Oh, and don’t forget the Daewoos. The writing was already on the wall in the late 1990s when the imports and rebadging started in earnest. Holden, as a real company, died in 2016 when its big engine manufacturing plant in Melbourne closed. I have one of its later products, a 2.8T Saab V6.

It makes you wonder what Toyota was thinking picking a high-altitude setting for its press engagement. One of the knocks against Toyotas in general is the absence of turbocharged options. Of course that naturally-aspirated four would struggle mightily.

I agree with you about the perceived value of CUVs vs sedans, but the math doesn’t work out quite the way you think. Per the article, you need to pony up $33K minimum to get the RAV4 with torque-vectoring. For $33k you can get an upper-range 4-cyl Camry, or even an XLE Hybrid.

206hp out of 2.5 liters is quite excellent, as is the 13.0:1 compression it took to get there. Subaru is up to 182 now, but there are a bunch of reasons why it’s harder for the boxer-4 to make the same power.

I’ve wanted a Renault 4 as a little city runabout for a long time, ever since seeing a shocking number of them still plying the roads in southern France. The whole drivetrain layout, as well as the suspension, is very similar to that of the Traction Avant, which is interesting considering how at odds Renault and…

Yep! I love the narrow-body look. Sometime in 2010 there was the switchover but I have no idea when or what VIN. For a while I was into the 2008 with its near-NA look (no aero bodykit) and quick-spooling turbo. But the bigger turbo in the later cars is better overall.

Yep, same final drive! I don’t know the full specs of these cars that well, but it’s possibly because of shared differential components between the WRX/STI. JDM-spec at one time featured the 4.44 final drive for the WRX/STI, as well as obviously different engines. Between that and lighter weight, the early cars are…

I don’t remember it being mid-year, but 2009 was definitely weird for the WRX. The manual car got the power bump, and the automatic became a 2.5GT with the old turbo. I think that stayed the same for 2010.

The only great value at Mini is the Oxford edition, which is limited to students I think. Only about $20K for a base 2-door or 4-door with some good options. Everything else is just too pricey.

It’s here now, I think, but sadly only on the Clubman and Countryman.

Agreed, but it also really depends on the JCW. Even a good condition R56 JCW GP isn’t that expensive, if you can manage to find one. And the more recent JCWs will depreciate like crazy.

I had a base Mini Cooper ‘vert as a rental over Christmas and I honestly liked it. The I3 burbled nicely with very little lag. Top end power wasn’t big, but it scooted well from low speeds and of course handled wonderfully. The ride was pretty good, too, which is the big knock against the bigger wheels in the high…

Sweet Barusu Esterfor. I prefer the 0.2TX version.

I think the big difference between your 335 and the STI is the final drive. The 335 is long-legged with a 3.08 FD. The STI is all the way up at 3.90, same as the 5-speed WRX. The Baja? Not really sure, but I think many of early aughts turbo Subarus had a 4.44 FD, which would explain your desire for 6th gear.

Yeah, with no mileage given I’d say it’s worth half the asking. These are too common to find in good condition at this price. CP all the way.

You’re right, he got the power rating for a 2008 WRX (single-year only). The 2009 got a completely different turbo, I think, bringing power to 265.

Plus, I think the five-speed has more practical gearing for daily driving. The 6-speed is pretty short-geared overall.

That’s possibly true, although Ford only sold about 40K units in the U.S. last year, and that’s been about average for the last few years. The Ram ProMaster City sells only 12K units, though it’s sold primarily as a commercial vehicle. I think FCA could make the case that a small pickup would be way more successful…

Yeah, as much as I like the Audi five-cylinder, it’s a little disappointing to see it under the futuristic bodywork. And then there’s the ham-handed attempt at disguising what looks to be an airbag-equipped steering wheel.

Yeah, that to me was the big news, too. Tests, laps, and dynos suggest the 335-hp figure is underrated in the current car; the 2021 car should be 400-plus.