Obviously, whether you roll on one, two, three, four or more wheels, your tires are the most critical of all components when it comes to staying in contact with the road in a manner that helps you control said vehicle. You do everything on them after all, and the better the rubber the better acceleration, ride, handling, braking, and just basic motivation in low traction situations. Without exhaustive testing (which I do not have the resources to accomplish), all I can tell you is I stumbled on some really decent all-season passenger car tires recently that are worth mentioning. They come from Nokian, and the Finnish concern (and I’ll let you ferret out if they’re related to Nokia, the phone builder, or not.) is best known in the US for their excellent snow tires. But they have recently built an all-season tire specifically for the North American market, built in a new state-of-the-art facility in Russia. This is a very interesting hoop indeed, for not only does it have all kinds of performance features it’s designed to be an unusually green tire. 

I first encountered the eNTYRE, as it’s called, by accident when I was inspecting a used compact SUV I ended up purchasing. Naturally one of the things I inspected carefully was the tires, and shod as it was with what looked to be a fresh set of the new Nokians I realized I knew next to nothing about the company and whether or not their products were any good. There are a lot of tire makes out there, which makes buying these days a bit more involved. After I did a little research I was intrigued, and after I purchased the vehicle found them to be pretty impressive performers. They are quiet, deliver good traction in rain, snow and dry conditions and transmit good feedback. They also have a very cool feature that I hadn’t encountered in tires before (although I’m sure there must be more manufacturers that do this), which is a centerline tread wear indicator system that literally tells you how many millimeters of tread you have remaining, including a special water droplet indicator that tells you when, if this symbol is no longer visible, you have lost the tire’s excellent ability to avoid hydroplaning. It’s very simple, yet a really great tool to keep an eye on tire wear. There are a boatload of other features to these tires, but I’ll spare you by not outlining them all now. The bottom line here is there’s a lot here to digest which is pretty amazing considering these are just big rubber things that hold air, like other tires. 

As for the green side, the eNTYRES have low rolling resistance which has seemingly been verified when I purchased additional set for our Hybrid, and it continues to deliver exemplary mileage. Nokian is also proud to point out that these tires are made using purified compounds, or as they put it, “the eNTYRE is manufactured using only low aromatic, purified oils. These purified oils keep Nokian’s tires from polluting the environment as the tire gradually wears down.” 

This endeth my purely unscientific review of these tires. I really like them so far, and when they wear out plan to acquire another set for both vehicles. They have also been affordable; the only problem is they can be tough to find but I’ve got an excellent tire dealer not far from me that carries the entire (or eNTYRE) Nokian line. Very nice shoes, and worth a look. 

Things are certainly heating up when it comes to domestic automobiles and electric motors. It’s taken awhile, but the Chevy Volt finally made it to the marketplace with excellent results especially in terms of the car’s drivability and customer satisfaction. And now over a decade after the Toyota Prius first appeared in the US market, Ford now has its first “dedicated” hybrid models, which of course are cars that come only in hybrid form (although the car I’m talking about here has had a non-hybrid version on the road already in Europe for years). The Ford C-Max is a compact wagon that comes in a gas/electric Hybrid, as well as a plug-in Hybrid version of the same with a larger capacity lithium-ion battery for extended electric-only operation. I got to sample the latter (called the Energi) for a week and found it to be a very interesting, and perplexing, vehicle. 

First, the C-Max is being marketed by Ford primarily as not a competitor to the regular 5-Door Prius, but instead the Prius v wagon (which you can read about if you search this site, as well as my take on a pre-production plug-in Prius). If you check the specifications the two vehicle are very similar, although truth be told the Prius v has more cargo room and just felt roomier to me overall. But both of these tallish wagons are superbly practical designs, not only providing a lot of room and versatility but doing so in intelligent, fuel-efficient packages. In the case of the C-Max, they are breaking new ground by launching a conventional gas/electric hybrid and a plug-in version at the same time, using the same basic drivetrain but fortifying the plug-in’s Lithium-Ion battery with a larger unit behind the rear seats that sits in the cargo area. The rest of the drivetrain consists of a 2-liter Inline Four gas engine mated to an electric motor, with a total output of 188 horsepower (projected). The transmission is a Continuously Variable unit, driving the front wheels. The Plug-in receptacle is located just in front of the driver’s door, and using ordinary 110-volt household power took about 6 hours to recharge the battery completely (1300 watts, 12 amps, 7.54 kilowatts used). This enabled about 14-16 miles exclusively on electric propulsion (although cold temperatures meant the gas engine ran frequently to keep things warm, including the interior). 

The driving dynamics of the C-Max are very satisfying, as it demonstrates good acceleration, crisp, solid handling and an overall feeling of quality and careful assembly. The CVT transmission is one of the quietest of this type of gearbox I’ve ever sampled, and the engine/electric motor transitions were very smooth. Occasionally the gas engine’s idle made its presence known but overall it’s a very refined little mill. Regenerative braking (when the electric motor reverses and becomes a generator to charge the Hybrid battery, and the slight drag aids in slowing the car down) is also super smooth in transition, also a laudable accomplishment. 

Inside the car is roomy in terms of headroom and legroom, but the battery that takes up so much room in the cargo area also dictates a fairly upright seatback position in the rear seat. Workmanship is a C-Max strong point, with quality materials and reasonable logical controls except for the typical MyFord Touch silliness. Displays are very colorful and clear, although navigating through the menus on the instrument cluster (using buttons on the steering wheel) can be distracting initially. 

So, the car is a very nice driver, and has a solid chassis that gives it a quality feel. The big question is, how’s the fuel economy? Here’s where things get perplexing. The EPA fuel economy rating for the C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid is 100 MPG in combined use (meaning you plug it in and drive, and then when this charge is depleted it reverts to regular Hybrid operation), and otherwise 44 MPG city/41 highway. Even after charging the car several times overnight, the best I ever averaged in mixed driving was a bit over 40 MPG, and overall I got 35.4 MPG. Not M1 Abrams Tank territory, mind you, but not exactly stunning. In fact, considering the fact that most people purchase hybrids (both plug-in and conventional) to cut down on the amount of fuel they burn, it seems rather odd that the numbers aren’t more impressive. I’d say that it could have just been my unit, but anecdotal evidence has been expanding on the interwebs that seems to indicate my experience wasn’t exactly unusual. By contrast, the Prius plug-in I tested delivered mileage in the mid-to-upper 50’s, and interestingly both it and the C-Max were tested in cold weather (really cold, in the case of the Prius) when fuel economy is typically at its worst for this type of vehicle. So when in comes to Mr. Max, what gives?

I have no idea. But, we’ll see, as you have to remember these autos have literally just popped out of the oven and will no doubt need a bit of tweaking to get everything up to speed. Otherwise, it’s a nice machine to hustle around. But at this juncture, I would advise those in the market to shop carefully before committing to these all-new platforms. 

Let’s start with the sedan that has one tire firmly planted in Cadillac’s classic luxury car past. The XTS is a piece of iron that your male ancestors would love, if for no other reason than its vast, cavernous, deep trunk. There are also great expanses of room in the interior of this car, even though it’s not exactly a tugboat in terms of physical size. In this sense the Caddys of old are represented by a coach that offers extreme luxury in an expansive setting, as well as rather over-boosted power steering which is a tad on the numb side (much like the ’62 Cadillac Fleetwood my grandfather owned. Almost). 

But after this traditional feature of room everywhere that was always a Cadillac trademark, the engineers decided embrace modernity, too, by launching every bit of whizz-bang technology they had in their arsenal at the XTS. As a result, the company describes this sedan as “. . . the most technologically advanced production car in the brand’s history.” They can say this because it really is loaded with a veritable plethora of silicon-based electronic devices, as well as advanced hardware such as Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride Control as a standard feature. This chassis magic is aided by rear air springs, HiPer Strut front suspension and Brembo front brakes. An excellent option found on our tester was Caddy’s advanced All Wheel Drive system; developed with Haldex engineering and aided by an electronic rear limited-slip differential. This is the way to go, as the system operates seamlessly and can deliver better overall traction and torque balance than the Front-Drive version. With the exception of the light steering I mentioned earlier, the XTS handles its heft well and is a pleasure to hustle around. It’s no ATS (see below) but it’s no lumbering bovine, either. The self-adjusting rear suspension is especially impressive, should you choose to fill up that massive trunk with wood stove fuel the way I did. Even with 400 lbs. of compressed sawdust on board the car cared not a whit. Hauling was no problem also because the lone engine is a 304-horsepower V6, which is commendable smooth and quick aided by a very efficient 6-speed automatic transmission. 

Of course, the grandest tech excesses are found in the cockpit, starting with a very innovative instrument cluster. What we have here is an LCD screen with virtual analog instruments, and it is of course adjustable. Cadillac describes it thusly: “Available exclusively on the XTS is a 12.3-inch (312 mm) reconfigurable instrument cluster. It features vibrant graphic displays showcased among four driver-selectable themes, ranging from minimal to extensive information.” So it’s like having a small tablet computer for an instrument cluster, like a video game or a Boeing 777’s “glass” cockpit. It’s a true benchmark of where we seem to be heading, in that apparently we’re supposed to see more and more of the world through an LCD screen. They are attractive, these instruments, but they certainly give the car a very different feel from luxury sedans of the past, especially Cadillacs. But, like with e-books, I’ve never been a huge fan of electronic solutions to problems that don’t exist. Of even more fascination is the optional “Safety Seat” on the XTS, which in concert with parking assist, lane departure warnings and other alert systems can buzz your backside (or pulse your posterior) on the side of the seat corresponding to the side of the car that the alert is addressing. For example, if you wander out of your lane on the passenger side the right side of the seat will vibrate to let you know about it. Weird, but interesting. Yes, you can turn it off and/or use a pure audible warning if you desire. There’s boatloads of other e-gizmos in this substantial car, but you get the idea. The XTS has the size and sumptuous accommodations of the Caddies of the past, but also injects additional tech goo from our present including the CUE (Cadillac User Experience) visual/voice control system. This is similar to My Ford Touch, and every bit as counterproductive. It is my hope they will quickly realize these new interface systems are not only an operational mess; they are a huge step backwards in auto safety. But that’s just my opinion. No doubt, like BMW’s hideous iDrive, some people will think these marketing-based blunders are brilliant. 

Something that is legitimately brilliant in my view is the chassis of the new Cadillac ATS. This sedan embraces the new, sporting side of Cadillac and is the car I always hoped the CTS might be (with the exception of the CTS-V, which I love ‘cause of that mighty, marauding mill). The ATS is much less capacious than the XTS but it doesn’t have it’s overly boosted steering, either. It is also a rear-drive platform (All Wheel Drive is an option) and there’s two inline Fours (one turbocharged) and a 3.6 V6 like the XTS, only in this case they’ve managed to eek out nearly 20 more horsepower (up to 321). I sampled this engine with a 6-speed auto, and it was a very nice powerplant indeed with plenty of power to rocket the light, 3,500 lb. (or so) sedan around. This is a lithe, sporting auto that you would never think was a Cadillac, if not for some of the characteristic interior appointments and aforementioned CUE interface system (just to ruin it for me). 

Well, to be honest this iPad-on-wheels approach to basic control operations really can’t ruin this car (or the XTS) completely for me, as both sedans have so many fine qualities that they are still quite desirable. Even the fact that neither car had a spare tire didn’t throw me off completely, but c’mon, man. Have we become such as weenie, call-the-auto-club, spaghetti-armed geek society that we have to summon somebody with callouses on their hands to swap a shoe on our machines? Sad, really.  And run flat tires, like on the ATS? Please. These are both fast cars, and I am in a hurry. If I encounter a puncture, I need to pit and change to the spare with great despatch (see A Christmas Story). 

But, I wander into the bush, off topic. Cadillac continues to build some really intriguing new models, and at the very least are soundingly thumping their cross-town rivals at Lincoln. As for taking on the best in the world and knocking down the door in the performance sedan category, I don’t think they’re there yet but they are certainly tapping politely on the window. That’s something unheard of just a few years ago, and I say well done, House of Cadillac. 

Once Toyota launched the first Prius gas/electric hybrid and the car turned out to be a great success by hitting all its design objectives including exemplary fuel economy, reliability and low operating costs, the company has been going full speed ahead (at a prudent engineering pace of course) with a whole host of hybrids. This year is especially important for the Prius, as the family of cars has now grown to four: the Prius, Prius v (reviewed somewhere on this site), the Prius Plug-In (also discussed on this stunning web-based prattle-fest. Somewhere), and now the latest edition, the Prius c.  C in this case stands for city and thus defines the car‘s urban transport suitability, and this is the smallest, least expensive, and most economical Prius in the line. I think once people get out and drive these things it could become the most most popular, too. The reason is the car actually has decent room in it for the compact class, is actually pleasant to drive and gets better mileage than any of my motorcycles (which is quite impressive). It’s also built by the company that has more experience than anybody with gas-electric hybrid powertrains, and judging from past experience this latest edition should be very reliable and low-maintenance as well. 

That last bit is helped by the fact there are no belts to fail or replace at regular intervals, as the components they drive on conventional cars are all electrically driven on all new Prius models. The Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain consists of a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle Inline Four, that puts out 73 horsepower, and is mated with a 45kW (60 horsepower) electric motor with an overall effective output of around 100 horsepower. As with every Prius (except the Plug-in), the battery pack that powers the motor is a nickel-metal hydride unit hidden under the the rear seat, and the car can be powered on electric power alone, gas and electric power together or the gas engine by itself. Toyota describes the car’s adjustable drive mode system thusly: “Prius c offers three distinct drive modes: Normal, Eco, and EV mode. Eco mode reduces overall energy consumption by governing climate control and throttle to improve vehicle efficiency. Under certain conditions, the EV mode allows the Prius c to be driven solely by electric power for a short distance (under 1 mile) while remaining below 25 mph.” The transmission is a Continuously Variable unit like on all Prii, and works well in this application and is quieter than a lot CVT units out there. 

And yes, this Prius Junior will not pin you in the deep recesses of its stout upholstery under hard acceleration, but it has enough giddyup to get you onto traffic just fine. The overall chassis feels  substantial and handling is tight, with a firm but not excessively stiff ride. In this regard it’s on a par with other economy cars in the class, and like I’ve been saying for a while the quality level (and the amount of equipment) you can get on entry-level cars is quite an improvement compared to what was out there even just a few years ago. The cabin isn’t Lexus quiet but neither is it excessively noisy like some compacts. The transitions from the gas engine and electric motor are suitably smooth, and reflect that years of development that have gone into Synergy Drive research. 

Inside, there’s decent room for four despite the very compact external dimensions, and the centrally-located digital instrument cluster should look familiar to anyone who’s spent quality time in a Prius. Depending on your budget, you can load up the c with all manner of options and our Prius c “Three” model included the usual cruise and auto climate controls, a touch screen radio interface with Navigation and Toyota’s Entune infotainment system, a Smart Key system; all the the latest goodies that are becoming common these days. The upholstery is durable enough, and while there’s a lot of hard plastic in evidence it’s (as I keep saying) at pretty much on the same level as most entry-level compacts. 

Which in a way is a slight problem initially for this incredibly frugal little 5-door. People forget this really is a comparatively inexpensive car with a comparatively expensive drivetrain; a hybrid system that delivered 53 MPG during a week of mixed driving in these parts. Apparently some people think it should have the feel and interior materials of its more expensive siblings instead of fittings more fitting for a car on the low end of the vehicle line. I really liked the car, and felt like I was driving a quality piece that gets the best gas mileage available in a highly maneuverable package that can escort three associates comfortably as well as some of their belongings. With options, the Prius c Three sticker came to $22,669. 

What can $100K buy these days? Such a sum purchases a lot less than it used to, sure, but it can still manage to land a pretty amazing automobile if you know where to look. Now, your nearby Nissan dealer wouldn’t likely be the first place you’d think of to land a bit of exotica. But certain select Nissan Emporiums do indeed have a wicked-fast coupe called the GT-R, and it is a serious, pavement-lighting G-teaser of an automobile. The Black Edition I was lucky enough to sample was that curious mix of “The door sounds like an economy car when you shut it, and yet it costs what?” and, “Oh my God, my internal organs have been shifted and I was just going down the driveway.” It is your basic user-friendly exotic, and very, very entertaining. 

An All-Wheel-Drive coupe like this is so crammed full of complex, state-of-the-art components that it would take a very long time to catalog all the goodies. But I’ll try to hit the key points, such as (obviously) the drivetrain starting with the 3.8-liter V6 engine. This unit is assembled in a clean room (like all serious race shops built their mills) and is blessed with twin turbochargers, and through its highly polished, hyper-engineered internal architecture generates 545 horsepower. This is mated to a rear-mounted transaxle (Nissan calls the balanced architecture Premium Midship) that uses dual-clutch automatic technology with 6 speeds and paddle shifters for manual operation. This in turn goes through a ATTESA E-TS All-Wheel Drive system (also rear mounted) that can vary torque from 100% rear drive to a 50:50 mix front-to-back. There is more computer hardware than NASA used to have, so suffice it to say Nissan’s goal of making this car not only worthy of true Supercar status but a manageable Hulk that even non-expert drivers can enjoy safely is satisfied through very sophisticated stability software. 

And this is a welcome thing, for this is a nasty-fast machine that does inspire one to do potentially mischievous things. The GT-R launches off the line with the urgency of an Olympic sprinter, and in less-than-ideal conditions was able to catapult me to 60 MPH in around 4 seconds. The intake and exhaust orations are the stuff of F1 dreams, yet never excessively booming to get annoying over time during steady-state droning. The steel/aluminum/carbon fiber body shrouds a track-serious suspension (adjustable of course-but even the comfort setting is pretty stiff) and huge monobloc Brembo brakes handle the woah with sufficient urgency. Steering feedback manages to do the right mix of letting the road surface communicate without excessive bump-steer on rougher stretches. The transmission does its direct engagement thing well, and shifts cleanly in manual mode although it can be occasionally abrupt when on full auto at slow speeds. 

The interior is cozy but forms a wonderfully supportive cockpit to conduct the business of driving, with outstanding Recaro leather buckets that should be able to adjust to a broad variety of physiques and fit mine perfectly. You strap into a focused cruise missile like this and become a part of the hardware, and it helps tie you to the chassis like only the best road-going machines can do. It’s stiff, some of the switchgear looks like it was lifted off a Sentra, and it costs a fortune. But the things that make an ultra-high-performance Supercar a lusty commodity are all in full measure, and it ultimately makes for a very unique ride. Others may be sexier, but Nissan deserves credit for getting the bottom line (getting around the paved surface with wicked despatch) right on the money.

You might think, if you were a thinking-type being, that now that gas/electric hybrid cars have a couple of million units on the road (and they’ve been with us well over a decade), they would be a more commonplace item in manufacture’s product lines. But the fact is they’re still fairly uncommon, even though they have shown themselves to be the way to go when you want to save fuel, cut down on emissions and lower operating costs. Despite the rhetoric spouted by many on how hybrids are prohibitively more expensive to buy (not true at all, if you do your homework) and more costly to maintain than conventional drivetrains, the opposite has been shown to be the case. Hybrids have proved to have very low service requirements, excellent reliability, and in the case of Toyota have eliminated things like drive belts which is one less maintenance/reliability issue to deal with. Even brake pad life has been extended thanks to regenerative braking that uses the electric motor as a generator during coasting and braking, and helps slow the vehicle and reduce the load on the brakes. 

Fortunately, even though hybrid popularity hasn’t exactly exploded there are still manufacturers that move the breed forward, and here’s a couple of very interesting 2012 units that have dramatically different approaches to hybrid powertrain incorporation yet still deliver great fuel economy, low emissions and very satisfying (if very different) driving experiences. These two examples aren’t really direct competitors, but show you how far hybrid drivetrains have come in the variety of applications that designers and engineers have been working on. Today, I give you Toyota’s all-new Camry Hybrid XLE and Infiniti’s M35h Hybrid Sports Sedan. These are both handsome four door sedans, but they’re as different as chalk and some other kind of chalk that is oh so different than the previously mentioned . . . chalk. Some particulars: The Camry is a front driver, while the Infiniti uses rear-drive architecture. The Camry’s four-cylinder gas engine/electric motor is mounted transversely, while the M35h’s V6/electric motor is mounted in a classic longitudinal configuration. Toyota continues to use the tried-and-true nickel-metal-hydride battery for its electric motor needs, while the Infiniti goes with newer Lithium-ion fare. The Camry has a Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT), and the M35h has a 7-speed automatic. 

The Infiniti is a bigger car, with nearly 5 more inches of wheelbase and overall length. That said, the Camry feels roomier and has a bigger trunk (and the M’s trunk is kind of a funky shape). Both cars are comfortable and well-finished, with the Infiniti especially opulent (which you would expect given the prestigious label). The most substantial differences between these two hybrids are in fact the performance, fuel economy and price, and once again these differences underscore the very difference design goals of these two sedans. 

In a nutshell, like its M siblings the M35h is a rocket, launching you to 60 MPH in an observed 6.3 seconds (the Camry managed a more leisurely 9 seconds, but the car certainly feels quicker compared to the Camry Hybrid of before). This is not surprising as the total system horsepower for the Camry is 200 while the M35h is 360 (although the Camry is 688 lbs. lighter). The latest-generation Camry has benefited from an extensive chassis overhaul that has resulted in tauter handling and a firmer ride with more control, but the M is clearly the sport sedan in this pairing with impressive back road manners and true performance credentials. Both cars have excellent brakes, and are fairly quiet although there is some road noise that creeps in on occasion. So while you may be leaping for the keys for the M if you’re performance-minded, be advised that there is a hitch in the car’s giddyup. The on/off transitions of the V6 engine as it powers the car with and without the assistance of the electric motor can be less than fluid. Perhaps it is often so noticeable because the rest of the car is a model of solidarity and refinement, and any imperfection in an otherwise superb drivetrain sticks out like a sore piece of chalk. But these transitions are pretty obvious, especially in contrast to the Camry’s very smooth transitions and overall seamless hybrid drivetrain. When EV (electric vehicle) mode, both cars are eerily smooth. 

Finally, the fuelish bottom line. The performance you get from the M35h is balanced by really impressive fuel economy for the class and in a week of driving I averaged about 29 MPG. This is quite laudable when you experience how well this machine gets off the line, and the only disappointment is the car’s penchant for Premium fuel. If you’re more interested in fuel economy over performance yet like a similar comfort level, the Camry Hybrid is a very slick package that was able to squeeze out 42 MPG with reasonable ease. There’s also a price difference of course, as the Infiniti’s upscale brilliance will set you back $65,395 (as tested), while the Camry Hybrid XLE rings in at $34,596. Two very different sedans, two very different hybrids, both very, very interesting higher-mileage alternatives to the standard fare out there. 

So there really isn’t anything in a name, is there? I mean, we often think that a name like, oh, I don’t know. . . Mini, for example, implies a certain type of vehicle. The name is known the world over as a smaller version of something else, or in car circles, conjures up images of the famous Mini Cooper which was one of the first (and one of the most successful) micro cars ever produced. The original British marque has been part of BMW in 2001, and since then has not only been a hit but is continuously sprouting new variants that take the Mini name to places it’s never been before. And, wonder of wonders, this even means the land to of the SUV and the Mini Countryman, which is a properly pumped-up Mini that still has the general aspect but looks like a charge into the bush (intended, this time) is certainly not completely out of the question. Sporting a larger size, more ground clearance and available with All Wheel Drive, the Countryman might initially make you think the standard Mini has suffered an allergic reaction to some shellfish, or at least Shell gas.

But once you get used to the proportions what you have is a big Mini, and it makes the car much roomier and with the optional ALL4 All Wheel Drive system you have all-weather capability and the possibility of venturing off the road as much as you think your nerves will allow (this is still a British sports compact, and not a Range Rover). I sampled a Cooper S Countryman with the AWD drivetrain, and found it to be an eccentric, but very fun, and undeniably unique, SUV.  There’s no locking center differential or low range on the test mule, but it does have good all-road capability which is what I think they’re really driving at to begin with. 

And as driving in a spirited manner is what the whole Mini thing is really about, you have to have a proper drivetrain such as a stout little Inline Four with a twin-scroll turbocharger, which in the engine room of this Countryman displaces 1.6 liters and summons forth 181 horsepower. You can get a 6-speed manual gearbox, while my CountryDude was armed with the latest in STEPTRONIC automatic transmission hardware with 6-speeds and paddle shifters on the steering wheel for the manual mode. Shifts are crisp in either manual or automatic mode, and the turbo is very smoothly integrated into the power delivery without any abrupt peaks or valleys. The “wheel at every corner; I’m still a go-cart I just like fried food” architecture makes the Countryman fun to hustle around, and although it is carrying more mass it’s still light on its feet. Better suspension compliance is another benefit of the higher SUV-ish chassis as it allows for a bit more wheel travel, or so it seems anyway. 

Inside there’s a truly accessible and serviceable rear seat, no doubt the roomiest of any Mini to date. With the rear seats folded you have 41 cubic feet of load space. So this Mighty Mini is very competitive in the class in terms of room, but offers it’s own unique personality and way of doing things (like that speedometer that is only slightly smaller than a garbage can lid). The controls still have the typical Mini toggle switch madness but the NAV display in that huge speedo is unusually sharp and attractive. It’s properly spooled-up wee Inline Four delivered 28.4 MPG in mixed driving, which is very good for the class. 

I have no idea how appealing the Countryman is in your neck of the woods, but here in the Northeast I see a fair number running around so there’s definitely a desire for a true Four-Season Mini with more room and yet still the same overall personality and economy with much more utility. The sticker on my very well-optioned tester came to $36,350, which certainly isn’t cheap but you do get something pretty unique for your money. 

There is something to be said for being different, and when you enter a crowded field with something that really gets noticed it’s quite an accomplishment. By “crowded field,” in this case I mean the automobile market that has so many shape and sizes of vehicles these days it’s pretty tough to stand out, much less get lots of looks wherever you go. But in the case of Daimler-Benz’s smart car, it’s such an unusually diminutive conveyance that it really gets tons of attention pretty much everywhere you drive (and especially park) it. It’s so unusually tiny that it can be stashed almost anywhere, but has a lot of shortcomings as you can imagine. It’s not very roomy, not very quick and not as fuel efficient as you might think (and likewise not as inexpensive as you might expect) for such a wee auto, either. 

Which brings us to Scion’s new iQ (and yes, you can bluetooth your iPhone into your iQ). It is a microcar along the same lines as the smart, but even though they look quite similar they are as different as they can be when you take to the road with them. While at first glance it’s appears to be same general size as the smart, the iQ is actually a bit bigger and there is one significant difference: the iQ has what Scion calls “3+1” seating which the smart fortwo seats, well, two. The smart one has two seats, designed to accommodate one human at a time. 

It should be noted at this juncture that I am personally unaware of any “crazy college kids” trying to see how many bodies they can cram into a smart, or now an iQ for that matter. Not yet, anyway. But stay tuned. They will no doubt use the latest social networking technology to engage in this silly practice any time now, though. Crazy kids.

So anyway, what is 3+1 seating? “The Scion iQ is only 10 feet long yet seats four people, making it the world’s smallest four-seater,” says Scion. But this doesn’t mean four adults, however. If I may further quote Scion, “The ‘3+1’ offset seating arrangement allows one adult to sit behind the front passenger and a child or small package behind the driver.” Interesting, no? Making the most with a little I guess. It’s tight back there, to be sure. But if you fold the seatbacks you have 16.7 cubic feet of cargo room, and that’s a decent amount for two people on a journey. 

And you wouldn’t hesitate to take this little two-wheeled toaster on a trip, because it drives like it‘s a lot larger than it is. It’s faster and more powerful than the smart (which is a rear-wheel-drive, rear-engine unit as opposed to the front-drive, front-engine iQ) and has a very efficient CVT transmission that seems an ideal fit. A roughly 9-second 0-60 time from its 1.3-liter Inline Four is perfectly acceptable for this type of economy rig, and it is in fact able to get out of its own way. The suspension is firm but not punishing, and the just over 12.9-foot turning radius makes U-turns a doddle just about anywhere. Fun to drive, especially in tight urbane quarters you ask? You betcha. A wide stance helps keep the car stable and when I encountered some fairly wicked crosswinds I discovered the car stayed in its lane quite well. 

So the inevitable bottom line question is, is it smarter than the smart? I definitely think so. But in averaging 38 MPG in a week of mixed driving and costing about $18K with options (and you can’t get cruise control or a spare tire-just a repair kit is on board) it has a lot of larger, better competition at the price/mileage nexus. However, if the area/environment/cityscape where you need to park this elfin transport is really tight, then the car makes a lot of sense. It is also a great pick if you like a lot of attention, because this is a very distinctive machine that stands out in the world of large cars and SUVs. It really is that different, and when tuners and customizers get their wrenches and paint guns on it, the possibilities are intriguing to say the least. 

Great Britain and India have a long and complex history in terms of their relationship to each other, and it is likely to continue for ages to come. There’s been a lot of back and forth (which is a mild way of putting it) and while Britain ruled ages ago India now the relationship is vastly different. Who would have thought 100 years ago that in 2012 an iconic British company like Land Rover would be owned by the Indian company Tata? But that is the way things are now, although brand purists would be pleased to know Land Rover (and its upscale Range Rover division) are still very British in design and construction. And while there is a great deal of tradition in their new products, the company is certainly not shy about embracing the latest in both style and technology.

The Range Rover Evoque is the lightest of the range, and one of those distinctive new models that bears a near-as-dammit resemblance to a concept vehicle (the Range Rover LRX) seen on the auto show circuit back in 2008. Available in two or four-door variants, it’s pretty amazing to see the production version in the flesh and realize this is not a show car, but a very stylish machine you can drive to work (or into the bogs-n-boonies, if you so desire). It has a very distinctive look; adopting the squished profile philosophy where it looks like a very large, heavy object of some sort was placed on the roof when the Evoque was still young and growing and therefore stunted further upward roof development. This is in direct contrast to usual Range Rover practice where you typically have a big greenhouse and a low beltline for excellent off-road visibility. The Evoque’s lower roofline would actually seem claustrophobic if not for a brilliant engineering solution: a panoramic glass roof. Naturally there’s a power shade if you want more of a “hardtop,” but I never used it as the sun didn’t cook the interior unduly while I had the vehicle. It a very clever feature that is getting more and more popular on a variety of vehicles these days. “Wheel at every corner” architecture almost gives the machine a Giant Mini vibe, and helps reduce front and rear overhangs for those who actually do wander off the beaten path from time to time.

There’s an amazing amount of stylish detail inside and out so there’s something interesting everywhere you turn. A favorite such attraction is the shifter, which is actually a dial in the center console that rises up hypnotically out of the surrounding substrate to meet your hand when you hit the start button. This is the kind of thing that drivers will love to show virgin passengers (any sexual references are purely coincidental, of course).  Near this transmission interface you’ll find a mode selector that includes the optional Adaptive Dynamics Ride Control system with MagneRide. This is an ultra-techy on-the-fly damping adjustment system that helps tame the Evoque’s long-travel suspension instantaneously thus reacting to any and all road conditions. It seems to work quite well, for the ride is firm but never punishing and the famous Rover rock-gobbling compliance is well-represented. 

So what’s eet got under the bonnet, then? Here again we see that there’s nothing on the new Evoque that you could call commonplace. It’s powered by a 2-liter turbocharged Inline Four, that despite it’s modest displacement doles out 240 horsepower. There’s plenty of get up and range, but like many turbos power delivery can be a bit abrupt at times. Overall it’s a great mix of performance and fuel economy as I got around 21 MPG while I roved about. The six-speed automatic suited the power delivery well, and the multi-mode intelligent all-wheel-drive system has settings for General Driving (on-road and easy off-road); Grass/Gravel/Snow (slippery conditions, on and off-road); Mud and Ruts; and Sand. Thus spaketh the press release; I myself did not hammer the Evoque in Snow, Mud and Ruts or Sand situations as I preferred to engage its urbane manners in multiple situations the likes of which I think most owners will likely encounter.

And it is here where is proved to be a very neat vehicle indeed. It’s heavy on style and most of it is absolutely functional. The glass roof in particular is awesome, and really does make the vehicle feel roomier than it actually is which is quite a trick. Complaints included a touch screen interface that had too many menus and was very slow to react in many cases. I also am almost never a fan of 20” wheels/tires (18″ are standard) as they can introduce some bump-steer in smaller vehicles. But en toto, the Evoque is a great pleasure to live with and is fly (and all the way live), innovative and interesting. It’s no surprise to me that the Rover folks are promoting the hell out of the thing, and who can blame them? It really is worth making a fuss over.