Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 At GoodCarBadCar.net

GoodCarBadCar Good 12 logo 2012
2011 treated GoodCarBadCar kindly. The number of visits nearly tripled, the number of returning visitors nearly quadrupled, and California retained its title as the state with the most GoodCarBadCar readers. The Good Car Guy, normally known as Timothy Cain, GoodCarBadCar.net's publisher and editor-in-chief, began contributing to Cars.com's Kicking Tires blog and became a regular contributor at Sympatico Autos. 

So if more people than ever before are coming to GoodCarBadCar in search of information, what are they choosing to read? 

The five most popular sales-related articles on GoodCarBadCar, with less then twelve hours remaining, are listed below. This list doesn't include navigation pages like the Sales Stats, Good 12, or Best Sellers pages you see at the top of every GCBC page. After checking out the list of dominant sales-related posts, a list which mostly showcases older articles which have had a longer period in which to draw an audience, check out GoodCarBadCar's five most popular Driven reviews and five most popular photo galleries.

SALES STATS

#5 - Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - March 2010
For whatever reason, this ancient best seller list remains a favourite of Google's. Thus, it remains a frequent entry point for new visitors to GoodCarBadCar. The Camry was #1 that month, by the way.

#4 - Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - January 2011
With eleven months to collect readers, this Ford Escape-leading table has better traffic numbers than recent posts which have only had 30 or 60 or 90 days to entice visitors.

#3 - Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - February 2011
On March 2nd, U.S. sales figures revealed Toyota held the top two spots on the best-selling cars list for February.

#2 - Top 10 Best-Selling Auto Brands In America - June 2010
Ford sold more than 155K cars in the sixth month of 2010, a fact many readers still seem to enjoy confirming.

#1 - Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - March 2011
After taking the top two spots in March, Toyota's Camry and Corolla fell to third and fifth, respectively, in March.

DRIVEN REVIEWS

#5 - Kia Soul 4U
Nissan Juke front end
Since the Soul's automatic tranny endured harsh criticism at GCBC, Kia's made major changes.

#4 - Hyundai Accent GL Sedan
A terrific compact at the time, the Accent has since dropped down a peg in the shadow of its platform-mate's interior. The Kia Soul is a Good 12 winner for 2012.

#3 - Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Boring car, great engine.

#2 - Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman
Fun car, but from an owning perspective, it probably doesn't make much sense to fork out this kind of coin for this kind of car.

#1 - Nissan Juke SV AWD
The Juke was enjoyable enough to land a spot on The Good 12 last year and, recently, the 2012 list, too.

PHOTO GALLERIES

#5 - Volkswagen Jetta TDI Driven
Cell phone pics of the Jetta outside a new soccer stadium are worth looking over. Or are they just coming for the words?

#4 - 2012 Volkswagen Passat Style Analysis And Photo Gallery
Boring to look at, but strangely classy and dignified.

#3 - 2011 Mini Countryman Driven
A mixture of cell phone pics and images from a Nikon DSLR make the gallery at the bottom of GoodCarBadCar's Countryman review worth checking out.

#2 - Official: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Pictures And Specs
Better than the old Beetle but still very much a Beetle.

#1 - 2012 Hyundai Accent vs. 2012 Kia Rio In Pictures
More than just two Rio galleries, this is a also a great opportunity to see how Hyundai and Kia take the same bits and build two very different cars.
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Friday, December 23, 2011

2012's The Bad 8 - Toyota Corolla


TOYOTA COROLLA CE

2011 Toyota Corolla CE
We're not lambasting the whole Corolla range, here, though it would be hard to recommend Toyota's historically dominant compact car based purely on its ability to provoke boredom. No, a Bad 8 position has been reserved exclusively for the bottom-of-the-range Corolla, the CE as it's known in Canada.

GoodCarBadCar the bad 8 2012
There are other sparsely-equipped cars on the market, and they're not making an appearance in this insult-riddled place. The Corolla CE is different. For Canadians Corolla customers, power locks, air conditioning, keyless entry, and Bluetooth are part of a $1495 package. Another $1000 is required in order to gain power windows, heated seats, and cruise control. Even at that $17,945 price point the Corolla CE is still rocking wheel covers. The $1000 ($800 in the U.S.) automatic transmission still shifts through four speeds like it did a quarter century ago. And it's still a car that won't do better than 34 miles per gallon on the highway, this in an era when 40 mpg compacts are commonplace. 

So the Corolla looks like a terrible value, and we haven't even compared it with a crop of modern, roomy, stylish subcompacts. The Corolla's disadvantages extend beyond its poverty-spec interior. This is a boring car, not some decontended high-end sports car with "added lightness." This Corolla is a poorly-equipped boring car, one with wooden dynamics, no ability to communicate, and no hope for joy on the journey. Only a basic Toyota Corolla can be so dull that it provokes a passionate response in opposition to its dullness. Your only instructions are to hate this car.

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Alternatives: Growing old with your cats. Painting your bedroom walls an exciting new beige tone. Telling your friends that a free ticket to the Super Bowl sounds fun, but... Antiques Roadshow is on that night so you'd better stay home. Choosing stylish lines and proper levels of equipment (Kia Rio 5-Door) over blaa (Corolla CE). 

Base USD/CAD Price: $15,900 / $15,450

It Sucks, But... in a decade it will most likely look and feel like it did on day one.

Sales Stats: Total Corolla/Matrix sales fell 10% in the first eleven months of 2011 in America. Last year,  the Corolla and its hatchback sibling ended the year down 10%. 2009 sales were down 15%. 2008 was down 5.5% from 2007 levels. A year before that sales slid 4%. Canadian Corolla sales slid in 2009, plunged in 2010, and are down 7% this year. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the whole Toyota Corolla range can be viewed here.


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2012's The Bad 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan


NISSAN VERSA SEDAN

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan
It worked fairly well the first time around, so Nissan stayed true to practice with the second-generation Versa sedan by making it as ugly as possible. 

2012 The Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
Where the first Versa sedan was devoid of styling, as though Nissan simply put the body panels where they had to go, this second car appears to reflect an effort to actually design an awful car. But unlike those spectacularly beautiful photos of repugnant oil rigs in the North Sea, Nissan didn't pull off any tricks with the 2012 Versa sedan. It's plain repugnant, and not spectacularly beautiful in any way.

Much would be forgiven if the Versa was a terrific car to drive. It is not. The 109-hp engine is no longer class competitive. The interior looks like the interior of a subcompact car at a time when other subcompact cars like the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and Ford Fiesta possess interiors worthy of a pricier segment. And 38 miles per gallon on the highway? What is this, 2009? 

The game has moved on. Other automakers are scoring touchdowns with their subcompacts. Nissan hasn't even made it to the red zone.

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Alternatives: How 'bout a 1999 BMW 528i Touring for $5900? Or, if you must go new, consider the well-equipped Kia Rio hatchback. Or anything that isn't a Nissan Versa sedan.

Base USD/CAD Price: $10,990 / $11,798

It Sucks, But... it has headroom! As if you need the so much surplus headroom that your car looks like a blob.

Sales Stats: Year-over-year, U.S. Versa sales were up 15% in August, 68% in September, 47% in October, and 38% in November as the newer, even uglier, very inexpensive Versa sedan took over from the Bad 8-winning old Versa sedan. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Nissan Versa sedan and hatch can be viewed here.


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2012's The Bad 8 - Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet


NISSAN MURANO CROSSCABRIOLET

2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
We get ideas. Some of us go on Dragons' Den or Shark Tank to face snide remarks from Kevin O'Leary. Others find rejection after looking for investors in a more conventional manner. Some of our ideas end up as products which appear on late night TV, heralded by pitchmen with load voices who use phrases like "Call Now" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed." And a few of those ideas, the very best of those ideas, end up dominating the global marketplace.

2012 The Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
One morning, an employee at Nissan woke up with the idea of removing the Murano's roof and two rear doors. A retractable hardtop seemed appropriate at first - it's how convertibles are made these days - but in the end, a softop took over as le toit du jour. 

This is the sort of idea that's normally preceded by the idea generator saying something like, "I know it sounds crazy, but bear with me," after which those who finished listening to the idea say, "Yeah, you're crazy." Only the listeners didn't say anything of the kind. In fact, they came out with encouraging responses.

The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is useless. The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is ugly. Pair the two together - uselessness and ugliness - and you have a vehicle that tarnishes the Murano's good name and easily earns itself a spot in The Bad 8. Thankfully, Nissan Canada saw this one coming and, so far, has rejected the notion of importing the Murano CrossCabriolet.

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Alternatives: Flying to Napa for a wine-tasting weekend away with your girlfriends and renting something that doesn't remind anyone of the Murano CrossCabriolet Jennifer left back in her garage in Knoxville. Forgetting this obsession with wind-in-your-hair and opting for a hardtop Range Rover Evoque. Maintaining this obsession with wind-in-your-hair buy buying an absolutely loaded $42,830 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.

Base USD Price: $44,540

It Sucks, But... it reminds us not to take beatiful cars for granted.

Sales Stats: Sales of the Murano CrossCabriolet are rolled in to the figures for the Murano, as a whole, a nice vehicle which reported a 2.1% decline through the first eleven months of 2011. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Nissan Murano range can be viewed here.



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2012's The Bad 8 - Lincoln MKS


LINCOLN MKS

2013 Lincoln MKS
There are faces only a mother could love, and then there are faces even a mother couldn't love. The Lincoln MKS's face fits into the latter category. Oddly, Lincoln has chosen to make their big sedan's nose even more offensive for the 2013 model year. Why oh why.

2012 The Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
If only the MKS was a top-of-the-class car in some other way. Lincoln says their 355-hp twin-turbocharged V6 offers the performance of a V8 and the fuel economy of a V6. But at 355 horsepower, it's down on the V8-powered Infiniti M56 by 65 horsepower. Rated at a combined 20 miles per gallon, the EcoBoost-powered MKS is two mpg down on the Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic, a V6-engined car, and only one mpg up on the V8-engined 429-hp Hyundai Genesis. In other words, the Lincoln doesn't even live up to its main claim to fame.

Stare at the MKS from the rear-three-quarter and it's not a bad looking car by any means. Unfortunately, there's nothing else special about the Lincoln MKS. In fact, there's something particularly awful about the Lincoln MKS: a great deal of ugliness going on up front.

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Alternatives: Living on a deserted car-less island because the MKS's ostentatious nostrils tainted your opinion of all cars everywhere. Waiting for the Cadillac XTS. Stepping down in prestige (and up in price) to the Ford Taurus SHO.

Base USD/CAD Price: $41,500 / $47,500

It Sucks, But... you can put a lot of bodies in an 18.7 cubic-foot trunk if your name is Tony Soprano or Domenico Clericuzio.

Sales Stats: In Canada, where the Lincoln brand is basically the MKX brand, the MKS accounted for only 8% of all Lincoln sales through the first eleven months of 2011. MKS sales were down 35% in that time period. The MKS was worth 14% of all U.S. Lincoln sales between January-November, a more appropriate figure given that the MKS represented 17% of available Lincoln models for most of 2011. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Lincoln MKS can be viewed here.


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2012's The Bad 8 - Honda Crosstour


HONDA CROSSTOUR

2012 Honda Accord Crosstour
On April 1, 2011, BMW revealed the M3 Pickup Concept. Though strangely cool, the M3 Pickup was a joke. Uniquely distinguished in an ugly way, the M3 was an intentionally silly way of showcasing the talent of BMW's engineers. 

2012 The Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
19 months earlier we hoped Honda was teasing us with a September Fools' "engineering exercise", but alas, we've learned from hindsight that Honda was actually serious. They wanted you to pay money, real money, for this obese, obtuse, overpriced hatchback. They still think you might be interested in forking over cash for this unfortunately-packaged behemoth. Underneath, there's a thoroughly-refined Accord, a car which, in base form, is a mite boring but is by no means bad. 

For the most part, cars are judged based on the expectations consumers have at a specific price point. The new Kia Rio 5-door is a great little car, but it would make for a terrible $40,000 BMW 3-Series competitor, for example. The EcoBoost-powered Ford F-150 wouldn't seem so eco if Ford charged a $10,000 premium, right? 

The Accord Crosstour, or Crosstour as they like to call it now, is bad regardless of price. Honda has definitely priced the Crosstour too high, thus severely limiting sales. But while Honda would certainly attract more customers if they'd just drop the V6's price by $6000, the Crosstour would still be a bad car. It is one of those cars that does not need to be judged based on the expectations consumers have at a specific price point. No matter the dollar figure, the Honda Crosstour sucks.

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Alternatives: Running away like the scared kitten you'll be once you get up close and personal with the Crosstour's rear end. Burying your head in the sand so you'll never see a Crosstour again. Buying a Mazda CX-9 or Toyota Venza.

Base USD/CAD Price: $30,340 / $34,900

It Sucks, But... nah, it just sucks.

Sales Stats: Crosstour sales weren't high last year. Yet not in any of 2011's first eleven months has American Honda managed to sell as many Crosstours as they did in the same period a year earlier. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Honda Crosstour can be viewed here.

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2012's The Bad 8 - Ford Explorer EcoBoost


FORD EXPLORER ECOBOOST

2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost
The Ford Explorer is not, at its core, a bad vehicle.  But that doesn't mean you can't make a bad choice when it comes time to select an Explorer.

2012 Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
Ford's heralded EcoBoost branding has done wondrous things for the F-150 and should also bring about pleasant changes in the second-generation Escape. Unfortunately, Ford's powertrain department offered the Explorer's engineers the wrong EcoBoost powerplant. This 2.0L four-cylinder is too weak to handle the Explorer's 4500 pounds and makes its power felt at the wrong rpm. 

Yet there are other underpowered vehicles which haven't made the list, so what gives? Imagine Chevrolet asking you to pay more for the less powerful Z06 than they do for the ZR1. How offended would you be if Porsche charged more for the 911 Carrera S than they did for the 911 Turbo? Consider how you'd react if Honda made the Civic Si just about as fuel efficient as the regular, less-powerful Civic, but then made the regular, less-powerful Civic more expensive than the Si.

Ford, in daring fashion, has decided to make this still-thirsty EcoBoost 2.0L a $1000 option. Go ahead and improve your mileage - slightly - but Ford will charge you an extra thousand dollars for lopping off two cylinders and adding a turbo that's not capable of making this 2.0L as powerful as the artificially-aspirated 2.0L you'll find in numerous Hyundais and Kias. Add to this the fact that, in base form, the Explorer looks so base. Thanks, but we'll pass. And so so should you.

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Alternatives: Kia's V6-powered Sorento offers an awful lot of stuff for the money. Though usually rejected, the Flex is a stylish Explorer relative. And imagine how much more fun this EcoBoost powerplant could be in the attractive 2013 Ford Escape, if you can forget your third row requirements.

Base USD/CAD Price: $29,275 / $30,999

It Sucks, But... there's something about an Explorer, an upper-trim level Explorer, that looks so right when it's parked in a suburban driveway.

Sales Stats: 2011 marks the rebirth of the large-volume Explorer. Though it's far from being the dominant SUV it was just a decade ago, the Ford Explorer now finds itself on American best seller lists as a matter of course. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the whole Ford Explorer range can be viewed here.


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2012's The Bad 8 - Chrysler 200 Convertible


CHRYSLER 200 CONVERTIBLE

2012 Chrysler 200 Convertible Roof Up
It should be hard to hate a convertible. The very idea of dropping the top and basking in sunshine, while driving, is accepted as a possible definition of the word "fun." But it's easy to hate the Chrysler 200 Convertible. Because it's not fun.

2012 Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
It's not possible to have fun when you're so profoundly embarrassed. Can you afford to be seen in a car with a rear end so vast? Should you be willing to humble yourself to be seen in a car which has space for a family of squirrels between the wheel and fender? Didn't in-place convertible tops stop looking like severely mangled toupees in the late 90s? 

Expectations for convertibles are high. Therefore, Chrysler's droptop 200 wouldn't be considered a good car even if it was great to drive. This is the last segment where awkward looks can be accepted as a worthy compromise. It doesn't matter - the 200 isn't great to drive. At all.

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Alternatives: Bicycles also offer that oft-desired open-air experience. The Ford Mustang V6 Convertible is really rather fast. If you feel you need a Chrysler Group LLC product, try thinking of things that are more American than being old, in Florida, with a Chrysler 200 Convertible...... aha, the Jeep Wrangler. You can be old in a Wrangler and go anywhere, not just Florida.

Base USD/CAD Price: $26,575 / $29,995

It Sucks, But... if it's all they have at the Miami International Airport rental counter, go ahead and burn that scalp.

Sales Stats: Sadly, 11.6% of the Chrysler 200s sold in Canada in the first eleven months of 2011 were of the convertible variety. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the whole Chrysler 200 family can be viewed here.

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2012's The Bad 8 - Acura RL


ACURA RL

2012 Acura RL
The what? Friends of GoodCarBadCar who've asked for a preview of The Bad 8 don't even know what the RL is. A picture doesn't help because, after all, a picture shows absolutely nothing more than a fundamental sketch of a conventional sedan, a sedan few people have ever noticed in the wild. Acura makes a car above the TL? Yep, but the RL's utter lack of success is the reason you were unfamiliar with the subject.

2012 The Bad 8 GoodCarBadCar
Forgettable, anonymous, dull, and characterless, the RL takes what's bad about every other boring car on the market and rolls it all into one package. Sadly, Acura thinks the RL is an amazing car. The Canadian website says, "It’s flagship automotive technology without compromise or equal." They call this, yes, this car, Acura's freaking ridiculously boring RL, the "apex of the luxury sedan." Acura's U.S. website suggests the RL, "commands attention." Acura's right: this car is without equal, but only on a scale which weighs vapidity. If this is the apex of anything, fans of driving just decided they'll do their best not to hit it. And if the RL commands attention, what words are left to describe the visual impact of Lamborghini's Aventador?

The Acura RL is also damaged for reasons which are, admittedly, a bit personal. In an interview, the owner of a nearby Acura dealership once said the RL is a supercar. Not a super car, like a tremendous car, but a supercar. One word, in the way Ferrari's 599 is a supercar or the aforementioned Aventador is a supercar. He wasn't referring to the RL's Super Handling all-wheel drive, oh no. He had driven the RL on track and felt that, because it had a fancy drivetrain and more horsepower than the iconic NSX, it could be labelled a supercar. A statement so insulting, so downright libelous, has only hurt the RL, causing it to be firmly entrenched on GoodCarBadCar's bad side.

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Alternatives: The Audi A6 is a significantly cheaper and significantly better car. The Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec generates 429 horsepower - check that... yes, 429 horsepower - and costs a bit less than the Acura RL, as well. And would paying a few thousand extra for the diesel in a Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec be so bad?

Base USD/CAD Price: $47,700 / $64,690

It Sucks, But... it wouldn't be the end of the world to be stuck with a 300-horsepower V6 and Acura's high-tech all-wheel drive system. It would be the end of the world to pay $48,000 just to be stuck with a V6 wearing this suit, but if somebody was giving out RLs as gifts, you can accept one. With begrudging gratitude.

Sales Stats: For the RL, GoodCarBadCar's worst seller lists are like rehab, only the RL pretty much never leaves. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Acura RL can be viewed here.

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2012's The Good 12 - Volkswagen GTI


VOLKSWAGEN GTI

2012 Volkswagen GTI 2-door
Since the Golf-based Volkswagen GTI first came to market nearly 30 years ago, numerous rivals - both direct and indirect - have come and gone. There are new rivals on the way. Scion's FR-S is a rear-wheel drive boxer-engined coupe. The Hyundai Veloster is a front-drive lukewarm hatch which, with next year's turbocharger, should be quicker than the Volkswagen.

GoodCarBadCar The Good 12 2012
Will it matter? The Veloster is a hit, deservedly so, but for how long? And does anyone believe the Scion FR-S will still be alive and kickin' in 2035 when Volkswagen is celebrating the GTI's 60th birthday? Sure, it's possible. Technically. Theoretically. But the GTI has the lasting power of Elizabeth Windsor. And for good reason. 

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is both the sensible and emotional choice. It's a hatchback with 46 cubic feet of cargo capacity, seating for five, and 31 highway miles per gallon. That makes the GTI a smart choice. But it's wearing four of the world's best wheels, 18-inch Detroit alloys. There's a scenic torque plateau from 1800 to 5000 rpm. The steering is so pure; so familiar; so obedient, you'll constantly be left wondering why something as inherently automotive as steering can't always be this good. Volkswagen covers the seats in beautiful plaid cloth which will cause you to wonder why lumberjacks don't look this good.

Priced below the American market's average new car transaction price, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is perhaps the car most capable of satisfying the majority of new car buyers. Thankfully, it hasn't, so your new GTI purchase won't land you a car all the neighbours already own.

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Engines: 200 horsepower; 207 lb-ft of torque from a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder

Base USD/CAD Price: $23,695 / $29,375

City Fuel Economy: 21-24 miles per gallon

It's Not Perfect: A basic GTI now weighs more than 3000 pounds. No wonder Volkswagen offers the more powerful Golf R, although that car weighs as much as 3325 pounds.

Sales Stats: The GTI must deal with numerous direct rivals Across The Pond. The RenaultSport Megane, Opel Astra OPC, GTI-based Seat Leon Cupra R and Skoda Octavia vRS all make life slightly more challenging for the GTI outside North America. Perhaps the forthcoming Ford Focus ST will do the same over here in the near future. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Volkswagen Golf family can be viewed here. The GTI stars in two monthly sporty car sales charts, one for Canada and one for the United States.


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