Short-reviews - we sat in them at the Chicago Auto Show (part one)

GMC Terrain

Likes: Styling inside out has been drastically improved. You can now option for a 1.6 diesel engine.

Dislikes: We loathe the push button gear selector and how its awkwardly placed in the dashboard.

Overall: It looks better than an Equinox but it still feels like one.



Volkswagen Jetta

Likes: We love the new digital display. The rear seat is even roomier than the current form. The interior build quality has been dramatically improved.

Dislikes: Typical Volkswagen play it safe styling.

Overall: Looks like another winner from Volkswagen.



Jaguar XF Sportbrake (sedan shown above)

Likes: It's the Jaguar Wagon we've been hoping to see again. The boot space and rear seat space is much better than the sedan.

Dislikes: Americans (most not all) hates wagons. We can't afford it and we're sad about that.

Overall: There will be a cheaper version coming soon with a 2-liter turbo engine.



Ford Eco Sport

Likes: Mini-Escape looks (which isn't a bad thing), the interior is spacious for five.

Dislikes: The boot door swings out instead of upward like most crossovers. We're not entirely sure about the 1-liter eco-boost three-cylinder engine overall flexibility.

Overall: It's another crossover (yawn) and it's starting to get a little boring at this point.



Smart Fortwo ED

Likes: An affordable electric car with decent range. The Smart Fortwo should've been electric only from the beginning.

Dislikes: Limited appeal.

Overall: It maybe the smartest Smart you can buy.

Crossovers we can't wait to test drive (Part one)

Volvo XC40 

The XC40 is just a smaller version of the XC90 and we absolutely love the way it looks from every angle. The engine that will be offered at launch will be a T5 pumping out 248hp and standard all-wheel-drive. We haven't heard much information about whether or not front-wheel-drive will be the standard form, but the starting price is very attractive ($35k) and competitive towards the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. 

Jaguar E-Pace 

Jaguar/ Land Rover have been on a bit of a design home run marathon. The new Disco and Velar are both outstanding looking 4x4s. What we loved the most is the F-Pace which took elements of the F-Type and made it work in the form of a crossover. The E-Pace, which will compete with cars like the BMW X1 and Volvo XC40 will have a very heavily competitive segment to fight in, but the 2-liter turbo four standard with 248hp and 296hp should have no trouble luring buyers who seek performance and still care about style. 

BMW X3 

The next generation of the X3 has finally made an appearance. It's been quite literally seven-years since the second generation appeared and it's been long overdue despite the few updates the X3 has received over the years. The new X3 will use the updated 2-liter turbo four pumping out 248hp (this seems to be the average horsepower) and an optional 3-liter turbo six-cylinder pumping out 355hp which will be dubbed the M version of the X3. We love the way the M-package looks on the new X3 and can't wait to test drive one when it goes on-sale. 

Maserati Levante S

We still haven't had the opportunity to test drive this crossover. We are working with someone (sources we can't name) to get our hands on the Levante. We've been told to wait for the new 3.8 twin-turbo eight-cylinder that should be arriving sometime next year. However, our goal is to test drive the more mainstream versions first prior to the high performance so we can see what buying a cheaper Levante would be like. We love the sleek styling and the interior seems to be a hit and miss on quality (we've only been able to sit in one). 

Porsche Cayenne Turbo/ Turbo S/ GT-S 

We'd love the opportunity to test drive one of the high-performance versions of the Cayenne. We've only managed to get our hands on a entry-level Cayenne with a 3.6 six-cylinder pumping out 300hp. It seems very hard to find places willing to let us test drive one, even if it's just around the corner and back. The next generation of the Cayenne is around the corner, and it looks light years better inside out. We hope that it lives up to the hype that we've read about in several reviews. 

Ford Eco Sport 

We know that it's just a crossover version of the Fiesta, but we do find the styling rather cute. The 1-liter ecoboost three-cylinder engine is the one that sparks our curiosity the most. It has less horsepower than an HRV but running costs should be lower also thanks to a turbo and high torque at low revs. This pint sized crossover should be urban friendly and has a very attractive starting price under $20k. (Sourced from Ford USA website.)