2017

The Mitsubishi Mirage and the Toyota Yaris both started life as five-door hatchbacks, but the Mirage is slightly smaller than the Yaris subcompact hatch. Each has been joined for 2017 by a companion four-door sedan model. Neither vehicle rates very high in our full-review system, but each of these...Read More»

Was it just four years ago that the Mazda CX-5 showed up to the crossover party? It was, in fact, and in crossover SUV terms, that's old news. Time for some new news. There's a new Mazda CX-5 for the 2017 model year, and it's here at the Los Angeles auto show. The CX-5 is new, we promise. You might...Read More»

Jeep builds a crossover SUV for just about every size. The Renegade's a small; the Grand Cherokee's the extra-large. The medium label? That's what Jeep will apply to this new utility vehicle, starting next year. Jeep wants you to ignore the Compass that's on showroom floors right now. It's old...Read More»

It may have a rear liftgate just like the first Honda Civics that migrated to America at just the right time—when gas prices were spiking in the mid-1970s—but the 2017 Civic Hatchback that’s just now arriving in dealers is anything but a dour little runabout. In fact, it’s...Read More»

Looking ready to hit the trail (or at least the parking lot), the 2017 Chevrolet Spark Activ brings some outdoorsy style to the minicar segment. Debuting this week at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Spark Activ is more about looks than actual capability. Its suspension sits a little under half...Read More»

Each year, The Car Connection's editors drive hundreds of vehicles, over thousands of miles, to rate and rank every new car. We travel around the country and around the world to be among the first to sample new cars. We drive our friends and families around in our hometowns with weekly test drives...Read More»

The minivan market is shrinking, in the number of models and in the number of buyers. The minivan itself? It's still big, and big business, especially at Chrysler. Chrysler builds the best minivan on the road today, and we'll be among the first to call the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica the Best Minivan To...Read More»

Trucks may get all the glory, but economy cars do just as much work. Day in, day out, these famously unfussy machines shuttle tens of millions of us to work, school, stores, chores, parties, and home again with our stampeding dirty shoes and sweaty mutts. Just toss that wrapper in the back seat...Read More»

Families once loved minivans so much that there was a lengthy waiting list for the original people-carrier—and Chrysler is optimistic that they'll rediscover the comfort, efficiency, and (gasp!) style of a minivan once again with the 2017 Pacifica. We think they're onto something, so much so...Read More»

You won't have a minivan, something about the stigma of sliding side doors. A traditional off-road-rugged SUV? It's a bit much. Station wagons? Call you when they bring back the Roadmaster, you say? Those vehicles represent the state of the art of family driving, over the past two generations. This...Read More»

Pickup trucks are largely defined nowadays to what's possible rather than what's likely. The arms race for superlatives has overcome domestics to the point of near-absurdity—maxing out capacities on many of the big boys nearly requires a commercial drivers license and a parking space the size...Read More»

Crossovers have all but replaced the sport-utility vehicles of a generation ago. Most drivers don't know or care about the distinctions. Why should they? Crossovers get the family job done. They're spun from car platforms, have car-like handling, and don't worry themselves so much about off-road...Read More»

Performance is a trait we rate on every vehicle here at The Car Connection, but some vehicles do it better than others. Far, far better. We've given out our share of 10s this year for high-dollar, hyper-performance machinery that cranks out 0-60 mph times of less than 3 seconds, and top speeds in...Read More»

Since it was introduced here in 2000, the Toyota Prius has fundamentally changed the way car buyers view fuel efficiency. It's hard to argue that any other car has done more to press the case for eco-friendly cars than has the Prius. But frankly, Toyota's effort had withered after 15 years on the...Read More»

Marketing speak tries to tell us that everything from a four-door SUV to a hardtop convertible now can be called a coupe. We're not swayed by those arguments. We know a coupe when we see one, and the 2017 Honda Civic Coupe certainly ticks the right boxes. Short, fixed roof? Check. Two doors? Check...Read More»

Addition by subtraction can work wonders. Ask anyone who's lost a cell phone for a couple days and they'll say that the world changes the moment they started looking up. We couldn't agree more. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a tossable, likable car with few impediments between driver and road. For that...Read More»

Should you find yourself walking into a Volkswagen dealer with some questions about the automaker's Golf lineup, you'd better have some time on your hands. That's because the Golf lineup now includes everything from a pedestrian hatchback to a hot-rodded all-wheel-drive sports car to our Best Wagon...Read More»

The Chevrolet Bolt EV handily wins The Car Connection's Best Electric Car to Buy 2017. It rendered all other affordable electric vehicles outdated and nearly obsolete the minute it was unveiled. That's what happens in the tech world, which is just what the auto industry is starting to feel like...Read More»