The Fast Lane Car

Review: The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic means we all can finally forget about the Vega

The new Chevrolet Sonic is a 2012 model that is the best subcompact car Chevrolet has produced. But, looking at Chevy history, that may not be saying a lot. Its tinny, troublesome 1970s Vega is still remembered by many as being one of the worst small cars from Detroit.

However, it’s a different auto world now. The Sonic is derived from General Motor’s German Opel Corsa and provides larger-car refinement and driving kicks.

The front-drive Sonic replaces the lackluster Aveo and is Chevrolet‘s newest small car, although it feels larger inside than it looks from the outside. The Sonic is among the new crop of small, upscale U.S. cars. American automakers have finally learned how to make money with small family cars.  

Formidable rivals include the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio and Nissan Versa. 

Review: The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is a tranquilo ride that's easy on the wallet & the butt

Let’s talk about butts. Your butt. My butt. Really anybody’s butt, so long as it’s planted in the driver’s seat of Chevrolet’s new Sonic. I’d argue that, while I can’t say the same for the entire human body, a Sonic driver’s butt is a happy butt.

I don’t adore the Sonic’s seats. They’re mildly bolstered, firm and adequate, even “better than adequate,” which is a characterization that pretty much sums up this car. Really, I think that’s praise. Beginning at a very decent $15,000, the Sonic, for starters, has a great looking front end (particularly the lights), amusing performance, a roomy interior, and a lot of airbags. I prefer the squat and roomy hatch, though the sedan blessedly avoided any encounters with an ugly stick.

Video review: Is the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic a very new and much improved Aveo?

For 2012 Chevrolet has completely redesigned and even renamed the Chevy Aveo.

The small Chevrolet economy car is now the brand new Chevy Sonic. The old Aveo was really a rebadged Korean that is now a bad memory in the minds of many car reviewers.

So of course the obvious question is has General Motors come out of the corner swinging with a brand new Chevrolet Sonic that can take on the likes of the very popular Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, and of course the very similar KIA Rio.

Check out this 0 to 60 MPH review of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic to find out.

Video Review: The all new 2012 Nissan Versa takes on the all new Toyota Yaris

For 2012 the Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris are both newly redesigned.

The new 2012 Nissan Versa gets 38 MPG on the highway, while the 2012 Toyota Yaris is all new except for the engine and transmission.

Both cars now face extreme competition in the small economy car segment with cars like the  Ford Focus and the Honda Fit.

So how does the 2012 Nissan Versa compare to the 2012 Toyota Yaris. Check out this 0-60 mashup video review to find out.

Review: The 2012 Mazda3 brings European flair with Japanese practicality to America

The Mazda3 has long had European flair and is by far the automaker’s best seller in America—thanks to a clever combination of sportiness and practicality.

The compact, front-drive Mazda3 comes as a four-door sedan or four-door hatchback in SV, Sport, Touring, Grand Touring and Mazdaspeed trim levels. List prices range from $15,200 for the base sedan to $24,000 for the hot rod Mazdaspeed3.

Japan’s Mazda has been selling cars in volume here since the early 1970s, making Americans aware for the first time of the unique rotary engine, which initially powered  its cars. But the automaker isn’t on lots of shopping lists. To partly help the situation, it has dropped the list price of its improved base sedan model by $600. 

2012 KIA Rio video review: Small fun attractive affordable but certainly not fast

The 2012 KIA Rio swims in a crowded pool of tough competition.

The new 2012 KIA Rio competes with such fun cars as the Fiat 500 and such clever cars like the Honda Fit, and such new sexy cars as the Ford Focus.

But the KIA RIO has a lot to offer with a new sporty design, a six speed manual or automatic transmission, and one of the best new car warranties in the business.

So does the 2012 KIA Rio have the performance, the styling, the ride and handling, the engine, the economy and the value for money to swim with the big selling fish in the pond?

Check out his speedy seven video review to find out.

Video: 2012 Audi A3 TDI versus KIA Forte SX Mashup Review

The 2012 Audi A3 TDI has been around for a half a dozen years and in that time many small five door cars have tried to copy the Audi's blend of sporty driving fun and luxurious appointments.

One of those cars is the new KIA Forte SX.

It looks, drives and even has many of the same features of the Audi. It also cost $15,000 less  than the upstart KIA Forte.

But does it have the moves and the value to keep up with the German car?

Check out this review as we mashup the KIA Forte with the Audi A3 TDI to see if imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery.

Video: Top 5 Small Economy Cars Reviewed

What's the best small economy car that you can buy today, and does it have to get 40 MPH on the highway to really qualify as an economy car?

We at The Fast Lane Car are lucky to drive a different car every week so we've had the chance to drive many (if not most) the best small economy cars on the market.

Here are the top 5 small economy cars that we've driven in 2011.

Check out the video review below.

Video: 2012 Ford Focus versus Mazda3 Mashup 0-60 Review

The 2012 Ford Focus and the 2012 Mazda3 are two small cars that both have something special to offer new cars buyers.

The Ford Focus is a new breed of small car that combine European design and small car luxury with great fuel economy while the Mazda3 combines a new engine and transmission with even better fuel economy.

Both cars represent a new trend for small cars: upscale features in a compact package.

Both cars also have 155 HP engine that produce almost the same amount of torque.

Both cars can be had with automatic and manual transmissions.

And both both cars are fun to drive.

So which one of these two small cars is better? Watch the video review below to find out.

Review: A tale of two Chevys – the 2012 Cruze LT and Cruze Eco (part 2)

When I saw my name on the list to get the Cruze Eco right after driving the one in California, I was peeved. I mean, this was going to be a boring, underpowered, striped-down Cruze built for efficiency – right? There is no way I can evaluate a lesser car like this without finding fault based on my experiences with its loaded brother – right?

Well, not exactly.

First of all, the Chevrolet Cruze Eco has the same, sprightly engine as the LT I drove in California. This was fortuitous as economy cars in the Rocky Mountains tend to bog down at high altitude; they can lose up to 30% of their horsepower in the thin air. The Cruze Eco is turbocharged, so it mitigates power loss.

Review: A tale of two Chevys – the 2012 Cruze LT and Cruze Eco (part 1)

One thing I simply love about this job is the opportunity to be surprised. Considering the new batch of efficient cars, I was pleased with Chevrolet’s progress in this segment, especially with the Cruze. If you are shopping for a quality small sedan, I think the Chevrolet Cruze is an excellent candidate.

Here’s why:

Video review: Is the new 2012 Subaru Impreza tomorrow's WRX and STI?

The all new 2012 Subaru Impreza is the most fuel efficient all wheel drive car that you can purchase in America.

Subaru has redesigned the Impreza from the ground up and kept it the same size but added two inches of room on the inside. Subaru also increased the car's fuel efficiency by 30 percent and updated the polarizing styling of the car as well as updated the transmission.

Subaru has also given the Impreza a new 148 HP 2.0L engine mated to either a 5 speed manual or a CVT transmission.

In fact the new Impreza now has less horsepower than the outgoing model. But does that mean that it is slower?

But perhaps more important is this new 2012 Subaru Impreza, tomorrow's WRX and STI?

Check out our first drive video review below to find out.

Review: The 2012 new new Volkswagen Beetle rides again

HERNDON, Virginia--The new third-generation 2012 Volkswagen Beetle won’t be mistaken for any other car because it retains the familiar shape of all Beetles ever built. But it’s larger and sleeker—or “longer, lower and wider” as Detroit’s automakers used to say.

The new model also is more powerful and faster than the last model, which caused quite a stir when it arrived in 1998 as the second-generation “New Beetle.”

The original, first-generation Beetle arrived in America around 1950 and underwent numerous small changes over the years. It was the country’s most popular foreign car during the 1950s and 1960s despite its basic 1930s design because it was reliable, economical and solidly built. In fact, the then-new, far costlier early 1950s Porsches used modified Volkswagen components.

Review: Five reasons why grumpy people should buy the 2011 Mazda 2

True story: Nathan (that’s me) was in a bad mood. I was driving a red Mazda 2 about 6 months ago to a BBQ restaurant aiming to pick up an order to go. 

I didn’t want to go as a BIG game was on the tube and I was missing it.

When I pulled into the parking lot there were no paring spaces out front so I zipped over to the side of the restaurant where there was curb-side parking. There was only one, tiny spot. I tore through the parking lot to grab it before anyone else. I was heading straight in to a spot you normally parallel park for. At the very last second, I yanked the E-brake and slid in beautifully. At that moment, I saw a group of stoners wafting out of the restaurant.     

Suddenly, I heard a stoner yell, “Dude! Am I trippin’ balls or did he just do the coolest parking job – like EVER!?”

2012 Mazda 2 vs Fiat 500 video review: What's the most fun car for the fewest dollars?

The 2012 Fiat 500 is one of the most fun cars you can buy today. It comes with a 101 horsepower engine and it can also be had with or without a roof as the 500c.

Perhaps just as importantly the Fiat 500 Cinquecento is the first new Fiat to come to American shores after decades of new Fiats in Europe. Fiat's purchase of Chrysler has given the Italian automaker an American dealer network making it possible for Fiat to bring the very tiny 500 to America.

The Mazda 2 is also all about fun with a splash of utility in the mix. It shares a platform with the new Ford Fiesta but the engine and transmission are different as well as the styling. Both the Fiat 500 an the Mazda 2 are priced about the same and both can be had with an automatic and manual transmission.

But which one is more fun when you are on a budget? Check out the video below to find out.