Let's assume for a moment that the new Fiat 500L will undercut the Mini Countryman in price, just as the 500 undercuts the Cooper. With that assumption in mind, we'll assume that the stylistically-challenged Fiat 500L might sell at least as often as the Countryman. The 500L is only available with front-wheel-drive. Even the Mini is only available with all-wheel-drive at the top of lineup. Neither car is a faithful design follower of the iconic original; the Fiat less so. Neither car is particularly quick. Both cars feature highly stylized interiors, neither of which is roomy like a proper SUV. By Mini standards, the Countryman isn't pretty. By car standards, the Fiat is ill-proportioned. Regardless of their stark differences and apparent similarities, it's safe to project approximately 20,000 annual U.S. sales for the 500L, based on the Mini Countryman's total. Fiat USA will likely sell around 43,000 500s in 2012. If the 500L can find 20,000 buyers in 2013 while selling another 43,000 500 hatchbacks, where does this position the Fiat brand? Strictly judged by volume, Fiat would only barely be trailing Mini. Fiat would be selling nearly as many cars as Volvo and would be selling twice as many vehicles as Porsche.
Even if the 500L becomes a 20,000-units type of vehicle, Fiat won't sell 20,000 in what will be an abbreviated 2013 launch year. Yet we can still expect to see Fiat's 2013 year-end volume climbing at least 40% even if the 500 posts no year-over-year sales increase. Check out historic monthly and yearly sales figures for the regular Fiat 500, Mini Cooper range, Mini Countryman, and any other vehicle or brand by making your selection at GCBC's Sales Stats home. U.S. brand rankings, where Fiat ranked 29th in October and Mini ranked 24th, can be accessed here.
Rarely does the topic of giving come to the forefront of our minds. We are takers, not just as a society but as individual human beings. To a large extent, this is forgivable. We do, after all, require certain elements in order to survive. Around the Christmas season, however, giving becomes a more frequently discussed subject. This holiday season, there's a new giver in town, and the generosity emanating from this soulless giver is tangible yet strangely lacking in physicality.
These are the sorts of subjects not normally present in a review of the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, or any other car for that matter. The Veloster's generous ways made me thankful throughout its late night photography session, a session which took place outside an absolutely empty shopping mall, only hours after it was jam packed with holiday shoppers. But taking from the Veloster was a lot like receiving gifts from a secret Santa: there was no signature, no communication. Just a giver and a taker.
Though this sounds like the 2012 Veloster leaves a hollow experience in its wake, there's no denying the impact it's had in Hyundai showrooms, and if anything is being left in the Veloster's wake, it's Honda's CR-Z, perhaps even Scion's tC.
GoodCarBadCar's full review of the tech package-equipped, DCT-fitted 2012 Hyundai Veloster can be read after the jump. For the full Christmas Eve effect, the Veloster was photographed only at night. Outside a barren mall, beside an empty school, beside the airport runway, on traffic-less roads, in freezing conditions. When Hyundai Canada's silver Veloster visited GoodCarBadCar, it wasn't yet Christmas, but gloves were worn, winter coats were on, and toques were pulled down over ears. Some of the resulting images can be viewed (and enlarged with a click) in this post, but scroll down and you'll also find a complete Gallery of GoodCarBadcar photography.
GOING Enter the Veloster without removing the proximity key from your jacket pocket, depress the circular start button directly in front of the shifter, and, if the stereo and HVAC systems are off, you'll hear the whisper of a smooth 1.6L four-cylinder. This direct-injection 138-horsepower four is a bit buzzy at first, but a few minutes of warmth puts the buzzing to rest. Anybody other than Speed Kills proponents will say the Veloster is surprisingly sleepy from rest. It's not that the engine is unwilling to rev - things move along quite nicely above 4000 rpm - and it's not that the engine isn't utterly smooth when revving. Moreover, those who are surprised at the Veloster's lack of gumption are surprised because of its design, not the spec sheet. Each of this loaded Veloster's horses must carry 20.4 pounds.
In a basic Hyundai Accent sedan, each of the 1.6L's horses is tasked with toting around only 17.4 pounds. Is the Veloster quick? Not at all. Hyundai never said it was. Besides, there's a turbocharged Veloster coming next year. The Veloster merges onto a highway without difficulty and feels significantly more responsive in fourth gear at 80 km/h than it does in first at 5 km/h. In exchange for failing to provide you with Accent-like accelerative pace, the heavier Veloster gives 38 miles per gallon on the highway and 29 mpg in the city, according to the EPA. The highway figure improves by two mpg if you opt for the manual transmission, but doing so will drop the city rating down to 28 mpg. Canadian readers will note that this works out to an average of 7.4 L/100 km.
The manual transmission wasn't something GoodCarBadCar sampled. Fortunately, the automatic is technologically interesting. Dual-clutch gearboxes like the one in the 2012 Veloster are increasingly common. The Veloster's is clearly less aggressive than the dual-clutch transmission in say, the Ferrari 458 Italia, but as a $1400 (CDN) option, it's only $200 more than the conventional 6-speed automatic in the Accent. The slippery shift from first to second was consistently frustrating until I took control with the flappy paddles. Once on the move the DCT was effective, particularly pleasant when downshifting, and never harsh in the least. If you like to row your own, stick with the manual. For those who require automatic transmissions, this DCT will add to the experience. Just don't assume it will give or lend extra pace.
TURNING A blessed absence of body roll does not automatically make a vehicle a good-handling vehicle. Nor does it automatically make a vehicle fun to drive. It simply means corners can be taken aggressively in seats with softer bolstering.
You won't be left wanting for increased bolstering in the Veloster's front seats, however. And not to confuse the matter, but the Veloster really does know how to make use of a contractor's level when cornering. That puts an end to the positives, as it is during this process of driving the Veloster hard through the twisties that all interaction ceases. The steering wheel's vast dead spot on the straight-ahead, its strange desire to avoid self-centering, the sticky sensation one only finds in a Hyundai steering rack, and the Veloster's inability to transfer messages from the wheels to the helm leave the driver with little confidence. The stiff chassis leads one to believe the entry speed is safe, but the wheel angle is unknown and probably in need of correction. What kind of correction? The steering isn't talking, so who knows?
This is the Veloster's one key fault, one of its only faults, in fact. The problem isn't misspelled telegrams coming back through the rack, it's that the lines of communication are broken. Here the Veloster is one of us, a taker; not a giver. You will give effort and intelligence. In return, the Veloster fails by offering no real-time reconnaissance.
LIVING Every passenger I had in the Veloster was impressed by the overall feeling of space. Because Hyundai placed an emphasis on cabin comfort over cargo capacity, every one of the four inhabitants can get comfortable, that is if the rear seat passengers aren't long above the hips. Headroom is at a premium; even for some front seat riders in this sunroof-equipped Veloster. The third door makes entry into the back easier, though not outright easy, and once situated there were no complaints.
Meanwhile, up front, the driver and passenger are treated to an array of features rarely seen at this price point. Bluetooth, heated seats, air conditioning, proximity key, backup camera, cruise, steering wheel controls, and a seven-inch touch screen are all standard on the basic Veloster. Upping the ante with the $3500 (CDN) tech package brings about a panoramic sunroof, leather wrapped wheel and shifter, partially leathered seats, bigger alloys, a thumping eight speaker stereo, and navigation. You can play Hyundai's BlueMax efficiency game through the touch screen.
Out back there's access to 15.5 cubic feet of load lugging capacity, shaped squarely with a nice perch for photographers under the opened hatch. A quick fold of the rear seats prepares the Veloster for moving day. The liftgate is high but lightweight.
LOOKING Polarizing designs aren't always acquainted with success. A vehicle which splits opinion can, however, inspire as much love on one side as it does hatred on another. The Veloster will invariably be derided by some, but those who approve of the unique design could be more than just satisfied - they may be excited. Excited enough to buy one. The Hyundai Veloster doesn't appear Plain Jane from any angle, but it's blunt front is probably its least distinctive.
The Veloster looks like nothing else when viewed from the back, its glassy roof running away to meet the windshield. The scalloped doors nicely break up what would otherwise be slab sides. Looking at a Veloster from a back corner gives the Hyundai hatch an opportunity to shine. From there it looks more mature while still unique. Regardless of the angle, this Hyundai always has a sense of the exotic about it. That's not to say onlookers would think it costs $200,000, but they surely won't guess $20,000, either.
Inside, the Veloster features Hyundai's small car design theme, doing so with more success than the Accent or the Elantra. Some cheap materials are used, but not in the places you most often touch. The steering wheel is of proper girth, the paddles don't feel as though they'll snap off, and buttons and switches and blinker stalks mostly feel like they were inherited from a more expensive vehicle.
COMPETING Conventional thinking says the 2012 Hyundai Veloster is in prime position to take on the Honda CR-Z and Scion tC. That's true. The CR-Z is more expensive and not much more efficient, the tC has been around a while and doesn't bring a whole lot of excitement to the table. Comparing the Veloster to the Volkswagen GTI flatters Hyundai but ignores the fact that the Golf-based performance Volkswagen is a true performance machine. On pricing grounds, it's also out of the Veloster's league.
On content terms, the Veloster's cousin from Kia, the 2012 Rio, is something of a threat with its upper trim levels. Obviously not intending to be half as sporty as the Veloster, the Rio tries to be handsome and succeeds. Excluding similarly sized, well-equipped subcompacts from the equation gives the Veloster a sort of cheap iPhone feel.
Imagine if Apple introduced a new iPhone but priced it below the vast majority of possible competitors. Sure, competitors may have a more powerful camera. Some may scroll more smoothly, offer a greater capacity for music storage, even compute more quickly. But if you could have all the iPhone offers for less than the price of a typical Android device, the stage would be set for (even greater) Apple domination.
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster is a flashy high-tech device. There are a couple things it doesn't do quite as well as we'd like. Averaging just 25 miles per gallon (9.4 L/100km) wasn't acceptable, for example, but that could relate to the engine's youthful tightness, a fact which could've contributed to its slow-witted takeoff, as well. The steering is GM circa 1997, only twice as light, a not inconvenient trait to possess in parking lots, I suppose. If the third door is so great - and it is - why isn't there a fourth?
The Veloster is fun in spite of a couple glaring faults. Fun because of features, fun because it looks like nothing else, fun because every street light in the neighbourhood lights up the interior through all that glass while the stereo rattles teeth. Fun and moderately practical and rather efficient and super stylish... while costing less? That's not the Apple business model.
POETICIZING What the Veloster lacks in on-road dynamic character it makes up for with outrageous styling. For most car buyers, acquiring a Hyundai Veloster will require a measure of rational thinking, not just a burning desire for a characterful car. Within that frame of reference, Hyundai is prepared to give you yet another value-oriented small car with an excellent warranty and generally low interest rates. In exchange for approximately $20,000.
The fact that you must pay for a Veloster suggests it isn't a gift, nor is it a gift giver. One can safely assume that Hyundai could charge hundreds more, at the very least, for the privilege of owning a Veloster. Thus, you're receiving the gift of a built-in discount.
The Veloster's lack of outright pace and its un-Lotus-like steering fall victim to an expectations game. Judge the value of the Veloster's aggressive stance separate from its dynamic repertoire and the Veloster will, more likely than not, exceed expectations. Unlike the uncovered Christmas Veloster poetry below which will undoubtedly have Jim Reeves rolling over in his grave.
Hyundai Canada provided GoodCarBadCar with nine days in an Ironman Silver 2012 Veloster
Jolly old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way,
Feel free to tell some other souls, what I'm going to say;
Christmas Eve is coming soon; now, you dear old man,
Whisper which Hyundai I'll get, please let it be fast.
When the clock is striking twelve, when I'm wrapping gifts,
In the driveway broad and black, with my car you'll creep;
Take that old Corolla, please, crush it with your sleigh,
Leave a Hyundai parked right there, or a Porsche is fine.
Johnny wants a PS3, Susie needs Wii Fit,
Range Rover makes a nice Evoque, But I just want three doors,
Mommy says, "It is true, your brain is not so bright,"
But Santa Claus, you must agree, V'losters are alright.
That's eight speakers, navi too, plus a backup cam,
A big sunroof, sharp design, leather and nice wheels,
The 1.6 won't make beelines, not for you or me,
I won't care how fast it is, there are three real doors!
It will generate 197 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 151 lb-ft of torque at 6600 rpm with a 2.0L boxer four-cylinder. It will weigh less than 2700 pounds. It will be 167 inches long, 50.6 inches tall, and 101 inches wide. It will also be sold as the different-in-many-ways Subaru BRZ. It is the Toyota GT 86, a car formerly known as the Toyota FT-86. We will most likely know this sporting rear-wheel drive Toyota as the Scion FR-S. Probably. If that's what it ends up being named when the Toyota GT 86 reaches North America shores. The Toyota GT 86 will go on sale in the United Kingdom in June 2012. And it looks like this.
2011 Scion FR-S Concept
The front three-quarter is surely the GT 86's best position for photography. When viewed from the back the GT 86 isn't the classiest but it will make the rear angle unmistakeable. There's too much air above the rubber. The rear wheels seem to be just a little hidden in the rear wheelwells. Toyota's application of a rear wing on a car that has plenty of visual interest without it is disappointing. In this trim the profile of the tires appears absurdly high. The front plate reduces the apparent size of the gargantuan air intake but doesn't actually do the car any favours.
Toyota says the GT 86 is the smallest four-seat sports car on the market. It will also likely be one of the least expensive, and the basically trimmed-out interior furthers that impression. The GT 86's innards are attractive, however, and very purposeful. But it looks like the interior of a car that wants to be driven rather than caressed.
Overall impressions have been and continue to be nothing but positive in the automotive universe. The GT 86 is not as stunning as the Scion FR-S concept, but unfortunately, this is the nature of bring a new automobile to market. Impress us, get us talking, then get real with the production car and disappoint us just a bit.
The Toyota GT 86, the Scion FR-S if you will, is now pictured in production form. The fact that this car exists is exciting enough. That Toyota has also made a good-looking car, one that is lightweight and engineered to be a genuine driver's car, well, that's like a heaping bowl of strawberries on top of a burbly rev-hungry boxer four-cylinder.
The gallery below is filled with twelve exterior shots and two interior pictures of the 2013 Toyota GT 86. Peruse and enjoy.
When does a company need to replace their compact SUV? After four years; maybe five? What if the company's compact SUV is the best-selling SUV in North America? In that case, are new engines, a revamped interior, and additional features enough to let it linger?
These are difficult questions to answer given that the Ford Escape is indeed the best-selling SUV in both the United States and Canada and therefore, in a manner of speaking, doesn't need replacing. But in all honesty, the Escape is no longer competitive. Oh, it competes for sales rather well, but that's mainly because of its low price point. Surely there hasn't been a respectable comparison test in the last five or six years in which the Escape was at the top of the heap. After all, driving the 2012 Ford Escape is a lot like driving the 2001 Escape. Meanwhile, driving the 2013 Mazda CX-5 will not feel like driving a 2001 Ford Escape.
Regardless of the company's reasons, Ford has finally decided to replace the first-generation Escape for model year 2013. Thankfully, the 2013 Ford Escape is all-new, and first impressions suggest the 2013 Ford Escape is all good.
The 2013 Ford Escape will be offered with a base 2.5L which generates 168 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque. Upgrading to the 1.6L EcoBoost turbo nets 173 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Finally, the fun will be in Escapes equipped with the 237-hp 2.0L EcoBoost turbo which twists out 250 lb-ft of torque. All three powerplants operate with four cylinders and six-speed automatic transmissions. Of course, all-wheel drive is optional. Images and more details are viewable after the jump.
In each of these image comparisons - front, rear, profile, interior, and cargo area - the old Escape is on top. Click any image for a larger view.
Ford has been issuing press releases over the last few weeks detailing some of the 2013 Escape's innovative features. The Escape can be outfitted with Ford's park assist, which you've seen before on the Focus. The liftgate can also be (optionally) opened by simply waving your foot under the rear bumper. Safety features are built in which should stop your Schnauzer from perpetually opening your rear hatch when he's out doing his business. Drivers and passengers who hate modern headrests may be happy to find that they're adjustable in the new Escape, not just up and down but forward and back. On a more practical note, the cargo area has grown slightly, from 31.4 cubic feet to 34.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up and from 67.2 cubic feet to 68.1 cubic feet with the seats folded.
There's a full gallery of photos below the comparison images of the first-gen Escape with this new 2013 model. You'll likely agree that the 2013 Ford Escape isn't as masculine as the Ford Vertrek concept which previewed the production model's look. Though the 2012 Ford Escape's design had long since grown dull, it was a true SUV shape. The 2013 Escape is more clearly a crossover, an effect which is particularly visible when looking at its profile view from a slightly elevated position. The 2013 Escape's more aggressive stance should make for no mistakes in the real world, but there's a hint of minivanishness visible from some angles, just as there is with the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. That's partially the fault of the sloping hood.
Styling is patently subjective, but the 2013 Ford Escape is wonderfully cohesive, strikingly modern and as eye-catching as its best competitors. Yes, things get a bit funny where the body seems to narrow just as it rises to the rear windshield. On shinier wheels the 2013 Escape seems a little toy-like. The gaping grille is a bit much when viewing the 2013 Escape directly from the front. And the hood strakes are calling an awful lot of attention to the spray nozzles.
All in all, from the design to the engines to the improved cabin, Ford's 2013 Escape is exactly what Ford needed it to be, a totally modern reincarnation of a now archaic vehicle. Admittedly, figuring out what Ford "needed" when the current model remains a rip-roaring success isn't the easiest task. But it seems likely that, with the right price and yet-to-be-tested-but-undoubtedly improved dynamics, the Ford Escape should be the best-selling SUV in America in 2012, just as it is in 2011.
Meet the modern pickup. You've probably heard it referred to as the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
There was a time when pickup trucks weren't styled to the hilt. Time was, trucks weren't luxurious, constantly reengineered, or anything but utilitarian. Pickup trucks, you see, picked things up. Pickup trucks carried things around. They helped a large group of people do their work. The quality of a truck's interior plastic wasn't debated, nor was there any doubt that torque was far more relevant than horsepower. Fast forward to 2011: trucks are still used by the workin' man, but we don't view trucks as vehicles built exclusively for the job site.
That's where the diesel-powered 2011 Jetta enters the conversation, not as a punchline to a truck joke but in order to pay compliments. It's true, Volkswagen didn't bother styling the Jetta. That much is apparent with one quick glance. Inside, you'll find what you need, but luxury car fittings are not included. Carrying things, people, stuff, junk, and miscellaneous clutter all at the same time is easy like Sunday morning. And torque? Uh.... yeah, there's some of that; 236 lb-ft of blissfully plateaued torque from 1750 rpm.
With all this in mind, there seemed to be no better way to review the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta than by driving to its new domain, the site where Soccer Nova Scotia is building a new indoor complex on Halifax's Mainland Common via the South End Container Terminal. Keep reading to see how the Jetta got on.
Obviously, there's a thick coating of hyperbole in all this. The Jetta is a German sedan, y'all. Also, GoodCarBadCar.net parked the Jetta TDI in the driveway of SNS's new building. Hillcrest Volkswagen's $23,875 2011 Jetta TDI Comfortline was not loaded up with cement. Nevertheless, the Jetta's workmanlike character comes through conspicuously.
That point was made all the clearer when I discovered how few pennies Volkswagen spent on the heater controls. Switching blower direction involves finagling a Fisher Priceesque knob. Yet all the complaints from other sources you've heard regarding the sixth-generation Jetta shouldn't have amounted to much more than crying over a lack of interior flair and a few chintzy parts. Surfaces an owner touches most frequently - steering wheel, shift knob, blinker and headlight stalks - were more than nice enough in this mid-range Comfortline. (Non-diesel Jettas start at Trendline and go up to Highline. Base TDI Jettas are Comfortlines, a step up from Trendline. U.S. trims are different in configuration and name.)
Turbodiesels are increasingly less love'em or hate'em. Quiet, smooth, and a little more revvy than former applications, the 2011 Jetta's 140-horsepower 2.0L diesel makes this car enjoyable. The Jetta is nothing more than boring to look at, nothing more than absurdly roomy and comfortable inside, certainly not exceptionally dynamic, but it remains downright charming when running it through the gears.
It's not that the shifter itself is anything special - a mite notchy with an easily modulated clutch. The 2.0L turbo's swell of torque is just so pronounced, level, ambitious, and generous I started to think I was driving an honestly fast car. Through all this, there's ever-present knowledge of insane fuel economy. America's EPA rates the Jetta TDI at 30/42 mpg; Canada's OEE calls it 6.7/4.6 L/100km, all of which are enchanting figures when feeling the engine's considerable shove. Lose the engine as cause for celebration and what does the Jetta have left?
More Jetta TDI Comfortline Pictures Can Be Seen In The Flickr Slideshow Below
We've already mentioned the enormous quanitites of space, but perhaps numbers are needed for enlightenment. Inside, both in the cargo compartment and the cabin, the 2011 Jetta is vast. At 15.5 cubic feet, the trunk is more than a cubic foot larger than the booty on Toyota's Avalon. Compared with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, previously thought to be loungelike, rear legroom is five inches greater. The seat fabric was clingy and foot-level panels and materials were scuffing like the boards of a 50-year-old hockey rink. Other than that, sitting back for a long-distance journey in the new Jetta is like walking in late to an early screening of Avatar and discovering a vacant seat on the aisle, mid-way up: necessary and comfortable.
Why so necessary? Let's take up the diesel topic for another moment. The TDI's fuel tank holds 55 litres of fuel. Let's assume you won't quite achieve Natural Resources Canada's 4.6 L/100km efficiency rating. Rounded off to 5 L/100km, the Jetta TDI has an anticipated bladder bursting range of 1080 kilometres.... with a litre to spare. If you're going to make it from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Lincoln, Nebraska, without stopping you'll come to appreciate those comfortable seats, far more accepting of my frame than the Elantra's I drove the day before.
Now back to the trunk. Not only is it expansive, it's expansive in all the right directions, squared off like the bed of a pickup truck. Also like a truck, the Jetta's ride isn't harsh over roads treated terribly by Halifax's temperature fluctuations. Pretending or attempting to be a sporty car wouldn't be in keeping with the Jetta's mission to get the freakin' job done. The 2011 Jetta won't connect with its driver on a twisty road like a Volkswagen GTI would, but a pickup owner wouldn't want that. After all, you get what you pay for, and if you pay for sporty dynamics and a high-strung engine, you get a stiff ride and worse fuel economy.
All Photos Captured By The Good Car Guy's HTC Desire Camera Phone
If we forgive, excuse, or praise all of the Jetta's practical components, we're still left with the fact that Jetta designers went AWOL. Clearly, the lack of design fortitude hasn't been a problem for thousands of new owners who've collectively made the sixth-gen Jetta a sales success. Volume is high, Volkswagen HQ is happy. For those potential buyers who fight past the blase front end, apathetic profile, and classy-but-conventional rear to take the Jetta TDI for a test drive, they'll uncover an awfully appealing car.
Looking out the living room's bay window at a driveway housing the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI must still be a strangely detached experience. At least that'd be the case prior to ignition, up until the left lane is chosen on a two-lane on-ramp, in advance of four happily comfortable people loading all their stuff in the Jetta's trunk and driving to the opposite side of the continent.
I'll acknowledge the Jetta's workplace may ideally be the highway, not a massive building site. This won't stop me from thinking of this latest Volkswagen sedan as a hard-working, gun-toting, know-it-all farmhand in a Louis L'Amour western; as a pickup for a new era in which we all track the price of crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Sharing a 101.2-inch wheelbase and an engine lineup, the design paths of the 2012 Hyundai Accent and 2012 Kia Rio diverged in a wood, and Kia chose the more stylish route. That's not to say the 2012 Hyundai Accent isn't a handsome hatchback, GoodCarBadCar.net sees huge sales in its future, even more so after driving a 2012 GL Sedan. But from the rear, the 2012 Kia Rio is undoubtedly (beauty-in-beholder's-eye factor notwithstanding) a more cohesive package. Moreover, Hyundai's images of the new Accent make the hatchback's wheels appear terribly tiny when viewed from the rear three-quarter. The Rio, on the other hand, has strong five-spokers which could fool you into thinking this is the sporty high-output Rio derivative.
This is by no means the first time The Good Car Guy has thrown two Hyundai/Kia platform-mates into an image comparison. Some of the more popular posts on GoodCarBadCar.net include the Kia Sportage vs. Hyundai Tucson photo comparo as well as the Kia Optima vs. Hyundai Sonata contrast from this past November. Of course, the new Kia Rio and the new Accent must face off against other rivals, too. The 2011 Ford Fiesta is a capable, high-tech, fuel-efficient hatch with the now desirable Blue Oval badge. The Honda Fit is a tremendously roomy hatchback, one that's surprisingly fun to drive. And Ford's disconnected sibling, the Mazda 2, is attractive and more fun overall than the Fiesta.
2012 Kia Rio
Nevertheless, these eight images are meant to showcase the differences between two Korean hatchbacks, vehicles which will invariably feature low MSRPs and heady levels of equipment. We already know the Accent will be fitted with 6-speed transmissions and a full slate of safety gear - one would assume the Rio won't go without such niceties. Kia's press release for the 2012 Rio says some markets will also receive a 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan. So there will be differences (the Accent is a 4-door sedan or 5-door hatch only) in the cabin and perhaps even the driving experience, but the most unique aspects of these two cars is surely the exterior design. Until more pictures become available, satisfy yourself with the two 2012 Kia Rio Galleries and The Good Car Guy's brief analysis after the jump.
2012 Hyundai Accent
Not too many years ago, we would've paused a moment and contemplated the largesse of the Rio's headlamps. Now, the over-the-top front end seems simply to be a uniquely Kia take on the typical OTT front fascia. The gaping air intakes remind me of the 2011 Volvo S60 (its photo gallery can be seen here) while the narrowly connected grille is the main connector to the 2011 Kia Optima. Merely noticeable from the front, the scalloped sides of the 2012 Rio are downright eye-catching when you stare straight at the Rio's taillamps from the corner of the car. Arching straight through the door handles, the two character lines which cause the concave surface help the small hatchback escape without appearing hefty while at the same time provoking visual interest. Details like the Kia badge sitting atop the trunk release are the sort of thing you wouldn't have expected to see so nicely turned out on a Kia of yore.
The 2012 Kia Rio's rear has something of an old Seat Leon look to it, but it's also a little Ford Of Europeish. These aren't bad things, and no copycat criticism should be laid on a company for its latest hatchback. It's a two-box car - there are only so many places you can take a product with an engine room, a cabin, and four wheels.
On to the Accent, the overall look is a little bit safer; a little bit more mature; a little bit more of what you'd expect. Let's not get ahead of ourselves: both cars are pleasantly-styled; neither car is ahead of the game or one bit avant-garde. Even so, where the Rio is more stylish in the moment, the Accent is clean and purposeful and features less you could dislike. Parked side by side the Accent might seem a little boring, but we should give credit for a few strong features.
First, the hood's shutline is enormously apparent but the eye remains drawn to a dose of character as things go concave where normally you'd see power bulges. In the same spot on the rear of the car is a lip just below the rear window that contributes to a very BMW 1-Seriesesque presentation. It's also obvious from the rear that this car, like the Rio, seems to offer a narrow slit for a backlight. That's a sacrifice for style. In these initial pictures the Accent looks to be the longer, lower car, truly a trick of designers and/or photographers. Besides that strange concave shape on the hood, there are a few other regions of the car that make the Accent look like the serious big brother of the two.
There's droopiness over the license plate surround at the back. There's extra glass behind the rear door windows that the sportier Kia doesn't have. And that lip below the hatch's window must be there for a reason, and the reason can't be straight up style.
All in all, judging only on appearances, the Accent will look more current in ten years; the Rio is cooler now. And why do the exterior designs of two subcompacts matter so much to The Good Car Guy? Aren't these econoboxes acquired based on the best deal available? Consider this: in a thousand ways, the 2012 Kia Rio and 2012 Hyundai Accent are the same car. Driving them won't feel all that different. Paying for one won't be dramatically more expensive than paying for the other. Fuel economy will be the same. What's that leave? Style, my friends, style. Look as good as you can.
Irrational on so many levels, the 2011 Mini Countryman recently tested by The Good Car Guy willingly presents potential buyers with countless glaring reasons to strongly consider other realistic, established, normal cars. Seriously, there are only four seats in the Countryman. Cargo volume is scant, 2.8 fewer cubic feet than you'll find in the back of a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo hatchback. Rock-hopping is about as likely for the Mini Countryman driver as it is for a drunk girl in heels, as judged by the Mini's 5.86 inches of ground clearance. Even in turbocharged form, the ALL4 Countryman S's extra weight over the regular Cooper S (540 additional pounds) prevents far too many of the Mini's 181 horses from leaving the stable.
And yet, after an all too brief drive in a 2011 Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman, I loved it. Moreover, the drive was revealing enough to make me believe you would, too.
At least, you'd love it until the BMW/Mini sales representative told you the price. So before we delve into the deeper aspects of what it's like to drive the new Mini SUV/SAV/CUV/tall hatchback, let's talk about money, an unfortunate imperative.
Without even taking "packages" into account - and Mini does love to sell its packages - the 2011 Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman costs $34,400 in Canada. Add $1490 for the top-notch shiftable 6-speed automatic and your next turbocharged, all-wheel drive hatchback now costs about $4000 more than a DSG-equipped 5-door 2011 Volkswagen GTI. The price for this Countryman in the United States starts at $27,650 but jumps northward by another $1250 when the auto is included. Countrymans start at $27,850 and rise to $32,650 for Cooper S Countrymans lacking all-wheel drive. Price now in perspective, we can consider more comfortable subjects after the jump.
My experience with the Mini started out with a couple of drive-bys, then a look inside the cargo bay a few days later, and eventually a short trip in the passenger seat before my own rear end was parked in the driver's chair. Each time I see the Countryman I like it a little more. Although tremendously blunt-nosed, particularly in comparison with the base Cooper hatchback parked beside it, the Countryman looks exactly how it should look in order to be an SUVesque Mini, barring the messy roofline dip behind the C-pillar and the ghastly dark-coloured side-repeater housing near the door mirrors. Surprising the Countryman is not. This is a Mini on short stilts with extra doors.
As for that cargo bay, it's small but perfectly formed, honestly. Not only is there more space than the 2011 Nissan Juke The Good Car Guy already reviewed, the Mini's space is squared off and infinitely more useable. The passenger seat? Mini's are built to be driven, not driven in. British auto manufacturing has Rolls-Royce for that. The glovebox is close and your toes will be pointed to the sky. There is an array of pretty things to touch, not the least of which are luxo materials covering every thing in sight. Perhaps of equal importance, rear seat passengers have plenty of headroom and footroom with kneeroom.
Door shut, strapped in, ignition on, shifter pulled back, and wipers on, I pull away from the curb noticing instantly that the Mini Countryman is no featherweight. Mind you, I didn't floor the throttle on the first getaway, but there's a settled sense, not altogether bad, that you never feel in a Mini Cooper or for that matter, a smart fortwo. This comparison is unfair in a way, both to the regular Cooper hatchback and to the 5-door Countryman. For the vast majority of buyers, these aren't both viable purchases. In contrast to most compact hatches, the Countryman's steering is accurate; even alive. Granted, the drive was short-lived, yet it didn't take long to see that the Mini Countryman was agile in a way few mainstream tall hatches even dream of being. The engine, transmission, and suspension work in unison to convey the impression that the Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman remains permanently set on some moderately important DEFCON level. Ready to pounce on unsuspecting corners, prepared to rev high in the flash of a millisecond, flickably shiftable and rather tossable whenever the mood strikes.
Again, for drivers supersizing their Mini Cooper, these characteristics will seem dulled, not heightened. Today's car owners are typically driving machines which are just as heavy, if not significantly heavier than the Countryman. These vehicles possess dynamic responses more akin to Caterpillars than cats. Minis are often likened to go-karts. While you wouldn't say that about the Mini Countryman, you would say the Countryman is the Mini of SUVs... and Minis, remember, are go-kart-like. That's two degrees of separation.
City dwellers, and even most suburban and rural dwellers, spend far more time in their car than they do outside looking at the black-on-white exterior. Also, though we'd love to live in a universe where this wasn't true, most of our drives are routine slogs rather than races at Circuit Mont Tremblant. Think about it this way: if you've got the cash to splurge on a loaded Countryman like the one Driven by The Good Car Guy even though the Nissan Juke had caught your attention, you'll enjoy the Mini way more in routine daily circumstances. For sheer driving pleasure, I'd give the nod to the Juke. There's a tremendous sense of urgency with the Nissan, a chomping at the bit quality the Mini replaces with the classy aforementioned on-alert status. The Juke also feels quicker, even if isn't in a straight line race, simply because its low-down torque evidences itself freely, despite numbers that tell a different story. Nissan's dynamic set-up is more confident and quite a bit less crashy on rough roads - there's firmness and poise in equal measure while the Mini makes a firm ride preeminent and throws in a dose of poise for taste-testing.
Oh, but the Mini sure feels more expensive, even if you were to strip away all the options and standard features. The Countryman is a quality piece, therefore making the Juke feel cheap, tinny, and crude. The good news? Two stylish, tall hatchbackish SUV/crossover alternatives are both ridiculously fun to drive. Your budget may rule one out; your social sensibilities may rule out the other. And to make clear that this review was never intended to turn into a Mini Countryman vs. Nissan Juke comparison test, we'll make a few other Mini-related points as clear as day.
Expensive? It would be easy, easy I dare say, to take the Mini from dearly priced to prodigiously prohibitive because of packages designed to force you into taking options by the bucketload. Add $500 for Absolute Black Metallic paint. Carbon Black lounge leather costs $1900. Then there's the $450 each for style and visibility packages, $750 for convenience, $890 for both a lights pack and sound pack, $1680 for a sport package with pretty wheels, a $1200 tech package or $1750 for a comprehensive navigation package, and $1900 for comfort. I know, you probably thought visibility, comfort, and lights were free... but not at BMW-run Mini dealerships. That's a $47,200 2011 Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman.
Snicker at the price if you must - but I'm sure you already have. By pricing the Countryman in the nether regions of non-luxury brand territory, the Mini's styling is forced to play a greater-than-usual role in attracting consumers, a far stronger role than its fun-to-drive nature. After all, the 300-horsepower 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i starts at $46,900 in Canada.
Mini sales were up less than 1% in the United States last year to 45,644 during a period in which the U.S. market increased by 11.1%. The Canadian new vehicle market grew 6.6%; BMW Canada's Mini sales increased 5.9% to 4501. There's no doubt the Countryman will add to these totals, perhaps at the expense of a few Mini Cooper Clubmans. But BMW's Mini division isn't keen on being a volume-driven brand. Mini is a profit hound. Alongside the standard bearer, Mini is selling the Convertible, Clubman, and Countryman, all sharing a parts bin full of expensive elements like engines, transmissions, and core foundational architecture elements.
It's hard to go wrong with that strategy. Indeed, the 2011 Mini Countryman is right on so many levels.
