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2019 VW Beetle Final Edition

The 2020 Kia Soul GT-Line Turbo Review: The Kia Soul started out with lots of boxy competition. Through the years, its square-shaped rivals like the Honda Element, Scion xB and the Nissan Cube have all died off. You could say that the Kia is the Soul Survivor and has outlasted all of them combined. Now Kia is hoping to parlay its success into an all-new third generation model built for a world with very different competition: no longer Kleenex boxes on wheels, but small crossover vehicles that look like rough-and-tumble SUVs.

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2020 Kia Soul GT-Line Turbo

The 2019 Hyundai Veloster Ultimate Review: The 2019 Hyundai Veloster returns with its same oddball layout, a long, coupe-like door on the left side and two stubby, sedan-like doors on the right, while adding a lot more satisfaction for the driver. The driving enhancements were instantly apparent in my Veloster Turbo tester with the most powerful engine in the lineup, a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes a meaty 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. The high-performance Veloster N, with a ridiculous 275 horsepower and track-tuned suspension, is expected later this year.

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2019 Hyundai Veloster

The 2018 Polaris Slingshot Review: When the traffic light turns green, I mash the gas pedal, let out the light-as-a-feather clutch, then feel a single rear wheel fighting to grip the pavement as the engine winds up to an ear-splitting wail just inches in front of my knees. From that first moment, it was clear I’d be spending the week driving something special, and hard to define. This alien-looking, three-wheeled contraption is one of the most thrilling and unusual vehicles I’ve ever driven, offering a hint of supercar styling and excitement but lacking some things I’ve come to expect in even the cheapest cars, including doors, a roof and basic safety equipment. It’s called the Slingshot.

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2018 Polaris Slingshot

The 2018 Toyota C-HR Review: Remember Scion? The junior, fun brand in the Toyota family that was supposed to be where young people made their connection with Toyota. It was born because back in 2003, some folks at Toyota believed that the youth of America saw Toyota as too old and stodgy. In 2017, Scion is gone. The brand died when it received too little exciting new product, and, more importantly, when Toyota’s leadership figured out that young people were buying Toyotas after all.

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2018 2018 Toyota C-HR

The 2018 Kia Rio 5-Door LX Review: High-priced dream cars may get all the attention, but it’s cars like this, the affordably priced Kia Rio, that matter to a lot more Americans.
Heck, with a starting price under $14,000, a brand-new Rio is cheaper than a lot of the vehicles on used-car lots. The question, then, is how much drivers have to give up when they choose a new car off the bargain rack. After a complete redesign for 2018, the answer for the Rio is “not much.”

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2018 Kia Rio 5-Door LX

The 2017 Fiat 500 Review: The Fiat 500 is just like my youngest daughter. It’s so cute, it gets away with stuff other cars couldn’t. Its off-the-charts cuteness factor is undeniable. It’s an adorable, cuddly, giggly toddler of a car, one that wants nothing more than to start the day with playtime and a smile. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve driven a vehicle that got more attention or made more people grin than this one, which is odd for a car that’s seen few noticeable changes since it was introduced to the U.S. market back in 2011 and now starts at under $15 grand. Most of the head-turners I drive are fresh, flashy and much more expensive.

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2017 Fiat 500

The 2015 Fiat 500e Review: The 500e joins several other pure-electric cars on the road. Being a Fiat 500, though, it still has the cute, fun-to-drive qualities that have endeared it to aficionados of mini-compact European-designed cars. The little electric motor comes to life silently with the turn of an old-fashioned key. The transmission is a simple stack of four dots. Press “D” and you’re off. The 111 horsepower from the motor is enhanced by 147 lb.-ft. of torque, so the 2,980-pound car squirts off the line pretty quickly. Of course, for maximum battery charge, you need to take it easy.

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2015 Fiat 500e

The 2014 FIAT 500 1957 Edition Review: Ever since it was introduced to America in 2010, the FIAT 500 has been a throwback car designed to evoke fond memories of yesterday’s Italian coupes. It’s easy to imagine zipping past the Coliseum on your way to a quaint cafe in Rome with opera music playing on the radio in this little car. Well, FIAT is cranking the retro knob up to 11 this year. There’s a new version of the 500 called the 1957 Edition, and it’s one of the most nostalgic cars for sale today, complete with two-tone pastel paint and old-school FIAT logos peppered all over it.

2014 Fiat 500 1957 Edition

The 2014 Ford Focus ST Review: Around the world, Ford’s Focus is a small, five-passenger vehicle that’s priced within reach of most buyers. The ST, which stands for Sport Technologies in Ford’s world, transitions into a 154-mile-per-hour racer, thanks to a 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine. When you put your right foot on the sporty-looking metal-covered accelerator pedal, it’s generating 252 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. That is about double what an ordinary compact hatchback delivers in its daily getting about town.

2014 Ford Focus ST

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Review: The Spark EV is General Motors’ entry in the growing all-electric car segment. These cars sell in small numbers and are not for everyone, but GM has taken its experience with the Volt plug-in hybrid and other hybrids it sells to bring a strong competitor to market.

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2014 Chevrolet Spark EV (Electric Vehicle)

The 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Review: Fifty years ago, Volkswagen built my first car, a 1964 Beetle. It was the classic model, with narrow 15-inch wheels and tires, a painted metal dashboard below a flat glass windshield, and a noisy, 1.2-liter, 40-horsepower, air-cooled four-cylinder engine. It weighed just 1,629 pounds. In 2014, you can still buy a Beetle, but other than the styling and the name, it shares little with the old car.

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2014 Volkswagen Beetle

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Review:  Some cars are just plain fun. Their very presence in your driveway makes you happy. The Yellow Rush 2013 Volkswagen Beetle I recently had was one of those cars. In 1998 the New Beetle showed up, evolved from a popular concept car. Based on the Golf, it had a water-cooled, front-mounted engine, unlike the original Beetle's air-cooled rear unit. The 2012 Beetle was all new, still based on the Golf. In some ways, it’s more like the original car. Beetle maniacs will note the more upright windshield, flatter roof, and completely different tail lamps.

2013 VW Beetle

The 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Review:  People define joy in different ways. Major parts of philosophy, religion and social science are all centered around probing what makes people truly happy. For me, I think I've figured out the epitome of joy. It involves a Fiat 500 driving through the countryside with the windows rolled down and Italian opera blasting from the sound system. It's hard to find cars that generate smiles as easily as the little 500.

2013 FIAT Arbarth

The 2013 Nissan JUKE Review: Have you seen a Nissan JUKE in traffic lately? It's the car with the lights along the tops of the bulging front fenders, like its corporate cousin, the all-electric LEAF, tapered tail with lights that look like they came from a late model Volvo station wagon, and in all likelihood a young, smiling driver behind the wheel. The JUKE is designed for fun, and targeted to a new generation that doesn't crave muscle car power or the wind in their face like the drivers of those old British sports cars savored.

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2013 Nissan JUKE

The 2012 FIAT 500 Gucci Edition Review: What do you picture when you think about Gucci? I visualize handbags and luggage, but the company also offers a wide range of expensive and exclusive items, including watches, jewelry, and clothing, that I have neither the figure for, nor the budget to own. My handsome son sports a pair of Gucci sunglasses, and that was expensive enough to be a special gift.

2012 FIAT 500 Gucci

The 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan Review: The new Nissan Versa sedan offers solid, reliable transportation for less than $15,000. In that market, the Versa is surprisingly big inside, with remarkably accommodating legroom for rear seat passengers, and generous trunk capacity. In fact, I saw a Versa taxicab a few days ago.

2012 Nissan Versa

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic 2LT Review: Chevrolet has historically had a split personality. On one side, it's always made some of the best full-size pickups and SUVs on the road. Chevy's engineers long ago figured out the formula for building big, comfortable vehicles that last a long time.

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2012 Chevy Sonic

The 2012 Fiat 500 C Cabrio Review: I've waited for a long time for a chance to drive the tiny Fiat 500, cinquecento in Italian. With Fiat's control of Chrysler, the popular European brand returns to the U.S. for the first time in decades. After a week with a new 500C, I'm very happy to say it was worth the wait. The C stands for Cabrio, just like in convertible.

2012 FIAT 500 C Cabrio

The 2011 Ford Fiesta Hatchback Review: After selling half a million Fiestas in Europe, Ford now builds Fiestas in Mexico for American buyers, just in time for $4 a gallon gas. You can buy a four-door sedan version, I tested one last summer. In Blaze Yellow, it was a dandy warm weather car, but it lacked hatchback versatility and came with the America-special automatic transmission, so I was very happy to spend a week with a Bright Magenta Metallic manual-equipped Fiesta SES hatchback recently.

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2011 Ford Fiesta Hatchback 

The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX Review: Subaru has been smart at creating its own niche vehicles in the marketplace. At first, the company offered fuel-efficient little four-wheel-drive wagons that were a huge hit with skiers. Then, the Outback delivered an SUV alternative before crossovers became popular. The WRX provides a great combination of power and sporty handling in a modest compact car.

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2011 Subaru Impreza WRX