2010 CCOTY: Small Cars over $21k

[svgallery name="Small_over_21k"] Story and photos by John LeBlanc As a member of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (hey, they have cheap travel insurance), I got invited for two days in late October to drive new 2010 cars over public roads and an airport test track. The goal was to pick a category winner that would eventually vie for the overall 2010 Canadian Car of the Year. Here are my rankings for the second of five different categories I drove this year. NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. – Technically, a Ferrari 458 Italia is a small car “over $21,000.” But for some reason, I couldn’t find one in the muddy Niagara Airport parking lot. Oh well. What I did discover were seven small cars in the low- to mid-$25,000 range, a price segment that takes the biggest slice in the Canadian new car pie. This is the spot in the market where perennial top-sellers like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 duke it our for top honours. SEVENTH PLACE: 2010 Honda Insight Smaller and less expensive to buy than the new $27,500 Toyota Prius (which was entered this year in Family Car under $30,000), the $23,900 (as-tested) Insight is a five-passenger, five-door follow-up to the original 1999 to 2006 two-seat hybrid. To no one’s surprise, it’s 93 hp and 123 lb-ft 1.3-litre I4 gas and electric motor combo is rated with the lowest combined fuel consumption of this group of seven: a parsimonious 4.7L/100 km—almost half that of half the competitors here. But after that feature, the Insight falls behind when asked to be a real car. With the least amount of juice here, it takes an agonizing 12.7 seconds to crawl from 0-100 km/h. The base Insight EX entered here is the least expensive hybrid you can buy. But it’s relatively Spartan in features. On the road, it suffers from too much road noise and an overall sense of “tinniness.” My advice: go buy a Honda Fit. SIXTH PLACE: 2010 Kia Forte The Forte sedan’s European-influenced design is more attractive and modern than the Spectra it replaces as Kia’s compact offering. Think poor man’s Audi, and you’ll make Kia’s design staff smile. No longer the least expensive option in its class, at least the $22,195 (as-tested) compact Kia comes standard with a healthy amount of features, including, power windows and locks, steering-wheel audio controls, USB and auxiliary inputs for the stereo, Bluetooth wireless phone connectivity, anti-lock brakes with four-wheel discs, and six airbags. Its 2.5-litre I4 with 173 hp and 168 lb-ft is competive. But let’s be clear: the Forte is no Mazda3 from the driver’s seat. It’s steering could use more feel, and throttle tip-in is overly aggressive. I think small cars should be versatile. And as the only entrant here without a fifth-door, the Forte drops to the back of the back. FIFTH PLACE: 2010 Kia Soul With a competitive features-versus-pricing ratio, roomy interior, and extroverted styling, the new $23,095 (as-tested) Soul jumps into a burgeoning small wagon market with the likes of the Hyundai Elantra Touring (entered this year in Small Car under $21,000), Toyota Matrix, and the Nissan Cube. Based on the existing Rio subcompact platform, the Soul's relatively tall ride height and seating position will appeal to urban small car buyers; overall maneuverability and visibility are excellent. Trouble is, once you give it some stick, the little Kia wagonoid drives exactly like what it is: a heavier Rio5 with a higher centre of gravity. And compared to the niftier Nissan, the Kia’s 2.0-litre I4 engine with 142 hp and 137 lb-ft is rougher, its autobox’s four gears are too widely spaced (making for unruly downshifts) and the car never seems to settle down on the highway. Cute, but not so cuddly. FOURTH PLACE: 2010 Mazda3 Sport As part of the top selling troika that includes the Civic and Corolla, there wasn’t much wrong with last year’s Mazda3. So for 2010, Mazda has limited the changes to a larger displacement engine (2.5-litre I4 with 167 hp and 168 lb-ft) , stiffer chassis, refined suspension and new exterior styling. From the first turn on the Niagara Airport track to the onramps of Hwy. 403, it’s clear that the $25,195 (as-tested) Mazda is the “hot hatch” of this group. It posted the quickest 0-100 km/h time (8.7 seconds) and shortest 100-0 km/h braking instance (39.3 m). If you’re not into carving curves, though, you may not care like the Mazda’s taut ride. And road noise still creeps into its cabin a bit more than its rivals. The Mazda3’s cockpit is unchanged. That means generous shoulder room, but tight rear hip room. As good as the Mazda is to drive, some may find its new styling a turn off. (Hint, hint: I do.) THIRD PLACE: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Without the mindshare of more established brands, Mitsubishis tend to fly under the radar. And with a roomy interior, spot-on driving position, and aggressive styling the Lancer Sportback is such an example. New this year, the $27,658 (as-tested) Sportback comes with a steeply raked hatchback instead of a trunk. To my eyes, it’s the sharpest dressed small car here. And like all Lancers, it shares its basic underpinnings with the street-legal-but-rally-ready 300 hp Evolution. That means a rock-solid chassis, communicative steering and a good balance between a composed ride and crisp handling. Except for having a relatively thirsty 2.4-litre I4 with 168 hp and 167 lb-ft, the Lancer sports midpack performance numbers. But it’s a more involving car to drive and attractive-looking alternative to the Joker-faced Mazda. Even its CVT is targeted towards sporty drivers. SECOND PLACE: 2010 Volkswagen Golf Golf, Rabbit, Golf again—if not quite a million bucks, this upscale compact feels and drives like a car worth about $10,000 more than its $25,725 (as-tested) sticker, whatever Volkswagen wants to call its compact hatch. For 2010, this is more of midcycle refresh than an all new car. The styling is subtly sharper than last year’s car. But from the solid closing doors to the grownup seats to the soft-touch plastics and chrome trim, everything about the Golf signifies VW’s renewed emphasis on quality. With the most torque here (177 lb-ft), the VW’s 2.5-litre 170 hp five-cylinder gas engine thrums like an old Audi. And its six-speed autobox is slick and quick to react. While its chassis is a better compromise between out-and-out handling prowess and ride comfort compared than the Mazda. If you don’t need some of the extra equipment this model came with, I highly recommend the Golf diesel, starting at $24,975. FIRST PLACE: 2010 Nissan Cube If you’re into the most car for the least amount of money, Nissan’s new Cube offers a different take on the small car genre. At $21,633 (as-tested), it may be the least expensive car entered here. But it isn’t the smallest. And it’s not the most barren. Standard kit includes six airbags, traction and stability control, ABS, air conditioning, power door locks and power mirrors. With its focus on maximum room, driving excitement is not high on the priority list. At 10.2 seconds, the Cube’s 122 hp and 127 lb-ft 1.8 four-banger means it only betters the pokey Insight and porky Soul from 0-100 km/h. But with a class-leading turning circle and excellent visibility, the Nissan is one of the best urban cars I’ve driven. And its less-than-sporting ride soaks up the bumps nicely. In the country’s biggest new car segment flooded with run-of-the-mill solutions, the Cube feels like the future of the small car. Also read 2010 CCOTY Convertibles Also read 2010 CCOTY Luxury Also read Sports & Performance under $50k Also read Sports & Performance over $50k

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