Auto News 5

Fiat's corporate headquarters, across the road from the historic Lingotto factory with its famous rooftop test loop, is a meticulously restored fortress with endless corridors, tall ceilings, and numerous security checkpoints. Sergio Marchionne's dimly lit office sits halfway up the massive building block on a corner facing the street. It appears to be smaller than the bright, adjoining room where three secretaries reign supreme over a huge desk laden with monitors, keyboards, and paperwork. As I approached the master's inner sanctum, another door opened and lanky John Elkann stepped out, followed by the stooped figure of Sergio Marchionne, smoldering cigarette in hand. Talk about extreme contrasts. Wiry, with wide-awake eyes and a broad smile, Elkann, the young Fiat heir, is dressed immaculately in a blue suit, a light blue shirt, and a brightly striped tie. Slightly pudgy, chortling with laughter in response to a joke told in Italian with only a faint Canadian twang, and displaying a grayish thirty-day beard, Marchionne is a committed supporter of the Italian knitwear industry and a dedicated ambassador for sweet-smelling Muratti Privat filter cigarettes.

The trio and their competitors
The Mercedes-Benz CLA is the sleek four-door coupe that was previewed at the 2012 Beijing motor show under the guise of the Concept Style Coupe. Production is due to start early next year, in the new, state-of-the-art assembly plant in Kecskemet, Hungary. Twelve months later, the brand is going to release the five-door shooting brake (wagon/hatchback) variant. In autumn 2014, the stylish yet functional GLA crossover is set to complete the revamped A-Class line-up.

The Camry's redesign hasn't quite fixed its weaknesses, but it has convincingly played up its traditional strengths. There are still competitors that have more style, have richer interiors, and drive more sportingly. I'm particularly disappointed that the interior materials feel so chintzy -- a "stitched" dash is only impressive if the stitching looks remotely authentic. This base model also understeers to the point that it makes the Chevrolet Malibu we have in the office feel like a sports car. But I suspect most mid-size buyers won't care so much about these things. They will care that the Camry's cabin feels like it's a size bigger than most mid-size cars. The specs say it's slightly roomier than a Malibu and slightly more cramped than a Hyundai Sonata, but Toyota designers provide a real-world impression of airiness that eludes either competitor. The four-cylinder model is exceptionally refined -- the engine isn't gritty like some competitors and the automatic transmission doesn't constantly hunt for the highest gear to squeak out better mileage. It achieves segment-best four-cylinder fuel economy anyway, and nearly beats the Malibu Eco's mild-hybrid powertrain.