2012 Hyundai Veloster

Three-door sport coupe designed for active lifestyles

By Nina Russin

2012 Hyundai Veloster

The Veloster compact coupe is Hyundai’s answer to urbanites with active lifestyles. Designers modified a three-door liftback, adding a fourth door on the right-hand side. The rear door eases access and egress to the second-row seats.

Under the hood, a direct injection 1.6-liter engine and six-speed manual transmission offer peppy performance with excellent fuel efficiency: 40 mpg on the highway, according to EPA estimates.

The car’s small footprint gives it maneuverability for weaving through dense traffic and parking in small slots on the street. A versatile interior is bicycle-friendly, and the driver’s seat has enough room for an extremely tall driver. A friend who’s six-foot-five got behind the wheel and had room to spare.

As with every Hyundai, the Veloster offers a high level of standard safety and convenience features at a remarkably low price. MSRP on the test car is $17,300, including delivery. The base car comes with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, a ten-year/100,000 mile factory warranty, alloy wheels, air conditioning, satellite radio, Hyundai’s proprietary telematics system, remote keyless entry, MP3 and IPod compatibility and Bluetooth interface.

A style package upgrades the wheels to 18-inch rims, adds a panoramic sunroof, chrome grille, leather interior accents alloy pedals and audio upgrade ($2000). A technology package includes a navigation system with rearview camera, keyless start and a 115-volt power outlet ($2000), bringing the price as tested to $21,300. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Toyota Yaris LE

Subcompact five-door sedan offers more to love

By Nina Russin

2012 Toyota Yaris

When Toyota redesigned its subcompact Yaris for the 2012 model year, the objective was, to paraphrase Mies, offering more for less. Available as either a three or five door lift-back, the new Yaris has a roomier interior and cargo area than the models it replaces, yet uses less gasoline.

The new model’s 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine produces the same horsepower and slightly less torque than the former block, but with better gas mileage: about one mile-per-gallon more around town. Equipped with the five-speed manual transmission, the 2012 Yaris averages 38 mpg on the highway: two miles-per-gallon better than the 2011 model.

Engineers reduced the car’s aerodynamic drag with some careful work in the wind tunnel, and also lowered the chassis for better high-speed performance. What this means for the customer is that the new Yaris looks and feels like a more substantial vehicle. Taller passengers will be more comfortable thanks to increased headroom, and buyers with active lifestyles will have a larger cargo area to load their gear into.

Pricing starts just over $14,000 for the three-door version with a five-speed manual transmission. The upscale five-door SE grade with a four-speed automatic transmission begins at $17,200. Prices do not include a $760 delivery charge. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Kia Rio 5

Sexy subcompact is value packed

By Nina Russin

2012 Kia Rio 5

This fall, Kia rolls out the third iteration of its subcompact Rio, beginning with the five-door hatchback. Although the Rio is the smallest car in the Kia lineup, the new five-door offers its owners a remarkably versatile interior with standard convenience features normally not found in the subcompact segment.

The volume-leading is EX sits in the middle of a three grade strategy, which also includes the base LX and sporty upscale SX. EX buyers might be surprised to find cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, power folding mirrors and a soft-touch dashboard on a car priced from $16,500. Pricing does not include a $750 delivery charge.

Kia product planners knew that the gloves had to come off in order for the Rio to compete against the popular Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta and Nissan Versa. A new direct injection 1.6-liter engine delivers up to 138 horsepower as well as 40 mile-per-gallon fuel economy on the highway. Buyers can choose between a six-speed manual transmission and six-speed automatic on the base LX; both the EX and SX come exclusively with the six-speed automatic.

An Eco option becomes available at the end of this year, which will stretch gas mileage even further by automatically turning the engine off at idle. The engine automatically restarts when the driver lifts his foot off the brake pedal. The idle stop-and-go feature adds another mile-per-gallon to the Rio’s fuel economy in city driving.

Designers focused on sustainable technologies, constructing 85 percent of the vehicle out of recyclable materials. They also added a high level of standard safety features, since safety is one of the five biggest consideration factors among buyers in this segment. Antilock brakes, electronic stability and traction control are standard on all grades. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

Chevrolet’s Cobalt replacement is big on fuel economy

By Nina Russin

2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

It’s easy to attach an “eco” badge to a car’s rear fender. Backing the claim up is a whole different matter. Over the past week, I decided to see for myself whether Chevrolet’s new Cruze Eco compact sedan lives up to its moniker.

I drove like a gorilla fleeing the zookeeper. Jackrabbit starts became my stock and trade. I barreled through rush hour traffic, and bolted up the Beeline Highway between Phoenix and Payson. I never put the car in sixth gear and never used the cruise control.

At the end of a week and about 120 miles, I checked average fuel economy on a digital display in the Cruze’s gauge cluster. I had averaged 44.8 miles-per-gallon. While the cynic in me might doubt the display’s accuracy, I had to admit that there was still a lot of gas left in the tank.

The Cruze had equaled, or outperformed several popular clean diesel and gasoline/electric hybrids with a simple internal combustion engine. How, readers might wonder, is that possible? Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Kia Forte SX 5-Door

Sport grade adds wow factor to Kia’s compact platform

By Nina Russin

2011 Kia Forte 5-Door

Two years ago, the Kia Forte replaced the Spectra as the automaker’s compact offering. More recently, the Forte 5-door replaces the Spectra5. The Forte hatchback comes in both EX and SX grades. The sporty SX features a more powerful four-cylinder engine than the EX, larger wheels and a sport-tuned suspension.

Base price on the Forte SX 5-door model is $19,395, excluding the $695 delivery charge. Standard convenience features include Bluetooth interface, satellite radio, leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, keyless remote entry, power mirrors, an ambient temperature display and a USB port.

The test car adds three option packages. Leather trim with heated front seats and an automatic dimming rearview mirror costs $1000. A technology package which includes keyless start, navigation and automatic temperature control adds $1800, while a power sunroof costs $750, bringing the price as tested to $23,640. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Mazda5 Sport

Mazda’s mini-minivan is big on versatility

By Nina Russin

2012 Mazda5

Mazda’s new compact minivan epitomizes what active lifestyle vehicles are all about. It’s small enough to park on the street, fuel efficient and affordable. A versatile interior holds up to six passengers, as well as bicycles, camping equipment, skis, snowboards and wetsuits.

Best of all, the Mazda5 is a hoot to drive, with a peppy 2.5-liter engine and six-speed manual transmission. The smiling grille says it all.

While the front-wheel drive car doesn’t have the traction in rain and snow that an all-wheel drive crossover would, it’s a package that will fit the squares for a lot of readers, and their budgets as well.

The minivan comes in three grades: Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. Base price on the Sport model tested is $19,195, not including the $795 delivery charge. The upscale Grand Touring model starts at $23,875.

Standard comfort and convenience features on the Sport include remote keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, an AM/FM/CD audio system with satellite radio compatibility, steering wheel audio and cruise controls, and an auxiliary outlet for MP3 players. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited

Compact sedan is a super value

By Nina Russin

2011 Hyundai Elantra

It’s rare for a baseball player to hit consecutive home runs, and perhaps less common for a car company. But that’s exactly what Hyundai has done with its new compact Elantra sedan, following on the heels of the midsized Sonata.

 The new Elantra is a super-value, not only because of its sub- $20,000 price tag, but what the car offers: a fuel-efficient engine, extensive roster of standard convenience and safety features, and an industry-leading ten-year/100,000 mile warranty.

Power comes from a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 148 horsepower, and a proprietary six-speed automatic transmission. The Elantra averages 33 miles-per-gallon for combined city and highway driving according to the EPA. Mileage for my 100-mile test drive was slightly better: 34.5 miles-per-gallon.

Base price for the upscale Limited grade is $19,980 including destination charges and a full tank of gas. Standard comfort and convenience features include keyless entry and start, 17-inch alloy wheels, a power sunroof, XM satellite radio, USB and auxiliary ports, Bluetooth interface, leather trim, and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with redundant audio, cruise and Bluetooth controls.

A premium package on the test car adds navigation with a rearview backup camera, automatic headlamps and an upgraded audio system ($2000). Carpeted floor mats and an iPod cable bring the price as tested to $22,110. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Fiat 500 Sport

Stylish subcompact with 38 mpg fuel economy

By Nina Russin

2012 Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 Sport parked in my driveway brings forth memories of Topo Gigio: the mouse puppet from Ed Sullivan’s popular variety show in the 1960s. It isn’t just the Fiat’s whiskers and logo face, or the fact that both Topo and the original Cincquecento date back to the same era.

Just as the puppet created by Maria Perego of Milan charmed television viewers, the new Fiat 500 hatchback is irresistibly cute. Styling combines retro and contemporary elements in surprisingly harmonious fashion. It is also quintessentially Italian, setting the car apart from other entries in the A segment.

Most appealing in the new Cinquecento’s affordability: the base model starts under $16,000. The test car is the midgrade Sport, which has larger wheels and a sport-tuned suspension. MSRP is $17,500, not including the $500 destination charge.

Power comes from a single overhead cam four-cylinder engine rated at 101 horsepower, with 98 foot-pounds of torque. Because of its high compression ratio, the manufacturer recommends running 91 octane fuel, although regular is acceptable.

A five-speed manual gearbox, standard on the Sport, enables drivers to make better use of the engine’s available power than the optional six-speed automatic. It also yields better fuel economy: about three miles per gallon on average according to EPA estimates. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio Lounge

Subcompact gets an open-air variant

By Nina Russin

2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio

What’s not to love about an Italian car? This year, Fiat returns to North America with two versions of its classic Cinquecento. A hatchback came first, followed by a cabriolet currently rolling into dealerships. Fiat unveiled the new convertible at the New York Auto Show in April.

The new open-air Fiat comes 55 years after the original Cinquecento rolled out in Italy. A power two-layer cloth top on the 2012 car replaces a removable canvas panel on the 1957 Nuova Cinquecento.

Despite its retro appearance inside and out, the new Fiat 500 Cabrio is more versatile than the original version, with a spacious high-tech interior and power top which deploys in two positions. The first retracts the top to the roof-mounted rear spoiler; the second to the boot. 

There are two trim levels, as opposed to three for the hatchback. Base price for the entry-level Pop is $19,500, not including a $500 destination charge. Power comes from a 1.4-liter engine rated at 101 horsepower, and a five-speed manual transmission. Standard comfort features include the power top, air conditioning, MP3 compatible audio system, Bluetooth, a USB port, rear park assist and 15-inch wheels.

The upscale Lounge grade gets a six-speed automatic transmission in lieu of the five-speed manual, a Bose premium audio system, security alarm and extra chrome trim. Base price is $23,500. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Jeep Patriot Latitude 4X4

Versatile SUV gets a facelift and new interior

By Nina Russin

2011 Jeep Patriot

The Jeep Patriot has become a polarizing vehicle, much like its Wrangler sibling. Patriot fans love the sport-utility vehicle’s value pricing and off-road capability. Critics point to the lack of engine power and inconsistent fit and finish.

This year, Jeep addressed some of those concerns with a significant redesign. Designers revised the car’s front and rear fascias as well as the interior, paying more attention to fit, finish and touch-points throughout the vehicle.

 The Patriot’s redesigned back end conceals the gas tank and muffler. The new front fascia links the Patriot to other models in the Jeep line-up, including the upscale Grand Cherokee.

Fit and finish throughout the interior is much better. Designers paid close attention to the steering wheel, knobs, buttons and door handles Soft center console and dashboard surfaces are more pleasant to live with.

The Latitude sits in the middle of three available grades. Base price for the four-wheel drive model is $17,695, not including a $700 destination charge.

Most buyers will want to add a premium package that upgrades the standard wheels to 17-inch alloy rims, and adds air conditioning, remote keyless entry, power windows and door locks, heated seats, a 115-volt outlet, leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls and heated side mirrors ($3700). Front seat side airbags are also an option, included in a package which also adds tire pressure monitoring and a digital information display ($750).

Roof rails with crossbars and a tonneau cover cost $500.

The off-road package on the test car includes all terrain tires, a brake lock differential, full-sized spare, fuel tank and transmission skid plates, tow hooks, wiring for a trailer harness, and hill descent control ($1500).

A special automatic transmission comes with the package, adding a crawl ratio for low-speed maneuvers.

A 30 gigabyte media center, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port and satellite radio bring the price as tested to $25,410. Options on the test car add over 25 percent to its sticker price, which strikes me as a rather severe jump. I’d rather see basic convenience features, including keyless entry, power windows, door locks and air conditioning included in the base price. Read the rest of this entry »