With intense competition in the subcompact category, the 2016 Scion iA needed to have its game face on. Among others, the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Kia Forte, Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa and Chevrolet Spark and Sonic all are established in the market and have a following. Basing the iA on the Mazda2 gave Scion a head start with solid Mazda design and build quality plus excellent highway fuel economy of 41 mpg.
Only Chevrolet offers a full-size sedan with a CNG option, the 2016 Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel.
The 2016 Scion iM with its high highway mileage, comfortable ride, roomy interior and standard equipment make it better-suited as a commuter car than a sporty five-door.
In its sixth generation, the 2015 Jetta 1.8T SE has had minor but important interior and exterior design changes that continue its top ranking in the compact category for comfort, interior spaciousness, fuel economy and ease of operation.
As Nissan’s flagship car, it was important that design and styling were the pacing items to set the 2016 Nissan Maxima apart from its many competitors in the midsize sedan category.
If you are looking for Italian automotive design with a lineage of Ferrari, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, or maybe recalling the great Italian fashion icons such as Armani, Gucci and Versace, then the 500X is for you.
Nissan came up with is a truck midway between a half and three-quarter ton, added a brand-name diesel engine for power and towing, and hopes the 2016 Nissan Titan XD will appeal to many of those 150,000 who want something more than the small pickup and not as much as the larger one.
Our initial take in this First Drive is that the 2016 Altima is much improved over the 2015 version, in many ways that will be noticeable to current owners and those driving Nissan’s automotive competitors.
The 2015 Nissan Rogue offers clean styling, a spacious interior with convenient and desirable seating and storage flexibility, which includes the five-passenger or seven-passenger option.
The all-new and completely redesigned 2016 Kia Sorento fits nicely, size-wise, between a compact CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and a midsize SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) such as the Toyota Highlander or Jeep Grand Cherokee.