Category: Small Car Over $21,000, Greg Wilson
| Contenders | Price as tested |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Cruze diesel | $26,110 |
| Ford Fiesta ST | $28,027 |
| Mazda3 Sport | $26,855 |
| Kia Forte sedan | $21,895 |
Each of these four cars has specific advantages when compared to the others: the new Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is the most fuel efficient, the performance-oriented Fiesta ST is the most fun to drive, the Kia Forte sedan is the most stylish and cheapest of the bunch, and the Mazda3 Sport has the best combination of performance and practicality. It’s difficult to pick a winner here.
The Chevrolet Cruze diesel tester is comfortable, roomy and extremely well equipped with features like voice-activated audio and telephone and unique safety features like blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems. It has the advantage of a torquey 151-hp turbocharged 2.0L diesel engine with unbeatable fuel economy, but its major flaw is the diesel engine’s noisy clatter at idle.
   2014 AJAC CCOTY Small Cars and Family Cars. Click image to enlarge |
The Ford Fiesta ST, equipped with a turbocharged 197-hp 2.0L engine and six-speed manual transmission, is a fun-to-drive pocket rocket, but is smaller and less roomy than the other vehicles here and its stiff suspension, quick steering, and sporty engine sounds detract from ride comfort. It’s also the most expensive car in this category.
The 173-hp 2.0L Kia Forte sedan is attractively styled, features a stylish interior and generous feature content and is priced considerably lower ($21,895) than the other cars in this category, making it excellent value for the money. But it’s not quite as quick or as fuel efficient as the as the Mazda3, and has less cargo space.
The Mazda3 Sport offers attractive styling, great steering and handling, a stylish interior, roomy cargo-carrying capability, and includes unique features like voice-activated navigation and console-mounted control dial for the dashtop screen. We weren’t impressed with the flimsy plastic screen for the head-up display and its new instrument cluster but the Mazda3 Sport is still our favourite in this category.
Category: Family Car Under $30,000, Jonathan Yarkony
| Contenders | Price as tested |
|---|---|
| Fiat 500L | $28,520 |
| Kia Rondo | $23,995 |
| Kia Soul | $21,995 |
Personally, I found the Kia Rondo the hands-down winner in this category. The Rondo’s combination of a spacious interior, here equipped in five-seat configuration, smooth and refined ride with sufficient power from its 2.0L direct injection four-cylinder made it the class of the small family vehicles. However, things are never that simple, and in evaluating these cars, we have to be fairly specific in our judging of specific criteria, so it’s not as simple as my preferences even if I am a prototypical small family man.
At this end of the spectrum, price factors in heavily, so the Kia Soul’s lower price and superior feature list, not to mention its superior handling, braking and impressive cargo space for its size might have it winning back points – there isn’t much to pick apart between any of these three on the objective performance data gathered by AJAC technical data teams. However, Kia is looking strong to take this category, as the Soul and Rondo seem to have the market covered nicely. The Soul seems to hit the right notes with the youth crowd or empty nesters, while the Rondo is a flexible family vehicle for those looking to save footprint, fuel and cost over a minivan.
The Fiat, unfortunately, did not strike my fancy, and that, in my opinion is what it’s all about. While the 500L offers a fairly practical four-door hatchback (or wagon) configuration, rear headroom is more targeted at children and cargo space just isn’t quite up to the Rondo’s wide, deep trunk, and at a glance doesn’t even seem to match the Soul, and its steep price is a major obstacle in this value-conscious segment. Performance-wise it also lagged both the Kias in handling and refinement, although it does promise slightly better fuel economy. However, even if the quirky, colourful exterior and original, eye-catching interiors will captivate a smaller percentage of family vehicle shoppers, those it does charm, it will charm the pants right off. While it may result in fewer owners, I believe it will capture the hearts of its owners more fully than those sold on the merits and value of the excellent Kias, a choice of passion for those that want to express their individuality rather than simply fulfill a need.
