Click here to read my Autos.ca review of the Kia Optima SX. The Optima is a great value no matter what version you choose, but in top-of-the-line SX trim, its turbocharged engine and tighter suspension turn it into a surprisingly sporty four-door. BMW 3 Series drivers won’t defect to Kia dealerships by the thousands or anything, but the Optima SX is a seriously well-made car that proves this company can run with some of the best in the business.
Click here to read what I think about buying a used Toyota Avalon, an entry-level luxury sedan that fits somewhere above the Camry, but below Toyota’s Lexus “real” luxury line. It’s a supremely comfortable sedan that renders the similar Lexus ES irrelevant in many ways. However, this is one of the cars that reveals the recent cracks in Toyota’s long-standing reputation for reliability, with a handful of uncharacteristic problems, one of which could prove costly in the long run.
I’ve always liked little cars, but never before have they been so easy to like. The fourth-generation, 2012 Hyundai Accent is among the latest in a litany of likeable subcompacts.
The Fiat 500 is the latest entry in the subcompact category, a market that has mushroomed in North America over the last couple of years, with Ford and Mazda adding their own. The 500 represents not only its Italian maker, but also Chrysler, whose partnership with Fiat was instrumental in bringing the 500 here in the first place. This car, as you see it here, has been on sale in Europe since 2007.
The least-expensive car in Canada right now is the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan, which starts at the attractive price of $11,798. As I discovered, it pays to consider just what you’re getting for the low, low MSRPs that automakers advertise. Getting the features you want can cost significantly more than that bargain price, which is often little more than a marketing gimmick. Click here to learn what the five cars with the lowest starting MSRPs actually cost once they’re fitted with what many Canadians consider basic necessities in new cars.
Click here for my opinion on buying a used BMW-built Mini Cooper. Arguably the best-looking and most entertaining car in its price range when it debuted in 2002, it’s too bad it’s had more than its share of mechanical problems, both major and minor.
If you’d gone around Porsche headquarters 30 years ago muttering things about SUVs and hybrids with the sports car maker’s name on them, you’d probably have been booted out of Stuttgart faster than you’d have been able to say achtung, baby.
Click here to read my take on buying a second-hand Chevrolet Malibu, a vehicle transformed in a 2008 redesign from a forgettable family sedan into a competent sedan with real appeal.
Click here to read my review of the new Civic coupe, a car that represents a Honda spooked by the cool reception to a number of its recent new products. Not much changes compared to the car this 2012 replaces. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but Honda has to watch it doesn’t get left in the dust by competitors that have already caught up to the Civic in the areas of reliability and fuel economy.
Chris Chases Cars 