Best Fresh and Redesigned Cars of two thousand sixteen
Welcome to the Best Fresh Cars of two thousand sixteen — my picks for the best fresh and redesigned cars on the US market. Of all the fresh cars on the market this year, only nine made the list—but we also have three honorable mentions. Let’s take a look at the winners!
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Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Acura ILX
If you had told me last year that I’d be putting the Acura ILX on any best-of list, I’d have thought you were nuts. After driving the original version, I thought the ILX was beyond hope—but I am blessed to say the two thousand sixteen model proved me wrong. A fresh engine and transmission brings out the brilliance of this car’s chassis, and a fresh suite of advanced safety equipment fulfils the high-technology promise of the Acura brand. Combine this with aggressive pricing and Acura’s well-earned reputation for bulletproof build quality, and you have an entry-level luxury car that has elbowed its way to the front of the pack. It’s good to see the Acura brand getting back on track.
Read my utter two thousand sixteen Acura ILX review
Next: Cadillac CTS-V
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Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Cadillac CTS-V
The CTS-V’s six hundred forty horsepower supercharged V8 is enough to get it to almost any top-picks list, but as with the previous-generation CTS-V, I’m most affected by the way this car gets all the power to the ground. Once again, GM’s engineers have developed a chassis that is inherently stable and forgiving, permitting drivers to securely explore all that this car can do without relying on electronic baby sitters alone to keep them safe. The CTS-V has its flaws; along with being aggressively swift, it’s fiercely expensive, and its interior is utter of mis-cues like the Cue touch-panel interface. But even those annoyances can’t mask the unspoiled brilliance of this automobile. I love it.
Next: Chevrolet Malibu
Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Chevrolet Malibu
I love it when the home team scores, and the Malibu has undoubtedly knocked this one over the fence. However there wasn’t much love lost inbetween me and the old version of the Malibu, I think the fresh version is fantastic, from its acute styling to its high-quality interior to its all-turbo engine lineup (especially the excellent 1.Five liter turbo that comes standard in the base model). And yet all the basics of a solid mid-size sedan are there: Roomy back seat, big trunk, and strong value-for-money. Here, once again, is a domestic family sedan that can contest against cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. That makes me blessed.
Next: Chevrolet Volt
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Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Chevrolet Volt
I thought the first-generation Volt was a brilliant but sorely underappreciated car—an excellent way to dip one’s toe in the water of electrical vehicles. (Okay, maybe a metaphor that mixes water and electric current isn’t the best choice.) With the fresh version, Chevrolet has improved everything about the Volt: Longer electric-only range, better gas-engine fuel efficiency, more trunk space, and a vastly improved control layout. They’ve even improved the styling, and only the cramped back seat remains as a serious vice. Chevy estimates that 80% of Volt trips are done without using any gasoline at all the fresh car should raise that to 90%. If you have the desire for an electrical car but aren’t sure about range, you should certainly test-drive the fresh Volt.
Read my utter two thousand sixteen Chevrolet Volt review
Next: Honda Civic
Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Honda Civic
When you’re at the top of the heap, you don’t truly need to switch anything, so I think Honda is worth kudos for making such a meaty leap with the all-new Civic. The fresh car is beautiful to look at (I love the hatchback-like contours of the roof) and better tooled than ever, with advanced safety features suggested even on the base model. Honda has embraced the concept of high-lux petite cars, with a fresh Touring journey that offers leather seats and navigation as standard equipment. Honda improved the base engine and added a fresh small-displacment turbo engine, a big leap for this otherwise-conservative company. And the way the Civic drives shows a much-needed comeback to this car’s roots: It feels quick and agile, just like a Civic should. Only the infotainment system lets it down (all Civics but the base model have a stereo that is very difficult to use while driving). This is the future of puny cars, and it’s no surprise to see Honda leading the charge.
Next: Kia Optima
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Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Kia Optima
Now that Toyota is attempting to display that they can be different just like everyone else, Kia’s all-new Optima may well be the fresh benchmark in mid-size sedans. Roomy, comfy, effortless to live with, slickly styled and well built, the Optima offers everything one could ask out of a mid-size family car. When a friend and fellow journalist few in for a visit, I picked him up in an mid-level Optima EX, and he said, “You won’t find a thing wrong with this car.” After a week of driving, I realized he was right—this is the idea middle-of-the-road sedan.
Read my total two thousand sixteen Kia Optima review
Best fresh cars of 2016: Mazda MX-5
If you love to drive, you won’t find another car that so generously feeds your passion—at least, not at this price. Mazda has violated with tradition in designing the fresh MX-5; instead of attempting to emulate old British roadsters (which the original Miata did very, very well), they’ve concentrated on simply making a superb sports car, and man oh man, have they succeeded. Drop the top (it can be done with one palm), drop it into gear, and find yourself a curvy road. I love that Mazda has two versions of the suspension, with Sport and Grand Touring models suggesting a softer rail and mid-range Club models bringing the hard-core treating that sporting Miata owners love. One caveat: The fresh MX-5 isn’t convenient for the big and tall. For us brief guys, it’s a winner.
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Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Scion iM
Toyota spent a few years letting its youth-oriented Scion division wither on the vine, but now the brand is eventually getting the love it is worth. The fresh iM—a spiritual successor to the Toyota Matrix—is a slick-looking hatchback based on a European-market Toyota called the Auris. It features acute styling, an upscale Lexus-like interior with a boat-load of standard equipment, and it’s good joy to drive, at least by Toyota standards. And with regular maintenance, it should last until the starlets fall out of the sky. Back seat convenience and trunk space leave something to be desired, but this is the sort of expressive, individualistic vehicle that put Scion on the map. The iM is the car that will give Scion its mojo back.
Read my total two thousand sixteen Scion iM review
Next: Toyota Prius
Best Fresh Cars of 2016: Toyota Prius
Toyota could have kept on making the Prius exactly as it was, and had good success—so good on them for propelling this car into the future. The purpose with this fresh design was to give the Prius more personality, and they’ve done it, from the more expressive (and almost sedan-like) styling to the sharper chassis, which, while not exactly as pleasurable as an MX-5, is certainly way more rewarding to drive than the old-shape Prius. Other welcome improvements include a nicer interior and better instrumentation, and—no surprise here—even better fuel economy. (I always averaged around forty seven MPG in the old Prius, and while I’ve yet to do a week-long test on home turf, it wouldn’t surprise me if the car hits 50.) This is a good improvement for the industry’s best-known and most-respected hybrid.
Next: Honorable Mention – Hyundai Tucson
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Best Fresh Cars of two thousand sixteen – Honorable Mention: Hyundai Tucson
Honorable Mention: Hyundai Tucson
As an SUV, the Tucson isn’t eligible for the Best Fresh Cars list, but I must give this talented vehicle the attention it is worth. Everything about the Tucson is right: Styling, interior convenience and space, rail convenience and driving dynamics. I found a duo of nits to pick in the Tucson (option availability in lower trims and some turbo lag in the Eco model), but for the most part, this is one of the best SUVs I have ever driven, and I very recommend it.
Next: Honorable Mention – Nissan Titan XD
Best Fresh Cars of two thousand sixteen – Honorable Mention: Nissan Titan XD
Honorable Mention: Nissan Titan XD
I’m not much of a pickup-truck kind of boy, tho’ my family does own one—a twenty-year-old Chevy that we use almost exclusively as a tow vehicle. I can respect a pickup with a good work ethic, and that’s why I am so fond of the Titan XD, a truck which bridges the gap inbetween traditional 1500-class “half-ton” and 2500-class “3/4-ton” pickups. With a stout Cummins diesel under the fetish mask, the Titan will tow Ten,000 to 12,000 lbs with the stability and confidence of a heavy-duty pickup, but without the abusive ride—with the trailer disconnected, the Titan XD rails as cozily as a half-ton. The Titan XD should be a boon for people like us who expect their pickups to earn their keep. It occupies a niche that needed packing, and I hope buyers recognize it for the brainy truck that it is.
Next: Honorable Mention – Volvo XC90
Best Fresh Cars of two thousand sixteen – Honorable Mention: Volvo XC90
Honorable Mention: Volvo XC90
Here’s a vehicle that thrusts the state of the art forward, from its futuristic infotainment interface to its high-tech engine. I generally choose car interiors with old-fashioned dials and buttons (tho’ not too many of them), but the XC90’s tablet-like interface means that if you can operate your iPad or Android, you can operate your Volvo. And the engine is remarkable: three hundred sixteen horsepower from just two liters and four cylinders (and from the way it drives, you’d never guess the engine is such a runt). All this, plus slew of passenger space with the ambiance we expect from a high-end luxury SUV. If you want a peek into the future, take a drive in the fresh Volvo XC90.
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