Devon test drives a Ford Fiesta ST

The Ford Fiesta ST is best pocket rocket that money can buy.

The 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 197hp and is mated to a super slick six-speed manual gearbox. You desire oomph this engine won’t disappoint. Acceleration is more than just brisk it’s downright bonkers on the highway. Even when you are not driving like a total hooligan the Fiesta ST is still a refined enough for daily commutes. Steering and handling are among its sweet spots. You can hurl it into a corner and feel virtually no torque steer. The engine exhaust is contagious and wants you to keep the revs high and demands to be pushed harder. Wind noise won’t be an issue, road noise will thanks to the low profile tires. But it’s far from annoying.

Interior space is decent with plenty of space for both front and rear passengers. Taller passengers in the rear seats will find legroom and headroom slightly cramped. The boot offers decent space too. The dashboard is just too fiddly to navigate through at glimpse. There’s just way too many similar looking buttons and the SYNC MYFORD touch screen display is just too confusing to navigate through. 17 inch alloy wheels, blind spot warning system and temperature control all come standard. You’ll have to pay extra for a sunroof, navigation system and heated front seats. For the money though the Fiesta ST is well equipped.

The Ford Fiesta ST is worth every single penny. Unless you want to have the few add on options we strongly suggest sticking with the standard kit because you’ll be pretty satisfied with what you get. What makes the ST even more appealing is it still offers decent running costs and strong resale value. However it won’t be as strong of a Mini Cooper S but it should be strong thanks to popular demand of this vehicle.

The Fiesta ST is a great all round hatchback with plenty of zip for very little money. If you want to most fun to drive hatchback for very little cash the Ford Fiesta is the most compelling option you can have. It may not be a Mini Cooper S but it does what it’s designed for better plus it’s more practical than the Mini.

Likes: Thumping turbo engine and excellent chassis makes this Fiesta a win-win.

Dislikes: Fiddly infotainment system but that’s just nitpicking.

(Used) Devon drives the cheapest car you can buy.

Quick! What's the cheapest new car you can buy in the U.S. right now? No its not the Smart Fortwo, and its not a Kia Rio. We're talking about the new Nissan Versa. Taking the crown as the cheapest car in the U.S.  The Versa is the only four-door sedan you can buy that starts well below $11,000. With rivals like Kia and Hyundai moving upmarket for few thousand more. Can Nissan provide a valid reason why basic transportation has a place in this competition? Let's find out.

Performance: There's only one engine and that's a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 109hp. Around town the Versa feels lively, however on the motorway you'll struggle to get up to pace. The CVT transmission makes the engine scream when revved hard. Only tradeoff is the high gas mileage that helps the Versa serve its purpose as a city car.

Ride & Handling: The Versa feels smooth and comfortable to drive around town. On the highway, you may struggle a little due to the small tires. However, most owners won't venture or try to push the Versa to its limits. This is a good thing because the Versa isn't the best handling of the bunch. But you do get brake assist and four-wheel anti-lock brakes to reduce braking distance.

Refinement: The Versa interior feels hushed and refined for the low asking price. There is some wind and road noise that will sneak into the cabin. It's far from intrusive and annoying. The CVT transmission makes the engine droand loudly when revved hard. This may make long journeys a bit tiresome.

Behind the wheel: The driving position can be a bit awkward for some. The steering wheel only adjust for height, which can be uncomfortable for passengers with short arms. The interior is has a logical layout with all the controls within easy reach of the drivers hand.

Space & Practicality: The Versa has a large roomy rear seat that can really rival larger sedans. There's plenty of space for three passengers. Headroom and legroom are superb for a car that carries the price of a used vehicle. The boot is massive and offers plenty of space.

Equipment: The base Vesra is pretty much a car. You get air-conditioning and very little else. You'll have to step up to the mid-range 1.6SV to get central locking, power windows and cruise control. Top of the range Versa adds Bluetooth, premium audio cd player and cloth door trim accent.

Buying & Owning: The Versa's low base price means that you won't have to pocket too much to buy one, and thanks to high fuel economy. Running costs will be low as well. Residual value won't be the greatest and resale value is about average.

Quality & Reliability: It's too soon to say if the Versa will be reliable in the long run. However, since the Versa is built by Nissan. Reliability should be trouble free for the mechanical parts. The quality of the interior is spotty. There are parts of the interior that feel cheap, but for the price you can't really expect anything special.

Safety & Security: Four-wheel anti-lock brakes and brake assist are both standard. Dynamic stability control and side curtian airbags are standard on all trim levels. Making the Versa one of the biggest bargains in terms of price. There are no deadlocks offered standard and an anti-theft alarm is not offered on the base trim level.

Likes: Low base price and low running costs, biggest rear seat and boot space in class, good amount of kit for the money.

Dislikes: Bland inside out, base trim can be seen as mean, nothing special other than a low price and roomy interior.

The Nissan Versa doesn't really offer much in terms of driving excitement, and that's okay. For the sole purpose of the Versa most buyers will be very satisfied. It may not be the most striking car to look at, and the interior isn't the most lavish. A basic transporation vehicle that can be used as a work horse. Low asking price with low running costs. A good vehicle but offers nothing special other than an attractive low price and roomy interior.

Devon's Pick: 1.6 SV trim adds power windows and door locks which are a few features that you'll want.

Devon M

Can Devon find a Spark in a micro-sized Chevy? (Used)

Gas prices are high and the cost of owning a vehicle is going up. Chevy figured this would be the perfect opportunity to launch the Chevy Spark. It's a subcompact hatchback that has real potential to go toe to toe with the Fiat 500 and Toyota iQ. Even though Americans haven't really warmed up to small cars yet, will the Spark be able to spark something in this steadily trendy segment? Let's find out! 

Performance: There's only one engine available with the Spark and that's a 1.2-liter four-cylinder producing 84hp. It's not the peppiest engine and won't spark any excitement. Fuel economy however is the main concern here and that's where the Spark really sparks. It's at home around town where the little horespower it has is peppy and can catch up to traffic with ease. On the highway you may want to plan out your overtaking because it will take a while to get up to pace with the rest of traffic. We suggest sticking with the manual gearbox as it works better with the small amount of horsepower the engine has to offer. 

On the road: The Spark has a comfortable ride for a city car. Around town the suspension copes well with bumps and helps the Spark dart around tight urban areas with little to no effort needed. Venture outside of the city limits and the Spark's composed ride often feels unsettled. Most city cars feel out of their element outside of the city, so the Spark isn't too far off from its main rivals. 

Refinement: You'll have to work the engine hard to get any momentum out of it. The manual gearbox is better suited with the small engine size and output. Wind and road noise will intrude in the cabin at higher speeds making the Spark feel less refined than its rivals. 

Behind the wheel: The dashboard has a very user-friendly with most of controls and dials easily labeled and easy to reach from the driver's seat. The instrumental panel has a motorcycle like gauge which helps spark a little flare inside the cabin. There's plenty of adjustments for the driver's seat, but the steering wheel doesn't adjust for reach. This isn't a deal breaker but can compromise the driving position for taller drivers. 

Space & Practicality: Even though the Spark is small, the interior is roomy and offers plenty of space for four adults. There is plenty of headroom and legroom for front and rear passengers if the passengers are willing to share out the space. The boot space won't wow you but it's pretty decent compared to most rivals, you'll have to push the front seats forward to fold the rear seats down to extend cargo space. 

Equipment: The Spark starts at the right price tag but the base trim loses out on cd-player, keyless entry and a few other bits that you'd desire. You'll have to step up to the mid-range trim to add these features which we highly suggest. Top of the range trim adds leatherette seating surfaces, Chevy's MyLink, alloy wheels with roof rails. 

Buying & Owning: The Chevy Spark running costs should be low thanks to the ultra efficient engine under the hood. You may lose some of the fuel economy benefits due to the fact that you have to work the Spark's engine harder on faster paced roads. Starting prices for the Spark are below $13,000 which should appeal to the tight budget minded buyers. We however suggest sticking with the mid-range trim which adds keyless entry and few other bits that you'll want on your daily drive. 

Quality & Reliability: The Spark's interior is very nice but is surrounded by hard and cheap looking plastics. You can tell that this car was built to a price. It's a shame because the Spark has such a fun loving character. 

Safety & Security: The Spark comes with front and side curtain airbags standard. Hill start assist and electronic stability are standard across the range as well as traction control. The base trim loses out on a theft alarm and keyless entry which leaves the Spark vunerable to break-ins. 

The Chevy Spark is a spacious and roomy city car that benefits from an extra pair of doors for added versatility. It's stylish and quite a joy to drive around the city. Venture outside of the city and everything goes down hill from there. The engine doesn't offer enough momentum to really get you off the line and you'll have to plan out your overtakings. The rear seats are very difficult to fold down and the base trim feels rather short on kit. If you need a small urban runabout that can seat up to four and is cheap to buy and run. The Spark really does spark up these and shows that it is indeed a great car to consider.

Devon's Pick: The 1LT trim makes the most sense. You get air-con, keyless-entry, cd-player and cruise control standard. You still get the same 1.2-liter engine as the base trim but you're not losing out on comfort features. 

Likes: Fuel efficient, fun to drive around town, roomy for four adults. Stylish exterior looks and a well thought out interior design. 

Dislikes: Obvious sign the car was built to a price. Overwhelmed outside city limits. Rear seats fold down feature is fiddly to use. Color choices won't appeal to all. 

Devon M 

Devon Test drives a Toyota Matrix (Used)

The days when buying a small wagon are becoming less and less common these days. No longer are people buying wagons, but instead optioning for crossovers that sit higher off the ground like the Nissan Juke and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. However, what if you need a small wagon that's just as versatile and slightly more fuel efficient? Look no further the Toyota Matrix may just push some of the right buttons.

Performance: There are two engines available for the Matrix. A 1.8 liter four-cylinder with 132hp, and a 2.4 liter four-cylinder with 158hp. Both engines provide swift acceleration, but the 2.4 liter engine provides more punch at highway speeds. There really isn't much of a price difference between the two engines. The top of the range model gets all-wheel-drive.

Ride & Handling: Ride comfort is excellent for a small wagon. The suspension soaks up bumps really well. Some bumps may upset the ride. Handling isn't inspiring, and doesn't urge you to push the Matrix to its limit. There's bodyroll but not a lot. You may want to look at the sporty trim for a sports suspension.

Refinement: Toyota's reputation for quality doesn't come short of the Matrix. Road and wind noise is well supressed. The engine can be heard when revved hard, but its far from annoying. Around town the Matrix is nippy and easy to manuever. At highway speeds, the Matrix is quiet and refined. However, there's very little feel from the steering wheel. This is a let down because the Matrix looks sportier than its Corolla counterpart.

Behind the wheel: The dashboard has a nonsense free layout. Everything is within reach of the driver's seat. The materials used look and feel high quality. However, the interior looks a bit dull compared to some rivals.

Space & Practicality: The interior is roomy for five passengers. The floor in the rear seat is flat. This gives more space for three people. There's plenty of head and leg room in the back. The boot space is somewhat disppointing compared to rivals. The rear seats fold flat creating a cargo van like roominess.

Equipment: Each Matrix comes well equipped. Air-conditioning, power windows and central locking all come standard. There's an MP3 compatible stereo, with top of the line trims adding upgraded stereo system.

Buying and Owning: The Matrix is priced reasonably with other small wagons. There's not much of a price difference between the base and top of the line trim. Most buyers will pick the base trim, its priced reasonably and comes with enough kit to satisfy most buyers. Running costs should be low, and resale value will be average.

Quality & Reliability: Toyota's reputation has been soiled by the recall. However, the Matrix has always gotten high remarks by its owners. Build quality is excellent, and the mechanicals have been proven to be trouble free.

Safety & Security: Each Matrix comes with deadlocks, and other anti-theft systems to guard out theft. There's ESP and ABS standard across the range. There's also side curtian airbags and day time running lamps to add to safety.

Likes: Excellent fit and finish, very fuel efficient, loaded with value for the money.
Dislikes: Dull driving experience, play it safe styling inside out.

The Matrix is a dependable and reliable vehicle that offers extra cargo space and versatility. The legendary build quality of Toyota and fuel efficient engines are also some of the benefits. However, the driving experience is rather dull and styling inside out is bland. If you can overlook these few little faults the Matrix is a great car to own.

Devon M

Devon tests drives a Subaru XV (Used)

If there were ever a vehicle that blended go-anywhere all-wheel-drive, a roomy interior and fuel economy that is almost similiar to a small family car. You'd say we were crazy, but what if that vehicle existed? It would be the Subaru XV.

Performance: There is only one engine choice for the XV and that's a 2-liter boxer four-cylinder producing 148hp. Acceleration around town is decent and highway passing power is okay. The XV only weights 3,100lbs so this is actually quite enough. In some situations however, the engine leaves us wishing there were a more powerful output to choose from.

Ride & Handling: The XV comes standard with all-wheel-drive which provides oodles of grip and traction when you need it the most. The ride comfort however isn't the greatest. On some surfaces the ride quality feels a little bit of a let down, especially on the highway. You'll feel an unrelenting tremor which is too bad because it handles very well.

Refinement: The engine doesn't really have to be worked hard if you aren't in a rush, but if you are you'll hear it. Wind and road noise are well supressed most of the time. You'll hear the suspension struggling to soak up the bumps at low speeds. On the highway road noise will be a unwelcome visitor.

Behind the wheel: The driving position is good thanks to an elevated height, which means an overall good view of the road. The steering adjusts for reach and for height and the seats offer plenty of support. All the controls are within easy reach of the driver's hand.

Space & Practicality: The XV offers oodles of leg and headroom for rear passengers, even if the exterior shows a differ story. The boot offers plenty of space for luggage. Roof rails are standard on both trims which adds to the versatility of the vehicle.

Equipment: The XV comes well equipped even in the base trim. You get all-wheel-drive, stability control, Bluetooth hands free connectivity for your mobile phone. Top of the range trim adds leather trimmed upholstery, automatic climate control, six-speaker sound system and standard automatic transmission.

Buying & Owning: The XV has an attractive starting price of only $21,995, while the top of the range is only $24,495. There are options to choose from and can push the price a bit dearer than you'd like. The biggest complaint we have is that even though the engine is up for the job, we'd want a more powerful engine or a diesel possibly. Running costs should be average thanks to decent fuel economy. Resale value should be strong too.

Quality & Reliability: The interior may not have the classy materials used in some of its possible keen rivals, but there is a sturdy quality and feel. Subaru has enjoyed strong reliability record and its reputation for that is spotless.

Safety: The XV has performed well in crash tests and even scored a full five-star rating. Stability control is standard across the range which will help you avoid accidents.

The XV is a great alternate to a much larger and less efficient 4x4 and other crosovers that may costs more. If you desire a go anywhere vehicle, with decent running costs at a decent price. The XV clicks all the right buttons. If you can ignore that lack of power and the somewhat disappointing highway ride quality. The XV is a good car and worth the consideration.

Devon's Pick: 2.0i Premium is the pick of the XV range. It's the cheapest and will fit most needs really well. In my opinion you don't want to pay any more for the top of the range trim.

Likes: Standard all-wheel-drive with decent fuel economy. Stylish exterior looks with great off-road manners. Raised driving height gives good view of the road.

Dislikes: Low speed ride comfort, road noise at highway speeds. A more powerful engine or diesel engine would be nice.  

Devon M

Devon test drives a Subaru BR-Z (Used)

If you think you're suffering from double vision you're not alone. The Subaru BR-Z and Scion FR-S are nearly identical and share many of the same components. Both are built in the same factory and use the same 2-liter four-cylinder engine. Only differences are a few cosmetic tweeks and slight tuning to the suspension. But is that enough to tell them apart? Let's find out! 

Performance: Only engine on hand is a 2-liter horizontially opposed flat-four which produces 200hp. It doesn't sound like a lot, but for the money it's quite enough. You'll have to rev the engine hard to get the most of it but when you do you'll really love doing it. The manual gearbox makes the BR-Z more enjoyable to drive rather than the automatic which seems to sap more of the already limited amount of power and torque the engine has to offer.

On the road: The BR-Z has a firmer suspension than the FR-S, which makes it more fun to drive through bends and corners. Since it's a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, you can really kick out the rear in corners more than in a front-wheel-drive car. This is where the appeal of rear wheel drive starts to kick in. It's just a hoot to drive and push hard. The steering is slick and the feedback is excellent. It doesn't feel as tail happy as the FR-S but we wish that there was a bit more oomph to really make it more of a joy to drive. Refinement isn't a strong point for the BR-Z. The transmission is clunky and road noise will be an even bigger issue.

Behind the wheel: The driving position is spot on for a sporty feel. The chunky steering wheel offers plenty of grip when pushing through on bends and corners. Most of the controls and dials on the dash are simply arranged and feel somewhat easy to navigate.

Space & Practicality: There's plenty of space in the front but the rear seats are next to useless. Headroom and legroom are far too tight for adults and the foot space is even tighter. You're better off using the rear seat for luggage space rather than for passengers. The boot offers decent amount of space too.

Equipment: The BR-Z comes with a decent amount of kit standard for the money. You get air-con, cd-player and central locking. Voice-activate navigation system and Bluetooth both come standard as well. You'll have to step up to the top of the range to add keyless start and a leather trimmed interior. The base trim seems more of the bargain deal which is the one you're better off with to keep costs down.

Buying & Owning: The BR-Z is priced a bit higher than the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. Both however don't offer the fuel efficient engine that the BR-Z has and neither of the two are as fun to thrash as the BR-Z is, which should help add to the appeal of the car. It feels more fun to drive in bends too which makes it more of a bargain when you think about it. Fuel costs will be low but insurance costs maybe a bit high due to the sporty nature of the vehicle. Resale value should hold up well considering that Subaru owners tend to keep their vehicles longer.

Quality & Safety: Subaru is known for its rock solid reliability record and that is no exception in the BR-Z. Everything feels well built and long lasting. It isn't as classy as some of the more expensive rivals but it serves its purpose well. There's a decent amount of safety kit too. Stability control is standard as well as seven airbags to protect you in the event of a crash. Anti-whip-lash headrest are standard as well as a good security system to keep theft at bay.

The Subaru BR-Z is slightly more fun to drive than the Scion FR-S thanks to slightly sportier handling. This is where the differences between the FR-S and BR-Z end. Both vehicles are nearly identical but it makes really no sense to have two of the same vehicle without one having something different from the other. We think that the Subaru counterpart should at least offer a turbo engine or a more powerful engine option to really go with the already tossable chassis. You'll have to thrash the engine to keep the momentum going which is something you can't really say about the Mustang and Camaro. One thing you can't say about those two cars is that the running costs will be cheap due to the fact that it is a four-cylinder and it's better on gas compared to the six-cylinders in the Mustang and Camaro. It's a lightweight coupe with rear wheel drive and a low starting price. It's not perfect but it makes sense. We just wish it had more power. 

Devon's Pick: The Premium trim is all you'll really need. The Limited Trim really isn't worth the extra money unless you have to have keyless start and a leather interior. We say that the less you spend the better, unless there is a power upgrade included. 

Likes: Most fun to drive compared to FR-S. Fuel efficient engine with a tossable chassis.

Dislikes: You'll have to thrash the engine more than you'd like. Interior feels cheap. Without the badge there is no way to tell it apart from the FR-S.

Devon M