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Comments
iluv That new Tiburon is gorgeous. Absolutely the best looking coupe on the market, although I prefer the Acura RSX to drive. The Tib is no slouch to drive either, especially with the V6 but is is after all based on an Elantra (which I have owned). In the import tuner mags, they are really focusing on the Tib as well.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I am in my late thirties so I am a little older than the usual reader of such mags. Still I love cars and I like looking at well done tuner cars. When I was younger (ie the appropriate age for tuner) I was in engineering shcool and too poor to afford to buy a nice sporty car (non-tuned). Now that I have a decent job, also I have a family, so an RSX, Tib, Celica, or Eclpise no longer makes sense. Still, I can take my 5 year old to the car shows and both of us can enjoy the cars.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I am helping a good friend buy a car this week. He has it down to an Elantra, Corolla or Saturn ION(one Korean, one Japanese and one American). They all have a similar MSRP around C$18,300 plus freight and tax. The difference is the interest rate. This makes the cheapest car (Elantra) $80 per month less than the most expensive (Corolla). The ION is mid pack. Oddly the Echo works out only $10 per month cheap than the Corolla despite having less equipment. The only way to buy a cheaper Echo is to buy a 2003 not a 2004. All Corollas up here are 2004 now.
The Corolla is the industry benchmark for quality but I actually prefer the ride and the room of the Elantra. The ION drives and rides well but is quirky looking (but he really liked it. He is not familiar enough with the Kia Spectra which is a new model for us. Kia is also a new brand in Canada having been here only a few years.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/030820-2.htm
Protege LX stickers at $16.750.
Options:
A/C - $1.000
Auto - $1.000
ABS w/EBFD - $500
Packages:
GT Package - $1795
Includes Power windows, Power Adjustable Body Coloured Mirrors, Cruise Control, Fog Lights, 15" Alloy wheels, Moonroof, Rear Spoiler.
or
Convenience Package - $1750
Includes Air Conditioning, Power windows, Power Adjustable Body Coloured Mirrors, Cruise Control.
And Mazda offers 0%/48mths!
And it's one of the few trully "Made in Japan" cars left over in NA. The Protege just got back from Montreal yesterday - 65.000kms and tight as ever.
Let us know what you friend goes for, the options and obviously cost
Dinu
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
iluv: I really liked the Aveo at the Toronto car show in February. It is too small for me but pretty neat , like that new Echo hatchback we are getting.
I was at the Hyundai dealer this weekend with my friend. While we were there for an Elantra, I was drooling over the XG350. The refresh looks really nice. There were a couple of sharp looking Tibs there as well.
dunworth-what did your friend decide about the Elantra?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
BTW in Canada we will also get the Aveo as the Suzuki Swift which will be priced slightly lower than the Aerio. I suspect that it will end up like the Echo and Corolla sedan where the cheaper car is not cheaper once you add on basic options.
What do you think about the the full size Kia Opirus. The XG350 is really nice and in general I like the look of all Hyundai/Kia's cars but I can not warm to the front of this car. The silhouette looks is pleasant, like a Lincoln, the inside looks like an Avalon and the lights are Jag. But that grill is early 1950s Austin A40.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Speaking of big luxury cars, the name Amanti is awfully close to Amati which was supposed to be the high end Maxda division to compete with Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. I believe the Serenia or its replacement the Millenia were supposed to be the first Amatis. Mitsubishi in Japan sells a version of the XG called Debonair which is slotted above the Magna/Diamante.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Yeah really big cars are not my thing and likely never will be. I d not need the space since I am quite small myself -plus I like to drive. Give me a well engineered compact any day.
I see lots of Rios around here and the Sephia was fairly popular too but I do not see many Spectras. Part of the problem may be pricing and I think Kia in Canada lost one if its main sources for sub-prime financing. Could be that the deals on the Cavlier/Sunfire are just too tempting for potential Kia buyers.
As far as true low-end cars go I must say that Hyundai's Accent is evolving into a much better looking little car and they are offering them now for as little as $8500 in US funds. As far as I know they are not trouble prone in their mechanicals either.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
You make a good point about the Accent. It really is a great little car. Very solidly built and nice looking. I am not crazy about the 5 speed manual but I could live with it. It offers good value for those not keen on the Echo sedan's styling. Here's a recent review.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/03accentgsi.htm
I swear I saw an odd-looking Elantra last weekend. It had to be a 2004. Its tail lights had a circle design thing in them or something, that or I just never noticed it ever before.
Generally, I like Korean car designs but I have found their refreshes often look worse than the original design. The otherwise attractive new Kia Optima/Magentis's front grill looks garish compared to the older one. The 1999 refresh of the Elantra with the small grills did not suit the original more organic look of the 1996-8 version. Ditto with the second generation Sonata or at least the second body style which I believe came out in 1994. It looked like an Accord but a few years later the front end was restyled with an Edsel-like grill yuck!
Mind you the most recent refresh of the Sonata makes it one of the nicest looking midsize cars on the market, just behind the Mazda6 and the outgoing Mitsu Galant.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
So iluv, Cheapest high quality wheels in Canada is now the 2-door Echo hatchback. It is the Euro/Japan model sold as Yaris and Vitz depending on market. This is an awesome car for the money - less than C$13K base price with a 5-speed and stereo. It has no toys but neither does the Accent or Rio and the Echo is more refined mechanically. If that's too small, I saw an ad for a base Saturn ION here in Toronto for C$13,500. Anyone say deal?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
My friend has decided to keep his old car running for a few more months to save a bit more for a downpayment on the new car. Zero down is what he has now versus maybe a couple of grand down in a few months time.
US: http://groups.msn.com/BrunoLuong/ustrimsandprices.msnw
PICS: http://groups.msn.com/BrunoLuong/mazda3.msnw
Dinu
Id does look like a class leader on paper as well.
But the prices for s model are pushing into Mazda 6 territory.
I guess you can't can't have something for nothing. Overall car looks like a winner.
That last thing is one are where Mazda and Mitsubishi seriously fall down - fuel economy. A lot of people (including me) will not buy a small car that drinks fuel like a mid-size, with no appreciable gain in power. The Accord and Camry with stick both get about the same fuel econony (or better) as the old Pro or Lancer. The Civic and Corolla both get a lot better fuel economy and are generally more refined.
That said, there are much better deals on Mazda or Mitsus. But the difference in fuel econ can make a difference of C$1700 to 2000 over 200,000 km/125,000 miles, which for a C$15000-$20000 car is not insignificant.
It's at the higher end of the small car spectrum - 2.3L engine w/160HP and 2.0L standard w/148HP.
Have you seen the pics???
Dinu
Even the new car's base power plant is certainly on the high end of power for a small car. But most small car buyers are looking for economy of operation since most compacts have a good power to weight ratio even with base engines. If Mazda does not offer a version of the vehicle with fuel economy like the Corolla or Civic, sales of the 3 will continue to fall short of the success that it deserves.
Sadly many otherwise excellent small cars have an achilles heal. The Sentra is made in Mexico, the Mitsu and Mazda get poor fuel econ, the Focus has poor quality, the Elantra is burdened with Hyundai's poor reputation.
IMHO while the Civic is nearly the perfect compact car, the Corolla is not that great (I own one of each). The latter is beautifully made but dead dull to drive. It should not be hard for Mazda to make a better Corolla in the new 3. Let's hope Mazda finally starts to catch on with this model.
Dinu
Dinu
PS: Put it to sleep.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Re Mazda3, I was also puzzled about the Most Wanted Award because the only Mazda3 you can get for under $15k is the base sedan with no options--things like a/c, power windows and locks, height-adjustable seat, side air bags--in other words, features that are available, even standard, on other small cars like the Elantra for under $15k. But the Mazda3, stripped or not, does have good power for its class and should have class-leading handling, so if that's what's most important to you vs. a few creature comforts then maybe it is "most wanted." But I agree with the comment that it's probably better to compare the 3 with typical options to cars like the Golfetta than the sub-$15k crowd.
Yes, I would have loved power windows, locks and cruise, but for $11,200, I'll live without them. In their place I got a really fun-to-drive car with exceptional handling, gorgeous design and perhaps the best driving position of any car I've ever owned.
I dumped my troublesome 2002 Mitsubishi Galant ES to buy this, and expected to feel like I'm slumming with the downgrade, but instead I feel like I've moved up a class. I think that the impending arrival of the Mazda3 is terrific news for those seeking a fun to drive, inexpensive car today.