Thursday, June 25, 2015

C/D Tested: The 10 Quickest Cars for 2015 Under $25,000

-It's inevitable that whenever car people gather to talk performance and trade lies, someone will drop this tired nugget: -Diesels used to be more eclectic than thrift shops in Portland. But diesels, like hipster culture, are beginning to blend into the mainstream. Walk up to the Golf TDI and almost nothing gives away its compression-ignition secret. The redesigned 2.0-liter turbo-diesel hums quietly, it idles no more loudly than some direct-injected four-cylinders, and it doesn't smell like a diesel.-Performance is another area where VW's diesels have evolved, as illustrated by the 8.3-second time put down by our 2015 Golf TDI manual. FULL TEST >>.-We had high hopes for the new Dart when it was rolled out during the 2012 Detroit auto show. Nearly 40 years after the last of the original Dodge Darts aimed for the bull's-eye, the new Dart emerged with a similar mission to combine basic transportation with all the current amenities in an affordable package.-Dull as that may sound, vehicles that successfully do so earn respect around here, especially if they mix in a heavy dose of fun. And although Dodge's compact sedan has largely let us down in that area, it's hard to argue with its comfort and this version's roughly $21K starting price with this powertrain. FULL TEST >>.-Ford has received many well-deserved plaudits for its line of EcoBoost engines—EcoBoost being Ford-speak for turbocharging. And although the adulation doesn't extend wholesale to the company's naturally aspirated powerplants like the 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the Focus tested here, that doesn't necessarily mean fun has been entirely removed from the formula.-While its 7.9-second 0-60 time isn't going to scare away Hellcat owners away at the dragstrip, the 2.0-liter/five-speed-manual-transmission combo do right by the Focus's well appointed interior and sorted chassis. It's worth pointing out that we achieved this time with the loaded-up Titanium model with the performance package, which does crest our price cap by $170. We have, however, achieved a 7.3-second time with a 2012 base model. FULL TEST >>.-The Hyundai Sonata's rise from an embarrassment to mediocrity to a truly competitive vehicle has taken, by car standards, a shockingly short time. Each generation made a meaningful stride over the one it replaced.-A large part of Hyundai's rise from the automotive depths has been its focus on powertrains—well, that, and stuffing its cars full of content at a reasonable price. Even so, we were mildly impressed to find this updated-for-2015 Hyundai Sonata sedan on this list. FULL TEST >>-America's bestselling car, the Toyota Camry, is also the car that enthusiasts love to hate. Open disdain for the Camry is a badge of honor on your oil-stained shirtsleeve, a protest against automotive homogeneity.-But the 3300-pound punching bag is fighting back against the insults. President Akio Toyoda is a bona fide gearhead, and he's leading a company-wide crusade to build more exciting cars. And while we're excited to see what high-performance ideas the future may bring, a tiny hint of that directive can be found in the 7.9-second 0-60 time we recorded with this plain-Jane, four-cylinder 2015 Camry. FULL TEST >>-.-Once upon a long-ago oil crisis, the VW Golf was Germany's cubic answer to OPEC and the Honda CVCC. Those of you accustomed to thinking of it as the cheap little heir to the Rabbit, itself the heir to the original hippy-tippy Beetle, need to get up and adjust the rabbit ears on your signal receiver. Even a short stint at the wheel of the latest Golf TDI will make you forget the slovenly yet thrifty ways of its predecessors.-Clocking in at 7.8 seconds in the run at 60 mph, this DSG-equipped (which means it has the dual-clutch automatic transmission) diesel shaves a full half a second from the time of its manually shifted brother. Either way, the fact that two diesels made the cut for this list is truly an indicator of how far the once-lowly diesel compact passenger car has come. FULL TEST >>-Since it appeared on the scene in 2006, the fun-size Honda has been our reflexive recommendation for pretty much everybody on a budget, including the old lady in the shoe. To date, this spacious, bodacious cube has pulled in seven 10Best trophies and three comparison-test wins. When it was redesigned for 2015, we wondered if the new Fit could possibly live up to the untouchable standard set by the old?-Honda fitted the Fit with a new 1.5-liter in the latest redesign, bringing direct injection and dual overhead cams where before there was port injection and just one lobestick. Up 14 horsepower to a total of 130, the 2015 Honda Fit's 7.7-second 0-to-60-mph time earned it a high spot on the list. FULL TEST >>-A good vehicle makes you think, -Part of that magic is its 170-hp 1.8-liter, turbocharged inline-four. What it lacks in raw power and hyperactive personality, it makes up for with minimal turbo lag and consistency. Yes, this is the third Golf powertrain on this list. It's not the last. FULL TEST >>-Tipping the scales at less than 3000 pounds, our light and lithe 2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI manual's 6.8-second 0-to-60 time checks in almost a full second quicker than that of its automatic-equipped sibling that landed at number three on this list.-Even with our aggressive driving styles, this particular Golf returned 27 mpg. That efficiency, plus its impeccable driving manners and its easily digestible MSRP makes the Golf one of our favorite cars on the planet. FULL TEST >>-Wearing more cautious styling than before—which mystifies many around here—the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Eco packs its own unique powertrain that combines a 178-hp, 1.6-liter turbo four and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. With its blend of comfort, solid structure, quality materials, rewarding dynamics, and solid value, the Eco could be the sweetest Sonata in the music room.-While on paper, the powertrain may sound more mild than wild, the combo had enough gumption to motivate the Sonata to 60 mph in just 6.7 seconds, making it the quickest car we've tested for 2015 under $25,000.--

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