Tag Archives: all new

Sonic the Turbo – Review of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic 1LT TURBO

Posted on by
3
2012 Chevrolet Sonic turbo - reviewed by txGarage

2012 Chevrolet Sonic turbo - reviewed by txGarage

First and foremost, let’s do some house cleaning. The Sonic is a replacement for the Chevrolet Aveo. Don’t look on this site for an Aveo review, because there isn’t one. I have driven a few versions of the Aveo. Back when running a small local dealership in Dallas we would stumble across an Aveo or two. This was always a tough sell as there was nothing particularly good about these cars, except maybe it’s price. I could never recommend it to anyone; not as a teenager’s first car or a cheap family car. There were just too many other products you could get that were much better.

Now we have the Sonic and GM says that it’s not really replacing the Aveo because it’s a whole new car. You see the Aveo was a car built by Daewoo and badged in the U.S. as a Chevrolet. The Sonic on the other hand is all Chevy and assembled in Michigan. So did Chevy do it right this time? Can I finally recommend a Chevrolet, compact hatchback, to friends and readers? Continue reading →

2010 Mazda 3

Posted on by
2010 Mazda 3

2010 Mazda 3

In 2003 when the Mazda 3 was launched replacing the boring looking but fun to drive Protege, I was excited. Mazda had just introduced the RX8 and only a year before had come out with the Mazda 6. Mazda was really on the move back to being the sporty “zoom-zoom” company it should be. The Mazda 3 was such a big hit, in my mind, because it really showed that Mazda was getting back into the sporty grove with a good looking, small, sporty car. Anyone who is into compact sports cars, then and now, knows that the European spec Ford Focus basically rules. So when we heard that this new offering from Mazda was to be built on the platform of the second generation European Focus we knew we had to get our hands on one.

The first generation 3 did not disappoint. Mazda made sure to give it a good range of engines with plenty of pep, also releasing a Mazdaspeed variant for an even more sporty experience. The interior was nice and not too cheap for its price range, the looks where spot on for the market and the power and handling was excellent. So the successor of this understated machine would have to be even better, and that’s always hard to top in these markets.

So does the 2010 Mazda 3 live up to its “Zoom-Zoom” heritage? I would say yes for sure. The exterior, although it has been made fun of for being too “smiley face” looking in the design, actually looks good in a fun sporty way. That’s the overall theme of this car, small and fun, so why not give it a fun looking exterior. The rear is more aggressive and sportier than before with beautiful molded lines and sharp tail lights. The interior has a clean fill with lots of black and splashes of chrome and red thrown in. The cluster has improved and the center console has a more grown up feel to it. A Grand Touring package adds navigation and loads of extra buttons on the steering wheel and all over the car. By no means is this an uncomfortable place to be on a long trip. Speaking of long trips the driving and handling of the car is again just that much better than the old. Where this car shines is with its new bigger and better engines.

You have the base sporting a 2.0 liter with 148 hp and 135 lb-ft of torque. The one to have is the 2.5 liter “s” with a six speed manual gear box pushing 167 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque.

All in all I think Mazda has been on the move up since its introduction of the Mazda 6 in 2002. They are still an understated company that has the potential to grow. The new Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 are making this clear. If you want a fun to drive cheaper car with lots to smile about and not much to be down about, I suggest looking at your Mazda dealership.

2010 Mazda 3

2010 Mazda 3

The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi:

Posted on by
Road Race Kizashi

Road Race Kizashi

The official unveiling of the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi took place last week showing off a few of the new sedans by Suzuki. The Kizashi is long awaited in the US from Suzuki, as they haven’t offered a mid-sized sedan in the US since the end of the Verona in 2006.  The Verona was a rebadged Daewoo marketed through Suzuki. It was a horrible failure for Suzuki, not only bringing their quality status down but also pulling away from what they want Suzuki to symbolize. The Kizashi though is a completely different story. Built in Suzuki’s new factory keeping everything under Suzuki’s control the new Kizashi lives up to their “way of life” slogan. Featuring AWD and a 3.6 liter V6 that will put it right at par with some great cars and knowing Suzuki’s handling I’m sure it will be a great driving car.

Want to make your Kizashi even better? Road Race Motorsports has already started developing aftermarket parts for this car!

 [ad#cj-2]

What about the design? There have been many comparisons to VW or Audi, or even that it looks too much like a bigger SX4 sedan. I’ll agree that the Kizashi 3 concept was quite more stunning than this production version, but everyone knew it would get watered down in the name of a production car. I think it’s still an attractive car and it gives them something to reach for with the next line up. Let’s just hope it is a success for Suzuki in the hard times of the American auto market.