The automaker from Hiroshima dropped a bomb on the automotive market when they came up with the new Mazda3, styled heavily with Nagare inspired lines and bulges this was truly an economy car that you would aspire to own. The exterior of the Mazda3 is interesting to say the least, made up of a multitude of complex curves and detailed lines evidence that the Japanese design team put a good amount of their own blood, sweat and tears into the economy car car’s design. Starting at just under $16,000 for a sedan and closer to $20,000 for the hatchback, the Mazda3 packs a whole lot of car into an affordable package. If you upgrade the sadden to the touring model, not only do you get wave mesh grills, Bi-Xenon headlamps and sporty front and rear bumpers complete with a lip spoiler, but you also get the wonderful 2.5 Liter four cylinder that makes 167 HP and 168 lb-ft of torque to go along with your beautifully sculpted people mover.
The exterior is highlighted by a sense of depth added by the hollow emblem on the front bumper and our car’s Crystal White Pearl Mica paint covered the wide wheel arches that housed a set of stylish 17 inch rims. The Mazda screams style, filled with playful bodylines. When compared to another automobile that we recently tested based on the same platform. We liked the Focus Coupe, and it reminded us of a serious Ford of the past, but the Focus is as plain Jane as sporty can try to be, but the Ford’s exterior was just flat. There was no depth like the Mazda, whereas the Focus is definitely for the person who wants the most car for their buck, while the 3 screams fun for a few dollars more.
Continued after the jump.
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The 2009 Ford Focus Coupe is an excellent economy car that features attractive fastback styling that will make you think twice about this car’s role as an econobox. Our Focus gives the impression of being a sports car with its Sangria Red metallic paint, large rear wing and rally inspired 17 inch premium dark painted wheels. However the exterior is only the beginning of the story, it was the interior of our $20,000 Ford Focus Coupe that made us fans of the well finished affordable method of transportation. It’s not the gauges or the synthetic door panels, but the Medium Stone leather seats and Ford’s voice commanded Sync audio system that earned our affection. These are two luxuries that you won’t find in many other $20,000 new cars.
Our Focus is powered by a 2.0 Liter Duratec 16 valve four cylinder engine that makes 143 HP when connected to a 5 speed manual transmission. The blue oval guys claim that the Coupe comes with a sport tuned exhaust as well as a sport tuned suspension, two things we thoroughly enjoyed listening to and putting through its paces. Despite the sporty nature of the Focus Coupe, Ford is already ready for the future CAFÉ standards because our car gets an EPA estimated 35 MPG.
However, no matter how good the Focus is, for some reason U.S. consumers have never been able to focus on the car’s highlights. You have to travel all of the way to Europe where the Ford Focus has earned multiple Car of the Year awards where these automobiles stand for value, sport and convenience. If only Ford could convince domestic consumers how good this car really is, perhaps next year wouldn’t be a Europe only model.
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Citroen has recently revealed the C-Cactus concept a couple of years ago at the 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Due to this funky looking compact car’s warm reception from the public, the French automaker is seriously considering turning the concept car into full fledged production vehicle.
The C-Cactus is powered by a 70 HP HDi diesel engine combined with a particulate filter to clean the noxious gasses and an electric motor for additional propulsion, to the tune of 30 HP. The C-Cactus consumes slightly over 69 miles per gallon of diesel over a combined driving cycle; while emitting a very Euro important 78 g/km of CO2. If the U.S. can ever learn to accept the benefits of clean diesel technology we too could benefit from these efficient little machines.
We here at Top Speed have thoroughly enjoyed our run with the subcompact Toyota Yaris. Since we received the tiny five door, we have thoroughly tested the car both on highway and off. The VVT-i 1.5 Liter four cylinder works hard at higher speeds, but is able to chug along with the flow of traffic. Despite the car’s smaller footprint, the Yaris is extremely spacious on the interior, and the cloth seats were extremely comfortable on our two hour highway stint. The Yaris did quite well on the open road, the car was able to get up to speed quickly, there was minimal exterior noise in the cabin and the seating position kept the controls in easy reach while allowing you to relax for the duration of the trip.
The Yaris shines in a crowded urban environment. The way that the wheels are pushed out to the far corners, just like the original compact car the Mini, allows for many of the same benefits. There is maximum use of the interior space, weaving in and out of traffic is a breeze and finding a parking space has never been easier. For those reasons and many more, we don’t mind trading in massaging seatbacks and fancy hard drive based navigation units for a simpler, less-complicated automobile. However our favorite feature of the Yaris are all the storage compartments hidden in the dashboard.
The Toyota Yaris is not only a great first car; it is also a great second car. Save the 599 for the weekends, tell your wife that you’ll be taking the Yaris to the office today, you’ll just have to be selective about which clubs to bring to the driving range after work, because an entire golf bag definitely won’t fit in the trunk. But for around $15,000 you can’t go wrong with a Toyota Yaris, it also comes with one of the greatest guarantees in the world, it’s a Toyota.
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We have just received the all new 2009 Ford Focus Coupe in the Top Speed test fleet. The profile of the two-door Focus with its fastback styling immediately reminded us of the old Sierra Cosworth, with the modern day car’s long slanted C pillar and oversized rear wing. The Focus Coupe gives the impression of being a sports car, something that is only accentuated by its Sangria Red metallic paint and the rally inspired premium dark painted wheels.
The interior of our Focus Coupe comes with Medium Stone leather seats and Ford’s Sync audio system. These are two luxuries that you won’t find in many other $20,000 new cars. It looks like Ford is targeting the youth market with the Focus Coupe, aside from the sporty exterior styling; the gauges have a very tuner style look to them, they are bright, bold and in your face. Another interesting feature that we’ve noticed is the door chime, gone is the annoying monotonous “ding” and in its place is a sound that is more reminiscent of something coming from an Atari video game.
Our Focus is powered by a 2.0 Liter Duratec 16 valve four cylinder that makes 140 HP. The blue oval guys claim that the Coupe comes with a sport tuned exhaust as well as a sport tuned suspension, two things we are looking forward to listening to and trying out. Despite the sporty nature of the Focus Coupe, Ford is already ready for the future CAFÉ standards because our car get an EPA estimated 35 MPG.
For a 360 degree view of the Focus check out the video after the jump.
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Press release
Enter the new 500, the manifesto of the ‘new Fiat’, a model that represents to all intents and purposes the materialisation of a new approach, of new brand strategies, and a different approach to the car. Exactly 50 years after the launch of the first edition of the model, which was to become an icon of Italian motoring and of an entire period of history, Fiat is accelerating into the future.
Anyone could re-edit the 500, because its shape is part of our (...)
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We were happy to hear the Toyota Yaris was going to be joining our fleet because we have plenty of first-hand knowledge of Toyota’s legendary quality, but we are curious how that holds up on the lowest rung of the ladder. The Yaris starts at about $15,000, and for that kind of cash we knew that there would be the quality materials from Toyota. But would there be enough compelling reasons to keeps us, if it were our money, from buying a late model used car?
There are three basic reasons not buy new as opposed to used in the automotive world. First is that new cars have the best warranty. Second is that the history is known about a new car (there are not that many grannies who only drive on Sundays out there.) Last is selection. Even in the days of internet searches, its still easiest to get the ideal car by buying new instead of used.
So basically for the Yaris to win us over, it not only had to be dependable, but it also had to have charm. To accomplish this, a Toyota dropped a five-door Yaris S with enough goodies to push the price up to $19,244.
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Value is the current buzzword in car buying. As belts are tightening, we are going to take a long look at our economy cars like our Chevrolet Aveo5.
Purchasing an economy car has three distinct benefits. First good gas mileage means that not only are they inexpensive to buy but also inexpensive to run. The second advantage is the warranty that comes with a new car. Another advantage is being the first owner of a vehicle – there may be larger, slightly used vehicles at the same price point, but the owners are unknown.
Economy cars have a social standing that sometimes have people convinced that those who buy one made their decision on price only. They can sometimes be viewed as basic transportation, which gives them little social stature. So the idea with an ideal economy car is not only to spend as little as possible, but also have the appearance that it cost a lot more. That’s how value is measured in an economy car, and that’s how we equipped our Chevrolet Aveo5.
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The highest available U.S. tax credit to date now belongs to Ford. Consumers who purchase a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid or 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid will be eligible to receive a $3400 federal tax credit. Ford’s sedans get 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which Ford claims is 8 mpg more than the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
In order to qualify for the full amount you must purchase a Fusion Hybrid before April 1, 2009. After that date customers who purchase a hybrid will only be able to claim a partial tax credit. This is because Ford reached a 60,000 vehicle threshold in the 4th quarter of 2008. Now the tax credit amounts are reduced by 50 percent beginning in the second quarter of 2009 and by an additional 25 percent beginning in the fourth quarter of 2009. No tax credit amount is available for hybrids after March 31, 2010.
Press release after the jump
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When the Ford Focus first appeared in 2000, it was Ford’s modern attempt at a real “world car” (the mid-90s Contour/Mystique wasn’t built for the world, it was an attempt at getting the U.S. to buy the second generation Mondeo.) The Focus was a vast improvement over the Escort, but the problem was that since it was built for multiple continents, it had multiple compromises.
The original Focus needed to be both a full hatchback for Europe and a full sedan for North America. While the resulting car was successful, the look was somewhat odd. Now that Ford makes two separate Focus lines (one for U.S. and Canada as well as a separate one for the rest of the world,) Ford can now focus on a traditional shape for the sedan and for the first time offer a true coupe.
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