QUESTIONS DEMANDING SUBJECTIVITY

Web readers aren't going to pull up an auto blog in search of a de-opinionated, completely objective take. If you happen to be of that rare contrarian breed, feel free to bookmark GoodCarBadCar.net and keep reading - you just might not like it.

Questions come into The Good Car Guy too fast to see them all publicly responded. However, due to the interest some people have in straight-up opinions posted here, it seemed the intelligent thing to lump a few opinionated answers together. For more Questions posts, click here or the label beneath this post.

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Which Small SUVs Are The Best-Looking? Only a smidgen outdated, this post regarding the best overall small crossovers/SUVs will likely be helpful. As far as styling and design, Subaru's latest Forester is pleasant; if not dramatic. The Toyota RAV4 is similarly handsome and the Mitsubishi Outlander pulls off proportions that the RAV4 and Forester wouldn't find egregious. Is the Jeep Wrangler small? If so, its utilitarian approach to a vehicle type that was originally utilitarian is the best route to good design.

Is Nissan A Good Car Brand? Interestingly, Nissan wasn't able to garner any spots in The Good 12, GoodCarBadCar.net's list of the twelve cars you should be driving this year. That's not to say Nissan doesn't build good cars (see GT-R, 350Z) but it ought not to be forgotten that Nissan did find its name on The Bad 8 with the Versa sedan. 

Overall, Nissan is hard to define. Name five countries and Nissan will likely provide five different automotive lineups with which it competes. Nissan builds good cars, to which GoodCarBadCar.net has given credit many times. Is Nissan the next Toyota? No. Fortunately, Nissan is paired up with another unique automaker (Renault) and does things their own way. That's usually for the best.

Is The Mazda 5 A Good Car? More North Americans are figuring out just how good the Mazda 5 is every day. Over 12,000 5's had been sold in the United States through June. Moreover, June sales were almost 30% better than Mazda 5 sales in June of 2007. True, sales statistics do not a good car make. The Good Car Guy's backseat article on the 5 goes a long way to clearing up just why GoodCarBadCar.net responds favourably to Mazda's mini-minivan. 

Apart from that, hear this: the 5 is six mpg better in the city than Mazda's own three-row crossover, the CX-9, when equipped with a manual transmission and five mpg better than the most efficient Honda Odyssey. That manual box is another reason the 5 is fun. Row your own and get involved in the driving experience. Sure, the 5 isn't as capacious as that barge of an Odyssey; but do you need the Honda's cargo bay and can you cope with its fuel bill? Across The Pond, the 5 competes with plenty of like-minded vehicles. The Renault Scenic, Opel Zafira, Volkswagen Touran, and Ford Focus C-Max all fulfill family needs in small packages with 4-cylinder engines. Mazda's 5 is a sign of the times, and it's a good lookin' sign. Find out what kind of change the Mazda can find at AutoEnergy.