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.

Why The Hyundai Santa Fe Is Bigger Than It Used To Be

The 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe.

For all its rapid advancement in the automotive world, the one place where Hyundai hasn't been able to score and score fairly big is in the 7-passenger crossover category.  The Veracruz, on sale from 2007-2012, was decent and competent, but in that incredibly competitive segment, those are less selling points than they are damning with faint praise.

But now, Hyundai appears to have hit on a strategy.  Take the strong-selling 5-passenger Santa Fe, give it the name Santa Fe Sport, and then put the Santa Fe badge on an all-new 7-passenger crossover.

This Is The 2015 Ford Mustang.

The real deal: The 2015 Ford Mustang's first official photo.

And it's not the revolutionary step away from the past that many had predicted.   But it's also not merely an evolution of the current car.

Did Ford get the 2015 Mustang right?  As always, I'll have to see it in the metal to give a firm opinion.  I will say that the slanted taillamp panel has always said "'76 Toyota Celica" more than "Mustang" to me.  Otherwise....

Well, what do you think?  Comments are always welcome.

How To Almost Double Your Gas Mileage In a Toyota Camry XLE (Hint: Buy The Hybrid)

The 2013 (and 2014) Toyota Camry Hybrid.

All right, so the headline is a bit of a giveaway.  But here's the simple truth about the Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE we drove recently:

You can take most of what we wrote about the Toyota Camry XLE V6 in early October, change the V6 to a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, change the six-speed automatic transmission to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), adjust the 0-60 time from 5.8 seconds to 7.3 ( a mere second and a half), change the trunk space spec from 15.3 cubic feet to 13.1 (the batteries of the hybrid live underneath), and cut the base price by $2,800.

And then just about double the EPA city mileage estimate from 21 to 40 (highway goes from 31 to 38).

Why You Should Buy One Version Of The 2014 Lexus LS 460 But Not The Other

The 2014 Lexus LS 460.

You may have noticed new signs of aggression from Lexus, for nearly 25 years the maker of whipped cream on wheels.

The signs are in the styling now for most of the lineup and in the engines and suspensions for machines like the IS, GS and most F-Sport models.

Even the flagship LS 460 has been given the new edgy treatment.  The lines are taut, purposeful....the spindle grille fits in with the rest of the family design language...and this year, the LS offers an F-Sport model.

This is good news, because the LS, for all its charms as a smooth all-day cruiser, has never had moves that would inspire confidence on a winding road.

15 Million Reasons Why Peter Mullin & Art Center College Of Design Will Influence What You Drive For The Rest Of Your Life

Peter & Merle Mullin with Art Center students and faculty.

Peter Mullin is the guy we'd all like to grow up to be. Gasoline in his veins, money in the bank and a willingness to share that money to make the world a better, more beautiful place.

In case the name doesn't ring a bell, he co-founded the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. He's chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. He is also president of the American Bugatti Club.   The son of a chemical engineer, a race fan since boyhood, and a vintage car racer today.

The deep involvement with the museums and Bugatti Club tells you Mullin appreciates classic beauty.  But he's also committed to making sure that beauty and inspirational design are with us long after he's gone.  So Mullin and his wife Merle are donating $15 million to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6 Can Run With Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, But Can It Dance?

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6. Handsome, roomy and quick.

Hot on the heels of our recent reviews of the 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL and the 2013 Honda Accord Touring, Toyota has sent us a V6 version of the Camry.  It's a 2013 model (Toyota seems to be booking a lot of journalists into last-minute '13s), but there are no major changes in the '14s, so what the heck.

When the first Camry came along for the 1983 model year, the competition was the Honda Accord and the Nissan Stanza, which stood where the Nissan Altima is now in the lineup.  And as unlikely as it seems given the juggernaut Toyota has become in the three decades since, it was an uphill climb.  There was a waiting list for Honda Accords.  And Consumer Reports found the Nissan Altima more reliable than the first-generation Toyota Camry (ouch!) for four years running (1983-1986, inclusive).

Well, Toyota learned fast, and grabbed not only the sales but the reliability crown and has never looked back.  Until recently, the Camry was in an enviable if not glamorous position...the safe bet in a segment known for boring cars.  In fact, it was deep clover for Toyota for most of the past decade, with Honda having seemed to lose its mojo and Nissan keeping costs down to the point where its cars were starting to feel like cheap goods.

But now, as we've chronicled in this space, we're in something of a renaissance of the family sedan.

The Americans are a mixed bag...Ford's Fusion looks fabulous (Ford: You really need to get us in one, because I'm driving and writing about everyone else's), especially from the front, the Chevrolet Malibu is better than anyone thought a Chevy Malibu could be, and the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 are still rental cars you'll want to upgrade out of.

The Koreans are fully competitive and credible with cars like the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima.  The Germans have a contender in the Volkswagen Passat.
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And even sleepy Subaru is sleepy no more, with market share that goes up month by month and a strong candidate in the Subaru Legacy.

So how does the Toyota Camry stack up?

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.

How The 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL Makes Family Sedan Buying Hard

Yes, you will actually want to drive the 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL on roads like this.

Attention new car shoppers....especially mid-size family sedan shoppers.

Do you know how good you have it?

Do you have any idea?

Five years ago this was one of the most bland and boring segments in the industry.  Camry, Accord, Malibu, Fusion, Altima, Mazda 6...some were better than others, but none were inspiring, none were aspirational.
But now, every one of those cars has been re-designed and choosing has become very hard.

In January, we drove the 2.5-liter four-cylinder version of the 2013 Altima...and it landed immediately on TireKicker's Best Cars (see the list in the right-hand column).  In June, the 2013 Honda Accord Touring landed one notch ahead of it. Not really a fair fight, given that the Accord had the V6 (enthusiasts should note that the 2014 Mazda 6, with almost 100 horsepower less and a four-cylinder engine, landed squarely at #5...several slots ahead of both the Altima and Accord).