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The Dodge Dart compact sedan launched as a 2013 model hasn't sold as well as hoped. One thing that hurt its debut was the unfamiliar feel of its dual-clutch automatic gear gearbox, brought over from Europe to boost the fuel economy of versions fitted with the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter...

Be honest: Have you ever thought about buying a Scion? Toyota's trendy small-car brand has been distinctly neglected over the past several years, and fewer buyers each year are stepping into its dealers. But, says the executive who oversees Scion, fear not: There will be three new products coming...

With the anticipated launch of the revised 2016 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car now less than a year away, expectations are that it will be a compact hatchback similar to the current model. Whether it has four or five seats remains up in the air, though the addition of a fifth seat would...

China's 2015 Chevrolet Cruze sedan will arrive in the U.S. as a 2016 model next year.

The 2015 Lexus NX compact crossover has had a long gestation, with two concept vehicles shown over the last 18 months. It was finally, officially unveiled yesterday at the Beijing Auto Show, as Lexus had announced it would be. Then, unexpectedly, it popped up halfway around the world--at the New...

Auto writers tend to like Mazdas; they generally perform and handle well, and are far more fun to drive than the anodyne Fords, Hondas, and Toyotas that outsell them in the compact and mid-size categories. The newest crop of Mazda cars and crossovers, built around the company's highly...

If ever any car brand should have offered a hybrid before now, it would be Subaru. Now we've driven the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, its very first hybrid offering. It's a much better car than the Crosstrek on which it's based, but little of that improvement has anything to do with the hybrid...

The 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf is the German maker's first production electric car to be offered for sale in the U.S. On sale late this year, it adds a plug-in electric powertrain option to the all-new seventh generation of the classic Golf five-door hatchback, now celebrating its 40th birthday. While...

Let's get one thing out of the way up front: The 2014 Cadillac ELR is rather more than a "tarted-up Volt," in the words of more than one commentator. It's a quiet, smooth, adequately powerful and very stylish coupe with a luxurious interior, and it runs on GM's most advanced range-extended electric...

The Toyota Corolla has long been the best-selling compact sedan in the U.S., and the all-new 2014 Corolla is a considerable advance over the aged, grim, unexciting model it replaced. We recently tested the most fuel-efficient model, the Corolla Eco, over our usual test route of about two-thirds...

Remember the Lexus LF-NX, the jaw-dropping concept for a new compact crossover from Toyota's luxury brand? It's been making the rounds at auto shows since last fall, scaring small children in many cities. Well, looks like Lexus will dial down the styling considerably when it hits the showrooms...

This year, 2014, is going to be the big test for diesel engines in U.S. passenger vehicles. It's the first full year in which two popular cars--the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan and the Jeep Grand Cherokee--are offered with diesel engines as optional equipment, complete with higher EPA fuel...

While hybrids are one way to get good gas mileage in a variety of cars, another way is to wring every last drop of efficiency out of new and highly-efficient gasoline engines and transmissions. That's the path Mazda's taken, and it seems to be working. Two overachievers Almost two years ago, we...

This year has seen several new diesel passenger vehicles hit U.S. roads, and last fall, we were able to spend a full weekend with the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC 4matic crossover. We'd driven the luxury compact utility vehicle for a day last spring, and enjoyed it--but we wanted to put it...

It seems to be the season for diesel compact crossovers. Since September, we've driven the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC and the new 2014 Audi Q5 TDI. Now we've added some forbidden fruit to that list: the European-market diesel version of the Volkswagen Tiguan, sold in North America only with...

Walking through the Volkswagen stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show, you would have seen quite a few 2015 Volkswagen Golf models. But a blue one over in the corner was more special than it may have looked: It was the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf, the battery-electric version of the all-new seventh...

Sometimes we get letters from readers asking for advice, or criticizing our reports on gas mileage. We're always happy to hear their experiences--but a bit of perspective is sometimes needed. Reader Marcus Witte recently sent us the following note (we've edited it slightly for clarity): Your review...

November is fairly late for the next model year of a car to arrive, but now we've finally seen the updated 2014 Lexus CT 200h compact hybrid hatchback. The lightly restyled model was unveiled at the Guangzhou Motor Show, but made an appearance just hours later at the Los Angeles Auto Show as well...

The 2015 Lincoln MKC compact crossover will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Even conventional gasoline cars--no plugs, no hybrids, no turbos--can be green. And we've long been looking forward to the debut of the 2014 Mazda 3, an all-new generation of the compact hatchback and sedan that have always been among the more rewarding cars to drive in the segment. With Mazda's...