Auto Trends

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and it is time to prepare for what will hopefully be a great New Year. But before we close the curtain on 2008, we would like to go over some of the highlights and low points of this past years vehicle selection. This year has been a tough year for all manufacturers, but a few of them managed to rise to the top, while others were scrapping the barrel just hoping to find a few customer scraps thrown their way. We will continue our review with the best and worst of the affordable, “fun to drive” cars.

BEST: Mazda MX-5 Miata

My new 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata, originally uploaded by ericabiz

Ho-hum, what’s new, the Mazda MX-5 Miata has been on the most fun to drive sporty car list for so long, its name is practically burned into everyone’s mind when they think of cheap performance. How cheap, well $27,000 will get you in the Miata’s Sport model which has been boasted to practically tie the $50,000 Porsche Boxster in most every important performance maneuver worth testing. Its ultra small and light chassis and relatively low stance makes the Miata about as close to driving a souped up go-cart as an adult with mediocre accident insurance coverage would want to get.

In other words, this car is fun! Not just run a Ford Mustang GT-500 down a quarter mile at 100 miles per hour, fun, but rather carve out a twisty canyon road with the top down at 65 miles per hour, fun! While there is more and more competition popping up for the aged MX-5 design, such as the turbocharged Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, the Miata’s refined balance between power and weight still makes it the superior sports car. Now with this said, if you are looking for that 5-second zero to 60 rush, the Mazda Miata is definitely not for you. This is a drivers car… not a Saturday night stoplight drag queen.

Vehicle: MX-5 Miata

Base Price: $21,000 and up

Available Engines:

2.0 liter Inline-4, 166 horsepower, 140 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 5-speed manual (6-speed optional)

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 91 inches

Length: 157 inches

Height: 49 inches

Curb Weight: 2,445 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 22 MPG City

WORST: Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

originally uploaded by Yellowbrother

The Smart Fortwo Passion is one of the smallest vehicles allowed on the highways today… although we would note recommend it unless you are looking to be Smart splat on the window of some gargantuan SUV. It is cute, unique, sporty looking, trendy, and happy, but the praise stops there. The Smart Passion is one of those vehicles which has no obvious driver it is catering to. It isn’t exactly “green” at 33 MPG, it isn’t exactly fast at 0-60 in 14 seconds, and it is not particularly practical or family oriented with just two seats and eight cubic feet of cargo space. So what is it?

Well, we’d say it was a human fashion statement. Something to drive around and “be seen” in. If you like attention, then you will be sure to get a lot of it while driving a Smart. After all, there aren’t a heck of a lot of these around. But getting down to the nitty-gritty, the Smart Passion has a few issues that might not be too much fun for some. We’re talking about its consumer reported poor handling and noisy, lethargic transmission which has plagued the Fortwo from the very beginning. Not only is the transmission noxious and unresponsive, but there isn’t much the driver can do about it, even during manual shifting. Not a bad try Smart, you were just outclassed by some pretty steep competition this year.

Vehicle: Fortwo Passion

Base Price: starting at $13,990

Available Engines:

1.0 liter Inline 3-cylinder, 70 horsepower, 68 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 5-speed automatic (manual shift)

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 74 inches

Length: 106 inches

Height: 60 inches

Curb Weight: 1,800 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 33 MPG city