Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged sport compact
2011 Ford Focus
Oct 20th
It’s hard to believe it took this long for the Focus to get here. If you’re not a car person, you might not realize that the Europeans have been getting the “good” version of the Ford Focus for many years. The Focus sold here was something of a dinosaur, first developed in 2000 and allowed to soldier along with significant updates but missing out on the whole-car redesigns that the European version benefitted from. There was talk of bringing the “Euro-Focus” to the United States, but it’s been a long time materializing.
For 2012, the Focus finally appears in the same form as overseas, and the result is a significant upgrade. The all-new 2012 Focus spans the range of the compact spectrum, with affordable entry-level versions and enough amenities available to turn it into a premium compact.
More >
2011 Subaru WRX STi
Dec 31st
With most manufacturers, the vehicle that’s considered the flagship and image leader of the lineup is the largest and most luxurious. Subaru, however, does things a little bit differently. The brand has made its mark with all-wheel drive and more recently with high-performance vehicles, and so the top-dog of the Subaru family is one of its smallest members. The Subaru WRX STi is the performance champion as well as the media darling of the brand.
Although it shares its basic structure with the Subaru Impreza, the WRX STi is more than just a hot-rodded economy car. This car takes Subaru’s rallying experience and applies it to a production car. Nearly every mechanical part of the WRX STi is unique to the model. For 2011, the WRX STi raises its performance ante with a new suspension and lightened equipment. More >
2005 Ford Focus ST ZX4
Dec 7th
In general, small cars are either grown-up, like the Toyota Corolla and Kia Spectra, or they’re playful. The Volkswagen Golf, Mazda3 and Ford Focus fall solidly into the latter category. Like the Golf and Mazda3, the Focus’ mission in life is to prove that frugal and sensible don’t have to mean “no fun to drive.”
A light redesign for 2005 gives the Focus a more grown up face, but its happy-go-lucky nature has only been strengthened. The hard-core SVT Focus model has gone into the bunker with the rest of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team and is not available for ’05, but many of the SVT Focus’ go-fast goodies are available on a new mainstream model, the Focus ST. The new design also (hopefully) means that the quality control problems that surfaced on the early Focus models in 1999 are long gone. More >