August 31st, 2010 at 11:10am Under Ford+ Menufacturer+ SUV+ Styles
Four years have passed since Ford introduced its Edge crossover to bridge the canyon of market space that separated the tidy Escape and the larger, bulkier Explorer. Launched in the midst of the crossover boom, the Edge instantly became a gleaming success for Ford, with more than 400,000 units built so far and sales continuing to trend up.
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August 29th, 2010 at 07:15am Under Coupe+ Menufacturer+ Porsche+ Styles
Feast your eyes on Porsche’s fiendish self-embrace, a devilish pat on its own back. That’s right, the GT2 RS’s primary reason for being is for the heroic German automaker to reassert itself atop the N?rburgring lap-time pack. And, at 7 minutes 18 seconds—a whopping 14 seconds quicker than the ’08–’09 GT2—it leaves the Corvette ZR1, the Nissan GT-R, the Ferrari 458, the Dodge Viper ACR, and pretty much every other production car in the dust. If you’re still questioning the $167,200 premium over a base 911’s price, also note that the GT2 RS is the first Porsche to one-up the Ring time of another P car, the exotic ?Carrera GT.
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August 27th, 2010 at 07:14am Under Coupe+ Menufacturer+ Scion+ Styles
Every piece of sheetmetal on the 2011 Scion tC may be new, but the car’s striking similarity to its predecessor is proof of old thinking at Toyota: We have a sales winner—don’t mess with it.
And they didn’t, very much. It’s basically the same bobtailed-hatchback, front-drive, five-seat coupe as before, although it’s now loaded with standard goodies such as 18-inch wheels and a sunroof, and the new tC looks a little more muscular, especially around the hindquarters. It has a new 2.5-liter four mated to a six-speed manual for $18,995 or, for another $1000, a six-speed automatic; a redesigned instrument panel; and perhaps most important for Scion buyers, several new glass-rattling stereo options.
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August 13th, 2010 at 08:27am Under Kia+ Menufacturer+ SUV+ Styles
Within the ever-growing range of compact SUVs, Kia’s little Sportage has represented a bargain-priced, well-warranted alternative to industry darlings such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. But there’s a reason the others have been the standouts and the Sportage has not: The outgoing model wasn’t dynamically or stylistically compelling.
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August 12th, 2010 at 08:21am Under Menufacturer+ Sedan+ Styles+ Volkswagen
During the press launch of the outgoing Jetta back in 2005, Volkswagen touted that car as a less expensive alternative to an Acura TSX or Volvo S40. Volkswagen pointed to its growth in size, high-quality interior, new rear suspension, and refined demeanor as evidence that the Jetta had moved out of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla class. Now take that script and reverse it. In introducing this car, the all-new 2011 Jetta, Volkswagen made it clear that the targets are once again the strong-selling Civic and Corolla. To entice folks considering those cars to also look at the Jetta, VW has lowered the model’s price, introduced a 115-hp base version, reduced the complexity of the options and trim levels, and grown it even further.
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August 11th, 2010 at 07:35am Under Audi+ Menufacturer+ Sedan+ Styles
Most cars are made to be driven, of course, and there is a select group of vehicles that are made to be driven in—the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Maybach 62, the Ford Crown Victoria. But beyond that, there exists the infinitesimally small number of cars that have been engineered with both missions in mind, offering dynamic excellence for those twirling the steering wheel and five-star appointments for those occupying the rear seats. The 2011 Audi A8L W-12 is one such vehicle, and it satisfies in almost all aspects.
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July 11th, 2010 at 08:17am Under Cadillac+ Coupe+ Menufacturer+ Styles
Although most Cadillac vehicles still have a way to go to satisfy as drivers’ machines, the second-generation CTS has appeared on our past three 10Best lists. In awarding its 2010 trophy, we called it “maybe the best American car ever made.” High praise, and its combination of unapologetically brash styling, modern luxury, and strong performance credentials—especially in high-po V spec—backs it up. For 2011, the new CTS coupe joins the sedan and wagon, adding more style and a higher concentration of performance to the CTS’s winning formula.
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July 10th, 2010 at 07:56am Under Audi+ Hatchback+ Menufacturer+ Styles
By American standards, the Volkswagen Golf–based Audi A3 is a little car. Not so in Europe, however, where the A3 is a legitimate family hauler. In other words, there is plenty of room in Audi’s European product portfolio for a car with tidier dimensions. Enter the A1, Audi’s third attempt at the true small-car segment.
The A1 is based on the VW Polo platform, a model that, ironically, emerged in 1975 as the cheapo version of the short-lived Audi 50. Audi’s second attempt, the all-aluminum A2, failed mostly because it was underpowered and overpriced at its launch in 1999. Today, the Luc Donckerwolke–styled A2 is gaining cult status, albeit a bit too late. End of history lesson.
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July 9th, 2010 at 07:50am Under Dodge+ Menufacturer+ Styles+ Supercar
The Dodge Viper has been with us for nearly 20 years and will go out of production—at least for now—this summer. We’ve driven almost every variant of the car in that time, our reports often contributing to its reputation as a hairy-chested, have-your-affairs-in-order road weapon. Pity the fool who doesn’t respect 511 cubic inches of V-10 and rear-wheel drive without any electronic oversight save ABS.
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July 8th, 2010 at 07:43am Under Hatchback+ Mazda+ Menufacturer+ Styles
With lofty government-mandated fuel-economy standards coming down on one hand and a shaky economy spurring consumer interest on the other, carmakers are serving up more subcompact cars to U.S. consumers than ever. Among the most hotly anticipated (at least among Car and Driver staffers) is the 2011 Mazda 2, Mazda’s first America-bound B-segment vehicle since the 323 and arguably the best such car Mazda has ever built.
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