Mazda has agreed to pay $5.25 million in state and federal penalties to settle claims that its TV ads were unclear about leasing. The info was found to be too small and on the screen too briefly. The Federal Trade Commission and 24 states had claimed that Mazda violated a 1997 order to change its lease ads. Mazda says it made changes, such as dropping "Zero down payment," but that wasn't good enough for the FTC.
Harley FordThere's a new pickup in town-a limited-edition 2000 Harley-Davidson F-150. You can spot it in the crowd by its wardrobe, which is all black with an orange pinstripe and chrome accessories. It's a restyled and customized version of the Ford F-150 and is a product of the partnership between Ford and Harley-Davidson. The SuperCab model has a flareside box with a hard-shell tonneau and 20x9, five-spoke, cast-aluminum wheels tucked inside P275/45R20 Goodyear Eagle GTII tires-these are the first 20-inch wheels on any Ford production vehicle.
We'll break it to you now that it's a two-wheel-drive Harley-themed truck, with a suspension lowered one inch, but it still has other praiseworthy features, including a 260hp 5.4L Triton V-8, black leather seats and trim, a spun-metal instrument cluster, and an exhaust system tuned to the note of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with an SVT Lightening-tuned muffler and dual chrome 311/42-inch slash-cut tips.
Air conditioning, keyless entry, tilt steering, a black leather steering wheel, a black leather accessory pouch on the center console, and a Ford/Harley-Davidson badge on the front fenders round out the package.
Cool Web Site: Carfax.comThis site features a database of 950 million used vehicles and can research a car or truck's history, including whether there has been any flood or collision damage or any tinkering with the odometer. Carfax has also just added info on fire injury.
Top Vehicle SellersAccording to the Automotive News Data Center, these are the top-selling vehicles for 1999 as of October.
| 1. | Ford F-series pickup |
| 2. | Chevy C/K pickup |
| 3. | Toyota Camry |
| 4. | Ford Explorer |
| 5. | Dodge Ram pickup |
| 6. | Honda Accord |
| 7. | Ford Ranger |
| 8. | Ford Taurus |
| 9. | Honda Civic |
| 10. | Dodge Caravan |
4x4 Of The Year In ActionDon't get enough new-truck information? Want to see behind the scenes of our 4x4 of the Year competition? How about a half-hour television show dedicated just to our event? This year we invited Rick Russell's Backcountry 4x4 Adventures so he could capture the testing, action, comments, and bloopers as we put the 2000-model vehicles through their paces. The show first aired on the Outdoor Channel at the following times. Be on the lookout for reruns.
December 208:30 a.m. Pacific, 11:30 a.m. EasternDecember 227:30 p.m. Pacific, 10:30 a.m. EasternDecember 259:00 a.m. Pacific, 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Top Vehicles StolenSeems like every month one of these lists comes out. The National Insurance Crime Bureau has put together a list of last year's biggest thief magnets. Here's the latest compilation of cars and trucks that should feature a club, LoJack, a kill switch, and whatever else you can slap onto it: