2011 Toyota Venza Review

The 2011 Toyota Venza. It's like the return of the Camry wagon, but better.

Mysteries abound in the automotive world, and one I've not been able to figure out the past couple of years is why the Toyota Venza isn't an off-the-charts success.

Introduced at the time when the SUV game shifted from trucks to crossovers, the Venza was positioned right in the sweet spot of that group. You can get it with a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine. It's got clean looks, lots of space....what's not to like?

The 2011 Toyota Venza comes with 20-inch alloy wheels standard.

If you expected that I'd have the answer to that question after our most recent week in a Venza, well...I hate to disappoint you, but I don't. This thing screams "winner" to me.

The test vehicle from the Toyota fleet was a front-wheel drive six-cylinder (you can get both the four and the six in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive) and started with a base price of $28,300. The six in question is a 3.5 liter DOHC 24-valve V6 that makes 268 horsepower. It's coupled fo a six-speed automatic transmission, and as a result, gets more than respectable mileage for something in its size class (EPA estimate: 19 city/26 highway).

20-inch alloy wheels are part of the deal, as are electric power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with Smart Stop technology, tire pressure monitoring, projector-beam headlamps with integrated fog lights, variable intermittent windshield wipers, dual-zone climate control with air filter, an AM/FM/XM/CD/mp3 6-speaker audio system with USB, Bluetooth and an auxilary jack, a 3.5 inch multi-information display, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, tilt/telescope steering wheel, auto-dimming rear view mirror, power windows, remote keyless entry and cruise control.

Now let me stop for a second and point something out, because this is the umpteenth car in a row that TireKicker's tested that had a standard equipment list that looks like a car loaded with options from just five years ago. And consider the price again: $28,300. With all that. And 19city/26 highway.  Can you explain to me why Toyota isn't selling at least as many of these as they do RAV4s (the last one of which we tested cost 2 grand more with not much more in the way of amenities and considerably less space)? If so, click the comments button.

The 2011 Toyota Venza interior. Tons of Lexus influence.

Of course, there are options available and the Toyota press fleet folks found $9,179 worth to put on our test vehicle:

• A rear-seat DVD entertainment system with a 9-inch display and two wireless headphones for $1,680.
• Premium Package #2 (leather-trimmed seating surfaces, 4-way power adjustable passenger seat with power lumbar support, multi-stage heated front seats, satin mahogany wood-grain style interior trim, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob with satin mahogany wood-grain style inlay, High Intensity Discarhge headlamps with automatic high beams, Smart Key with pushbutton start and remote illuminated entry, power liftgate, chrome-accented door handles, backup camera, anti-theft alarm system, color-keyed power heated outside mirrors with folding feature and windshield wiper de-icer) for $4,345.
• Voice-activated touch-screen DVD navigation system with an audio system upgrade including JBL amplifiers and 13 speakers, a four-disc CD changer and CD-text display function for $2,580.
• The  tow prep package, with an engine oil cooler, larger radiator fan and heavy-duty alternator for $220.
• Floormats and cargo mat for $269.
• "Courtesy Deliver Veh/TMS/NFS" (huh?) for $85.

That and $760 for delivery add up to $38,239.

Bet you're waiting for me to say "buy the base car", huh?

Well, yes....and no. Absolutely buy the base car. It's loaded and a steal at a price that even with destination charges gives you almost a thousand dollars in change back from your $30,000 bill.

But if you want the luxury and have the money, load it up the way Toyota did ours and you've got a discount Lexus RX350. Which is yet one more market for the Venza, and one more way in which I can't understand why you don't see one at every stoplight every day of the week.

2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Review

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid. Green with grins.

The very idea of a Porsche hybrid takes some big-time explaining for a lot of people. A $67,700 Porsche hybrid SUV even more so.

The Porsche Cayenne is the SUV in question, and to a lot of Porsche purists, it was the Porsche that wasn't supposed to be built anyway. It was counter to the marque's mission of building laser-focused sports cars with 2 doors and low centers of gravity.

But the Cayenne has been a success. Porsche builds a lot of them and has built market share squarely on its broad shoulders. And since powerful SUVs have taken the biggest hit when gas prices get squirrely, wouldn't they be the perfect place to employ a little hybrid technology?

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid. A few extra MPG for a couple extra Gs.

Hybrid luxo-SUVs aren't new anyway...three years ago, when TireKicker was a toddler, we spent in a week in and then wrote about the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid...which, in 2008 was 5 grand more than this year's Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid.  The Porsche has the edge on performance (0-60 in 6.1 seconds), handling (elementary physics) and, as it turns out, gas mileage, though neither of them pump up the EPA estimates to Prius levels.

In fact, the Hybrid Cayenne S only gets about 2 miles more per gallon in the city and on the highway  (20/24) than the non-hybrid version. But Porsche only charges a couple of grand more to make the gas/electric leap.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Interior. You could get used to this.

$67,700 might strike you as something of a bargain for the Cayenne S Hybrid...and you're right. For what you get, that's a fairly compelling base price. But with Porsche, the difference between base price and as-tested price often jumps by the price of a loaded Honda Fit once you get into the optional equipment. And that's what happened to our test vehicle. About $16,000 worth of options got poured onto and into the machine ($4520 of it for the Convenience Package alone), for an endgame (including destination charges of $84,950.

Yes, that's very different from $67,700, but it's not out of the territory for Porsche buyers...who, with the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, get arguably the best of all worlds: An SUV that saves a bit of gas and a bit of the planet because it's a hybrid, and is a Porsche.

Try as you might (and a lot of journalists have tried very hard the past few years to poke holes in the Cayenne), it's tough to find fault with the finished product. It works like an SUV, goes and handles like a Porsche (okay, the center of gravity does affect things...but there's no other SUV that can play in the twisties like this one) and the hybrid system is unobtrusive.  A dealer-accompanied half-hour test drive will have you wanting one. A week unsupervised (as we got) just makes it worse. If Porsche sent it back to us tomorrow, we'd be happy campers.

2011 Nissan Juke SL FWD Review



The 2011 Nissan Juke. Beauty is as....um....

So, if a Pontiac Aztek mated with a....

Let's just deal with the appearance issues surrounding the Nissan Juke right away, shall we?

It's an acquired taste. And I haven't acquired it yet. It looks to me like maybe Nissan's styling department has decided to pay tribute to the 1977 Datsun F-10. Don't remember that one? Here ya go:

The 1977 Datsun F-10. No, kids, this isn't the Onion. It's real.

But while the F-10 had virtually nothing to recommend it 35 years ago, the Juke is a surprisingly entertaining drive.

Sitting where you can't see the styling, you press the gas pedal and a 188-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (with 177 pounds per foot of torque) takes off rightnow. You can shift it yourself, or as in the case of our tester, opt for the Continuously Variable Transmission, and, as we've noted before, Nissan makes the best CVTs on the market today.

The Juke backs up the go power with stopping power...vented front disc brakes and solid rear disc brakes. And for in between launch and landing, the handling is remarkably good too..with front wheel drive, speed-sensitive electric power steering, an independent front suspension, torsion beam rear suspension and front and rear stabilizer bars.

The 2011 Nissan Juke's rear hints at the amount of junk that will fit in the trunk.

The tall and wide styling makes the Juke spacious for people and their things...and it's loaded with safety features like a full complement of air bags, active head restraints, seat belt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes, vehicle dynamic control with traction control system, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.

And the inside...well, stuff gets stylish (in a funky kind of way). The color accents brighten up what could be a drab cabin, and in SL trim, the Juke is very well-equipped with leather-appointed seats, steering wheel and shift knob, steering wheel controls for audio and cruise, a 6-speaker (plus Rockford Fosgate subwoofer and amplifier) AM/FM/Sirius XM/CD/mp3 audio system with USB connection and Bluetooth, navigation including XM NavTraffic with a 5-inch color screen, pushbutton start, power locks, windows and a power sliding moonroof. That's all standard for $23,050.

The test car we had for a week had only three options...stainless steel exhaust finish for $95, carpeted floormats and cargo mat for $175 and the rear roof spoiler for $390. Tack on the $750 destination charge and the bottom line is $24,455...which is a bargain for the fun-to-drive quotient. And it gets good mileage (EPA estimate 27 city/32 highway).

The question: Can you get past the looks long enough for a test drive? And if you agreed with my assessment of the car's capabilities, would you overlook its styling and buy it?  Click the comment button and let's discuss.

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 Cadillac SRX AWD Premium Review

The 2011 Cadillac SRX in its natural habitat. A winding road.

The picture above is a good illustration of the kind of use a Cadillac driver might have for the all-wheel, rather than the front-wheel-drive version of the Cadillac SRX. Not rock climbing or stream fording, but road holding...in wet, cold weather on twisty roads.

Crossovers of this size generally don't inspire enthusiastic driving (with the exception of the Mazda CX-9), but the Cadillac SRX definitely does.

Our most recent week in one was courtesy Lund Cadillac in Phoenix, Arizona. And it reminded us just what a strong contender the SRX is. It's a CTS with more space. A sport sedan you can fold the back seats down in and carry stuff home from the big box store. And it's simply a ball to drive.

The 2011 Cadillac SRX has a 3-position power hatch.

Start with the SRX AWD Premium. Immediately you're at $49,370. But look at what that gets you: a 3.0-liter V6 making 265 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission, an electronic limited-slip differential, sport suspension, continuously variable real-time chassis damping (which includes the FE3 sport suspension),  speed-sensitive, variable effort rack and pinion power steering, and a dual stainless-steel exhaust with chrome tips. Plus 20 inch aluminum wheels, a tire inflation kit, a double-sized glass sunroof, chrome roof rails, Xenon HID headlamps with adaptive forward lighting, washers and leveling, fog lamps, heated, power-adjustable, power-folding outside mirrors (the driver's side dims automatically when headlamps approach) rain-sensing wipers and a liftgate that you can set to open to different degrees.

Like the CTS, the 2011 Cadillac SRX has one of the best interiors in the automotive biz.

And then, you've got one of the nicest interiors in the biz in which to do your biz. And the standard features keep piling up: Memory seats and outside mirrors, real wood trim on the door, center stack, steering wheel and shift knob, a 10-speaker 5.1 Bose surround audio system with navigation, AM/FM/CD/DVD/mp3/SiriusXM, a 40gb hard drive for music storage, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth, and a rear-view camera.

Not done. There's also rear seat audio controls, 8-way adjustable power front seats (with ventilation as well as heat), heated rear seats, a three-zone climate control and more. You could stop right there and have a killer ride for $49.370 plus destination.

And we nearly did. In fact, the one we had on loan from Lund had only three options: The color (Platinum Ice Tricoat) for $995, the rear-seat entertainment system (a dual-screen DVD setup with wireless headphones and remote control) for $1,295 and 20" chrome tech aluminum wheels for $450.

So the total tab is $52,935. And worth it. The SRX may be a crossover, a term that implies compromise and part-this/part-that, but it's all Cadillac.

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 Ford Mustang GT Premium Review

The 2011 Mustang GT.

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Ford Mustang came in second to the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird in terms of driving pleasure. The GM cousins hit the market in late '66 as better-handling cars than the original pony car, and when Ford started responding to the challenge, it was to make the Mustang bigger, not better.

Well, it's nice to see that institutional memory has its limits, because as great a car as the current Camaro is, the Mustang is smaller, lighter, more tossable...more of a driver's car.

Regular TireKicker readers will remember how much we liked the V6 Mustang (no slug now that it churns out 305 horsepower)...and now, we've had our week at the wheel of the Mustang GT. The one that comes with Ford's new 5.0 V8...making 402 horsepower (412 if you're running premium fuel).

Rear view of the 2011 Mustang GT. The sloping rear panel with the taillights still says "Celica" instead of "Mustang" to me.

That's serious power for a car this size and weight, and that means most drivers will have this view of the Mustang. Even the Camaro, which has some major power of its own (426 horsepower), has a 136-pound curb weight disadvantage.

Is it really all that fun? Oh, yeah.

Ours was the Race Red you see here. And it was the GT Premium. Starting price was $32,845 (the non-premium GT begins at $29,310). That buys the 5.0, a six-speed manual transmission, auto headlamps, LED sequential taillamps (still one of our favorite gimmicks, but then we remember the mid-60s T-Birds and Cougars), stainless steel dual exhausts, variable interval wipers, electric power assist steering, 2 power points, AdvanceTrac with electronic stability control, and SOS post-crash alert system.

The 2011 Mustang GT cockpit. Slide in, choose a color for the gauges, and take off.

There's also leather-trimmed sport seats (8-way power adjustable for the driver, manual 2-way adjustable for the front passenger), a center console with armrest, ambient lighting, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the Shaker 500 AM/FM/CD/mp3 audio system with SiriusXM and SYNC.

You could stop right there and be perfectly happy for $32,845 plus $850 delivery. But Ford's press fleet office added some options. Some I'd go for, some might take some selling.

First is Rapid Spec Group 401A. It's the Premier Trim with color accent package. And it makes a nice interior (Ford really upped its game on the Mustang this year) even nicer. And it's only $395. Sold.

Next is the Electronics Package. $2,340 for voice-activated navigation with Sirius Traffic and Sirius Travel Link, plus HD Radio and dual-zone automatic temperature control. Hmm. I usually say no to nav (my cell phone does that and most if not all of what Sirius Traffic and Travel Link do).

Dual-zone climate control is nice, but in a cockpit as small as this one, I wonder if my being set at 70 and my passenger at 74 is really going to make a difference.

And then there's HD Radio. Depending on where you live, there might be two or three dozen radio stations you don't hear unless you have HD radio (they're carried on sidebands of the AM and FM stations you get on normal radios). Some of them have interesting programming with music you don't hear on the motherships and very few commercials (because very few people can hear them). It's added variety in listening, but if I don't care about the nav and climate control, I'm spending $2,340 for HD Radio. And that's crazy. Pass.

After that, the Security Package. $395 for an active anti-theft system and wheel-locking kit. Cheap insurance for a car that inspires this kind of lust. Deal.

Another $395 for the 3.73 ratio limited-slip axle. That's putting money into performance, and that's what this car's all about. A keeper.

$525 for HID headlamps? Seems a little steep, but you don't want to out-run your lights...and they are good. Okay.

$1,695 for the Brembo brake package, which includes an upgrade to 19 inch painted aluminum wheels. Well worth it.

And finally, $240 for a rear-view video camera. The slope of the rear window is such, that this is a very good idea. In fact, it's hard to think of a car that doesn't benefit from one of these.

So I'm only passing on one option, as it turns out, and lowering the as-tested price from $39,680 to $37,340...and for this level of performance, fun and desirability it's a more than fair price.

Is the 2011 Mustang GT the best Mustang ever? No doubt. And the fact that you can buy a 400-plus horsepower car with an EPA rating of 17 city/26 highway is a pretty wonderful thing, too.

2011 Honda CR-Z Review



The 2011 Honda CR-Z .

Your father's CR-Z, the mid-1980s Honda CR-X.

The bottom picture is of the much-loved 1984-87 Honda CR-X. If you are between 45 and 65, you either had one back then or knew at least one (and probably more than one) person who did.

Will the new Honda CR-Z (top photo) have that same kind of impact a quarter-century later? Good question. A lot has changed in that time.

Surprisingly, the higher tech of the CR-Z doesn't mean higher mileage. The 1984 CR-X, with a 1.3 liter gasoline-powered four cylinder and a five-speed manual transmission, had an EPA estimate of 36 mpg city/45 highway. And as the owner of an '84 Civic Sedan at the time, I can tell you that's the closest to Gospel the EPA's come in a long time.

The CR-Z has a 1.5 liter four...combined with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist. Yep, it's a hybrid...and it is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission. Progress! Technology! As Thomas Dolby famously yelled when the CR-X was new, "Science!".

Except the EPA estimate for the CR-Z is 35 city/39 highway.

There are explanations for that. One is that regulations and consumer preferences have added so much weight to today's cars that it's not as easy to get great mileage as it was 27 years ago. The CR-X and the Civic it was based on were simple cars...manual everything, air and even a radio were dealer-installed options. And they were light...the CR-X weighed 1,819 pounds. The CR-Z EX with Navigation (the model we tested) tips the scales at 2,707 pounds. 

That's just short of NINE HUNDRED pounds more from 1984 to 2011. There's a Kirstie Alley analogy just begging to be drawn here, but neither her lawyers nor Honda's would probably find it amusing, so we'll just move on and consider the CR-Z on its own merits.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z. Leaving tuners and customizers little to work with.

First of all, Honda markets the CR-Z as a "Sport Hybrid". It certainly scores on looks. In fact, the aftermarket has its work cut out for it to make the CR-Z look any more wicked than it already does.

It's available with a six-speed manual transmission rather than the CVT...and our advice is take it. Shift it yourself. It is, in fact, the first manual-transmission hybrid on the market. The CR-Z also has three driving modes, Sport, Normal and Eco. In the interests of maxmimizing mileage, we ran for a couple of days in Eco mode (ours had the CVT). It was, to put it charitably, slow. Normal was decent, considering the limitations, but still a big letdown from the fun factor the exterior promised.  Sport....now there's the ticket...but again, it would be better with the six-speed manual.

2011 Honda CR-Z interior. These days, this passes for restraint at Honda.

The interior is the first Honda interior in a long time that didn't feel overwrought. I mean, there are gimmicks...it could be simpler...but it's more attractive than the current (or even the new 2012) Civic instrument panel.

Pricing's on target. The CR-Z with a six-speed is $19,345. With a CVT, it's $19,995...and you're adding weight. Move up to the EX with a six-speed and you'll pay $20,905 ($21,555 for the CVT), but the audio system goes from 160 watts to 360 (it's very good), you get fog lamps, HID headlamps, Bluetooth, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and textured aluminum pedals.

And then there's the one we drove: The EX Navi. $22,705 with a six-speed, $23,355 for the CVT. The only addition is a voice-recognition navigation system. Say it with me..."My phone can do that".

Our pick: The EX six-speed. It gets you the better audio system, headlamps, foglamps and Bluetooth for $20,905. Flip the switch to "Sport" and have a blast. No, you won't get anything like the EPA estimates of 35 city/39 highway. So what? That's not what anyone is going to buy this car for anyway. It's a nice engineering and PR exercise, but if you're really about saving the planet, the underrated Civic Hybrid is a ton more practical and gets 44 in the city and on the highway.

Boiled down to the basics, the CR-Z isn't a sporty hybrid, it's a sporty car that happens to be a hybrid...the spiritual successor to the CR-X that, because of weight and complexity, can only get acceptable mileage while driven agressively through the use of a hybrid system. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, if it hadn't been for the hybrid, Honda most likely wouldn't have built the car. Better living through technology.

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.