Reno offers an impressive list of standard equipment and affords better interior and cargo space than many compacts. It trails top competitors in performance and refinement, but its lower resale [...]
Veronas are nicely equipped, but they're plug-ordinary in performance, where their 6-cyl acts more like the 4-cyl engines of many rivals. Verona's lower resale values vs. more-established [...]
Suzuki's 2007 redesign improved on the trucky, previous-generation XL7, but it still trails the competition for value and overall refinement. XL7 shines only for acceleration and transmission [...]
Like the Nissan Frontier on which it's based, the Suzuki Equator is a credible compact-pickup contender with the option of a powerful V6 engine, middle-of-the-pack size, and new-vehicle options [...]
For the most part, Swifts have reminded us of Japanese subcompacts from the mid-1980s: noisy, cramped, basic--but stingy with fuel. As economical runabouts, they'll do--but just barely....
If low price is your top priority, a Swift (and its Metro counterpart) are worth considering. Even so, a larger, more substantial car could be a better bet in the end....
Unimpressive in most areas, except for fuel economy, the Esteem does not deliver acceptable value. For not too many extra dollars, several good alternatives can be found, including a Honda Civic, [...]
Toyota's Avalon is low on thrills but big on practicality and comfort. In contrast, the control layout and some detail execution falls below what's expected from a car in this class. Even so, [...]
