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2015 AUTO PREVIEW

HYUNDAI GENESIS

By Craig FitzgeraldBestRide.com

GMThe big news thus far is the avail-

ability of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. With the exception of the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier, the Colorado/Canyon twins will be the only mid-size pickups on the market.

Early in the calendar year, look for the 2015 Chevrolet Trax, an all new, turbocharged, four-cylinder compact SUV based on the same platform as the Buick Encore.

The Cadillac CTS sedan gets a rede-

sign for 2015, and the coupe will be phased out.

FordTwo of Ford’s most recogniz-

able products — the F-150 and the Mustang — undergo complete trans-formations for 2015.

The F-150 will become the first pickup truck with a body constructed of aluminum. The shift to the alloy trims 700 pounds, and two avaialble EcoBoost engines further amplify the efficiency.

The 2015 Mustang will be com-pletely redesigned. Aside from the obvious styling updates, look for an all-new 2.3-liter, turbocharged, Eco-

Boost four-cylinder model to make waves.

ChryslerChrysler wades into the most com-

petitive vehicle segment in America, with an all-new Chrysler 200. It competes against the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion.

Jeep brings off-road ability to the compact SUV market with the brand-new 2015 Jeep Renegade, based the same platform as the Fiat 500X.

Meanwhile, Dodge dominates the horsepower wars with the 707hp Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat models.

For US brands, 2015 looks full of product introductions

2015 AUTO PREVIEW

2 AUTO PREVIEW 2015

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4 AUTO PREVIEW 2015

By Craig FitzgeraldBestRides.com

This coming year is less about all-new models than it is about refocusing on core models, and the resurrection of a brand that nearly disappeared in America

Honda/AcuraThe third-generation Honda Fit makes

its debut in 2015, and with it comes the Honda HR-V, a Fit-based compact SUV that should arrive by the end of 2014.

Acura introduces the TLX, an all-new mid-size luxury sedan that replaces both the Acura TL and the TSX.

ToyotaAside from the buzz around the FT-1 con-

cept, the news from Toyota is pretty status quo. A revamped Yaris debuts for 2015.

At Lexus, look for the all-new NX “urban crossover,” which shares a bit — but not much — with the Toyota RAV4.

Also, the Lexus RC F sport coupe appears in 2015 with a 450-hp V-8.

NissanNissan rolls out refreshed versions of

the Versa and Juke in 2015, along with a redesigned Murano crossover.

Infiniti debuts the Q40 for 2015, but even the website says “Only the name has changed.” It’s the identical car to the 2014 G Sedan with a new badge.

MitsubishiMitsubishi is on a quest to reestablish

itself in the United States with a slate of new products, but the only new one for the 2015 model year is the all-new Mirage, the most affordable car in America.

Subaru Subaru models are all carryovers

from 2014. In the 2016 model year, look for redesigned BRZ and SV Crosstrek models.

Japanese manufacturers focus on reviving a former giant

HONDA.COM

HyUNdAI & KIAstep up the luxury and the technology

By Scott FitzgeraldBestRide.com

Korean stablemates/antagonists Hyundai and Kia arrive in 2015 with brand-new luxurious cars that challenge percep-tions about Korean cars in general.

Hyundai: The all-new 2015 Genesis (see full preview on page 9) has been on sale since the late spring/early summer of 2014, and it’s truly competitive with brands like Lexus and Infiniti that reinvented luxury cars in the 1990s.

Kia: The Kia K900 has been on sale since early 2014, bringing 420hp, full-on luxury — and a $60,000 price tag — to a brand that was once synonymous with the bottom of the price ladder.

Great Britain British manufacturers are doubling down on performance with

blisteringly powerful SUVs and sports cars.Jaguar: The 2015 F-Type (see full preview on page 19) returns

Jaguar to its roots as a true, unadulterated sports car. Up to 380 supercharged horsepower and gorgeous styling are its signatures.

Land Rover: News of the 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR rever-berated in August, with numbers like 550hp and 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds

MINI: The MINI Cooper undergoes a redesign for 2015, and with it comes an all-new model. The 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop Four-Door adds two doors to the traditional MINI Cooper, blur-ring the lines between it and the Countryman crossover compact SUV. RANGEROVER.COM

5AUTO PREVIEW 2015

HONDA.COM


The 2015 Honda Fit — the second generation available in the United States — is a solid sophomore effort that transcends the small-car marketplace.

When the Fit arrived here as a 2007 model year, we were on the brink of total economic collapse. When the economy finally took its swan dive, and gaso-line cost $4.48 a gallon, a whole lot of Americans were looking to trade their Escalades on the Fit, because it offered major utility in a fuel-sipping package.

The 2015 Honda Fit is actually a tiny bit smaller than the car it replaces, but it somehow manages to feel bigger. It’s the same height as the old car, but lost 1.6 inches in length.

It uses a lot of high-strength steel, which enables it to keep the weight down despite adding more comfort features inside. That said, this is an exceedingly light car, at around 2,700

pounds. As a comparison, a Mazda Miata weighs in at around 200 pounds less, will only carry two people and has a cargo area big enough for a laptop.

A unibody made of high-strength steel SHOULD equate to exceptional safety, but when the IIHS first crash tested the new 2015 Honda Fit, it scored a “Poor” rating in the small offset crash test. Honda went back to the drawing board and reconfigured the steel bumper under the plastic bumper cover. When the IIHS tested it again, the Fit scored “Acceptable.” As a result, if you were one of the 12,000 people that bought an early 2015 Fit, Honda will retrofit your car at no charge.

Front passengers will feel comfort-ably at home in the 2015 Fit if they’ve ever been inside a 2007 to 2014 Fit, or any other Honda, for that matter. What’s truly dramatic is the back seat space. Honda stretched the Fit’s wheel-base by just a shade under 2 inches. It also re-engineered the rear suspension,

allowing the rear seat to move an amaz-ing 4.8 inches backward, opening up space in the back seat you never would imagine available in such a small car. Cargo area takes a 3-cubic-foot hit with all the seats up, but if you have kids, you want the 2015 edition.

The 130hp the 1.5-liter four-cylin-der spools up is pretty good for a small car and it’s up dramatically from the 109hp in the old Fit, but it’s nowhere near quick off the line. You’re going to want time to pull out in front of that cement mixer. Our version had the slick six-speed manual transmission, which made driving it way more fun than we would’ve anticipated.

The 2015 Honda Fit starts at $15,525, but ours was an EX, bumping the price up to $17,435, plus destination. If you’re in the market for a fuel-efficient, small car, you can buy a cheaper one, but it’s going to feel like it. You’d be hard-pressed to find a car you’d actually want to live with for less money.

dECEPTIVELy CAPABLEHONdA FIT:


European manufacturers are stretching to every price range in an attempt to get younger buyers in earlier, with innovative features and impressive drivetrains.

Alfa Romeo: Exciting times as Alfa Romeo returns to the U.S. in 33 states, with 82 dealers ready to sell the gorgeous 4C sports car.

Audi: A new-for-2015 A3 is in Audi showrooms now, while the rest of Audi’s lineup carries forward until a major revamp for 2016.

BMW: BMW’s odd hatchback/wagon/premium crossover gets a redesign for the 2015 model year and goes on sale late in 2014. The outrageously styled, $137,000, 357-hp, i8 hybrid supercar went on sale in August.

Fiat: The Fiat 500 receives minor

upgrades for 2015, including a new six-speed automatic transmission for the Abarth.

Mercedes-Benz: Busy year for M-B: An all-new C-Class sedan arrives this fall, longer, wider and 200lbs lighter than the car it replaces. A new S-Class coupe debuts, replacing the CL-Class, and a brand-new GLA-Class compact SUV hits the streets this fall.

Porsche: The new Macan compact crossover SUV should hit showrooms in late fall of 2014, with up to 400hp.

Volkswagen: For 2015, the Golf is com-pletely redesigned, sharing a platform with the all-new 2015 Audi A3.

Volvo: Volvo has a “2015.5” half-year this year, in anticipation of the all-new XC90 SUV that will arrive in the first quarter of 2015. The balance of Volvo’s product line carries over this year.

European manufacturers offering more for less

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All-new for 2015, the Hyundai Gen-esis is a serious contender, fighting out of its weight class against luxury mainstays like the Lexus LS and the Infiniti Q50.

The second-generation Genesis is light years ahead of the car it replaces. It is a luxury car, and there’s no mistaking it when you open the driver’s door. There are three basic editions: the 3.8, the 3.8 all-wheel drive and the 5.0.

Its natural competitors are cars like the Lexus GS and the Infiniti M series, but it’s really got the goods to step up and compete against cars like the Lexus LS and the Infiniti Q50, at least in their less-than-loaded forms.

It’s got a really long 118.5-inch wheel-base, versus the the last car’s 115-inch wheelbase. Short overhangs make it seem stretched in the middle, almost as if it was a long-wheelbase version of a Lexus LS. The overhangs are accentu-ated with an upright grille and trunk lid, so the profile is really striking.

We drove a 3.8 all-wheel drive with a light tan interior, which gave the passenger cabin a wide-open feel, espe-cially when combined with the massive glass panels overhead. Everything you’d expect out of a luxury automo-bile is exactly in place: comfortable, supportive seats that infinitely adjust, a giant center console with plenty of storage, and soft-touch materials just about everywhere.

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 AWD features a 3.8-liter V-6 with 311 horse-

power at 6,000 rpm and 293 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm. There’s the 5.0-liter V-8 trim, too, but until that arrives with all-wheel drive, it’s not what consumers are going to be looking for.

The engine mates to an eight-speed automatic transmission and the best thing you can say about it is that you barely notice it’s there. It’s what the promise of a CVT should have been, and never was: Imperceptible shifts, and the perfect gear exactly when you need it.

A few issues: After driving the car a few days, the power trunk lid stopped working from the three possible loca-tions offered to open it. Secondly — and we’ve noticed this in more than one Hyundai — the Bluetooth streaming is erratic, at least from an iPhone. It skips incessantly while either stream-

ing from the Stitcher podcast app, or the music on my phone. That’s never been an issue with any of the other cars I’ve driven. You can hardwire the phone through the USB port, but by this point, Bluetooth streaming should be pretty well put together.

At the base level — $38,000 — I can make a loud argument for the 2015 Hyundai Genesis all the live-long day. Where I start losing the debate is when I answer the question “How much does this one cost?”

All told, our 2015 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 AWD rang up to $52,450, including the destination charge, which sounds expensive — and it is — but the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is either competitive, or better than, every car it competes with in its class, at a lower price even when you equip it to the hilt.

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The 2015 Jaguar F-Type resurrects Jaguar as a builder of sports cars. It’s a two-seat performance automobile that simultaneously provides the luxury and interior quality Jaguar is known for, yet respects the brand’s heritage as a sports car manufacturer.

On paper, I shouldn’t like the F-Type that much. Sure, its all-aluminum body is flat-out gorgeous from every angle, but a 340-hp V-6 lashed to an automatic trans-mission wasn’t exactly something I was champing at the bit to drive.

What I learned immediately, though, is that 340 hp in a car that weighs in at 3,400 feels awesome, and the eight-speed automatic can either provide leisurely shifts when you want them, or kick-your-butt firm when you don’t.

With a 1:1 gear ratio in sixth, and overdrive ratios in seventh and eighth, the Jaguar F-Type turns in respectable fuel economy numbers for a sports car, delivering an observed 22 mpg average, in combined highway and back-road

driving.This is a brand that essentially kept

itself afloat with luxurious interiors in the 1990s and early 2000s, so it was a surprise to find an interior so sparse and sport-oriented. That’s not a bad thing. Our tested Jaguar F-Type featured the optional $1,500 Performance Seat, as well as the $2,200 Premium Pack 1, featuring 14-way adjustment for both seats. They’re heavily bolstered sport seats designed to keep you right in place, but they’re also super-comfortable, too. About the only drawback inside is that anybody over about 6 feet tall is going to have a hard time getting inside.

The 380W Meridian sound system was terrific, when we felt like listening to it (more on that in a minute.) Phone pairing was a snap with an intuitive pro-cess that didn’t require digging out the manual.

There’s not much you can say about the exterior design that won’t become imme-diately obvious the minute you drive this car around other human beings. There wasn’t a single time in five days that somebody didn’t stop and stare, turn

around in their seat, or cross a parking lot to look at it.

The driving experience is every bit as thrilling as the looks. Our tester came with the $1,500 Switchable Active Sport Exhaust, which you can activate manu-ally in ECO mode, or which activates automatically in performance mode.

Yeah, it’s a total gimmick. You pay $1,500 for nothing other than the exhaust note, produced by electronic reshuffling of a couple of baffles in the

exhaust. However, that exhaust note is awe-inspiring, grin-inducing and LOUD, and well worth every blessed dime.

I’ve driven much faster, much more exotic, much more expensive, much better handling automobiles at one time or another, but none of them had the appeal of the Jaguar F-Type. It’s one of the most special cars I’ve had the pleasure of sampling, and if I hit the Powerball tomorrow, my first act is going to be to put my order in for one.

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Next year is going to be a great year for automobiles. It’s pro-jected that 16.5 million new cars will find homes in 2015, which is about 400,000 more cars that the industry sold in 2007, just before the recession. New models, innovations and even brands are cropping up from all over the world. But there are a few major

trends to keep an eye on in 2015, ones that will drive the industry for years to come.

InfotainmentThis is the year when the bulk

of the automotive industry finally, mercifully starts getting its act together, providing infotainment systems that are fully integrated and intuitive. The years leading up to 2015 have been frustrat-ing to a lot of customers, but

early 2015 adopters are finding that their infotainment systems are more powerful and easier to navigtate than ever before. UVO from Kia, Sync/MyFordTouch from Ford, MyLink/Intellil-ink/CUE from General Motors have all undergone significant revisions that are vast improve-ments over earlier versions. In 2015, consumers are going to start seriously shopping for these features, and avoiding cars that

don’t provide them, even -- and often especially -- at the lowest price levels.

Autonomy Autonomous cars are the holy

grail, not only for the automotive industry, but for consumer elec-tronics companies in general. At last year’s CES show, not only did Audi introduce an autonomous A7, but NVIDIA introduced the Tegra K1 mobile processor, an automo-

tive-grade version of the GPU that powers the world’s 10 most energy-efficient supercomputers, that will make autonomous cars a reality in the mass market.

They’re not here yet in 2015, but the features that allow autonomous cars to operate most certainly are. Intelligent cruise control, lane departure assist, blind spot moni-toring and automatic braking if the driver turns into oncoming traffic are all features that are available on

2015 vehicles that, paired together, make autonomous vehicles a for-gone conclusion.

Compact SUVsAn armada of all-new, compact

SUVs are scheduled for release in the 2015 model year, on top of the vehicles like the Range Rover Evoque, MINI Countryman and Nissan Juke that have already defined the market. The Chevrolet Trax, Jeep Renegade, Honda HR-

V and Mercedes-Benz GLA are all arriving this year.

Ironically, all of these vehicles are about the size that the origi-nal Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4 were when they defined the marketplace, but as those vehicles got more successful, the also grew to be more competitive with tradi-tional SUVs.

PerformanceThe 1960s and early 1970s

are always remembered as a performance benchmark, but per-formance for 2015 is completely off the charts. And it’s not in the Bugatti Veyron’s $1 million terri-tory, either. For $78,995, the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 offers an astounding 650hp. The Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat trims have been boiling tires all over YouTube with 707hp. We’re in a golden era of automotive per-formance. Enjoy it.

TRENdS IN 2015

11AUTO PREVIEW 2015


Next year is going to be a great year for automobiles. It’s pro-jected that 16.5 million new cars will find homes in 2015, which is about 400,000 more cars that the industry sold in 2007, just before the recession. New models, innovations and even brands are cropping up from all over the world. But there are a few major

trends to keep an eye on in 2015, ones that will drive the industry for years to come.

InfotainmentThis is the year when the bulk

of the automotive industry finally, mercifully starts getting its act together, providing infotainment systems that are fully integrated and intuitive. The years leading up to 2015 have been frustrat-ing to a lot of customers, but

early 2015 adopters are finding that their infotainment systems are more powerful and easier to navigtate than ever before. UVO from Kia, Sync/MyFordTouch from Ford, MyLink/Intellil-ink/CUE from General Motors have all undergone significant revisions that are vast improve-ments over earlier versions. In 2015, consumers are going to start seriously shopping for these features, and avoiding cars that

don’t provide them, even -- and often especially -- at the lowest price levels.

Autonomy Autonomous cars are the holy

grail, not only for the automotive industry, but for consumer elec-tronics companies in general. At last year’s CES show, not only did Audi introduce an autonomous A7, but NVIDIA introduced the Tegra K1 mobile processor, an automo-

tive-grade version of the GPU that powers the world’s 10 most energy-efficient supercomputers, that will make autonomous cars a reality in the mass market.

They’re not here yet in 2015, but the features that allow autonomous cars to operate most certainly are. Intelligent cruise control, lane departure assist, blind spot moni-toring and automatic braking if the driver turns into oncoming traffic are all features that are available on

2015 vehicles that, paired together, make autonomous vehicles a for-gone conclusion.

Compact SUVsAn armada of all-new, compact

SUVs are scheduled for release in the 2015 model year, on top of the vehicles like the Range Rover Evoque, MINI Countryman and Nissan Juke that have already defined the market. The Chevrolet Trax, Jeep Renegade, Honda HR-

V and Mercedes-Benz GLA are all arriving this year.

Ironically, all of these vehicles are about the size that the origi-nal Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4 were when they defined the marketplace, but as those vehicles got more successful, the also grew to be more competitive with tradi-tional SUVs.

PerformanceThe 1960s and early 1970s

are always remembered as a performance benchmark, but per-formance for 2015 is completely off the charts. And it’s not in the Bugatti Veyron’s $1 million terri-tory, either. For $78,995, the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 offers an astounding 650hp. The Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat trims have been boiling tires all over YouTube with 707hp. We’re in a golden era of automotive per-formance. Enjoy it.

DODGE.COM



Most of the time, a manufacturer sends review copies of its cars fully loaded. This 2015 Audi A3 2.0T was refreshingly bare-bones, with just a few options thrown in, keeping the base price low. That didn’t detract one bit from its abilities as a fun, sporty daily driver, getting back to what Audi was in its earliest days.

Start with the styling: Audi’s painted itself in a corner a bit, because if you don’t particularly like Audi styling, they don’t offer many variations on the theme. From the smallest A3 up to the flagship A8, all Audi cars have an unmistakable family resemblance. It’s carried the brand along

for years now. The cars are more chiseled than they appeared in the early 2000s, but there’s no mistaking what this car is and how different it is from most other entry-level luxury/sport sedans on the market.

The all-new 2015 A3 is based on the Volkswagen Groups MBQ platform, which allows for just about every con-figuration of automobile this side of a three-wheeler. Right now, the Golf and Jetta are the only other MBQ-based vehi-cles in the United States, but look for a new Audi TT, along with an upcoming Passat, Tiguan and Touran to be based on this chassis.

The base price of the 2.0TSFI is $32,900. You can get even cheaper with the 1.8TSFI, but you’re going to want

the additional power. A 2.0TDI diesel is available for $32,600.

For the additional three grand, you get the 2.0-liter TSFI turbocharged four-cyl-inder, good for 220-horsepower. That’s all well and good, but the number to pay closer attention to is torque: 258-lb.ft. of it, anywhere from 1,600 to 4,400 rpm. That’s exactly the rev range you’re looking for when you’re pulling out of side streets or accelerating from an onramp. It’s a huge increase over the 200-lb.ft. available in the 1.8 TSFI, and that caps out at 4,000 rpm. It gets you to sixty miles an hour almost two seconds faster than the smaller engine. The engine hooks up with a six-speed S tronic automatic transmission, which funnels power to all four wheels.

Handling is sharp and small-car-agile, but it never really feels like a tiny, Corolla-sized car. You get the substantial feel of a bigger A4, but with the dimen-sions of a car half a foot shorter than the Mercedes-Benz CLA. It’s some kind of a magic act, too, because with two adults up front, and two kids growing by the second in the back, it never felt like you had to contort yourself to drive it around. The trunk is small, but not overly so.

If you can walk away from a car and have nothing but positive memories of what it was like to drive it, the manufac-turer is doing something right. This car was a hoot to drive and worked pretty perfectly for all of a young family’s regu-lar activities.

qUICK, FUN, ESSENTIALLy

AUdI

AUDI.COM

13AUTO PREVIEW 2015


Unlike the Cherokee or really, any product wear-ing the Jeep badge that came before it, the 2015 Jeep Renegade is going to be a full import, and while I had some serious reservations about it when I first saw pictures, I’m a lot more comfortable with it every time I see it.

There are a few things to note about the new Jeep Renegade:

SizeThere’s nothing you

can do about how the Renegade looks in pho-

tographs, but it’s not as small as it appears. Before the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V ballooned to the size they are now, they were both approxi-mately the same size. It’s .5 inches longer than the original RAV4, in fact, if you don’t include the RAV4’s exterior mounted spare tire.

It ’s also 4.3 inches wider than the original RAV4, and an inch and a half taller. It’s also larger in every dimension than the Nissan Juke, which it will compete with head-to-head.

Off-road ability

I made the point ear-lier that this is definitely a “car,” whether Jeep wants to officially call it that in its marketing or not. You won’t find Dana 20 axles or rugged transfer cases, and it sits fairly low to the ground depending on which trim you get.

But the Trai lhawk version at least has the numbers to back up the fact that if you want to take it fishing, you prob-ably won’t have issues on the back trails.

Appearance I’ll admit my bias — I

was not expecting to like the Renegade at all.

But after looking at it up close, it’s actually a pretty attractive vehi-cle. Its size isn’t nearly as small as the photos would suggest, and it has a lot more interest-ing, engaging look than the “Direct-to-Rental” Patriot and Compass it will hopefully, mercifully replace at some point in the future.

Most importantly, it looks like people actually took some time to design it.

Whether you like it or not is completely subjec-tive, but at least somebody within the Jeep organiza-tion was paid to put in

some effort.

Features A couple of things give

me hope for the Rene-gade’s future both here and worldwide. I really liked the removable roof panels, which give the Renegade an open-air feel, without the hassle of a soft-top.

Second, I really like the idea that you’ll be able to buy this with a six-speed, manual transmission. It makes the Jeep Renegade completely unique against the cars it competes with, which — at what we’re guessing is the Rene-gade’s price point — only offer automatic transmis-

sions, and most of those are dreaded continuously variable transmissions.

Price We tried pulling it out

of Jeep Product Marketing Director Jim Morrison. At press time, all he’d say was that the base price will “probably start with a one, and that’ll probably get me fired.”

Given my reluctance about the Cherokee and the photos of the Ren-egade going into this preview, I was pleasantly surprised at what I got to see. Now the challenge is to actually drive one. More on that soon.

2015 JEEP RENEGAdE

jEEP.COM


Most of the time, a manufacturer sends review copies of its cars fully loaded. This 2015 Audi A3 2.0T was refreshingly bare-bones, with just a few options thrown in, keeping the base price low. That didn’t detract one bit from its abilities as a fun, sporty daily driver, getting back to what Audi was in its earliest days.

Start with the styling: Audi’s painted itself in a corner a bit, because if you don’t particularly like Audi styling, they don’t offer many variations on the theme. From the smallest A3 up to the flagship A8, all Audi cars have an unmistakable family resemblance. It’s carried the brand along

for years now. The cars are more chiseled than they appeared in the early 2000s, but there’s no mistaking what this car is and how different it is from most other entry-level luxury/sport sedans on the market.

The all-new 2015 A3 is based on the Volkswagen Groups MBQ platform, which allows for just about every con-figuration of automobile this side of a three-wheeler. Right now, the Golf and Jetta are the only other MBQ-based vehi-cles in the United States, but look for a new Audi TT, along with an upcoming Passat, Tiguan and Touran to be based on this chassis.

The base price of the 2.0TSFI is $32,900. You can get even cheaper with the 1.8TSFI, but you’re going to want

the additional power. A 2.0TDI diesel is available for $32,600.

For the additional three grand, you get the 2.0-liter TSFI turbocharged four-cyl-inder, good for 220-horsepower. That’s all well and good, but the number to pay closer attention to is torque: 258-lb.ft. of it, anywhere from 1,600 to 4,400 rpm. That’s exactly the rev range you’re looking for when you’re pulling out of side streets or accelerating from an onramp. It’s a huge increase over the 200-lb.ft. available in the 1.8 TSFI, and that caps out at 4,000 rpm. It gets you to sixty miles an hour almost two seconds faster than the smaller engine. The engine hooks up with a six-speed S tronic automatic transmission, which funnels power to all four wheels.

Handling is sharp and small-car-agile, but it never really feels like a tiny, Corolla-sized car. You get the substantial feel of a bigger A4, but with the dimen-sions of a car half a foot shorter than the Mercedes-Benz CLA. It’s some kind of a magic act, too, because with two adults up front, and two kids growing by the second in the back, it never felt like you had to contort yourself to drive it around. The trunk is small, but not overly so.

If you can walk away from a car and have nothing but positive memories of what it was like to drive it, the manufac-turer is doing something right. This car was a hoot to drive and worked pretty perfectly for all of a young family’s regu-lar activities.



In the old days, when you got your first job out of college, you got your mom’s 1972 Plymouth Satellite Plus sedan and you liked it. With all the advances in safety technology over the last few years, though, it’s difficult to think about seeing your kid in a car with a lap belt. New cars are getting expensive, but there are a bunch of new models that will appeal to young drivers without adding too much to their debt load.

Jeep RenegadeWhen it debuted in Geneva last year,

the Internet reacted to the Jeep Renegade with unfiltered hostility. First the Cherokee, now this? But give the 2015 Jeep Renegade a chance. In person, it’s a nice-looking vehicle, with a lot more going for it than it suggested in the early photos. Unlike most of the cute-utes scheduled to arrive this year, the Renegade actually claims some of Jeep’s Trail Rated heritage. Base price is expected

to start under $20,000

Volkswagen GolfThe Volkswagen Golf has been the official

car of college for a whole lot of kids in the coun-try, but in the last few years, a lot of brands have claimed a share of a market that Volk-swagen used to own. For 2015, Volkswagen introduces an all-new Golf, which is longer, lower, wider and more spacious than the car it replaces, but also trims a bit of weight. Like the Golfs of yore, the 2015 edition is more of a driver’s car than the small package suggests. Pricing starts at $17,995.

Kia Soul EVIt’s gotten better in recent years, but since

the dawn of the automobile, electric vehicles were doubly impractical because of the space sacrificed to a raft of batteries, and the limited range they offered on a charge. The Kia Soul at least has a place to store the 96-cell, 27-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, even if it does cut into its cargo space a bit. The Soul is the perfect urban runabout, though, and adding

electric power with 100-mile range, passing gas stations along the way, it’s aimed at the kind of youthful hipsters that move into the city. No word on pricing yet, and Soul EV sales are iniitally limited to California, New Jersey, Maryland, Oregon and New York.

Chevrolet TraxThe Chevrolet Trax is the stablemate of

the successful Buick Encore, only in less fancy, less expensive form. Chevrolet has been selling the Trax in Europe, and every-where in North America but the United States. It features a single engine: a turbo-charged, port-fuel-injected, 1.4-liter four that produces 148 lb-ft of torque at 1850 rpm, not bad for a tiny engine. The trick with all the vehicles in this class is that while they look diminutive outside, they actually offer comfortable room for four inside, with generous headroom. There’s even a fair 18.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. There was no official pricing at press time, but estimates suggest that it will start at just under $20,000.

4 cool 2015 models for recent grads

BESTRIDE.COM

15AUTO PREVIEW 2015

By BestRide.com staff

You’ve spent hours research-ing online, you’ve checked out all the models you’re interested in on BestRide.com, and you’re finally ready to visit some dealers to settle on your first brand new car. We’ve got seven tips for you before you even leave the house:

Get pre-approved for financingThe teaser rate you see in the

newspaper may not be available to you. To get that rate, you’ve got to have a gold-plated credit rating. If this is your first new car purchase, you might not qualify. Better to at least have some understanding of how much money you can afford to borrow before you’re trying to figure out the difference in monthly pay-ments between the 0 percent you

thought you qualified for, and the 3.9 percent you actually do.

Test drive elsewhereAs much as you think driving

that new car is part of the shopping process, you’re better off if you iso-late your test drive from the actual purchase. More than ever before, manufacturers and dealer groups are subsidizing test drives at auto shows, and it’s a great time to sample some product without the pressure of buying that day. Also, follow the manufacturers on Facebook and sign up for newsletters. It often gets you into preview events where you can experience the car in a more relaxed setting.

Get Internet quotesDealerships are incredibly savvy at

providing information to you while

you sit in the comfort of your own home. Using tools like BestRide.com, you can find the cars you’re interested in and contact the dealer directly for a quote. Armed with that informa-tion, based on cars that are actually on the lot, you can make a much more educated decision about buying your next car.

Service your current car at the dealer

This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but try it. If you’ve made the decision to purchase a new car, sign up for the dealership’s email news-letter, which generally have service coupons that provide an oil change for less than what you’d pay to change your oil yourself. When you’re in the service lane, many dealers will make you an offer for a new car right there in the service lane. If you’ve done your

homework, know what your trade is worth, know how much financing you’re approved for and have received a few Internet quotes ahead of time, you could drive home in a new car in the time it takes to service your old one. At the very least, you got an inexpensive service.

Separate the tradeTrading a used car is where a lot

of novice car shoppers leave hun-dreds, even thousands of dollars on the table. If your used car has a lot of mileage, isn’t in great condition, or has a CarFax report that isn’t squeaky clean, that car is of little value to a new car dealer. You’re almost guar-anteed to get more money for your used car if you sell it yourself.

Good luck, and enjoy your new ride.

TIPS FOR PURCHASING yOUR FIRST NEW CAR5

iSTOCK IMAGES

16 AUTO PREVEW 2015

305 2nd Avenue, Dodge City, KS620-225-0271 800-698-0271 | www.loppmotors.net

Stop by and see Jesse Mendoza, Sabin Esquibel, David Lomas, Jesus Bautista or Jeff Lopp!

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