Why The Best Alternative To The Mazda 6 Might Be The Mazda 3

The 2014 Mazda 3 5-door.

Regular TireKicker readers know that we hold Mazda in high regard around here.  The reasons are simple:

They make some very good cars.

They make no mediocre or bad cars.

They are much more fun to drive than the competition.

In fact, we've always been more than a bit puzzled that Mazda isn't a lot further up the sales charts in America.  Some wondered if Mazda could go it alone after its separation from longtime semi-partner Ford, but the fact is, the product has only gotten better...see the current Mazda 6, which occupies a fairly high ranking in the TireKicker Best Cars in the right sidebar of this very website, and which, for our money, is the best family sedan you can buy (which is saying something, since both the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord are good enough to land on that same top ten list).

So now, we have an all-new Mazda 3...and it is every bit as good as the Mazda 6, just smaller.

The Number One Reason To Buy A 2013 Toyota Corolla

The 2013 Toyota Corolla might be the bargain you're looking for.

It's not exactly sleek (even in S trim, its sportiest form).

It's very familiar.  You see them everywhere, every day.

So why should you run down to your Toyota dealer and buy a 2013 Toyota Corolla?

Because the 2014 is sleek and shiny.

That may seem like contradictory logic, but stick with me here.

New Car Review: 2013 Nissan Sentra

It doesn't get the kind of press that Hyundai and Kia have been getting, but Nissan has been taking some big leaps in terms of improved product lately.  Regular TireKicker readers know we love the new Altima enough to include in our Top Ten Cars (So Far)...and now, it's the 2013 Sentra that's knocking our hat in the creek, with one possible reservation (more about which as we go on).

New Car Review: 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport




The 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport.

Regular TireKicker readers will recall that just 13 months ago we were puzzling over the place of the CT 200h in the universe...or at least in Lexus' lineup.

Our questions revolved around whether Lexus needed another small car (question since answered...they've killed off the over-priced HS 250h, the closest Lexus has ever come to the Cadillac Cimarron or Lincoln Versailles).

Well, sales are up 500% so far this year over last, so apparently, there is a market for a small Lexus hybrid hatchback.

Now...how about a performance model?

New Car Review: 2012 Acura TSX




The 2012 Acura TSX.

If your age begins with the numbers "3", "2" or "1", you might wonder why people whose ages begin with "4", "5" or "6" seem to think so highly of Honda. And you probably wonder just what the heck Acura is supposed to be.

It was not always thus.

As we noted in our review of the CR-V, Honda's not building bad cars, they're just not meeting the incredibly high expectations of people whose first Honda experiences were in the 80s and early 90s, when just about everything they did was a revelation in terms of engineering, efficiency and ergonomics.

So...wanna know what all the fuss was about, Milennials and late-Gen Xers?

TireKicker Time Machine: The Half-Million Mile Acura Retires (Sort Of)

Most recent odometer reading of Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend 6-speed Coupe.

Last August, we did a piece on Tyson Hugie, a young man whose virtually flawless 1994 Acura Legend 6-speed Coupe was nearing the half-million mile mark on the odometer.

Well, as you can see, he and it got there...but there's more to the story...including a well-deserved rest for the 18-year old big Coupe...and a new Acura in Tyson's life.



Acura hands Tyson the keys to a new ILX.

Acura, thrilled with the publicity from Tyson's 500,000 mile Legend, has rewarded him with the use of a new 2013 Acura ILX for the next year, after which it's his (he'll be responsible for the tax implications).  It's an arrangement that lets Tyson rack up the miles in a way no press fleet vehicle would be allowed, and he's already making the most of it. You can follow along on his blog.

New Car Review: 2012 Buick Verano

The 2012 Buick Verano.

I sense a slippery slope ahead when I'm at the wheel of the Buick Verano. And it has nothing to do with the pavement under the tires.

Call it generational perspective. I'm old enough to remember when Buick wanted a compact car so badly that it took a 1973 Chevy Nova, made it a bit prettier (in the eyes of some beholders, anyway), a bit cushier, a bit more upscale, and sold it as the 1973 Buick Apollo.



New Car Review: 2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium




The 2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium.

It's the #1 question asked by someone meeting an automotive journalist:

"What's the best car?"

Now, of course, that can only be answered with a question (or more accurately, a series of questions).

"What for?"

"What kind of driving do you do?"

"How many people do you need to carry?"

"How much stuff do you need to carry?"

"What's your budget?"

Occasionally, I'll find myself talking to someone who's really trying to choose between the Audi R8 and a Porsche 911. But 9 times out of 10, it's someone who's looking for something reliable to get to and from work that gets good gas mileage, although sometimes, they'll take their spouse and 1.7 kids on a road trip for a few days.

For many years (a couple of decades, in fact) the Honda Civic was my default, no-risk recommendation. More recently, it's been the Mazda 3. But for the past seven days (and likely for some time to come), there's a new favorite compact car here at TireKicker World Headquarters.

New Car Review: 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv i Grand Touring

The 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv.

Five weeks ago, we gave you our first impressions based on a very short (fewer than 100 miles) time behind the wheel of the Mazda 3 Skyactiv. Bottom line for the link-averse, it was all good things we expect from Mazda in general and the Mazda 3 in particular, with some promising gas mileage figures (we averaged 29.5 miles per gallon, the EPA estimates are 28 city, 40 highway).

The first car was a bare-bones stock model...zero options, with a price tag of $19,300 plus delivery charges.

This time around, things were different. Mazda USA's press folks sent an i Grand Touring model with Skyactiv. Base price $4,000 higher at $22,300...and there were options.

New Car Review: 2011 Hyundai Elantra



The 2011 Hyundai Elantra.

It's the one-two punch the Japanese have been dreading.

A little over two months ago, we reviewed the 2011 Hyundai Sonata...the upshot being that Hyundai, for 20 years the Korean underdog, had now built a credible competitor to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord (and everything else in the family sedan segment too...Focus, Malibu, Passat...).

Well, just as Accord has Civic and Camry has Corolla...Sonata has Elantra...but it's better than that. The Elantra, the smaller of the two, is as good in its class as the Sonata in its and maybe better. It's reminiscent of the days when Accord and Civic were so good you couldn't begin to come up with a reason to buy anything else.

New Car Review: 2012 Chevrolet Cruze ECO



The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze ECO.

Comes now our third test of a Chevrolet Cruze in the past five months. Each one has been a different flavor. We started out with the loaded Chevrolet Cruze LTZ. Loved it, but for $24,000 and change as tested, we'd better have.

Then just about two months ago, it was almost the opposite end of the spectrum...the Chevrolet Cruze 1LT (one level up from the base Cruze).  Also a thumbs-up, and at a more reasonable $18,995.

Now it's the Chevrolet Cruze ECO. What makes an ECO an ECO? Well, mostly it's the 1.4 liter ECOTEC engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission with ECO overdrive. But to tell it apart from the other Cruzes in traffic, you'll probably have to look at the trunklid.

New Car Review: 2012 Mazda 3



The 2012 Mazda 3.

A truly great small car is a wonderful thing. For a long, long time, my vote for best ever went to the 1984 Honda Civic I bought brand new and kept for 14 years and 144,000 trouble-free miles.

But some time back, the old Civic got passed by a small car with all of its virtues (compact size, good interior space, fuel economy and a bigger dose of fun-to-drive than anything else in the class) and all the improvements more than a quarter-century can bring: The Mazda 3.

We've driven and raved about Mazda 3s before. In fact, the 2008 Mazda 3 was one of the first TireKicker reviews, on our third day of existence.  And a little over a year and a half ago, we sampled the new-gen 2010. 

But a year and a half is a long time not to be driving and talking about one of the best buys in all autodom, so we arranged with Chapman Mazda in Phoenix to borrow a just-arrived 2012 Mazda 3 for a week.



Rear view of the 2012 Mazda 3 5-Door

This time, we drew the Mazda 3 S 5-Door Touring model. There are only two flavors of the Mazda 3 5-door...Touring and Grand Touring. The difference between the two cars? $1,570, which buys a power moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-trimmed sport seats, heated front seats with 5 settings, an 8-way power driver's seat and a 6-CD, 10-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound system.

Which is one serious value for $1,570.

But sticking with the S is by no means roughing it. Both cars have the same 2.5 liter DOHC 4 with 167 horsepower that feels like a good 90 more. Both come standard with a 6-speed manual transmission and an EPA mileage estimate of 20 city/28 highway.

Ours had the 5-speed automatic, and in testament to how good the computer progamming behind modern automatics has become, the automatic gets better mileage than the stick...bumping up to 22 city/29 highway.

The automatic was the only option...putting the base price at $22,000 even, plus $795 delivery, processing and handling. So $22,795. For that  you get 4-wheel disc brakes, electronic power assisted rack and pinion steering, front and rear stabilizer bars, 17 inch alloy wheels, and the most fun you've had while driving in a long, long time.

Simply put (and we've said this before), Mazdas love to run. They're happy machines. The smiley face front ends are no coincidence. They handle like they're on rails. They live up to the corporate motto "Always The Soul of a Sports Car".



2012 Mazda 3 interior

Look at the instrument panel in the picture above. Everything simple, direct and right where your hand expects it to be. Not to mention tastefully designed and of very good materials and craftsmanship...way beyond what $22,000 normally buys.

The Mazda 3 spent many months on the TireKicker Top 10 Cars (So Far) list early on. With the 2012 Mazda 3, it's back. If you're looking for a small car that you'll love to drive, you've just found it.


UPDATE: If the five-door is so good, how's the 2012 Mazda 3 four-door?



The 2012 Mazda 3 4-Door Sport.

Surprisingly good. Now, you may wonder why there'd be a surprise when all that's different is the number of doors...but that's the thing...the Mazda 3 5-door and 4-door have three big differences beyond the roofline.

One, the Mazda 3 i Sport 4-door (also borrowed from Chapman Mazda in Phoenix)  packs a bit less power...148 horses instead of the 167 in the 5-door (you can get the hotter engine by stepping up to the S model four-door).

Two...that difference in power makes a significant difference in mileage: The EPA says the 4-door should get 24 city/33 highway as opposed to the 22/29 in the five-door (both those figures are for the automatic versions...the stick in the four-door bumps it up to 25/33).

And three...price. The Mazda 3 i Sport 4-door starts at $17,555 with the automatic transmission, $2,445 less than the 5-door tested above. Want one for even less? Go with the stick and the base price for the 4-door drops to $16,845.  And, if you live in a place where you can live without air conditioning and an outside temperature display, there's the Mazda 3 i SV 4-door at a mere $15,200.

Apart from those three things, everything we said about the 5-door goes for the 4-door. It's a truly terrific small sedan. Once again, we got one without options and the final cost (including delivery) was $18,350...making it the second lowest-priced (as tested) car we've driven this year. The lowest? The 3's baby brother...the Mazda 2.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze 1LT Review

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. Sleek styling even in one-rung-up-from-base form.

You're looking at the #1 best-selling car in America. Well, one version of it, anyway. It's the Chevrolet Cruze, and it's available in several different trim levels. Back in April, we reviewed (and liked) the Cruze LTZ. But what if you want one for a bit less than $24,415 (the as-tested price of the LTZ we drove)?

Well, you head down the trim levels and hope you don't give up too much good stuff. To find out what is down there, we borrowed a 1LT (one model up from the bottom of the line) from Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix for a week.

The 2011 Chevy Cruze can be equipped with a sunroof. We wouldn't, but you can.

Simply put, we were impressed. The basics that make the Cruze appealing in LTZ trim are all there in the 1LT. It's tight, responsive, fresh, contemporary and gets good mileage.

The base MSRP for the Cruze 1LT is $18,425...$3800 less than the starting price for the LTZ. Standard stuff: The ECOTEC 1.4 liter turbo 4, putting out 138 horsepower and 148 pounds per foot of torque. It's the same engine that was in the LTZ. And the same six-speed automatic transmission is part of the deal.

Ours had the Connectivity Plus Cruise Package (Cruise control, Bluetooth, a USB port, steering wheel controls for the audio system, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob) for $525. And that was it. The one and only option, bringing the bottom line to $18,995 before delivery charges....more than five grand less than the bottom line for the LTZ.

That's a lot of room. You can either bank the difference or explore what's in between. Those are wheel covers you see on the 1LT. Move up to the 2LT and those get traded for alloy wheels, the leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob become standard, as do the steering wheel controls for the audio system, plus power-adjustable, heated, leather-appointed front seats and remote start.  But it's a $2,500 jump...to $20,925 And you still have to get the Bluetooth and USB as options on top of that.

The 2011 Chevy Cruze. New GM builds a small car with an interior old GM would never have thought of.

There is no bad choice here, but if it were our dime, we'd take the 1LT just the way Courtesy loaned it to us. The rest can go to insurance, or in the bank. It won't go in the gas tank. The EPA says 24 city/36 highway. We didn't do quite that well, spending virtually the entire week off freeways and on congested surface streets, so our average was only 22.

Still, there's no surprise the Cruze is selling so well, offering basic goodness and a lot of ways to step up. And then there's the Cruze ECO, which we've been promised from Chevy's press fleet next month. The EPA says it'll do 28 in the city and 42 in the highway. 

2011 Lexus CT 200h Premium Review

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The 2012 Lexus CT 200h.

Extending your brand is a tricky thing...especially if you're well-defined. Take Lexus, for example. The name says upscale, well-built, smooth, quiet and refined.

Lexus has broadened beyond that successfully with their IS 350, a performance machine, and it's done it not all that successfully with the HS 250h.

The latter fell short because it's clearly a re-badged Toyota hybrid (one not sold in the States), slathered in so much Lexus luxo that it starts at $37,000 and can be optioned (as ours was) to within a few bucks of $50,000.

Well, this time around, Lexus has done about all it can do if it really wants to sell small hybrids...it's come up with another one, but this time kept the price in line.

The Lexus CT 200h hybrid. Is the world ready for a Lexus hatchback?

How'd they do that? Well, they started with a smaller Toyota. The CT 200h is 14.7 inches shorter than the HS 250h, with a 3.9 inch shorter wheelbase, and it's 8/10ths of an inch narrower. Headroom and front shoulder room, however, are better in the smaller car (sold in the UK in non-hybrid form as the Toyota Avensis).

The gasoline engine is smaller, too...1.8 liters and 134 horsepower as opposed to 2.4 liters and 187 horsepower. And that results in better EPA figures...43 city/40 highway compared to 35 city/34 highway.

As a result of all that, the base price for the CT 200h Premium is $30,900 and it comes with an impressive list of standard features: Moonroof, heated seats, NuLuxe trim interior, three-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, a 10-way multi-adjustable power driver's seat with 2-way power lumbar support, SmartAccess with pushbutton start, electroluminescent Optitron gauges, automatic dual-zone climate control, a tilt/telescoping steering column, 4-mode drive mode select, driver information center with trip computer, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/SiriusXM audio system with USB and miniplug inputs, Bluetooth, power windows and door locks, personalized settings, a tonneau cover and carpeted floor mats.

The 2011 Lexus CT 200h hybrid interior. Lots of gadgetry, but does the quality say "Lexus"?

The tester came with a few options, too: A Premium Audio Package (taking us up to 10-speakers, 6 CD changer instead of a single-play, plus an auto-dimming electrochromic rearview mirror with compass and a Lexus Homeline universal transciever) for $1,125...LED headlamps with auto-leveling and headlamp washers for $1,215, the leather package (perforated leather seats with driver seat memory, rain-sensing intermittent wipers with mist cycle and auto-dimming outer mirrors with memory) for $1,330...a cargo net for $75, and illuminated door sills for $299.

That makes the bottom line with delivery fee $35,819...which is still less than the base price of the HS 250h we drove.

But three things hover over the CT 200h.

One...it's slow. Just a hair shy of 10 seconds 0-60. Those four driving modes we mentioned? They're EV (purely electric for short distances at slow speeds...you'll never use it on the street for more than a few feet) , Eco, Normal and Sport. And that almost 10 second 0-60 time? That's Sport.

Two...do not adjust your monitor. That exterior color is real. It's called Daybreak Yellow Mica. And it's scarier in person than it is in pictures. It also makes the CT 200h look like a cheap little car. Which, when you're a Lexus salesman trying to get someone to part with between 30 and 36 large and one in that color is sitting on the showroom floor, has to make the job a bit harder.

And three...the question of whether Lexus should be in this segment at all. Wouldn't a real Lexus, something a bit further from the Prius, be a better move? Maybe a hybrid version of the IS250?

Then again, maybe not. The CT 200h was the third-best selling hybrid in the U.S. in July, 2011...and in the top 10 for the calendar year to date. If you see what we don't, click the "comments' button and let us know.

2011 Nissan Sentra Review

I remember my first time at the wheel of a Sentra. It was 1982, and I was swayed by advertising telling me "You NEED this car".

Hard-selling the 1982 Nissan Sentra.

Not being an automotive journalist yet, but having contacts at the local dealership, I was allowed to take one for an afternoon-long test drive. It was cheap, tinny and slow. So slow, in fact, that I got a ticket. You see, in order to make the thing move, all you could do was find the lowest gear, floor the sucker and take it all the way to the redline before you shifted to the next gear, then repeat.

Well, the car made so much more noise than speed that a motorcycle policeman on a side street came after me, pulled me over and wrote me a ticket...not for speeding...I wasn't...it couldn't (at least not without another quarter mile or so of straining)....no, the ticket was for exhibition of speed.

Disturbing the peace would have been a better call.

I considered that Sentra the worst car I'd ever driven (for a time...the 80s had a way of sending worse-still machines my way as fleet vehicles and rental cars), and a scant two years later found the 1984 Honda Civic so superior in every way that I spent $3,000 more than that first Sentra cost because I figured that's what it took.

The 2011 Nissan Sentra.

You'd be amazed how many people hold a grudge like that. "I'd never buy a (blank). My parents had one in 1982 and it was a piece of junk!" 

Times, technologies and techniques all change in the car business...and a lot more frequently than every 29 years, which is why it's no surprise to me (nor should it be to you) that the current Nissan Sentra is not only nothing like the 1982, it's a very, very good car.

Like its big brother Altima, the Sentra tends to fly under the radar. The car you see everyday but don't really pay much attention to. And then, if you're fortunate, you drive one.

The Sentra's virtues are roominess, decent performance, good fuel economy and a wide range of trim levels.  The base 2.0 model starts at $16,060 and comes with a 140 horsepower 2.0 liter 4, a six-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, an AM/FM/CD audio system with auxilary jack, power windows and door locks, six airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control and Traction Control System.

One step up to the 2.0 S ($17,990) buys you a continuously variable automatic transmission (Nissan builds the best CVTs in the business)16-inch wheels, power outside mirrors, remote keyless entry, an iPod interface, illuminated steering wheel cruise and audio control buttons, a trip computer and outside temperature display.

Next level is the 2.0 SR (also $17,990)...the 16-inch wheels are aluminum alloy, and the rest is cosmetics...sport front and rear fascias, side still extensions, smoked headlight surround and taillights and a chrome exhaust-tip finisher.

Rear view of the 2011 Nissan Sentra. The tall trunk promises good cargo space. And delivers.

And then, there's our tester, the 2.0 SL. Top of the line, apart from the SE-R and SE-R Spec V, which are performance levels and should be reviewed on their own (can we borrow each for a week, Nissan?).

The 2.0 SL is $19,390, takes the 2.0 S equipment and adds the aluminum alloy sixteens from the SR, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Nissan Intelligent Key keyless entry and ignition system, Bluetooth, a premium audio system with a 4.3 inch color display, a USB port and SiriusXM Satellite radio.

Nice package for under $20K.

2011 Nissan Sentra Interior. Not fancy, but not bargain-basement, either.

Options? Our tester had only three: The most reasonably-priced in-dash nav system I've seen so far ($400),  splash guards ($150) and floor mats ($120). With $750 destination charge, the bottom line: $20,810. One of the best bargains out there.

And the EPA estimate: 27 city/34 highway.

Maybe Nissan's ad agency was 29 years ahead of its time...could be you need this car now.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ Review

It's been 35 years since the famous "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" ad campaign. But the basic principle is evident in the new Chevrolet Cruze.

If you've heard or read that the Cruze is a quantum leap beyond the car it replaces, the Cobalt, you've heard or read right. This is a thoroughly modern, no-apologies small sedan...ready for battle in an intensely competitive segment.

What's fascinating is how, in the same year, both Chevy and Ford get serious about building very good small cars, and yet, come up with very different solutions. The new Focus is Ford acknowledging that they've been building the good stuff for Europe all these years and finally letting us get some...it's essentially a German sedan.

The Cruze is, in its own way, every bit as good as the Focus...but it's all-American. More like a smaller, tigther, more responsive Malibu (click the link to see that we're not damning with faint praise...we like the Malibu a lot).

The Cruze we had for a week was the top of the line LTZ model, loaded at a base price of $21,975 (the Focus Titanium sedan starts at $22,270, so they're competitive) with a 1.4 liter turbo four-cylinder, six speed automatic transmission, sport tuned suspension, a full complement of airbags, Stabilitrak stability and traction control, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, power door locks, theft alarm, remote keyless entry, rear parking assist, six months of OnStar, and tire pressure monitoring.  There are also power adjustable heated outside mirrors, variable wipers, a rear defogger (not a given in small sedans) and 18 inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there's an AM/FM/CD 6 speaker audio system with Bluetooth, steering wheel controls, USB interface and auxilary jack, floor mats, a driver's 6-way power seat (8-way manual for the front passenger), acoustic insulation, automatic climate control, leather appointed seats and steering wheel, a driver information center, tilt and telescoping steering column, power windows, cruise control, and heated seats up front.

The Chevy PR folks loaded ours up further with a power sunroof ($850), a Pioneer premium audio system ($445), crystal red metallic tintcoat pain ($325) and a compact spare tire ($100). Add $720 for delivery and the bottom line comes to $24,415.

That's about $1300 more than the Focus we tested, and it was a five-door, which starts about $900 higher than the sedan. The Focus is more of a driver's car, manages better fuel economy despite a bigger engine (28 city/38 highway from a 2.0 liter to the Cruze's 24/36 from the 1.4 liter turbo), and seems a lot more like a driver's car...that European influence, no doubt.

So...a slam-dunk for the Focus? Not necessarily. On a lot of levels, the Cruze was more comfortable and easy to live with...and there's a huge segment of the intended audience that is not about performance...they're looking (especially at prices nudging $25K) for comfort and convenience they're used to from larger cars with small-car fuel economy.  It's really a matter of taste. And if it were me and my money I'd be wrestling with the decision a long time.





 

2012 Ford Focus Review

At last, Ford lets us have the good stuff! For a decade or so, we've been hearing how the American Ford Focus compared unfavorably if at all to the European model...and with each update, we've been hoping to get what they've had for so long.

Well, the 2012 Focus is here and now we can see what the shouting was all about. Not only is it a night-and-day difference from the previous U.S. Focus, it's also a completely different approach to small cars from its chief rival, the new Chevrolet Cruze (review coming soon here).

The Focus rides, drives and handles like a German car that just happens to have the blue Ford oval attached to the front and back. The combination of the 2-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission gives it strong acceleration and very good fuel economy (28 city/38 highway is the EPA estimate and our weeklong experience of mixed city street and freeway driving suggests that's realistic).

Ford has done some of its best work with the Focus interior...contemporary and techno without being overwrought like the Honda Civic (another direct competitor). The seats are comfortable for hours at a time, controls are well-placed an fall easily to hand. And, unlike the Fiesta, the back seat has adequate room for people just a shade under six feet tall.

The SEL 5-Door Hatchback is well equipped, with 16-inch alloy wheels, halogen headlamps, fog lamps, a rear spoiler, an AM/FM/CD/mp3 audio system, ambient lighting, power windows and locks, a leather wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, climate control, illuminated entry, AdvanceTrac with electronic stability control, SYNC, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, a rear wiper/washer, power locks, keyless entry and tire pressure monitoring system standard at $21,065. As with the Fiesta, it's pricey for the class size historically, but both Ford and Chevy appear to be moving into the premium compact segment that the VW Jetta has abandoned this year (review coming soon on that, too).

Our tester added Rapid Spec package 301A (MyFord Touch audio/nav system with an upgraded Sony stereo, HD radio, Sirius and 10 speakers)for $995 and Red Candy Metallic Tinted paint for $395. Total price with destination charges: $23,180. Again, more than you'd pay for a Civic or Corolla, but reasonable Jetta money when Jettas were premium German compacts.  And, based on precision and driving pleasure, I'm willing to say the Focus is what the Jetta was...and maybe even more.

My only concern is quality control. While everything seems top-notch, our tester had a trim piece above the passenger front door window that kept coming loose and hanging down and once, the MyFord Touch system froze up completely and would do absolutely nothing...not even pushing the "off" button made a difference...until it decided it was time to re-boot itself...a total of 9 minutes. Could just be the one we had. But if Ford's going to convince Americans to pay $23K (and more...there's a "Titanium" level above the SEL) for a compact car, quality had better be job one.