Auto News 5

BMW's M division has a long, proud history of building cars with an emphasis on sport. Through the years, BMW M cars have gotten faster, more refined, and more luxurious, but at the expense of weight and physical size. The BMW 1 Series M Coupe is on a mission to right that course, claiming to been inspired by the original (and some say, the greatest) M car: the first-generation E30 series M3.

In general, the Kizashi has been (quietly) impressing everyone who has spent time behind the wheel. The Sport model kick the fun up a notch (compared to our Four Seasons car) by losing the awd system and CVT and giving the diver a pleasant six-speed manual transmission. You also end up with a car that's about 88 pounds lighter as a result of these changes. I thought the Sport's reflexes were just a touch sharper than the SLS we've been driving since March, but the difference wasn't nearly as impressive as the amount of money one could save by choosing a Sport over an SLS loaded up the way our car is. For $25,300, the Kizashi doesn't have much competition in the cheapish fun-to-drive-mid-size category until the new Jetta GLI hits the streets.
- Phil Floraday, Senior Web Editor

The compact sedan segment is such a practical bunch of cars. According to Hyundai, about half of buyers choosing one of these cars are downsizing -- and their number one reason is fuel economy.