The 2011 Nissan Versa combines two appealing features for the subcompact class: It’s bigger inside than many of its competitors, and it’s one of the lowest-priced cars on sale today. Big and inexpensive is a good combination, and it explains the consistently good sales of Nissan’s smallest model despite its distinct lack of...
The 2011 Ford Fiesta, launched last year, is the smallest car Ford has sold since before the turn of the century. The company’s first European model adapted for the U.S. market, it comes as both a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan—and to Ford’s surprise, it’s selling more hatches than sedans. The 2011 Fiesta competes...
For many years, the Honda Civic has been one of the two top-selling compact cars in the U.S. It has been the sporty alternative to the stolid, reliable Toyota Corolla, with the Civic retaining a younger audience and a hipper image. The 2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid are now in the sixth and last year of their life, with an all-new model expected for...
Last year, the all-new Hyundai Sonata arrived like a bolt of lightning from above. Dramatically styled, stuffed with features, competitively priced, and returning some of the best gas mileage figures in the mid-size class, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata continues to sell well. It’s worrying the product planners at Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, and...
Globally, more compact cars are sold than any other size, and the competition is consequently fierce. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is a new and very capable competitor that its maker has dropped into the fray, and early sales figures indicate it’s punching far above its weight. It makes the Toyota Corolla, which has been the best-selling compact...
The all-new 2011 Kia Optima range is a quantum leap ahead of previous Optimas, and the mid-size sedan has emerged as a strong and stylish competitor to the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Chevrolet Malibu. Its greenest model, the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid, will arrive later this year. It shares a hybrid-electric system with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid...
Completely and flamboyantly redesigned for 2010, the 2011 Mazda Mazda3 is the driver’s choice among compact cars. You can decide whether you like the “smiley-face” front styling that’s now universal across the Mazda lineup, but the lines of the Mazda3 are sporty and dashing, whether you order the five-door hatchback or the...
Launched last year as the first “dedicated hybrid” from Toyota’s luxury brand, the 2011 Lexus HS 250h blends an attempt at Lexus levels of luxury with the gas mileage advantage of a hybrid-electric drivetrain. But it hasn’t done so quite as successfully as the 2011 CT 200h compact hybrid hatchback that followed it this...
The 2011 Nissan Altima is clearly more stylish than competitors like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and the line includes both a coupe and a hybrid. While it’s not quite as roomy inside as some mid-size rivals, the 2011 Altima has held up decently since its 2007 debut. It remains one of the sportiest and most fun-to-drive entries in this...
The 2011 Toyota RAV4 is the company’s smallest crossover, although this “compact” sport utility has ballooned from its early years to the point where it holds a third row and offers seven seats. Last redesigned for 2006, the RAV4 was modestly updated a couple of years ago. Its styling is fresh and up-to-date, but it retains a...
The 2011 Toyota Camry is in the fifth and last year of its model life, but it continues to be a top-selling mid-size sedan, as it has been for years. A very minor facelift for 2010 will carry it through until it is replaced for 2012, though for green buyers, it will be the Camry Hybrid model that’s of most interest. The Camry sedan is such a...
The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is an eco-conscious, somewhat sporty compact hybrid hatchback. It takes Lexus to a new audience the company hasn’t sought out before: Gen X and Gen Y buyers who may be willing to give up their basic compact cars—or Toyota Prius hybrids—for the greater luxury of a Lexus, allied with gas mileage of 40 mpg or...
The 2011 Honda Insight is the least expensive hybrid car on sale in the U.S. this year, at a base price of just $18,970 with delivery. But despite this distinction, the subcompact hatchback hasn’t been a success for Honda, selling just a fraction of early projections. In part, that’s because it sits on showroom floors right next to the...
Years from now, the world might just view the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as the car that showed General Motors was worth saving. The Volt is GM’s first electric car since the infamous EV1 two-seater, and this time, the company is building and selling it in volume—in every U.S. state by the end of 2011. The aerodynamic five-door, four-seat...
The 2011 Nissan Versa combines two appealing features for the subcompact class: It’s bigger inside than many of its competitors, and it’s one of the lowest-priced cars on sale today. Big and inexpensive is a good combination, and it explains the consistently good sales of Nissan’s smallest model despite its distinct lack of...
The 2011 Ford Fiesta, launched last year, is the smallest car Ford has sold since before the turn of the century. The company’s first European model adapted for the U.S. market, it comes as both a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan—and to Ford’s surprise, it’s selling more hatches than sedans. The 2011 Fiesta competes...
For many years, the Honda Civic has been one of the two top-selling compact cars in the U.S. It has been the sporty alternative to the stolid, reliable Toyota Corolla, with the Civic retaining a younger audience and a hipper image. The 2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid are now in the sixth and last year of their life, with an all-new model expected for...
Last year, the all-new Hyundai Sonata arrived like a bolt of lightning from above. Dramatically styled, stuffed with features, competitively priced, and returning some of the best gas mileage figures in the mid-size class, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata continues to sell well. It’s worrying the product planners at Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, and...
Globally, more compact cars are sold than any other size, and the competition is consequently fierce. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is a new and very capable competitor that its maker has dropped into the fray, and early sales figures indicate it’s punching far above its weight. It makes the Toyota Corolla, which has been the best-selling compact...
The all-new 2011 Kia Optima range is a quantum leap ahead of previous Optimas, and the mid-size sedan has emerged as a strong and stylish competitor to the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Chevrolet Malibu. Its greenest model, the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid, will arrive later this year. It shares a hybrid-electric system with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid...
Completely and flamboyantly redesigned for 2010, the 2011 Mazda Mazda3 is the driver’s choice among compact cars. You can decide whether you like the “smiley-face” front styling that’s now universal across the Mazda lineup, but the lines of the Mazda3 are sporty and dashing, whether you order the five-door hatchback or the...
Launched last year as the first “dedicated hybrid” from Toyota’s luxury brand, the 2011 Lexus HS 250h blends an attempt at Lexus levels of luxury with the gas mileage advantage of a hybrid-electric drivetrain. But it hasn’t done so quite as successfully as the 2011 CT 200h compact hybrid hatchback that followed it this...
The 2011 Nissan Altima is clearly more stylish than competitors like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and the line includes both a coupe and a hybrid. While it’s not quite as roomy inside as some mid-size rivals, the 2011 Altima has held up decently since its 2007 debut. It remains one of the sportiest and most fun-to-drive entries in this...
The 2011 Toyota RAV4 is the company’s smallest crossover, although this “compact” sport utility has ballooned from its early years to the point where it holds a third row and offers seven seats. Last redesigned for 2006, the RAV4 was modestly updated a couple of years ago. Its styling is fresh and up-to-date, but it retains a...
The 2011 Toyota Camry is in the fifth and last year of its model life, but it continues to be a top-selling mid-size sedan, as it has been for years. A very minor facelift for 2010 will carry it through until it is replaced for 2012, though for green buyers, it will be the Camry Hybrid model that’s of most interest. The Camry sedan is such a...
The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is an eco-conscious, somewhat sporty compact hybrid hatchback. It takes Lexus to a new audience the company hasn’t sought out before: Gen X and Gen Y buyers who may be willing to give up their basic compact cars—or Toyota Prius hybrids—for the greater luxury of a Lexus, allied with gas mileage of 40 mpg or...
The 2011 Honda Insight is the least expensive hybrid car on sale in the U.S. this year, at a base price of just $18,970 with delivery. But despite this distinction, the subcompact hatchback hasn’t been a success for Honda, selling just a fraction of early projections. In part, that’s because it sits on showroom floors right next to the...
Years from now, the world might just view the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as the car that showed General Motors was worth saving. The Volt is GM’s first electric car since the infamous EV1 two-seater, and this time, the company is building and selling it in volume—in every U.S. state by the end of 2011. The aerodynamic five-door, four-seat...
