Topic: CanadianDriver announces its Top Picks for 2011!

[wing]

We get it, you and MSN autos do not like the Fiesta.  I'd put money on it winning car of the YEAR, yup I said it.  I think the Fiesta will win car of the year.

[CanuckS2K]

I'm not a fan of this kind of vehicle but I would have thought the Nissan Juke was good enough and novel enough to make the list.

Merry Christmas to all,
John Meyer

Yeah, I would of thought the Juke would of made the list as well.  I meant to go take one for a test drive over the holidays but I haven't had a chance.  While I am not in the market for the Juke, it's had my curiousity peaked.

[ron68]

"The Taurus? Come on"

The Taurus in SHO trim is deceptive.  

AWD, fast on regular octane, great highway cruiser, Sync system, side sonar, massaging heated/cooled seats, relatively spry handling (given it's weight), solid buid, and a trunk that can hold 6 golf bags.  It's a fantastic highway cruiser and does reasonably well on twistier roads as well.


I'm not surprised that it made the final cut.

[CanuckS2K]

  Great job!  Its always nice to read a list that pisses off so many people just because they don't agree with it. So guess what, start your own freak'n thread with your own list and be done with it. Never seen so many  babies in my life.

LOL, pretty hard to argue with that.      

[Shnak]

We get it, you and MSN autos do not like the Fiesta.  I'd put money on it winning car of the YEAR, yup I said it.  I think the Fiesta will win car of the year.

It shouldn't. It has one of the least-technologically advanced engines on the market right now. Until they improve that engine, the Fiesta is just an 'alright' offering, IMO.

[wing]

Ah so in order to win car of the year you must have the most-technologically advanced engine.  Okay so I guess it should be the Prius or perhaps the R8 V10, or Ferrari 458

[Shnak]

Ah so in order to win car of the year you must have the most-technologically advanced engine.  Okay so I guess it should be the Prius or perhaps the R8 V10, or Ferrari 458

How about being competitive with your peers? The illusion of greatest of the Fiesta falls apart once you realize how old tech the engine is.

[crwpitman]

weak picks by Canadian driver,  funny how Car and Driver rates the 2011 Honda Fit as one of it's top 10 best cars and MSN AUTO both rate the 2011 Fiesta and Mazda 2 far below the 2011 honda fit.
here's the MSN auto review.

Below is the msn review....

At first blush, I must be nuts to swim against the tide by criticizing the Ford Fiesta. Yes, it's a smartly designed subcompact that is bound to convert a lot of Americans into small-car disciples (we Canucks are already anointed). It's nicely refined and packed with innovative features, including an optional six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. Priced from $16,799 for the hatchback, Ford will sell a million of 'em in every retina-scorching colour they have.

But here's the thing: I can't fit in it. Okay, I'm big, but then again so is the average North American - and we're growing bigger. The front seats are decent enough, but when I try to squeeze through one of the rear apertures to the back seat, I'm astonished by the lack of space. How did this escape the notice of any right-thinking journo? The fact is, if you're going to drop $20,000 on a gas-saving hatchback you have a right to expect to transport four adults in reasonable comfort. On this count, the Fiesta fails miserably. I had planned to buy one (used) in a few years' time when my daughter earns her licence. Instead, hello Honda Fit - which does. -- Mark Toljagic for MSN Autos

That MSN review was one of the worst things I've read...  Calling the Fiesta one of the worst cars of 2011 solely because you're a Sasquatch and can't fit in it?  Reading those were painful.  I agreed with some but a lot of them seems like rambling nonsense.

[CDF]

I would be happy driving any of these cars; especially the Jeep GC, Porsches, Audi and even the Taurus in SHO trim, but Fusion should not be on this list. It's competent, but it has poor ergonomics (could the HVAC controls be any lower on the centre console?!), a dated looking dash and the automatic on the V6 is very abrupt when you put your foot into it. The Sonata and Legacy are on the list, but the Accord, Optima (Magentis), Camry and 6 are all much better than a Fusion.

[Jaeger]

  Great job!  Its always nice to read a list that pisses off so many people just because they don't agree with it. So guess what, start your own freak'n thread with your own list and be done with it. Never seen so many  babies in my life.

You're the one who's sounding pissed off.

Jaeger

[Norm]

  Great job!  Its always nice to read a list that pisses off so many people just because they don't agree with it. So guess what, start your own freak'n thread with your own list and be done with it. Never seen so many  babies in my life.

Amen to that! 

Cheers!

[Jaeger]

We get it, you and MSN autos do not like the Fiesta.  I'd put money on it winning car of the YEAR, yup I said it.  I think the Fiesta will win car of the year.

Car of the year as voted by whom?  If you mean you guys here at C/D, I'd agree that would'nt be much of a surpise - or much of a risky bet.

Jaeger

[crwpitman]

Case in point:

http://autos.ca.msn.com/specials/buyers-guide/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=26838278&page=1

Infiniti QX56 (x2): not liked because it's a full size SUV.
Toyota xB/xA (x2): because it's too boxy, and they find it slow and has centre mounted gauges.
Toyota Avalon: because it shares a lot with a Camry.
Ford Fiesta: because it's a small (and it's a subcompact - who'd a thunk it)
Infiniti M: because it's ugly.
Nissan Juke: because it's ugly.
Chevy Volt: because it's expensive.
Mitsu RVR: because it's slow.
VW Jetta: because it's slow and the interior is cheaper than the last gen.

While I may agree with certain aspect, I strongly disagree that the points listed above outweigh the good in many of those choice.  For example - the Avalon.  It's one of the worst cars for 2011 because it's based off a Camry?  Really?  Boring for sure, but not definately not one of the worst on the market.

Sorry for hijacking to talk about MSN.  The list isn't that bad, IMO.  Although personally I would prefer the 3 series over the 5.  And the Mazda2 over the Fiesta.

[wing]

What exactly is so low tech about the fiesta engine?  It's basically the same as the fit.  A twin-variable valve Dohc 1.6L. Vs arguably the fits ancient SOHC design.

COTY by Ajac, we don't have a car if the year because it would go against ajac

[opg210]

Great list CD! I like the format. It's sometimes artificial when you pick just one winner per category, sometimes there are multiple great cars in the same category in a given year. So it seems to me perfectly natural to say out of all the cars we drove, here are the memorable ones/favourites.

And of course it will be a bloodbath, everyone's opinion is the right one. But you guys drive EVERY ONE of these cars, so I'll pay attention to your conclusions. Some of the wilder opinions here should do the same before commenting, though I'm glad they do comment - makes for interesting reading!

opg210

[CatsEye68]

"The Taurus? Come on"

The Taurus in SHO trim is deceptive.  

Agreed. So much so that nobody has bought one because they cannot understand why a big, heavy, space-inefficient Ford sedan that has the same name as the rental-mobile they had on their trip to Orlando in 2002 should have a sticker nearing $60K.

AWD, fast on regular octane, great highway cruiser, Sync system, side sonar, massaging heated/cooled seats, relatively spry handling (given it's weight), solid buid, and a trunk that can hold 6 golf bags.  It's a fantastic highway cruiser and does reasonably well on twistier roads as well.

All true. Yet it is woefully expensive, far too big and heavy for what it aims to do, and has been a total failure in the marketplace. If we were listing "Failures of the Year" then it would be near the top of the list. But it seems Ford is the new Toyota in the eyes of auto journalists, and can do no wrong. That is more of a commentary on the journalists than the cars.   

[Shnak]

What exactly is so low tech about the fiesta engine?  It's basically the same as the fit.  A twin-variable valve Dohc 1.6L. Vs arguably the fits ancient SOHC design.

It doesn't have direct ignition, for one. And a timing belt, for a 2011 model? Seriously?

I don't remember the other specifics, but the guys over at RPM (vtele.ca/rpm) reviewed the Fiesta a few months ago and weren't impressed by what they saw under the hood, as well as a few other things on the braking and suspension systems. They were comparing the Mazda2 and Fiesta directly, and other than the 4-speed automatic transmission of the Mazda2, they clearly preferred everything else about it, with the engine being the biggest difference. I don't have access to their website right now to get more details, but I'll try to get around to it sometime this weekend.

[canuck901]

Honda fit...made in Japan, Ford Fiesta...made in Mexico...enough said
the ford is not as well finished...plus it's a lot slower then the honda fit.

does canadiandriver actually test or compare cars or just look at pictures?

[wing]

There are no sub compacts, or even compacts with direct injection, your just hatin' because u don't fit

[Jaeger]

What exactly is so low tech about the fiesta engine?  It's basically the same as the fit.  A twin-variable valve Dohc 1.6L. Vs arguably the fits ancient SOHC design.

It doesn't have direct ignition, for one. And a timing belt, for a 2011 model? Seriously?

I don't remember the other specifics, but the guys over at RPM (vtele.ca/rpm) reviewed the Fiesta a few months ago and weren't impressed by what they saw under the hood, as well as a few other things on the braking and suspension systems. They were comparing the Mazda2 and Fiesta directly, and other than the 4-speed automatic transmission of the Mazda2, they clearly preferred everything else about it, with the engine being the biggest difference. I don't have access to their website right now to get more details, but I'll try to get around to it sometime this weekend.

Translation:  I have no idea why the Fiesta is any more low-tech than any of its competitors, but I read it somewhere on the internet - at least I think I did -  so it must be true, and that's a good enough basis for me to make categrorical pronouncements on pretty much anything.

Jaeger