We asked the same bundle of year-end questions to all of our Driving contributors. Today:
If you were buying a vehicle tomorrow with your money and your budget for your own lifestyle, which would it be and why?
Here’s why it matters to you: When an automotive journalist would put their own hard-earned dollars behind a car, that’s the best endorsement/recommendation you can get.
Here’s what they told us:
Andrew McCredie: The latest edition to our family is a Duck Tolling retriever, so we need a hatch or CUV to transport Sherlock to and from the forested mountain trails near our home. An electric vehicle will be our next purchase, so we’re thinking either a Nissan Leaf or Kia Soul EV.
EVs are allowed to drive in Norway’s bus lanes.
Supplied, Nissan
Brendan McAleer: A WRX hatchback. Look, I know they don’t make them any more, but I figure if I keep repeating how much I want one, Subaru’s going to have to bring over some version of the Levorg. If you’re listening, Fuji Heavy Industries, I will buy one of these things tomorrow if you ship it over. Six-speed manual, Sport package, World Rally Blue Pearl. Hurry up already.
Brian Harper: The heart says sports car and, frankly, I think I could fool, er, convince my wife that it’s a reward for lives lived with some restraint. Besides, grandkids are unlikely anytime soon. Still, middle-class practicality trumps middle-aged craziness, so something with comfort, room, an appropriate amount of creature comforts and four doors is far likelier. A certain amount of luxury wouldn’t hurt, either, though premium car prices are off the table. That makes the redesigned Hyundai Genesis sedan an inspired choice. No, it doesn’t have the snob factor of your typical Eurosedan, but, at $43,000 to start for the 3.8L V6 version, it still leaves something left over in the savings account. Besides, it’s quiet, smooth and attractive in an understated fashion. It’s also available with all-wheel drive, which makes it more than suitable for our long Canadian winters. Anyone who thinks the South Koreans can’t build luxury cars needs to drive one.
2015 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Technology
John LeBlanc, Driving
David Booth: What would I buy with my own money? Well, that’s easy; I’d buy a motorcycle, probably a Triumph Explorer 1200 or a BMW R1200RT? Oh, but, maybe a TL1000 Suzuki might find it’s way into the Booth garage. And, what I’d really, really like is to have another 1982 Honda CB1100RC just like the one I’ve got now, only this one I’d keep in California where I could ride it on the kind of twisty roads its fine handling deserves.
Also read: The best (and worst) cars we drove in 2014
Oh, but you mean four boring wheels? Don’t give it much thought, actually, but If I did indeed have to buy a car right now, I’d probably head off to the local Mini dealership and buy a Cooper S JCW. The basement troll has fled his lair, I am so grumpy few will ever passenger with me and, thanks to wonky lumbars ending my recreational hockey career, I have no need of trunk space. So the JCW’s combination of wowza-that-corner-came-up-faster-than-I-thought performance and frugal fuel economy speaks to me. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a cute as a bug. Of course, that’s assuming I would keep it for just four years. If I was shopping something to last me 10 years, I’d just buy a used Corolla and never visit a dealership again.
Derek McNaughton: Easy. The 2015 Audi S3. All the goodness of an Audi — and an S model to boot — without the ridiculous price of other S models. Sure, it’s still expensive at just over $50,000, but it’s small and nimble and quick. Some might argue an S4 is the better pick, but the smallness of this car is what makes it big. Plus, it has such a lovely interior. Now, if Audi would build an A3 TDI with quattro, I would have to rethink this.
2015 Audi S3 Technik
David Booth, Driving
Graeme Fletcher: There are so many wonderful choices, even when forced to shop on a budget. If money were no object, my choice would be the Audi RS 7, however, my practical (and fiscal) side said no. I would opt for something affordable and city friendly. After mulling my options, I elected to put money on the Kia Rio5. It has enough power to make it a fun drive and it returns better than average fuel economy. It also has hatchback flexibility and, if you don’t mind moving up the price ladder a little, just about every comfort and convenience feature found in any self-respecting entry-level luxury car. True, it’s far from exciting in the scheme of things, but it does everything I demand of a car — it’s a caviar feast on a baked bean budget.
The refreshed Kia Rio at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
Jim Leggett: I actually changed vehicles this fall and it has worked out extremely well for me. I sold my 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, which I had for a couple of years. I knew it was too small when I bought it for $2,500 but it proved to me that I really wanted a pickup. At 438,000 km the little four-cylinder engine was still willing but everything else was rusted, worn out and broken. Repair costs were far exceeding the value of the truck, even though I do most repairs myself.
I have a friend from Ontario who was looking to buy a used 1/2-ton pick-up with four doors to replace his 2002 Ford F-150 Supercab. He had owned it since 2006 and never drove in the winter, always did regular maintenance and annual rust-proofing. We made a bartering deal that cost me no money. The moral of this tale is think outside the box, talk to your friends and search for a deal and vehicle that suits your needs.
Jodi Lai: I have no kids (yet) and so a sporty, visceral little thing like the Scion FR-S is in my budget and fits all my buying criteria. But I’m married to a decidedly Germanic robot whose No. 1 concern is practicality and we might have kids in the near future, so I’d put my cash behind the new Volkswagen Golf or even the GTI if we were feeling extra spendy. I currently drive a 2008 Mk5 Rabbit, and although it’s still going strong, I would appreciate the better driving dynamics and increased fuel economy of the new turbocharged 1.8L engine. And I had such a good experience with my current car that I’d buy a newer model in a heartbeat.
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI Highline
Jim Leggett, Driving
John LeBlanc: The car we own now, an Audi Q5, would be my pick. A 2013 model, our all-wheel-drive, five-passenger midsize Audi crossover sports the spunky-but-frugal turbocharged four with an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission that, although it only has one clutch, is a good match to the engine’s torque curve, snapping off shifts quickly for our mainly urban driving needs.
Equally pleasing is the fit and finish inside our Q5 — as per Audi’s high-standards, thankfully. Its rear cargo area is just enough to handle a couple of ringette bags. Fold is seats down, and the Q5 can even handle carting home fresh-cut a Christmas tree.
As well, the A4 sedan-based crossover can be driven with some verve when not being used as a school bus. The Q5 is due for a replacement in the next few years. It will have its work cut out for it if it intends to replace our 2013 version.
2015 Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro
John LeBlanc, Driving
Lesley Wimbush: I’d love to say that I’m in the market for a Honda Fit, that extraordinarily versatile, origami Tardis-on-Wheels – but for the last decade, my budget constraints have decreed that my vehicular purchases be vintage hatchbacks purchased through online want ads. In addition to being able to accommodate my various and sundry filthy riding equipment, my daily-driver hatchbacks must fulfill a few key criteria: they must be fuel-sippingly frugal, have easily obtainable parts, and above all, be unfailingly reliable, never failing to turn over at 40 below, even when left for weeks on end in some godforsaken industrial lot while I drive that manufacturer’s press cars.
2015 Honda Fit EX-L Navi
Graeme Fletcher, Handout
Lorraine Sommerfeld: Because my money and my budget don’t allow me to purchase the fine $100K+ German engineering I should be allowed to have (and who are we kidding; with three kids driving my car, I’d never let them near it), I’ve found myself at least in the realm of comfortable, grown up cars. I’d go sedan; I have an Elantra, I like the Sonata, the new Accord is beautiful, I was impressed with the new Subaru Legacy, and Kia Optima’s redesign in 2009 put it on my list. I’m not ready to go hybrid, I’m a diesel fan but I don’t do the mileage to warrant the upcharge. If it were just me? I’d be looking hard at that Fiesta ST.
2014 Ford Fiesta ST
Darren Begg, Driving
Paul Choi: I’d look very hard at buying a used Lexus IS 250. It’s got a good mix of luxury and sportiness, won’t hurt my wallet too much at the pumps, is available in AWD, has bulletproof reliability, and isn’t hard on the eyes. The IS has an understated quality about it that I like. While it may not match the handling or panache of its compact German rivals, I’ll take Lexus’s reliability and lower cost of ownership any day if this is my money we’re talking about.
Russell Purcell: Acura made some big steps forward this year as Honda’s luxury division sought to reinvigorate interest in the brand by introducing a new model to replace their TL and TSX sedan offerings. Awkward styling and an overabundance of chrome had hindered sales of these two premium automobiles, so the TLX was rolled out as a solution.
This stylish entry-level luxury sedan is a relative bargain if you order the four-cylinder model, and comes well equipped and full featured. The passenger cabin is spacious, efficient, and very comfortable. To my surprise, it was also dead quiet. It would be a challenge to find a more serene cabin in a car priced under $100,000.
The TLX project is working, as the car is currently Acura’s top selling model. Part of the appeal may be attributed to the car’s superior safety rating, but careful packaging and a stylish design definitely play a hand too. Truthfully, I would put one in my garage if Acura offered the option of all-wheel-drive on the four-cylinder model.
Visibility is excellent, as
the car features slim pillars and lots of glass.
Russell Purcell, Driving