Few models can match the Golf R’s fun factor. Hot hatchbacks remain prized commodities. And this segment has only become hotter since Volkswagen introduced the current Golf R in 2015. As one of just three small sport models with all-wheel drive — the Subaru WRX STI and the Ford Focus … Read more
Honda’s compact coupe delivers style, pluck, and determination. When it comes to model names, the Civic is one of the most enduring ones of all. Introduced to North America in 1973, this one-time subcompact has morphed into a sizable compact model now bordering on the midsize range. Honda remains one … Read more
Audi launches “e-tron,” its nascent line of hybrid electric vehicles. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron name is a mouthful. Once you get beyond the lengthy moniker for this unusual plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), calling it “e-tron” or “A3 e-tron” seems entirely appropriate. The “e-tron” designation is an Audi registered … Read more
The top-of-the-range Ford Focus RS offers a unique winter prep package. The Ford Focus RS cannot arrive in North America soon enough for enthusiasts. As the work of Ford Performance, this hot hatchback on steroids promises to be the fastest machine this side of a Mustang GT. Its all-wheel drive … Read more
June 25, 2015: Corrected to include accurate details about the body styles the Cruze’s competitors offer in the US market. An earlier Cruze hatchback will set the stage for a new model. The Chevrolet Cruze may be the best compact car General Motors has ever built even though its sales … Read more
The smallest model in Toyota’s broad product arsenal is the Yaris, a subcompact three- or five-door hatchback. It competes in a segment dominated by Nissan and will soon find in-house competition in the form of the 2016 Scion iA. Whoever said that Toyota Motors is not an interesting company? The … Read more
The 2015 Nissan Versa Note, a five-door subcompact hatchback. Someone at Nissan has a sense of humor. Or perhaps they are a glutton for punishment. Not two weeks went by when a mind-blowing Nissan GT-R was followed by a proletarian Nissan Versa Note, representing the apex and nadir of this … Read more
Nissan reveals a styling direction that is both inspirational and simple in its Sway concept. Designed with a European audience in mind, styling elements could be adopted and applied to the next generation Sentra sedan and other Nissan models. Leave it to Nissan to cut the red carpet with a … Read more
Ford’s smallest pocket rocket excites. The 2015 Ford Mustang has been promised to me, an upcoming press fleet vehicle that I’ve been anticipating for a long, long time. As I’ve been patiently waiting, an assortment of Lincoln and Ford vehicles have kept me busy, including one hot five-door hatchback that … Read more
European Toyota Auris derived hatchback expected stateside. Well, it seems like Toyota’s Scion sub-brand has some life left in it after all. Introduced more than a decade ago in a bid to help Toyota appeal to younger buyers, Scion initially bolstered sales, but has seen a sharp decline in recent … Read more
What’s new at the 2014 Moscow International Auto Salon. The last time that the Moscow International Auto Salon (MIAS) was held the Datsun brand was a historical footnote in the annals of the automotive industry. That was 2012 — since then, Nissan revived the Datsun brand and is now selling … Read more
Lexus has taken its own approach to the premium/luxury segment. Its model line is composed mostly of a variety of sedans and utility vehicles, each powered by a gasoline engine. There is nary a diesel found in its North American lineup. Instead, Lexus serves up five hybrid models to demonstrate … Read more
Heated seats, power accessories and a CVT. Survey Nissan’s product line and you will find multiple models priced from under $20,000. That price point is important for some consumers, especially people who simply do not want to pay anywhere near the current $31,200 average price for a new car. 2014 … Read more
The battlefield for small cars is an intense one with numerous compact and other small models available to entice first-time car buyers. Honda has its Civic, a compact model that competes with the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus for customers. On the subcompact level is the … Read more
The Volkswagen Golf may not be the most profitable model in the VW arsenal, but it is the most popular vehicle built by this German manufacturer. Some 40 years and 30 million models later, the North American market will soon get what the Europeans are currently enjoying: the seventh generation … Read more
Smallest Ford is big on value and fun. In 2008, before the US economy nosedived and the American car manufacturing industry nearly folded, the Ford Motor Company announced its One Ford plan. That plan offered a blueprint for sustainability that would completely shift the way that Ford conducted its business. … Read more
Mid product cycle updates loom large for compact Focus. The Ford Focus is an instantly recognizable name, with more than 1 million units sold annually worldwide. Ford has said that the Focus is the best selling vehicle in the world, a claim that Toyota disputes. What is beyond dispute is … Read more
The Toyota Matrix is a five-door hatchback or what some might consider a “tall wagon” design. It is built on the Corolla’s platform and has been sold stateside since 2003. Its 11-year North American model run, however, is coming to an end as Toyota will no longer offer this vehicle … Read more
Small cars offering very good value, ample interior room and excellent gas mileage may very well drive the auto industry in the coming years. Not so much in profits, but in helping car manufacturers maintain and expand market share. The thinking here is that if you like a certain entry-level … Read more
The electric vehicle market is a tiny one with most manufacturers having a stake in the game. For GM, its first pure electric vehicle is its Chevrolet Spark EV, a microcar built in South Korea and also sold separately with a gasoline engine. Last week, GM announced pricing and leasing … Read more
Something odd has happened along Mitsubishis supposed exit from the US new car market: it has updated its Outlander crossover SUV, has shown us a PHEV version of the same and this Japanese car manufacturer just introduced an all-new Mitsubishi Mirage at the New York International Auto Show. Perhaps rumors … Read more
Smallest Kia gets a new design. The smallest model in the Kia line up is its subcompact Rio, a vehicle that is sold in sedan and hatchback configurations. Kia markets the Rio and Rio 5-door models separately, but unlike earlier models the only difference between these two is its body … Read more