The latest compacts on the market
face the reigning champion
According to the old maxim, Americans don't
like small cars. We buy trucks by the truckload and midsize sedans more than
any other car segment. But because of gas prices, the touch economy, or both,
the compact segment is growing. In 2012, it accounted for roughly 13 percent of
the U.S. car market, with most entrants registering sales increase over 2011.
With frugality in vogue, automakers expect the segment to keep growing during
the next several years.
Last
year, the Mazda3 went bumper to bumper with the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus,
Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Volkswagen Jetta in a battle of
40-mpg-capable cars
Last year, the Mazda3 went bumper to bumper
with the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and
Volkswagen Jetta in a battle of 40-mpg-capable cars. The Mazda won because we
framed the conversation thus: is there a 40-mpg car you'd want to own? The
question was directed at the enthusiast who wants a high-efficiency car that's
also fun to drive. In that measure, the Mazda was without question the
Goldilocks car. It finished mid-pack on fuel economy, but it was far and away
the driver's choice.
Since then, three new pretenders to the
throne have arisen, and a fourth (Honda) made an emergency update to better
position it against the competition. More important, we're no longer asking
which is the best sports car, but which is the best all-around car for the
average consumer. We're looking for the car that offers the best value,
content, fuel economy, and safety in addition to performance. It's a whole new
ballgame.
Ride & Handling
In claiming its previous victory, the
Mazda3 dazzled the judge with its crisp, natural steering feel; responsive,
unshakable chassis; and sport sedan handling. It led this competition with the
same trump card, at least in the dry. As it happened, rain struck during our
evaluation loops, and opinions of the Mazda changed quickly. Those who drove it
in the dry were again smitten with its excel-lent handling on the winding road
portion. Those who drove it in the wet, however, told a different tale. Despite
its all-season tires, the Mazda3 suddenly ## suffered a distinct lack of grip
and editors found it breaking loose at both ends on wet roads when pushed hard,
eroding confidence. We were left to wonder what all-season tires would have
done for its all-around performance. One point we all agreed on was the ride
quality, which was among the best in the group.
The
Dart threw its heft into a corner, but once the weight transferred, it was a
smooth and stable handler
Another car that divided the judges was the
Dodge Dart. Opinions were mixed on the thick, meaty steering wheel: While it
felt direct, the steering was surprisingly heavy. Also heavy was the car
itself, outweighing the nearest competitor by more than 300 pounds, and it felt
heavy from behind the wheel. The Dart threw its heft into a corner, but once
the weight transferred, it was a smooth and stable handler. The weight made the
car feel planted on the road, but it also hurt the ride quality, though it
wasn't the worst in the group.
In terms of ride and handling, the worst
was the Nissan Sentra. There wasn't a large difference in ride quality among
the group, but the Sentra was at the bottom of the spectrum. Where it really
disappointed was in handling. The Sentra received constant complaints of
terminal under-steer, egregious body roll, and lifeless steering. Said
associate online editor Karla Sanchez: "This car handled so terribly, I
couldn't wait until the loop was over."
Somewhere
in the middle was the Civic. The lightest of the group, it felt that way on the
road
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the
Kia Forte surprised everyone. In general, we've known Kias to have rough rides
and elastic-feeling steering, but not this car. The ride was pleasantly firm,
almost sporty, and the steering felt naturally weighted and responsive, though
it still provided no feed-back. Many editors found it the second-most fun car
to drive behind the Mazda.
Somewhere in the middle was the Civic. The
lightest of the group, it felt that way on the road. Ride quality and handling
both fell in the middle of the pack, though the steering took some hits.
Editor-in-chief Edward Loh found that the “light steering feels artificial and
requires jerky inputs. Initial input doesn't seem to do much, so I kept dialing
in more and more steering. Hard to be smooth."
Performance
The Kia surprised us at the track. It was
the quickest to 60 mph by haft the second and stopped the shortest from the
same speed by 2 feet. On our skidpad, it put up respectable grip number and was
the quickest around our figure-eight course.
The
Kia surprised us at the track. It was the quickest to 60 mph by haft the second
and stopped the shortest from the same speed by 2 feet
Out in the real world, we found the power
strong compared with the rest of the group, and the transmission shifted
quickly and smoothly and seemed never to select the wrong gear.
Less surprising was the poor showing from
the Sentra. It was the slowest to reach 60 mph and needed the longest distance
to stop, which confirmed driving impressions. The primary culprit in drivetrain
complaints was the continuously variable transmission, which all agreed was
slow to respond and then provided insufficient additional leverage when it did.
Despite its poor handling on the road and lowest average g on the figure-eight
test, the Sentra did manage to tie the Dart for the highest average g on the
skidpad, even though it was all under-steer on the road.
The Dart was a disappointment. It raspy
exhaust and turbocharged engine seemed to promise performance, but its jog to
60 mph fell right in the middle of the pack, as did its stopping distance. As
noted above, it posted the highest average g on the skidpad and the figure
eight, but tied the Mazda for second in figure-eight lap time. Where the Dart really
fell down was in everyday driving. The dual-clutch transmission was jerky and
often seemed confused in automatic mode.
Less
surprising was the poor showing from the Sentra. It was the slowest to reach 60
mph and needed the longest distance to stop, which confirmed driving
impressions
The only remedy was to manually shift using
the gear stick, which delivered fairly quick and crisp shifts, though it
upshifted automatically at redline.
We were likewise disappointed in the Civic.
The engine left weak at low rpm, but like the Sentra, the fault lies squarely
with the transmission. The aging five-speed gearbox was slow to shift and had
no manual mode. This carried over to the track, where it was the second slowest
to 60 mph and the slowest around the figure eight. Its low curb weight
contributed to the second shortest stopping distance, but it posted mid-pack
average g numbers.
The Mazda3 was a curiosity rather than a
disappointment. Despite its stellar dry performance on the road, it didn't post
the big numbers at the track. It was the second-quickest to 60 mph and around
the figure eight, but dead last on the skidpad. It also finished third in
braking. Somehow, though, it all came together on real-world roads, making the
Mazda3 the clear driver's favorite.
