Is Santa going to be really good to you this year? Congratulations if you are one of the lucky few who will be surprised to find a new car in the driveway Friday morning. For the rest of us, the reality is that we have to buy our own dream car.
Fortunately, it has been a great year for new cars, with dozens of new models to tickle our fancy. I’ll give an overview of the highlights of this year today, and a look forward on what we can expect next year in next week’s column.
To nobody’s surprise, the biggest number of new and improved vehicles came from the SUV/crossover segment. January saw the introduction of the third-generation Nissan Murano. The mid-sized crossover has gone decidedly up-market in look and feel, with a shape that stands stand proudly beside premium offerings — all with a base price of under $30,000.
There was only one new truck this year — the Ford F-150. The aluminum-bodied truck is a game-changer, although a safe one. The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in Canada and the best-selling truck for 49 years in a row. So far, the multibillion-dollar gamble to wrap the truck in the corrosion-resistant and light metal seems to have paid off, with competitors rumoured to be also considering the change.
The Ford Mustang is an icon — but with a four-cylinder under the hood? This year saw the introduction of a turbocharged 2.3-litre four as an upgrade to the base V-6. How can this be? Well, any engine that produces 310 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque is a good engine in my book. For those not fully convinced, Ford does offer the new ’Stang with a 5.0-litre V-8 with 435 horses as well.
When most people talk about Mini, they think of the iconic two-door city car. Would it surprise you to know that Mini sells more four-doors than two now? In 2015, we saw the introduction of the five-door (four doors and hatch) Mini Cooper S. The extra doors doesn’t mean much more rear legroom, as the wheelbase has only been stretched by 72 millimetres. But, equipped with a turbo four, the new car makes up for its cosy rear with an exhilarating ride with go-cart-like handling.
The sleeper last year was the Jaguar F-type coupe. This drop-dead-gorgeous sports coupe was mistaken for an exotic Italian car more times than not in the week I had the pleasure of driving it. Most people guessed it cost over $100,000, when it fact it was in the low $70,000 range. It came with three levels of performance, from 340 to 550 hp. Mated with an exhaust that made mothers instinctively clutch their children to their bosoms, the F-Type is, in my mind at least, the sexiest car from Jaguar since the E-Type.
Three-cylinder engines aren’t common. Until this year, they would typically be found in the Smart car. But Ford has decided that it can go mainstream with a turbocharged three under the hood of a Focus sedan. It is surprisingly good, with 123 hp and 125 lb.-ft. of torque and the same 0-100 km/h time as the Toyota Prius. Sit down for this fact: Due to better aerodynamics, it gets better highway fuel economy than the Smart car.
I drove two Lexus RCs this year — the RC 350 and the RC F. While both these luxury-performance coupes from Lexus will set your heart pumping, the F needs a letter from your doctor, lest you collapse from the thrill of opening up the 5.0-litre V-8 with 467 horses. It would be wise to both have a pilot’s licence and a person willing to pick you up after the police impound the car (after the hefty ticket, of course).
Last year, Consumer Reports rated the Chevrolet Impala as the highest-scoring large sedan — the first time a domestic captured the crown in 20 years. Large sedans have fallen out of favour of late, with most families migrating to SUVs, but the 10th-generation Impala might be the best to wear the nameplate in decades.
Is the Volvo XC90 the safest vehicle on the planet? The mid-sized SUV, with forward-thinking safety features, might very well be. One example: a pedestrian airbag that deploys from the foot of the hood to cover the outside of the windshield to lessen injury. The interior is equally high-tech, with a 23.6-centimetre touchscreen that operates just like a cellphone.
In the space of a month this summer, the subcompact segment of the crossover market got two new entrants — the Mazda CX-3 and the Honda HR-V. The Honda gets the nod for innovative cargo management, thanks to its link to the Fit. The CX-3 is the sportier of the two, thanks to Mazda’s “zoom-zoom” background.
No year is complete without driving an exhilarating high-end sports car. This year, I was fortunate to get time behind the wheel of two — the Porsche Boxster GTS and the Mercedes-Benz SLK 300.
The Porsche was the more powerful of the two, with a 2.7-litre engine producing 265 horsepower — good enough for a 0-100 km/h dash in under six seconds. I noted in my review that the exhaust of the “GTS howls, screams, barks and burbles” during spirited driving.
The Mercedes-Benz was much more civilized, with luxury coming before performance. My favourite feature on that convertible was vents that were strategically positioned at the top of the driver’s seat. Driving around on a fall day, it provided a virtual scarf to keep me warm. The power retractable hardtop also continues to be the benchmark in the industry.
This is the last year for the current Nissan 370Z. For its swan song, Nissan slashed $10,000 off the list price of the car, making it perhaps the best sports-car deal of the year. Although a bit portly, the 3.7-litre, 332-hp V-6 takes care of business like no other. Get one before they are all gone.
The end of the year saw two significant introductions, the 10th-generation Honda Civic and the revamped Smart ForTwo. The Civic needs no introduction, having been the best-selling vehicle in its segment for the past 17 years. The new car sets the benchmark even higher for competitors, and if there are any vices, I haven’t found them yet.
The ForTwo retains its crown as the smallest vehicle sold in North America. Scion attempted to give the Smart some competition a few years back, and failed miserably. The new car gets more power to keep up with the competition and a transmission that doesn’t make you seasick.
The last review of the year was the Subaru Outback — an automotive anachronism. The last of the mid-sized station-wagon breed is still going strong while the competition abandons the segment for in a never-ending need to give consumers more SUVs and crossovers.
Driving a vehicle that is both seemingly ageless and timeless — what better way to end the year?
Next week, I’ll look to the near future and some of the vehicles I am looking forward to driving in 2016.