CNN’s cars to watch out for this year
Every year, the Detroit Auto show introduces us to more and more new cars. But very few of them will actually end up in people’s driveways.
Here’s CNN/Money's (along with James Bell, publisher of the automotive consumer magazine and Web site IntelliChoice, and David Champion, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports magazine) choice of cars that they think we should watch out for in the year ahead:
Volkswagen EOS – Volkswagen’s new attention-getting new model. If it's well made, the EOS would seem to be a promising product and just the sort of thing to inject a little excitement into what had become a rather timid-seeming brand.
Honda Fit - The Fit is really here as a representative of three new cars: the Fit, the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa. All are small (therefore more fuel-efficient) and, most importantly, are expected to be about as cheap as new cars get.
Toyota Camry - The redesigned Camry introduces something really new: a design some people may actually dislike. Camrys have always been good-looking in a bland, Everyman kind of way. But Toyota's new front end treatment and the new Camry's more curvaceous look may be a turn-off to some.
Jeep Compass - This is a car designed for buyers who like the idea and style of Jeep vehicles but don't want the reality of owning a genuine off-roader. (The rough ride and all that, you know.) The question is will the fakery of the off-road look bother potential buyers?
Ford Edge - Now that everyone already has an SUV, buyers who want that SUV utility are looking for something that will set them apart a bit. The Edge's futuristic look, while not as avant-garde as the Nissan Murano, for example, makes a stylish, forward-looking statement.
Lexus LS460 - While European luxury automakers blame their cars' technical complexity for poor quality ratings -- you have to expect a few bugs in all that wiring, right? -- Lexus, which has built its name on quality, dives right in with a car that leaves no bell unrung and no whistle untooted.
According to CNN/Money, they aren’t sure if their picks would be great cars, what they are sure of is that they’re all important. Best of all, their picks will come relatively cheap. But if you don’t intend to replace your current set of wheels anytime soon, you can always update its looks with new grille, bumpers, valance, or spoilers with top of the line auto parts from reliable online auto parts stores like Auto Parts Discount.
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