat offers three new engine options, including a 2.0-liter turbodiesel that gets 31 miles per gallon in the city and 43 mpg on the highway, as well as a peppy V-6 that gets 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. Prices start at $20,765 – $6,930 less than the 2010 model cost – and that includes Volkswagen’s three-year Carefree Maintenance plan. Remote start (included on the SEL Premium) gives kids of all ages a little touch of the Star Wars force (watch the VW Super Bowl ad on YouTube). The Passat also wins a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The redesigned Mercedes CLS-Class luxury coupe is cheaper, too – the CLS550 is $2,700 less (now starting at $72,175) and the CLS63 AMG is $4,150 less ($95,775). The sleek, sporty CLS550 has a new twin-turbo V8 engine that puts out 402 horsepower while getting 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. The CLS also ups the safety-feature ante. It now comes with a passenger knee airbag (one for the driver was already standard), pelvis airbags for the front-seat passengers, and Attention Assist, which monitors drivers for signs of drowsiness and reminds you when it’s time to take a break.

2012 Volkswagen Passat2012 Volkswagen PassatEven though it was redesigned last year – and its price dropped modestly then – the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers even more value for 2012. Prices for the entry-level Laredo fall $3,220 for both the rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions. The IIHS Top Safety Pick winner gets 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, and it offers adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection to warn you of approaching vehicles when you’re backing out of a parking spot.

America’s best-selling car, the Toyota Camry, gets a redo for 2012. Fuel economy has improved, and most Camry models will be cheaper for 2012, with savings up to $2,000 for the XLE and $1,150 for the hybrid. A revamped four-cylinder model gets 25 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, and the V-6 Camry gets 21 city and 30 highway (both numbers are about 8% better than last year). But the biggest boost comes from the reinvented Camry hybrid, which now puts out 200 horsepower but provides 24% better fuel economy than last year's model, getting 43 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway.

The price of the all-wheel-drive Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost ($47,170) falls by $3,005 compared with last year's model. The EcoBoost engine is turbocharged to pack more power into fewer cylinders and raise fuel economy. With it, the MKT puts out 355 horses (versus 268 for the base model, which has the same starting price – $45,175 – as last year) and gets 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The three-row luxury crossover seats up to seven, features Ford’s voice command SYNC technology, and is an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

 

630 comments

  • Philip
    Philip  •  1 month 1 day ago
    about all this be ship to africa especially in togo
  • joshua
    joshua  •  1 month 2 days ago
    with all my eagerness, the cars being advertised here in are sophisticated and fashionable ones,I would like to invite friends world wide to help my access a single model.
  • etta
    etta  •  1 month 20 days ago
    i will get mind just one day,just time
  • Huanqing
    Huanqing  •  1 month 29 days ago
    I am going to buy a new car in 2012.I hope a friend can help me choose a car which is a fasion one and the price is lower.
  • nick
    nick  •  2 months ago
    I would buy new just not to have skank peoples dna all over me :P
  • libaby
    libaby  •  2 months ago
    Top 5 selling GM autos:
    The Vote Hybrid
    The Thug SS
    The Suburban Sellout
    The Impala Union
    and the number 1 selling GM product - The Limited Edition Cadillac SEIU Welfare in Metallic ACORN Red loaded with Naugahyde hubcaps and chrome seat covers.
    Built with pride by illegals and entitled ingrates....
  • Clint Eastwood
    Clint Eastwood  •  2 months ago
    These cars are like the housing market...overpriced, and now that sales have been sinking, they are lowering their over- inflated prices !!!
  • Terry
    Terry  •  2 months ago
    I have over 300,000 mile on my 1993 J30 stills runs great.
  • billy ray valentine capricorn
    billy ray valentine capri ...  •  2 months ago
    why did i click on this story, cant afford no new caa
  • PB
    PB  •  2 months ago
    Man, it would have sucked to have just bought a 2011. First they come out with a new model, then you find out its cheaper.
  • Z
    Z  •  2 months ago
    People need to research what they need befor walking into a dealer. It all depends on a consumers needs. Lease is great if you like a newer car with no repairs. IF you only drive 5K a year, buying is a great solution. If u dont mind the risk of a problem, buy a 2 yr old car, keep it 3 and trade it, you will lose very little money.
    Buy a car with high resale and proven track record- something somone would want to buy used! i just got a 2 yr old altima hybrid 12,700 and it gets 33mpg and has 200 HP!
    to each their own! be smart
  • King of Pain
    King of Pain  •  2 months ago
    My '96 4.3L S-10 is PAID FOR, runs like a pup, handles like a sports car, rides like a Caddy, get's reasonable gas mileage ( IF I manage to keep my foot from melting the tires ), and I don't have to have full coverage insurance. I'll keep rebuilding it until I die or run out of parts. Whichever comes first.
  • Matt Davies
    Matt Davies  •  2 months ago
    WWWWWOOOOOOOOWWWWW AAAAMMMMAAAZZZIIIINNNGGG
  • King of Pain
    King of Pain  •  2 months ago
    Holding the line on prices – or even reducing them – for many redesigned vehicles, even as they added new features. Imagine that! And here we were thinking that we were being overcharged for this junk!.....If people would just stop buying them at all for two or three years, you'd see the prices REALLY drop! As a bonus we'd get to see the fat-cat bankers in a squeeze too.
  • Just a Dancer
    Just a Dancer  •  2 months ago
    What difference does it make what is says on the window sticker, nobody pays it. What business do you know that is so exposed on the internet. You can walk into a dealer and virtually buy the car for less then he pays for it, if you are a good negotiator and do your homework. This month the dealers are sucking wind and it's the end of the month and the end of the year coming soon. Buy a car beween Xmas and New Years and write your own ticket. Made in America? American companies build in Mexico and the Japanese and Koreans build in the US. Go figure.
  • nancy
    nancy  •  2 months ago
    We wanted to purchase a 2012 Passatt, but couldn't get the one we wanted. Our dealership couldn't get it from the manufacturer!!!! What's up with that?
  • CharlesS
    CharlesS  •  2 months ago
    These car companies are in for a rude shock when people stop going into debt to buy these cars. They are all made with cheesy labor and parts. They are still drastically overpriced. I am sick of hearing these car commercials where some idiot is shouting at you and showing videos of their cars spinning out and doing stupid stunts.
  • helicopter pilot
    helicopter pilot  •  2 months ago
    cls63 is an amazing car!
  • scubadude
    scubadude  •  2 months ago
    auto companies don't even make the cars any more, they just assemble them from parts made by hundreds of other companies. everyone in the supply chain has their hands in your pocket. they cold drop all new car prices in half and i still won't buy one. maybe drop the price by 75% and i'll start looking again, till then i'm happy to maintain and drive my 10 year old explorer.
  • Sani
    Sani  •  2 months ago
    It is hard to blame the big companies sometimes....if we the people say " We don't have money" but still there are others who buy their new Mercedes, BMW, Acura, other gadgets...the 99% is the one to blame for this shitty economy.
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