Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged hatchback
2011 Scion xD
Oct 11th
There’s some question as to if Scion has lost its cutting-edge mojo. The brand has gotten a bit conservative thanks to influence from parent company Toyota, and Kia and Nissan are fielding edgier subcompacts these days. The new microcompact iQ is interesting, but has limited appeal, the redesigned tC is an excellent car but arguably less in-your-face than it has been in the past, and the boxy xB has faded almost entirely into the woodwork thanks to an influx of cube-shaped vehicles from Kia, Nissan and others.
Somewhere behind the xB in terms of curbside crowd-drawing ability is the xD. Unchanged since 2008, the xD is perhaps exempt for the moment from the pressure to be the attention-getter of the family. In fact, there’s a chance it might’ve been cancelled by now if it weren’t for the upsurge in gas prices. And it’s precisely that upswing that keeps the xD, which isn’t fresh in hip-car terms, from being hopelessly out of date. More >
2011 Mazda2
Aug 8th
There are two schools of design when it comes to sub-compact vehicles; some go for a cute look, and others have been styled to look like they’d just as soon eat your face as look at you–think of the smart fortwo, Ford Fiesta and latest Chevrolet Aveo. The irony of aggressive styling on microcars is that it rarely has the desired effect. It’s like having a pocket-sized grizzly bear–no matter how fierce it looks, everyone’s just going to think it’s adorable.
Perhaps that’s why Mazda softened its normally aggressive family face for its latest entry-level vehicle. The Mazda2 enters the lineup for 2011 a step below the Mazda3, and it’s definitely styled with an eye toward the “cute” end of the spectrum. With excellent road manners and 35-mpg fuel economy in its corner, the Mazda2 is also not just another adorable face; there’s some genuine substance to back it up. More >
2011 Chevrolet Volt
Jul 25th
“Is this the future?” more than one person asked upon checking out the Volt. “Is this the future of the auto industry?”
“No,” I replied. “It’s here now.” I wasn’t just being pedantic. In spite of its uncommon electric drivetrain, what’s most interesting about the Chevrolet Volt is how ordinary it is.
There’s a preconception that electric cars are little more than glorified golf carts, and the Volt should help to put that fallacy to rest for good. Powered by electrons instead of burning gasoline it may be, but the Volt is capable of handling day-to-day life just as well as a Cruze or a Civic. More >