Auto Reviews
The car year in review: Top picks
Jan 18, 2008

Could it be the party’s over? Congress has voted to raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, light trucks and sport-utility vehicles are languishing on dealers’ back lots in many areas, and the public is becoming resigned to $3-plus gasoline prices.

But automakers from America, Japan, South Korea and Europe still have something for every taste, so there’s no need to rush out and buy that Hummer H2 or Range Rover before they’re all gone.

So, without further ado, our cars of the year for 2007, culled from the many models we tested during the year:

Subcompact car
The choice in this category couldn’t be easier. The Honda Fit is cute, functional and edgy. It handles like a sports car and packs like a compact sport-utility vehicle. Fuel economy? High 30s. Safety? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Fit its top rating. Comfort? It rides well for so small a car and seats four in comfort. Price? Our well-equipped Fit’s sticker price was just $15,200. Reliability? Well, it’s a Honda. Enough said.

“The Fit nearly qualifies as an optical illusion,” we wrote after test-driving a Fit last spring. “Walk around it a few times, park it next to any conventional vehicle, and then open a door or tailgate. There can’t be that much room in there, but there is.”

Compact car
Mitsubishi is in the business of exceeding expectations. That goes for every model we’ve driven lately, from the compact Lancer to the brawny Endeavor.

Redesigned for 2008, the Lancer is roomier than before and far more pleasant to drive. It’s also pleasing to the eye. A 20-year-old passenger observed that the Lancer’s styling appeals to young people, while its modest power endowment — just 152 horsepower — adds up to a parental comfort level. (Faster versions, including the high-powered Evolution, are available.)

Our only complaints about the Lancer were its middling fuel-economy rating of 29 mpg on the highway, and the presence of some cheap materials, especially in the trunk, that detracted from the $21,615 package. But Mitsubishi is headed in the right direction with this model.

Midsize car
The Volkswagen Jetta is more than the sum of its parts. On paper, it looks almost run-of-the-mill. But its performance is extraordinary. It has a European personality, including the firm ride, high-quality materials, exquisite road manners and agility, at a Japanese or American price. Our well-equipped Jetta listed for $21,674. Standard equipment included Sirius satellite radio, sunroof and 6-CD in-dash changer, but strangely, the car didn’t have power seats.

VW’s slogan used to be “Drivers Wanted.” That certainly applies to the Jetta. Some might want a smoother, softer ride, and might not care about the Jetta’s remarkable driving qualities, but it belongs on the short list for anyone who truly enjoys driving.

Full-size car
The American motorist thinks of diesel cars as smelly, underpowered and hard to start in cold weather. Years ago, people bought them for the fuel economy and often unloaded them in a hurry because of their many disagreeable qualities. Mercedes-Benz, a pioneer in the application of diesel technology to passenger cars, has left all that behind.

The E320 Bluetec has all the good qualities of the German automaker’s workhorse E-Class line. It costs just $1,000 more than the gasoline-powered E350 — $58,375 for the loaded E320 we drove — and has appreciably less horsepower. But the diesel is nearly as quiet as the gasoline engine and is as strong as it needs to be, especially at the low end. We recorded 32 mpg in mostly highway driving. That’s as good as it gets in the luxury-sedan segment.

What was most striking about the E320, however, was the complete absence of diesel fuel and exhaust odors. Diesel power American motorists can live with may finally have arrived.

Light truck
At the risk of offending Al Gore, we’ll stipulate that there’s still a place for the full-sized pickup truck. Tradesmen, farmers and woodsmen buy trucks for a reason. And one of the best of the breed is GMC’s Sierra.

Our truck was a four-door, five-passenger Sierra 1500 with a sticker price of $41,385. That’s just one model among many, ranging from the Classic model at $15,840 to incrementally bigger, more luxurious or heavier-duty versions. If you can’t find what you want at the GMC dealership, you’re too picky. There are no fewer than 89 variations.

“This is a very pleasant driver,” we wrote last spring, “with an unexpectedly smooth ride and competent handling marred only by a wide turning radius that makes it a challenge to maneuver in parking lots.” The 315-horsepower V-8 engine delivered just 16 mpg despite being equipped with GM’s Active Fuel Management system.

Sport-utility vehicle
Suzuki engineers have been busy upgrading their product lines in recent years. They can take considerable pride in the new-and-improved XL7, now a crossover SUV. “Essentially, the XL7 has been administered a heavy dose of General Motors DNA that markedly changed its personality,” we wrote in March. We might add: for the better.

Suzuki SUVs used to be small, inexpensive, rough and underpowered. The XL7 is shapely and refined. Now equipped with a 252-horsepower engine, it delivers as much as 24 mpg on the highway. It’s also one of the smallest and most fuel-efficient models on the market with a third seat and seven-passenger capacity.

Naturally, it’s not as inexpensive as the old Sidekick and predecessor body-on-frame XL7: $22,899 for the least expensive version, and $28,000 for the front-wheel drive Limited model we drove. But it’s a daring leap out of the shadows for Suzuki, which suddenly finds itself hitting the market with a model good enough to compete with some of the upscale Japanese and American nameplates.

Toy
Every automaker seems to have a two-seat sporty convertible nowadays, even Saturn. But Mazda knows the game better than anyone else. Its MX-5 Miata, approaching its 20-year anniversary, remains the toy of choice.

Today’s MX-5 is bigger, more powerful and better equipped than the original 1990 Miata, but Mazda has been wise enough to avoid tampering with the qualities that made it an instant hit. It’s still small, agile, reliable and inexpensive to operate.

The major concession Mazda made to current sensibilities is the addition of an optional retractable composite roof, but the cloth-top version is still available. The retractable roof drops into the trunk in just 12 seconds. It does change the car’s lines, however — the rear deck appears longer — and you can’t open the trunk with the top down. And as toys go, it’s not inexpensive; our MX-5 had a sticker price of $28,670.

“The only major downside of the MX-5 is there are so many of them on the road,” we observed. “But there’s a reason for that: It’s clearly the best in its class.”

Steven Macoy (smacoy3070@cs.com) is a longtime car enthusiast and full-time editor who lives in Bethel, Conn.



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