Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2011)

Having made its world preview at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show, the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta makes its debut and, from May 2010, will be marketed progressively on all the major markets, thus relaunching the brand in one of the most important segments in Europe.

In Alfa Romeo's Centenary year, the name Giulietta is a tribute to an automobile and an Alfa Romeo legend. In the Fifties, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta caught the imagination of car enthusiasts throughout the world, making the dream of owning an Alfa Romeo and enjoying its high level of comfort and technical excellence accessible for the first time.

Now the Alfa Romeo Style Centre has produced a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a five-door hatchback with an evident Alfa Romeo appearance and capable of expressing both great agility on the most demanding routes and providing comfort on everyday journeys. This is due to the new Compact platform which, thanks to the sophisticated technical solutions employed for the suspension, the dual pinion active steering, the sophisticated materials used and the manufacturing technologies implemented, allows the Alfa Romeo Giulietta to achieve exceptionally high standards both in terms of on-board comfort as well as its dynamic and safety features (active and passive).

Fiat 500L

Fiat has released the first official photos of the new 500L, ahead of the compact crossover's debut in Geneva. | February 02, 2012 | Fiat

Design and interiors

500L is all Italian style and the car looks to be a natural growth for the Italian icon. With the restrained dimensions, the 500L defies the conventional design distinctions, incorporating design cues from various segments. The styling is trendy and retro at the same time which is sure to go down well which with its customers. With the 500L Fiat has tried to merge functionality and emotion and its ’cab forward’ stance is now seen on other Fiat cars as well. The 500L’s styling mirrors its hatch sibling but Fiat has managed to give the L its own identity. We particularly liked the helmet-style rear roofline and the vertically stacked circular lights at the front.

The L in the 500L stands for ’Large’ and over the standard 500, the 500L is longer by 6cm, wider by 1.5cm and taller by 1.7cm. And despite what the name suggests this new Fiat is more than a stretched 500 hatch. This is the second L model from the company and the "L" in the previous model stood for "luxury."

Engine

Powering the new hatch are two petrol and a diesel engine. Fiat’s TwinAir turbocharged 900cc petrol produces 85PS and the 1.4-liter petrol develops 105PS. The 1.3-litre Multijet turbo diesel comes it two different states of tune with one producing 75PS and the other 95PS.

The Fiat 500L is expected to arrive in the U.S. in early 2013. | February 2, 2012 | Fiat

Mazda3

The 2012 Mazda3 ranks 6 out of 41 Affordable Small Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 57 published reviews and test drives of the Mazda3, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

If you want great performance and gas mileage, reviewers say the 2012 Mazda3 has both. But if you want ample cargo and passenger space, competitors have more. 

Back in the day, many speedy small cars didn’t have the highest fuel economy ratings in the class. The Mazda3 was one of them, but this year, it is breaking that mold with the introduction of its new Skyactiv engine that is one of the most fuel-efficient in the class. Test drivers add that its great fuel economy ratings don’t mean a compromise in performance.

While reviewers say that the 2012 Mazda3 has near-perfect performance for the class, they are disappointed that its union of efficiency and power isn’t paired with an increase in passenger and cargo space. If the Mazda3 could gain bragging rights as the most utilitarian, most efficient and most powerful car in the class, the automotive press thinks the Mazda3 would be even greater than it already is.

2013 Ford Fusion with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine

Sleek design will differentiate Fusion from other sedans in the midsize segment, with class-leading fuel economy in gasoline (37 mpg on the highway with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine), hybrid (at least 47 mpg in the city) and an all-new plug-in hybrid (with more than 100 MPGe).

Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s “One Ford” initiative, aimed at creating a global product portfolio with a consistent look and mission, has certainly been fruitful. A quick stroll through a Ford showroom will reveal models like the Fiesta, Focus, and upcoming 2013 Escape, a trio of vehicles whose genetics evidently were extracted from a common Petri dish. Ford wisely chose to let the inbreeding continue, this time with designers swabbing a touch of the corporate DNA on the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion.

The new Fusion’s overall look was previewed by last year’s Evos concept. The production model looks like, well, a big Focus, or possibly a small Taurus. Surprised? Neither are we, especially given the spy shots we nabbed last summer. (Europeans waiting for the new-generation Mondeo will be even less surprised than we were here, since this Fusion provides a deep look into that car.) But lack of astonishment or no, there’s no denying that the new Fusion is pretty darn handsome, even if it’s not as aggressively creased as the Focus.