Kia has done a great job of making small economy cars.  When they first appeared on the scene, many were waiting for the roads to be littered with Kias awaiting tow trucks.  They are still waiting, because Kias have turned out to be dependable cars.  But are they safe enough compared to the competition?

The 2010 Kia Rio5 LX wagon is the lower of two trim levels for the wagon, but equivalent to the second of three trim levels because it would be the second trim level for the sedan.  It has a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 110 horsepower.  It has 14-inch steel wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 5-speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 11.5 seconds.

The Rio5 LX Wagon comes with a tilt-only steering wheel, air conditioning, cloth upholstery, power mirrors, a rear defroster, and Bluetooth.  The audio system has 4 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 changer, a USB/iPod input, and an audio jack.

The LX Wagon also has anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, and side curtain airbags.  To its detriment, it doesn’t have stability control or traction control.  IN government tests, the Rio got 5 stars for front impact front passenger, 4 stars for front impact driver, 4 stars for side impact front seat, and 3 stars for side impact rear seat.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is decent for an economy car.  The materials are average quality and the design is both attractive and practical.  The handling and ride are typical small economy car, but with a bit of punch in the engine.  There is a bit of body roll, and a bit of steering lag, and the ride is decent but nothing special.

A lot of industry experts like this car.  I would like it, too, but when you combine low crash test scores with no stability or traction control, you are asking for trouble.  Basically, when you add a few stats together, you are around 50 percent more likely to have an accident with this car, and 70 percent more likely to have a rollover or a fatality in a small car with no stability control and mediocre test scores.

Someone who drives very conservatively and doesn’t have bad luck can have a great experience with this car.  For others, it could be very, very bad.

The verdict: no, thanks.  Wait for 2012 when stability control is mandatory in the US.

Theoretically, the Dodge Caliber has a lot going for it.  It was originally designed to replace their popular Neon, but it’s a perfect replacement for it’s cousin, the very successful PT Cruiser.  It’s got a hint of a boxy design, but  has nice aerodynamic curves.  It is called a wagon, but classified as a hatchback, and looks more like a sleek, crossover SUV.

The 2010 Dodge Caliber Mainstreet is the fourth of eight trim levels.  It has a 2.0 liter, inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 158 horsepower.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).  It is rated at 23 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

The Mainstreet comes with a tilt-only steering wheel, bucket front seats with height adjustment for the driver, a split-folding rear seat, full power accessories, cruise control, standard air conditioning, a rear defogger, rear window wipers, and foglights.  The audio system has 4 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, a USB/iPod input, an audio jack, and Bluetooth.

The Caliber also has a driver’s knee airbag, side curtain airbags, active front head restraints, and antilock brakes.  In government testing, the Caliber received perfect scores of 5 stars in front and side impact tests.  Somehow, though, it received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s second-lowest score of “marginal” in side impact tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is attractive.  The design is modern, and the materials are high-quality and soft-touch.  The layout of the dash is very user-friendly; every thing is easy to reach and easy to use.  There is plenty of cabin space, too, with ample headroom and legroom in the front, and more than expected in the rear seat.  There is 48 cubic feet of cargo space, and the front passenger seat folds flat for long items.

The drive and the ride are both ordinary.  The engine accelerates OK, and cruises at highway speed without labor.  The handling is “tweener” handling.  The steering and suspension are tuned in the midway position, not sporty but not for comfort.  Predictably, the result is neither sport nor comfort; just “there.”

The Caliber has the potential to be a great car, but the 2010 model isn’t close to fulfilling it.  The first problem is the lack of side curtain airbags, stability control, and traction control.  All of these help to either prevent or mitigate the damage of accidents.  This sets up a situation where the Caliber is more than fifty percent likely to have a rollover or accident, but doesn’t have side airbags to protect you if it happens.

This car is very attractive from the outside, and not bad on the interior, but the actual mechanics of driving the car and getting from point A to point B safely are a joke.  I’m not laughing.  The Caliber is getting redesigned for 2012 as one of the company’s first moves after the Fiat buyout was finished.  I hope it finally reaches its potential.

The verdict: looks like a silk purse, but drives like a sow’s ear.  Don’t even consider this until the redesign.

The 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander is a compact crossover SUV.  The XLS is the third of four trim levels, and the lowest to get the new, more powerful engine.  It is really a five-seater, but the XLS gets a third row seat.  It was given a few improvements to make it more sleek and modern, while keeping the underpinnings of a nice multi-purpose crossover.

The Outlander XLS comes with a 3.0 liter V6 engine that produces 230 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque.  It has 18-inch steel wheels, all-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift override that allows you to choose from front wheel drive or two different mods of all-wheel drive.  It is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The XLS also comes with a leather-wrapped tilt-only steering wheel, full power accessories, cruise control, cloth sport seats keyless entry, keyless ignition, automatic climate control, voice-activated Bluetooth, the Fuse hands-free link system, a trip computer, roof rails, foglights, and heated side-view mirrors.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, a USB/iPod input, and an audio jack.

The Outlander also has stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, and front head restraints.  In government crash tests, it got perfect ratings of 5 stars on frontal and side impact tests.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also gave it its highest score, “good,” in side and frontal offset tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

Just like the exterior was given a more sleek and modern look, the interior was also improved.  The materials are high-quality with the exception of a few cheaper materials, and the design is quite attractive.  There is plenty of cloth, stitching, chrome trim, and a little bit of leather to keep you visually engaged.  The cabin is large enough to be quite comfortable for five, with plenty of headroom and legroom.

We recommend folding the third row “seat” or removing it altogether and using it for storage space unless you are using it to transport part of a very young youth baseball or soccer team.  If you fold both the second and third row, you can get over 72 cubic feet of cargo space.

The Outlander’s best attribute is that it handles like a sport sedan and rides like a family car.  It also has a little bit of zip to it with the V6 engine, and the versatility of the all-wheel drive helps it handle the road in virtually any conditions.

All in all, the Outlander XLS a fun crossover SUV with stability control and perfect crash-test scores, but the useless third row seat makes it almost like a big family sedan.

The verdict: good for a young family because of the crash test results, but probably too much of a tweener for most other demographics.

As we now know, the Hummer is no more.  They were a great off-road vehicle, modeled after the military Humvee, but they had an inherent limitation to their shelf life.  Sooner or later, people were bound to realize that they didn’t need a war-ready jeep because they didn’t actually do any off-road driving.  On top of that, the war went through its popular cycle and finally stopped being “cool,” and driving around in a Hummer suffered a similar fate.

Consequently, “urban soldiers” really didn’t have much use for their big, gas-guzzling Hummers anymore, and its popularity diminished.  That was just about when the H3T came out.  The H3T is a short-bed pickup based on the H3.  Indeed, it is more like an H3 with the top torn off and a nice little pickup bed thrown in.  Sadly, the bed is too short to be of much serious use.  What we ended up getting is a cross between a jeep and a pickup with serious off-road chops but not a lot of practical use.  You just might like it anyway.

The Hummer H3T Alpha is a midsize Crew Cab pickup and is the middle of three trim levels.  It has a 5.3 liter V8 engine that produces 300 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque.  It has 16-inch alloy wheels with 33-inch off-road tires, 4-wheel drive, and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 13 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.  It can tow up to 5,900 pounds and go from zero to sixty in 8.0 seconds.

The H3T Alpha comes with a two-speed transfer case for better hill-climbing, skid plates, a tilt-only steering wheel, a 12-volt outlet, standard air conditioning, full power accessories, cruise control, and front bucket seats with cloth upholstery.  It also has a Monsoon audio system with AM/FM/satellite radio, a 6CD/MP3 changer, 6 speakers including a subwoofer, and Bluetooth.

The H3T has the five modern safety essentials: side front airbags, side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability control, and traction control.  It also has the GM OnStar emergency communication system.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is what one would expect of a vehicle inspired by the military: sparse and frugal.  It is built for function, and there aren’t a lot of conveniences or frills in the design.  The seats, though, are very comfortable.  There is plenty of headroom and legroom in the front, while the rear seats might not have quite enough headroom for taller passengers.

The H3T also handles more like a military vehicle.  The engine is enough to accelerate decently, but the vehicle is quite heavy, so it doesn’t go as fast as one may like on the road or highway.  The H3T is a superstar off-road, though.  It may be a pickup, but it is also on a H3 frame, and the engineers never forgot what side their bread was buttered on.  The gearing system is very good at translating low-end torque to superb off-road performance.  The skid plates and the 9-inch clearance from the ground also contribute to a great off-road experience.

On city roads and highways, the H3T manages to feel more like a conventional truck and less like a jeep.  It gives a fairly smooth ride for something that does what it can off-road.  The small cargo bed, though, doesn’t really make it as useful as a conventional pickup would be.

The verdict: off-road or no deal.

Most drivers have one factor that they value over all others in a car, truck, or SUV.  For many, it is handling.  For some, it is ride.  For some, it is towing capacity.  For others, though, safety is paramount, and they will make a lot of compromises for a vehicle they can trust to protect them if they ever get into an accident.  The Tribeca got perfect crash-test scores.  But what sacrifices and compromises did they make to get them?

The 2010 Subaru Tribeca 3.6R Premium is a 7-passenger midsize crossover SUV, and is the lowest of three trim levels.  It has a 3.6 liter, horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engine that produces 256 horsepower.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, all-wheel drive, and a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift override.  In normal driving, the transmission sends 55 percent of the power to the rear wheels.  It is rated at 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 7.8 seconds.

The 3.6R Premium comes with heated power front seats, a tilt-only steering wheel, cruise control, full power accessories, keyless entry, 3-zone climate control, split-fold second and third row seats, a display screen, and premium cloth upholstery.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.

The Tribeca also comes with active front head restraints, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, stability control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes.  As we mentioned, it got perfect scores in crash tests performed by both the US Government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is bold.  The dashboard has entertaining curves in the design, and sets the tone for the rest of the cabin.  When it comes to cabin space, passengers in the Tribeca are a bit like puppies at feeding time.  If you are in the front row, it’s great.  If you aren’t, it’s not so great.  There is plenty of both headroom and legroom in the front seats, and they are built for comfort.

Sadly, that’s as far as it goes.  There simply isn’t enough legroom for adults to sit comfortably in the second row, and the third row is abysmal for anyone over three feet tall.  If you fold all of those seats and use them for cargo space, you can get 74 cubic feet.

The handling and ride are tweaked for comfort.  Acceleration is tepid but acceptable, the steering has a bit of lag time, and there is definitely some body roll.  The tradeoff here is that you end up with a smooth, quiet ride.

Ultimately, the Tribeca is a decent crossover for two adults and up to three children, and the third row folds down to make nice cargo space.  It is made to be driven conservatively and in a straight line.  The mileage leaves a lot to be desired, and this “SUV” is really more like a large sedan in what it can actually do.

The verdict: recommended, but just barely.  And only for people who value safety over mileage, cabin space, and rear seat comfort.

Market Price from: $26,247

The Ford Expedition comes in 4 trim levels, but a total of ten different configurations.  The XLT is the base level.  The Expedition is a full-sized SUV, which is not a market darling anymore like it used to be.  Most people now go to a full-sized pickup for heavy duty or a crossover SUV if they don’t really need the power and size of a full-size SUV.

The Expedition XLT has a 5.4 liter, V8 flex fuel engine that produces. 310 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, rear-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.  It goes from zero to sixty in 8.9 seconds, and can tow up to 9,200 pounds.

One big difference between an full-sized SUV and a full-sized pickup is that the base levels have a lot more conveniences.  The XLT has Captain’s chairs for front seats, and the driver’s seat is adjustable 6 ways including height and lumbar support.  It also has a split-bench rear seat, a leather-wrapped, tilt-only steering wheel, cruise control, 12-volt outlets in the front, rear, and cargo areas, full-power accessories, front and rear air conditioning, and cloth upholstery.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, and a CD/MP3 player.

As on every Ford truck, there are plenty of safety features.  The XLT has antilock brakes with brake-assist, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, traction control, and stability control with rollover protection.  It also has the patented Ford MyKey system, which allows you to program a second key for another driver, such as a teenager, and allows you to set limits on how fast it goes and how loud the stereo can play.  Ford Trucks are among the safest vehicles on the road, and the XLT got perfect scores of five stars from the government in front and side impact tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The XLT seats 5, with an option for a third row seat that can seat three people.  In its standard configurations of two rows seating five people, there is a lot of space.  There is plenty of headroom and legroom in both the front and rear seats, and 55 cubic feet of storage space.  Adding a third row takes it down to 18.6 cubic feet.

The interior is typical Ford truck.  It is unpretentious and practical.  Your interior decorator might not like it, but someone using it as a work truck will love it.  For soccer moms, there is a rear conversation mirror that allows the driver to keep an eye on the back seats.

The handling is very impressive for such a large vehicle.  The steering is very responsive, as is the suspension, and there isn’t nearly as much body roll as you would expect.  Somehow, it doesn’t detract from the ride.  The Expedition is a body on frame SUV, but feels almost like a car-based crossover.

The only real negative here is that the engine labors a bit under a full load.  This is a great family SUV, though.

The verdict: if you really want a full-sized SUV, the Expedition XLT is a great choice.

Market Price from: $30,832

The 2010 Lexus ES 350 is an entry-level midsize luxury sedan.  It is tweaked very much toward an understated luxury experience in every facet of its design.  Some may find that boring.  Those who don’t are probably loyal Lexus fans.

The ES 350 Base is the only trim level available.  It has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that produces 272 horsepower.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 6.9 seconds.

The ES 350 comes with a leather-wrapped, tilt-telescope steering wheel, 10-way power front seats with lumbar support, leather upholstery, cruise control, 2-way climate control, keyless entry, keyless ignition, full power accessories, a lot of wood and leather trim, and a trip computer.  The audio system has 8 speakers, AM/FM/Satellite radio, a 6-CD/MP3 changer, a USB/iPod port, Bluetooth, and an audio jack.  There are also tons of options available.

The ES 350 also has antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, and drivers’ knee airbags.  In government tests, the ES 350 received perfect marks of 5 stars for front impact both seats and side impact front seat.  It got 4 stars for side impact rear seat.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it their highest score of “good” in their tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

This car is made in Japan, but it reeks of understated European luxury.  The interior is made of expensive materials, and they are tastefully arranged.  The seats are very soft, but still very supportive.  The experience is a bit like being in an overstuffed chair in the lobby of a luxury hotel.  The cabin is spacious.  There is plenty of legroom and headroom in the front and rear seats.  There are also 14.7 cubic feet of trunk space.

The engine accelerates very smoothly, almost to a point where passengers don’t even feel acceleration.  The ES 350 cruises with almost no effort at highway speeds.  The cabin is also very quiet, with almost no wind noise, engine noise, or road noise.

As for the ride, as the saying goes, it’s “like butter.”  This car rides as smoothly as cars that cost $20,000 more.  Passengers can totally detach from the outside environment if they want to.  This is a car in which you could drink a hot beverage with no lid and no fear of spilling it.

All in all, this is a great car for people who value “smooth” over “exciting.”  This is a car that, even though it has plenty of power in reserve, is made to be driven slowly, proudly, and in a straight line.  People looking for a sporty experience will stay far away from this car.  But people who like to “take their time and do it right” will love every cubic inch of this car.

The verdict: if you know what I’m talking about, you probably already have a Lexus.

Market Price from: $10,636

Walk into a Chevy showroom sometime and ask to see an Aveo.  Hide a stopwatch in your pocket and see how long before the salesman finds a polite or not so polite way to let you know that you “don’t want an Aveo” or that you “really want to look at something else.”  Is the salesman lying or telling the truth?

The 2010 Chevy Aveo LS is a compact economy sedan.  The LS is the base trim level of three.  It has a 1.6 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 108 horsepower.  It has 14-inch steel wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 5-speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

There aren’t many conveniences on the base trim.  The Aveo LS comes with cloth upholstery and an AM/FM radio with an audio jack.  It doesn’t even have air conditioning.  That is usually a deal-breaker in about half of the 50 states in the US.

There aren’t a lot of safety options, either.  Of the five modern essentials, the Aveo only has side front airbags.  It does have the GM OnStar emergency communication system, though.  Sadly, there is a great chance that you will need it.  The Aveo got mixed reviews in government testing.  It got 5 stars for driver front impact, 4 stars for passenger front impact, 4 stars for the driver and only 3 for passengers in side impact.

When you don’t have ESC, or electronic stability control, you are around 50 percent more likely to have an accident, and 70 percent more likely to have a rollover.  When you combine that with a small car and low end crash test scores, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

For a small car, the Aveo does have a decent amount of headroom and legroom in the front seat.  There is decent headroom in the 60/40 split rear seat, also.  Really, though, it is for smaller passengers only.  There are 12.4 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk, and you can bump it up to almost 40 cubic feet if you fold the rear seats down.

The drive and ride are decent.  The steering is actually quite responsive, and the car maneuvers quite well, partially because of its size.  The ride, while not luxury by any means, won’t give you any surprise jolts, either.  The engine isn’t going to win any races at the local drag strip, but it is enough to get you from point A to point B in standard commuter situations.

All in all, though, the lack of safety features and the spartan furnishings don’t cut it.

The verdict: auto salesmen may lie once in awhile, but they are telling you the truth when they steer you away from the Aveo.

Market Price from: $16,659

The Dodge Journey is like a minivan, but it is officially classified as a midsize crossover SUV.  It is like a Caliber turned into a minivan.  It is inexpensive, seats five with an option for a third row seat for two more, and pretty versatile for family use.  They have to make compromises somewhere to keep the prices down, but we have seen a lot worse “compromises” made in the name of economy.

The 2010 Dodge Journey SE has a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 173 horsepower.  It has 16-inch steel wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The SE is sparsely adorned to keep the price down.  It comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, full power accessories, standard air conditioning, and keyless entry.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, and a 6-CD/MP3 changer.

The SE also comes with anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, side curtain airbags for all seats, active front head restraints, traction control, and stability control with added rollover protection.  The Journey got perfect safety ratings in all categories from both the government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is sparsely adorned and made of lower-quality materials.  It isn’t made to be eye candy.  There are, however, plenty of cup-holders, nooks, and crannies for small item storage.  There is a lot of space in both the front and second row of seats: plenty of legroom and headroom, and even a bit of elbow room.  If you add the third row, it will be more appropriate for kids, but this is still a great people-mover.

The driving experience isn’t all that much fun, though.  The engine is too small for the weight of the SUV, especially when it is full of people.  It doesn’t accelerate very well, and labors a bit at high speeds with too much weight.  It is more like a full-size van in terms of steering wheel lag and body roll, too.

There is one use for the Dodge Journey: driving carefully with your family in tow.  If you need an inexpensive vehicle to haul a family around, and you don’t need even a drop of excitement out of your motor vehicle, this is a great option.

Everybody else hates it.

The verdict: if safe, dependable, and very conservative is your cup of tea, feel free to partake.  Otherwise, don’t bother.

Market price from: $36,284

Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand.  Most of their cars combine Nissan’s dependability with a lot of features at a reasonable price.  The G37 won’t disappoint.  The Infiniti G37 Sport Convertible is the middle of three trim levels for the convertible.  It has a hard top which retracts into the trunk.  It’s almost like two different cars: a luxury car when the top is up and a rambunctious sport convertible when it is down.

The G37 Sport has a 3.7 liter V6 engine that cranks out 328 horsepower.  It has rear-wheel drive, 18-inch wheels, and a 6 speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 16 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 6.0 seconds.

The GS Sport comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, power front seats with thigh and torso support, keyless entry, keyless ignition, full power accessories, xenon headlights, 2-zone climate control, and leather upholstery.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.  It also has sport performance upgrades: limited slip differential, high-performance tires, upgraded brakes, and a sport-tuned suspension.

The G37 Sport also comes with pop-up rollbars, upgraded anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, and side front airbags.  It received top scores of “good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in both side impact and front offset tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

First of all, this is a great car.  While Nissan is almost a prisoner of its reputation for conservative, dependable cars, Infiniti has no such restraints.  That is fitting, because the G37 Sport is definitely unrestrained.  The interior is made of very high-quality luxury car materials, but they are arranged to give a very sporty look.

There is plenty of headroom and legroom in the front seat, and plenty of headroom in the rear seat with the top down.  As in many sport cars, though, the rear seat is more of a 2 X 2 afterthought than a real seat.  This car is definitely a one or two-seater, and you can fold the rear seatback down for more luggage space.  This is especially important with the top down, because the top takes up almost all of the space in the trunk.

The performance in the convertible is a tad less than the sedan or coupe, but it is more than enough to provide a great driving and riding experience.  The engine accelerates very well, and cruises fine at standard highway speeds, but it does get noisy when you really lean into it.  This can be a positive for some and a negative for others.  The handling and suspension are tuned for sport and do their jobs extremely well, but still manage to provide a very nice ride for the passengers.  You will feel a bit of road, but there is still plenty of luxury in the ride.

Ultimately, this is a very fun car for a single or couple who like feeling a lot of wind in their hair.

The verdict: one of the best in its class.