Best New Cars of 2007
26 June 2007 dans New Cars
The very best of what’s new for 2007
2007 has been a big year for new vehicle introductions, with well over 60 models redesigned, restyled or majorly updated. I’ve chosen what I think are ten of this year’s best, along with two runners-up that stood out but weren’t quite good enough to make it into the top ten. Click the photos to learn more about each individual new car and why it was chosen.
2007 Audi RS4
The Audi RS4 is one of the most capable and competent sport sedans on the market. The 420
horsepower V8 gives the Audi RS4 an incredibly quick 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds, and with 90%
or more of the engine’s 317 lb-ft of torque available between 2,250 and 7,600 RPM, the Audi
RS4 has the power to slam your skull back into the headrest at almost any speed. The engine’s 8,250 RPM redline just adds to the grins.
But the Audi RS4 is more than an Audi A4 with a souped-up engine. Specially tuned Quattro
all-wheel-drive and a specially modified suspension give the Audi RS4 unbelievable handling
ability, and its electronic stability control system is programmed to let you slide the car
through the corners while maintaining enough control to keep from sliding right off the road. What’s even more amazing is that the Audi RS4 makes a wonderful family car. It has a decent back seat, generous trunk, a gentle clutch and a firm yet surprisingly comfortable ride. This isn’t just a car for track days; it’s a car you can live with, day in and day out.
2007 Honda Fit
Most small hatchbacks made you choose between hauling 4 passengers or lots of cargo. The
Honda Fit is unique in that it lets you haul both at the same time. Though many micro-
hatchbacks have hit the market for 2007, no other divvys up space between front seat, back
seat and cargo bay quite as well as the Honda Fit does. Clearly this this car was designed
from the inside out, and clever tricks such as putting the gas tank in the center of the car, rather than the usual location under the back seat, allow the Fit owners to stuff more stuff into their cars than owners of other small hatches.
The Fit isn’t as good looking as the Toyota Yaris or as enjoyable to drove as the Suzuki SX4, but it’s capable and economical, and offers tall drivers lots of space to stretch out. No surprise that the Fit has been drawing buyers out of larger cars and even SUVs ever since it went on sale.
2007 Lexus ES350
The past few years have seen a change in cars from Japanese luxury marques like Lexus and
Infiniti: To better appeal to buyers of European cars, they’ve been focusing on driver
involvement as well as cutting-edge comfort and convenience features. That’s all well and good, but what about the non-enthusiast driver who just wants the finest luxury accoutrements he or she can buy, without enduring a hard ride and paying for all that go-faster hardware?
The answer can be found in the new Lexus ES350, a car that combines top-notch accommodations with a comfortable and capable front-wheel-drive layout. The ES350 is a
beautiful car that coddles its occupants as nicely as any other Lexus. It’s quick, it’s quiet, and it’s a great deal: Pricing starts around the same level as a top-of-the-line Toyota Camry, and even with all the options the ES350 stickers for thousands less than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
2007 Mazdaspeed 3
Mazda’s Mazdaspeed 3 is the latest in a series of fantastic Mazdaspeed performance editions, including last year’s Mazdaspeed 6. The Mazdaspeed 3 has the same “Oh wow!” factor as the fellow Best of 2007 winner Audi RS4, as in looking in the rear view mirror and saying, “Oh, wow, did I just drive through that curve that fast?”
By starting with the Mazda 3, one of the industry’s sharpest-handling compacts, and adding
a 263 hp turbocharged engine and even-more-capable handling, Mazda has created something
truly unique. That it’s based on the butch-looking 5-door wagonette — by far the coolest
member of the Mazda 3 family — just adds to the appeal, not to mention the convenience.
2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC
Whether or not you believe in global warming, whether or not you believe in conserving oil,
the fact is that less fuel used is more money in your pocket. The gasoline-powered Mercedes-Benz E350 and E550 get reasonable fuel economy considering their size and weight, but the diesel-powered E320 BLUETEC is truly amazing — 30 MPG in mixed driving is a realistic figure and that’s without trying very hard. Lots of compact sedans struggle to hit that target. The Mercedes E320 BLUETEC goes so far on a full tank of fuel that you might well forget the way to your local filling station. Mercedes’ BLUETEC system makes it far cleaner than diesels past, and with a price tag just $1,000 higher than a comparably-equipped gasoline-powered E-Class, the Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC just makes good financial sense.
2007 Nissan Sentra
How do I love the Nissan Sentra? Let me count the ways. First, there’s the fact that it packs mid-size levels of space into what is very clearly a compact car. The Nissan Sentra bests nearly all of its competitors for cabin and trunk volume. Next is the stellar continuously variable transmission, or CVT, an automatic transmission that delivers better acceleration and fuel economy than a manual. Third is the baby-Maxima styling — it’s a bit controversial, I know, but I think the Nissan Sentra is the only car that approaches last year’s new Honda Civic in terms of bold, modern styling both inside and out. Put it all together and you have a package that, in my opinion, rivals the best-selling Civic for the best compact sedan on the market.
2007 Nissan Versa
The Nissan Versa is like a rolling optical illusion. Outside it looks like what it is — a sub-compact car — but from the inside it feels roomier than most compacts. In fact, the Versa has so much interior space that the EPA classifies it as a mid-size. Every time I got out of the Nissan Versa, I’d glance back at it and wonder how a car so small could pack in so much interior room.
But space isn’t the Nissan Versa’s only big-car attribute. Crash performance is excellent; it scored top marks in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s front, side and rear impacts. And the list of optional amenities includes goodies such as Bluetooth phone compatibility and a keyless ignition system, features I’m used to seeing at the top of most automakers’ model lineups, not at the bottom. The Nissan Versa’s 1.8 liter engine develops more power than the 1.5 liter engines in its chief competitors, the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, and while fuel economy trails those cars, it doesn’t do so by much. The Nissan Versa is also the only car in its class to offer a continuously-variable automatic transmission (CVT), which offers more power and better fuel economy than a regular manual or automatic.
2007 Suzuki SX4
All wheel drive for the masses! The fact that the Suzuki SX4’s sub-$16k price tag includes
features like air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and locks, CD/MP3 player, six airbags, 143 horsepower engine, and a long warranty would be enough to make it a very good deal. The fact that it includes all that equipment plus the added traction and safety of electronically-controlled all-wheel-drive makes the Suzuki SX4 a excellent deal. And the fact that it’s lots of fun to drive and offers lots of second-row space thanks to an ingeniously packaged rear seat makes the SX4 an excellent car.
The Suzuki SX4’s Achilles’ heel is its fuel economy; EPA estimates in the mid-to-high 20s
are what we’d expect from a bigger car. Still, the Suzuki SX4 is hardly a gas hog, and its
other strengths — outstanding value, ease of driving and parking, cute looks and outrageous fun factor — are more than enough to launch it onto the Best New Cars of 2007 list.
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
I’m not a big fan of hybrids; when it comes to fuel economy I’ll take a good turbodiesel like the Mercedes E320 BLUETEC any day. But the new Toyota Camry Hybrid is an excellent use
of the technology, and a car even a hybrid cynic like me can appreciate: It delivers the mid-size utility American buyers want and the mid-size performance they expect with honest-to-goodness compact-sedan fuel economy. And it’s wrapped up in a car that people actually want to buy — witness the fact that the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in the United States for years.
How frugal is the Toyota Camry Hybrid? I averaged 30 MPG in a week of mixed driving, and
would expect most owners to see the same or better. Pricing on the Toyota Camry Hybrid
starts about $4,000 north of the volume-selling Toyota Camry LE with 4 cylinder engine and
automatic transmission (though to be fair, equipment levels are closer to the Toyota Camry
XLE). With gas prices constantly in flux, it’s debatable whether buyers will make up the cost in fuel savings — but with the money going to Toyota rather than the oil companies, Camry Hybrid buyers are helping to reduce our dependency on oil (foreign or domestic), and high-mileage drivers’ budgets are better protected against fluctuations in fuel prices. Any way you slice it, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a great idea.
2007 Volkswagen GTI 4-door
For years, cool cars have been denoted by two doors. Yes, hot-rod 4-doors exist — the
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru WRX STi are two examples — but usually that’s only
because the cars on which they are based don’t offer a two-door variant.
Volkswagen introduced the two-door GTI in 2006, and I’m sure I’m not the only parent who
rejoiced when they followed up with the 4-door version for 2007. The 2007 Volkswagen GTI 4
-door gives up nothing to the two-door in terms of performance and little in the way of style. It offers the same two-liter turbocharged engine — the best four-cylinder engine made, if you ask me — along with the same lightning-fast Direct-Shift Gearbox transmission, same well-trimmed-out interior and the same razor-sharp handling.
While Volkswagen does offer the same hardware in the four-door Jetta GLI sedan, the GTI’s
hatchback layout makes it smaller, easier to park, and just as capable (if not moreso) at hauling bulky cargo: plus it lets thirty-something parents like me feel like our twenties aren’t all that far behind.
2007 Saturn Aura
For all those who think that American automakers can’t make a car that handles well, I
respectfully request that they take a test drive in the Saturn Aura. The new mid-size Saturn is an outstanding car to drive, plus it’s much quieter and more comfortable than your average European sport-luxury sedan. Furthermore, the 3.6 liter V6 and six-speed automatic in the top-of-the-line Aura XR is a world-class powertrain. I’ve always said that General Motors is capable of great things, and the Saturn Aura bolsters that argument.
So why didn’t it win?With no four-cylinder model and limited option and interior color choices, the Aura doesn’t offer buyers as much variety as competitors like the Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.
2007 Volkswagen Eos
The Volkswagen Eos is the first retractable hardtop convertible that I could live with on a day-to-day basis. Hardtop convertibles lose most of their trunk space when you put the top down. Volkswagen engineers designed the Eos’ top to leave decent room for cargo — and when I say decent I don’t just mean in terms of volume in cubic feet. The Eos’ cargo bay is shaped to accommodate a couple of modestly-sized suitcases or a whole mess of grocery bags, and you can even load it when the top is lowered. For days that aren’t so sunny, the ingenious top also doubles as a giant sunroof. Add to that the fact that the Volkswagen Eos is rewarding to drive and comes with the same two-liter turbo engine found in the Volkswagen GTI, and you’ll see why the it won me over.
So why didn’t it win?With a price range of almost $29,000 to over $42,000, the Volkswagen Eos is simply too expensive for what you get.