The CarGurus Blog

Honda must have brought some sorcerers onboard with the design team of the 2007 Honda Fit, because there is no way that something with a body so small could possibly have that much interior room without magic and still remain so…cute. Almost everything about the 2007 Honda Fit looks small: the engine is a 1.5 liter I-4 that somehow manages 109hp, the car is about 5 feet wide, and the 14 inch wheels. However, the number of huge features is staggering, like the 33/38mpg it gets, or the way the trunk has 21 cubic feet with the rear seats in place, which themselves have 33 inches of legroom. I wouldn’t suggest carting around a family and their possessions around in the Fit, but for a single person or a childless couple, this is a car that should handle everything with ease.

How about some basics? Well, I’ve already told you the engine size, which has a 0-60mph of 9.3 seconds, which is certainly respectable from a inexpensive hatchback. The 5-speed manual transmission that comes standard allows for some fun driving, though if you’re not interested, a 5-speed automatic is optional. And the front wheel drive and ABS system give the 2007 Honda Fit a rather high level of control for a vehicle in this class. And the all around airbag system makes sure that if any of those things fail (or other drivers on the road are worse than usual), you and your passengers remain safe.

I had the distinct pleasure of being inside a 2007 Honda Fit, albeit just for a trip to get some lunch down the road. Sitting inside, I felt no more cramped than in a Camry, or another mid-sized sedan. There was never any hesitation in entering traffic or in keeping up with the flow. The trunk looked like it could hold all the food I would ever need for a couple of weeks, and if more space was required, the rear seat folds away. I know after one ride, the 2007 Honda Fit is definitely on my list of cars I could realistically buy next time I get a car.

The 2007 Honda Fit, and other cars like it (i.e. the Mini Cooper or the Toyota Yaris) are something of an answer to the massive SUV craze that has been sweeping this country, much to the detriment of the environment. As a normal gasoline car, the Honda Fit performs almost as well as many hybrids. For most people, the Honda Fit is more than enough car. Perhaps its introduction to the American market signifies a change in the wind of unnecessarily and obnoxiously massive vehicles. I guess we can hope.

Old world style and charm meet the new world technology and innovation in a suave and sophisticated blend called the 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. A four-door convertible, something not found around these parts in a number of years, the 2008 Phantom Drophead Couple has a bold and stylish look, and all of the power and luxurious amenities one could expect from a company as prestigious as Rolls-Royce. A 6.7 liter V-12 with 453 rests comfortably under the hood, just waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting road somewhere, while the leather seats long to hold someone.

The cloth top of this elegant convertible retracts neatly and swiftly into a compartment behind the rear seat that is made from teak wood, a high class move on Rolls-Royce’s part that many companies don’t think of. Teak wood can take a beating in the weather, as can the carpet on this luxurious land-liner, which is made of nylon, not wool. Not only is the interior more resistant to getting caught in the rain than other convertibles, it also has more legroom in the back, a definite plus for anyone who has ridden in a two-door convertible.

It’s the little touches that make this car stand out in the line of luxury convertibles. Like the part of the trunk that flaps down into a seat. Or the rear hinge doors. Or the hydraulic system that raises and lowers the driving height of the car, depending on what you’re doing. Or perhaps the mahogany wood trims that line and accentuate much of the car. My favorite feature, however, is the simple transmission, with three options: forward, backward, and neutral. It’s the simple things that make life worth living.

The 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, aside from the strangely long and awkward name, is the epitome of luxury and style. Long and limber, the car’s lines seem to have a life of their own, and seem to be inviting you to lounge languidly inside while you drive from locale to locale. Alliteration aside, the 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe seeks inspiration in the distant past while so many are looking to the future, which is why it will be a stand out car of 2008.

On Dec. 21, BMW and Mini announced that the second-generation Mini Cooper and Cooper S hardtops would make their official North American debut at the North American International Auto Show, to be held in Detroit in early January. In addition, the Mini Convertible Sidewalk will make its world debut at the autoshow.

We say this is an “official” announcement, but details of the new Minis have been available for awhile. The cars will in showrooms in February, but if you can’t wait until then, you can place your order for one now at the automaker’s website at www.miniusa.com.

Among the updates will be two new, more powerful aluminum-alloy four-cylinder engines, which should keep the Minis moving zippily along the highways of America. The Mini Cooper will be powered by a new 118-horsepower, 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, while under the hood of the Cooper S will be a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that will generate 172 horsepower, propelling the car from 0 to 60 in 6.7 seconds. Top speed will be 139 miles per hour.

Mini notes that despite the more powerful engines, they will actually be more fuel efficient, with the Mini Cooper getting up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway with a manual transmission.

The new Minis have been completely redesigned from the ground up, according to the automaker, and are about 2 inches longer than their predecessors. In addition to new engines, the Minis will receive redesigned interiors. New options, including ambient interior illumination, which can be varied in color from warm orange to cool blue, depending on the driver’s preferences, will also be available.

The Convertible Sidewalk package will be offered as an add-on to either the Cooper or Cooper S packages. In addition to the drop-top itself, the Convertible Sidewalk package will include special light-alloy wheels, English leather sport seats, a Harmon/Kardon sound system, and special interior surfaces and graphics. It will be available in the spring of 2007 at a cost of $4,000.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, than there are several automakers out there who must be blushing after seeing the Dodge Hornet concept at the Geneva auto show this year. Dodge is entering the B-car segment with its Hornet, set to debut next year in Europe. Though at first glance it has clearly borrowed from the Mini (which itself borrowed the Neon’s engine from Dodge), the Hornet is actually a smorgasbord of elements borrowed from many cars. The black exterior stripes running from hood to stern are very Viper-like, the dashboard and box-like roomy interior owe thanks to the Scion, the extensive storage compartment configurations and built-in tables and coolers come from many concept cars (and the defunct Pontiac Aztek), and the built-in first aid kit is straight out of the Xterra. The Hornet’s uniqueness stems from the fact that it seems to be the first one to offer all these features in one package.

Smaller and cheaper than the mini-SUV Caliber, which replaced the Neon, the Hornet is aimed at the same youthful market that the Scion has successfully won over. It’s longer than the Mini and heavier, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fast. With a 1.6-liter supercharged I4 that gets 170-hp, it’s been clocked at 0-60 in under seven seconds. It may not have the exact same cool style factor of the Mini, but it’s got a lot more features, space, and a pricetag that makes it a lot more affordable.

The Hornet’s focus seems to be storage versatility. Not only do the rear seats feature a 60/40 split-fold, they fold flat into the floor or backwards up against the tailgate. The front passenger seat also folds forward if you have longer objects. And for extra tall rear passengers who need more legroom, you can move the rear seats backward 8 inches. The front doors feature a built-in first aid kit, removable carrying case, and a bin with bungee tie-downs. Since it’s designed for hanging with friends, the Hornet hasn’t forgotten to include a built-in cooler and fold-down table in both rear passenger doors. On the outside, the front and rear doors open outward away from each other, like the Mazda RX-8, for easier loading and unloading. An almost full-length sunroof, the “SkyView” lets everyone enjoy the scenery. The concept car comes with blue tinted glass, but Dodge’s idea is to offer a variety of color choices so drivers can customize their Hornet.

In the same category as the Fit and Yaris, Dodge is targeting the car for foreign markets, where obscenely high gas prices have people begging for more economic cars. Don’t look for the Hornet in the U.S. just yet, as Dodge is trying to find an outside manufacturing partner to help bring production costs (and the pricetag) down. Volkswagen is a possible candidate, though Korea and China have are being considered as well. With its stylish look, loads of functional features, and affordability, hopefully Dodge won’t wait too long to make up its mind. For more pics and info, check out http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/geneva_2006/0603_dodge_hornet/

Environmentalists have lobbied for alternative fuel sources to gasoline and the market has made efforts to deliver. Saturn will look to build on its hybrid lineup sometime next year with an alternative version of the 2007 Aura. However, the question remains as to whether you’re really saving gas if you buy this “progressive” vehicle.

Some people might say the industry has moved too slowly in developing hybrids. Others (especially manufacturers) will tell you that it’s moving at just the right pace. My feeling is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Early reports from Saturn tell us that fuel economy in the new Aura hybrid will exceed the non-hybrid Aura XE by at least 25%. The problem? The hybrid will use a 4 cylinder engine while the Aura XE uses a 3.5 L V6. So as some commentators like to say, Saturn is really comparing “apples and oranges.”

I think these people have a point. First of all, drivers have come out and said they want more than just a 25% increase in fuel economy for the money they pay. The Aura Green Line never relies exclusively on electricity, which causes consumers to label it a quasi-hybrid. In addition, the new Aura apparently won’t even have an instantaneous fuel consumption display to tell you how much gas you’re saving. So in essence, Saturn wants you to buy the car, feel good about doing your part to save the Earth, and trust the machine to do the rest.

On the other hand, we’ve seen this before. Saturn doesn’t take many risks, as evidenced by its late entry into the SUV, sportscar, and premium mid-size sedan markets with the VUE, Sky, and Aura, respectively. My feeling is that Saturn will take it slow and see how well they do with what they have.

For now, they’re doing the smart thing by injecting some green into a promising new model.

For more on the new Aura Green Line, visit: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/2007_saturn_aur.php

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/AutoshowArticles/articleId=117733

- Posted by Taeho Lim

One thing that’s always bothered me about SUVs, besides their enormous fuel consumption, is whenever one is in front of my little compact Civic, I can’t see what’s happening on the road ahead of me. So I try to hide my evil grin when I see how a major increase in gas prices has suddenly got SUV owners thinking, gee, do I really need such a huge gas-guzzling car in the city when it’s only me commuting and I never ever go off-road? Decreasing sales of the behemoths have resulted in a new car segment, the crossover vehicle. Some say sports wagon. Or sport utility wagon. Just don’t call it a station wagon.

Audi already has a station wagon, called the Avant. It didn’t have an SUV until this year, oddly enough — the Q7. Some say Audi arrived foolishly late to the SUV market, given its declining popularity. But the Q7 is more of a crossover vehicle, sitting somewhere stylistically between an Avant and SUV. As part of a new Q line of cars, Audi looks set to release a smaller crossover cousin, the Q5, sometime in early 2008.

It is a compact SUV, using the same frame as the new A4. Like the Q7, it features the recently updated quattro all-wheel drive system with 40/60 front/rear torque distribtuion, and an air suspension that adjusts automatically to driving conditions. It also sits lower to the ground, so it won’t have any off-roading capability. Audi smartly realizes that most people who are buying an upscale SUV are buying it for space, luxury, and prestige. Off-roading in the dirt and mud and possibly getting your bumpers messy? Not so much. As a compact crossover sport wagon, the Q5 will only have two rows of seating, so really it isn’t technically an SUV at all. The rear seat will be able to move forward and back to configure storage space. Engine choices look set to be a direct injection 2.0-liter I4 and 3.2-liter V6, either with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG direct shift gearbox that allows for smoother gear transitions. Since Americans like lots of engine power, a 4.2-liter V8 will probably be introduced later in the year.

The Q5 looks very sleek and high-end, like the Q7, and will likely come with all the famous interior creature comforts that turn your car into a second home (and with an Audi pricetag, that isn’t too far-fetched). Audi hopes the Q5 will be able to compete against BMW’s successful X3 and the Acura RDX. I’m just hoping I might finally be able to see around the car in front of me a little bit better.

 

News flash — The 2007 Teslas are sold out, so if you want to get your hands on one of these 100-percent electric roadsters, it’s time to put your order in now for a 2008 model. Of course, it will set you back about $92,000 (not including extras like custom floor mats at $125, XM satellite radio for $400, and a touchscreen navigation system for $1,200), but you’ll get quite a lot of car for your money.

For starters, you’ll get a sports car that produces one-tenth the pollution and is six times more efficient than the best sports car available today, according to the automaker. In fact, the Tesla has no tailpipe, because it produces no emissions. The car is powered by a 70-pound, single-rotor electric motor, which is connected to an Energy Storage System (ESS) that consists of thousands of lithium-ion cells. The result is a car that can accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, delivers plenty of torque throughout the range, and can travel about 250 miles on a single charge

Okay, that’s all well and good, but the real fun starts when you jump online to Tesla’s site at www.tesla.com to build your own vehicle. You can choose from a range of metallic and non-metallic colors, including Racing Green, Brilliant Yellow, and Obsidian Black, and customize it to your heart’s content. A reservation payment starts at $30,000 ($50,000 if you want to jump to the front of the line), so be sure to check your bank account — and do it before the 2008 models are sold out.

The Acura Advanced Sedan Concept, introduced at the LA Auto Show in early December, was not the hit the folks at Honda had hoped it would be. Reviewers and showgoers responded pretty negatively, overall, to the rather extreme design elements. The folks at Autoblog.com said, “[O]ur first reaction was shock and amazement, followed by a touch of nausea,” and that was one of the nicer comments. (Most reviewers did comment favorably on the concept’s potential roadworthiness, with its big tires and low center of gravity; it was definitely the look that turned people off.)

Well, Honda is getting another chance to impress the US automotive community, with the unveiling of the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept at the Detroit Auto Show in early January. The Sports Car Concept is, if anything, even more “advanced” in terms of styling than the Sedan Concept.

What do you think? Are US drivers ready for something like this (even a softened version)? I somehow don’t see drivers who’ve spent the past several years enjoying their SUV’s headroom switching to something with a roofline raked this dramatically. It seems to me to have all of the wedgy un-charm of late-’70s sports cars, with the bottom-heavy clunkiness of a late-’80s sedan.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see how people react in Detroit. If I were Honda, I’d be worrying. The Acura brand has been floundering in the US for a while, and even though this might look like a silver bullet, I don’t see it acting like one.

An affordable, economical BMW? Isn’t that an oxymoron? It’s not if you consider the BMW 1 series, which is currently sold in small-car friendly Europe and is due to arrive in U.S. sometime in 2007. After years of rumors, MINIs, and begging and pleading, BMW finally confirmed that the 1 series would be sold Stateside, though the automaker is not relinquishing many details.

The impending arrival of the BMW 1 raises a lot of questions. First and foremost, what will it look like? The European one series is a hatchback, but despite the apparent hatchback revival in the U.S., BMW has suggested that the 1 Series will take the shape of a coupe, sedan, and wagon in the States. Will it be rear-wheel-drive, like in foreign markets? Possibly, though affordable rear-wheel-drive vehicles are rare in the U.S., and it can cost valuable interior space, which is an important point for shoppers in the small car market. Will people buy an economical car with a luxury badge? It is a tricky marketing conundrum, and it will be interesting to see how BMW approaches it. However, car enthusiasts like novelty, and the 1 Series might mean that a BMW is in reach for people that had only dreamed of owning one before.

What all BMW fans really wonder is, will the 1 Series be the new 2002, the beloved BMW sports sedan sold in the ‘60s and ‘70s? Only time will tell.

Read more about it at Kicking Tires, the cars.com blog.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 lords-a-leapin’…Well, I don’t remember the lyrics, and what would I do with 12 jumping noblemen anyway? But the 13th day of Christmas, that’s another story. That falls on January 7, the opening day of the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), and there’s sure to be at least 13 cars-a-cruisin’ for my true love to check out. Now that the 2006 LA Auto show recently wrapped, with lots of cool concepts and dazzling debuts on display, we’re barely able to catch our breath before the NAIAS opens at the Cobo Center in Detroit. Press and industry previews run from January 7-11, and the public viewing is from January 13-21.

If you need even more reason to party, NAIAS celebrates the 100 anniversary of the auto show, so there’s sure to be some birthday surprises. The auto show debuted in 1907, under the Detroit Auto Dealers Association moniker, at Beller’s Beer Garden, appropriately enough. Great beer and fast cars are numbers two and three on the list of top three things that guys most often think about. It has gained in popularity and prestige over the years, becoming one of the major venues for the newest trends in the automobile industry.

Last year, the NAIAS introduced 70 new vehicle to 17,000 eager eyes. This year looks to show about 45 new vehicles, including the Honda Accord Coupe concept car, which will mark the first time that the Accord has ever shown a concept car at a premier auto show. The Mazda Ryuga, a self-described follow-up to the recently unveiled Nagare, is also set to debut. Other concepts and new models include the second generation Mini Cooper, a Nissan crossover vehicle called the Rogue, two new Chevy concepts, the Nassau and the Jeep Trailhawk, a new Porsche Cayenne, and a Tundra CrewMax pickup from Toyota. Continuing its industry firsts, which it established last year with its first-time-ever showing of a Chinese vehicle (from Geely), the auto show will introduce four new vehicles (2 SUVs and 2 pickups) from the Chinese Changfeng Group, which has never before introduced vehicles outside of China.

In addition to the main show, there will be other events, such as a charity premier with celebrities galore, a speciality vehicles showcase (a particular favorite), and various design forums and awards. It looks to be a great anniversary celebration. I’ll be sending my true love there to come back with at least 13 brochures. Maybe you should send yours. For more details and ticket information, go to http://www.naias.com/Default.aspx