Compact Car

Here in America, we're best-known for three things: apple pie, baseball, and Cadillacs. Out of the three, Cadillac—or at least the size of those from days past—has become a recurring theme for what can be found on the road today. So when a car company begins selling small vehicles in ...    Read more

Mercedes-Benz has released official information and pictures at on the European version of the 2012 A-Class hatchback. Design-wise, the 2012 Mercedes A-Class design follows closely the Concept A-Class first shown at the New York Auto show last year. Exterior-wise, the upper and lower front grilles and headlights closely match the ...    Read more

Plenty has happened between when we drove the 2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback last October and now. Last year at that time, we swarmed Austin, Texas, with the likes of dozens of other media outlets for a chance to drive Kia's latest ...    Read more

The Nissan name has successfully succeeded the defunct Datsun for almost three decades, as the Japanese automaker moved its products to its global namesake in 1983. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, Americans were hesitant to buy Japanese cars, but there's no way you could dislike a name as ...    Read more

Automotive journalists, despite the number of cars they drive per year, still play a little word association game—especially when they're charged with the odious task of personally recommending a car. Think "Honda," and the first word is "reliability." Think "Volkswagen," however, and the first word will usually the exact opposite, ...    Read more

We're not going to tease you anymore with pictures of the Chevrolet Cruze wagon or hatchback models you can't get here. We've heard it before: If ...    Read more

Mini's least-mini vehicle, the Countryman, is getting a John Cooper Works infusion of power and fun upgrades to match its sporting aspirations in the brand's lineup. Called, appropriately enough, the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works to match the rest of the compact brand's vehicles, the crossover is getting a 211-horsepower ...    Read more

Volkswagen officially pulled the cover of the 2012 Golf GTI Cabriolet today in advance of its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The latest Golf cabriolet is the fastest one to ever roll off the production line with some help from Volkswagen's Grand Touring Injection branch.   This is ...    Read more

Audi announced it will be bringing its A3 e-tron program to the United States at the Technology Entertainment Design conference yesterday in Long Beach, California. TED is a four-day conference that has taken place in California for a quarter of a century now, and is a place where ideas for ...    Read more

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class fits many of the criteria for Millennials, now christened "Generation C" by the press for being "connected" via the Internet through devices as smartphone apps and social media like Facebook and Google+. Mercedes recently released details on the A-Class subcompact hatchback which so far has only ...    Read more

After seeing the words "BMW M135i" captured in print from an ordering catalog of performance parts, the Bavarian Motor Works has dropped details and pictures on its latest performance compact. Officially called a concept, the BMW M135i shows "prospects for the ...    Read more

Interested in the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart? Well now you can design one to your exact specifications as Dodge as launched a sample configurator that (sort of) prices every option out for you. The configurator starts you off with a Dart dressed in your choice ...    Read more

Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric vehicles standardized for California's tough emissions laws are on their way to the Golden State from Michigan. The 2012 Chevy Volt, besides qualifying for the state's $1,500 rebate courtesy of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, are also eligible to use the morethan 1,400 miles of carpool ...    Read more

The sporty Nissan Juke crossover, the Infiniti M luxury sedan, and the massive Infiniti QX SUV are all part of a global recall issued by Nissan. The issue involves the vehicles' direct injection engine. According to Nissan, a pressure sensor in the engine system may be loose and could lead to ...    Read more

Before the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S—the lovechild of the Toyota and Subaru alliance—are made available to the public, an even smaller hybrid version is already being fleshed out. The Toyota FT-Bh is the Japanese auto maker's latest concept vehicle and is expected to bow at the Geneva Auto Show ...    Read more

Although the BMW 1 Series was introduced in the U.S. as a 2008 model, it had been sold overseas since 2004. Next year, BMW will release its second-generation car in the U.S., albeit now with a few new features, specifically, xDrive all-wheel drive and an M135i sport package. BMW enthusiast site ...    Read more

Photos of the next-generation Audi A3 have leaked ahead of the car's scheduled official debut at the Geneva Auto Show next month. The leaked images are almost certainly legitimate, as exterior styling cues appear to have progressed in the same direction other new Audi models have. The three-door configuration appears to ...    Read more

The Geneva Auto Show is chock full of future cars we're falling over ourselves to drive eventually. This is not one of them. Because, quite frankly, it's not for us. Called the Mini Clubvan, it's based on the Mini Clubman, minus a row of seats. In the place of where rear ...    Read more

Chrysler has announced today that it will no longer be seeking a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to back hybrid and fully-electric vehicle development. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler and parent company Fiat has stated in the past the auto maker needed the loan in order to be ...    Read more

Honda's luck is deflating. You'll recall that at the end of January, Honda asked for the return of a few Accord and Crosstour models because their side airbags that might not deploy in a crash. Today Honda is expanding that recall to certain 2012 Civic and 2012 Acura MDX ...    Read more

Love that new car smell? A recent study by HealthyStuff.org shows it may not be as good for you as it actually smells. Test data was collected after evaluating 204 new 2011-2012 model vehicles as part of a multi-year data base that has already complied over 900 vehicles. Vehicles were ...    Read more

Where in the world is the Honda Fit EV? This week the brain trust at Google and Stanford University are playing with the four-wheeled gadget, after the city of Torrance first got its bureaucratic hands on it. The Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program continues to trickle down into the hands ...    Read more

For those of you patiently waiting on the 2013 Genesis Coupe and the return of the Azera to Hyundai's lineup, your wait is over. Hyundai has announced pricing for both vehicles: The 2012 Hyundai Azera starts at $32,875, including destination; the 2013 Genesis Coupe starts at $25,125 also including destination. Hyundai's ...    Read more

There's a reason Toyota isn't as familiar with the term "fleet special" as other auto makers, like Ford and Dodge are. Fleet sales are seen as less profitable when compared to retail sales to individuals, and they can also hurt the vehicle's resale value and the brand's overall image. In ...    Read more

Automaker Nissan is planning to upgrade the software used in its all-electric 2011 and 2012 Leaf in order to better improve its diagnostic readouts, convenience, and performance. In a voluntary technical service bulletin released by the automaker, Nissan said the update is designed to improve the Leaf's ability to gauge its ...    Read more