2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX Review - Nice Personality And A Good Heart

For the first time in nearly four decades, Honda Canada is selling a five-door Honda Civic hatchback. Not since the last millennium has Honda Canada offered a Civic with a tailgate. That car, often seen lowered, with a coffee can exhaust pipe, and Mugen stickers, is not this car.

THE GOOD + Huge cargo area + Powerful 1.5T + CVT is mostly inoffensive + Decent value quotient + Substantial structure

THE BAD – Ghastly exterior – Odd interior controls – Rather firm ride on 16s – Poor visibility – Noisy Hankooks

For the 2017 model year, Honda has added a third bodystyle to the tenth-generation Civic lineup. After the sedan and coupe, both Canadian-built, this hatchback makes its way over from Honda's Swindon, England, assembly plant with the 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder upgrade as standard equipment and more backside birthmarks than a mother could tolerate. 

Forget the sedan. That's the Civic everyone else buys. In Canada, with the Civic lineup accounting for 10% of all passenger car sales, do you really need to drive the Civic that everyone else already drives?

The Civic coupe, meanwhile, is undeniably the most stylish member of the trio. But while the rear seat is decent, it's not sufficiently practical for your lifestyle.

You want that turbocharged powerplant. You don't mind driving the antithesis of vehicular beauty. You need flexibility. Finally, the most popular car in Canada is available in the bodystyle you require. 

This is the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback, with 75% more cargo capacity than the 2017 Honda Civic sedan. 

WHAT IS IT?
Canadian pricing for the new Civic Hatchback starts at $23,085. That's $5000 beyond the base price of the Civic sedan, but don't be fooled. Those two price points aren't comparable. There's no DX trim in the hatch, for one thing, and the hatch comes standard with the 1.5L turbocharged engine that's not even available on the sedan until you reach the EX-T at $26,885. Plus, Honda Canada has not yet made the sedan available with the 1.5T and a manual shifter. Like for like, a Civic LX sedan with the continuously variable automatic transmission is $22,285, making the turbo hatchback a $2100 proposition. 

2017 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK LX Base Price: $23,085 * As-Tested Price: $24,385 * Colour: White Orchid Assembly: Swindon, England Drive Type: front-wheel drive Transmission: continuously variable automatic Engine: 1.5L DOHC 16-valve I-4 turbo Horsepower: 174@ 5500 rpm Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm Curb Weight: 2906 pounds Length: 177.9 inches Width: 70.8 inches Height: 56.5 inches Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Tires: Hankook Kinergy GT Tire Size: 215/55R16 Passenger Volume: 2752 litres Cargo Volume: 728 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1308 litres EPA City: 31 mpg EPA Hwy: 40 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 7.7 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 6.0 L/100km Observed: 35.6 mpg Observed: 6.6 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1695 in fees.

The CVT is a $1300 option you don't need to avoid – it's fine – but might as well. The suite of safety gear known as Honda Sensing adds $1000 to the price of a CVT-equipped LX. The Civic Hatchback Sport, with six additional horsepower and centre-mounted exhaust and plenty of blacked out trim starts at $26,885 with the manual shifter and rises to $29,185 with a CVT and Honda Sensing. 

The Civic Hatchback range currently tops out with the Sport Touring: $31,085 with the 6-speed manual; $32,385 with the CVT. Expect a hi-po Civic Type R to be made available exclusively in the hatchback bodystyle later next year.

Our tester, supplied by Honda Canada, is the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX with the continuously variable transmission in White Orchid.

HOW BIG IS IT?
You know how big the Civic sedan is. You can't pull out of your driveway without seeing six of them (or driving one of them). Riding on an identical wheelbase, the hatchback loses 4.4 inches of overall length, stands nearly an inch taller, and is identically wide. The shape change, however, results in 728 litres of cargo capacity, 75% more than the sedan's 416-litre trunk. And it's useable space, despite the ridiculous angle of the rear windscreen indicating otherwise. 

Seats folded, the Civic Hatchback's cargo area expands to 1308 litres.

Curious about what an SUV could do for you? With similar exterior length, the outgoing 2016 Honda CR-V offers 45% more cargo capacity than the Civic Hatchback with the seats up; 53% more with the seats folded. Downsizing to a Honda Fit, a subcompact that's 17 inches shorter, bumper to bumper, than the Civic Hatchback, would result in the loss of 258 litres of cargo capacity, although official specs say the minivan-shaped Fit has more space with the seats folded.

DOES IT WORK?
Relative to other compact cars, the Honda Civic – as a hatchback or not – has three main traits that work well, three that don't. 

Given its tiny size, the 1.5T is a beastly powerplant. The official specs don't adequately convey the degree to which all of the four-cylinder's torque is almost always available. Linked here to a CVT that reduces fun but doesn't go out of its way to annoy you, it's certain that this would be a ball of fun with the optional, cheaper, manual transmission. Remember that this is the basic Civic Hatchback. The last Civic SiR that came over from Britain more than a decade ago produced 14 fewer horses.

Though the Civic lacks the tactile feedback of the Mazda 3 we reviewed a week ago, this proves to be a thoroughly competent car when called upon to overperform. Brake performance is impressive, turn-in is surprisingly immediate, cornering is flat, and the Civic always feels like it's ready to give a little more, to go a little quicker. In our example, a base LX with 16-inch wheels, the Civic Hatchback is hardly a hot hatch. But the foundation is obvious.

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The Civic's responsiveness stems from the car's impressive structural rigidity. Absent is the sensation you receive from nearly all of the Honda's competitors that the doors are too light and tinny. The Civic is not a heavy car, but it feels weighty and significant, not like an $18,000 compact car. It's easier to make a stiff car handle well. It's also easier to make a stiff car sell for a higher price four years down the road. 

Unfortunately, apart from space and comfort, the Civic is something of a mess inside. Visibility is poor in the hatch, but visibility sucks in most cars these days. No, the bigger problem isn't behind you – it's right in front. The touchscreen includes audio controls and offers no haptic feedback. Even the audio controller on the steering wheel is a nonsensical slider that could just as easily have you blasting SiriusXM's Kids Place Live as turning down the volume to a hush. It's an all-around ineffective system, not just from an audio perspective.

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Speaking of volume, the Civic has not yet completely joined the ranks of the quiet small cars. Wind noise is kept to a minimum, but the Hankook tires hum too loudly and the engine certainly wants to make its presence known. 

Those Hankooks are, as already mentioned, only 16-inchers on this LX car. Yet the Civic rides quite firmly, unnecessarily so. If the intention is to convey a sense of sportiness, Honda ought to reserve that sense for the Sport model. The wheelbase of the Mazda 3 is an identical 106.3 inches, yet the Mazda rides better and handles more adroitly, as well. 

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Most definitely. The Civic Hatchback hasn't been available for long and availability remains somewhat limited, but Automotive News reports that imported-from-Britain Civics made up 610 of the 4605 Civics sold in Canada in November, for example. (Civic sedan/coupe sales fell 21 percent, year-over-year.) 

610 sales in November would make the Civic Hatchback more popular than the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Audi A4, Mini Cooper, and Honda's own Ridgeline pickup truck.

American Honda and Honda Canada don't offer a complete breakdown of Civic sales by bodystyle. The entire Civic lineup is Canada's best-selling car in 2016, which will be its 19th consecutive year at the top of the leaderboard. The Civic is currently America's third-best-selling car.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
We've suddenly arrived at a point in the industry where compact hatchbacks are the norm. The scion iM has become the Toyota Corolla iM, a hatchback Corolla. There's a new hatchback version of the second-generation Chevrolet Cruze. The Ford Focus, Kia Forte, Mitsubishi Lancer, Mazda 3, and Subaru Impreza continue to be available as sedans and hatchbacks. The Volkswagen Golf is a preeminent example of the breed. Hyundai will bring another hatchback into the new Elantra's fold. With the Civic adding a hatch, the Nissan Sentra stands out from the pack.

Keen drivers should pay particular attention to the Golf, Mazda 3, and Focus. The Subaru Impreza's standard all-wheel drive is a big selling point for many buyers. The Forte's value quotient is high. Questionable styling aside, the Civic does an impressive job of standing in the midst as an affordable, spacious, fun to drive compact hatchback, but with the kind of name recognition that garners Honda a fair number of automatic sales.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
With a car this unnaturally unattractive, the Sport model does a great job of covering up some of the Civic Hatchback's faults. With a dose of extra power and a manual transmission, it'd be a blast to drive, as well. 

At $26,885 and advertised five-year rates at 2.99%, expect a monthly payment of around $555, depending on your tax jurisdiction.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
I can't hide the fact that I believe the Civic Hatchback would be a better package, and a better-looking package, if Honda elongated the roof just as Volkswagen always has with the Golf. 

I also can't deny that there are a bunch of reasons that explain why the Honda Civic is still Canada's best-selling car. The structure is stiff, creating the atmosphere of premium solidity missing in many competitors. Pricing is sane; equipment levels are acceptable. Even with a continuously variable automatic, the transmission is inoffensive. While the Civic lacks the Mazda 3's level of engagement and too many of the Civic's controls are awkward to operate, the overall sense is of a car that ought to cost a bit more than its MSRP.

In five-door form, all of the qualities that make the regular Civic sedan an obvious purchase for 5,600 Canadians every month are present. But there's a level of functionality in the hatch that's not available in other Civics.

As a result, the Honda Civic Hatchback is the best version of Canada's best-selling car. 

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Civic was supplied by Honda Canada's press office.

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2017 Mazda 3 Sport GT Review - Three-Pedal Fun In Mazda's Most Popular Car

Mazda has been selling the current version of the Mazda 3 since the end of 2013. It was critically acclaimed from the get-go, and while it's faults are becoming more noticeable as new competitors reach the market with greater refinment, the Mazda 3 continues to stand head and shoulders above most competitors because of its on-road mannerisms.

THE GOOD + Best-in-class handling + Communicative chassis + Outstanding shifter + Intelligent interior design + Enough power and space

THE BAD – Road noise – Pricey options – No quicker than 2.0 – Silly HUD – Cabin too slow to warm up

For 2017, Mazda tinkered with the 3's styling, but not so much that you'll notice. Mazda also added a software function to the front end called G-Vectoring Control. You likely won't notice that, either. Indeed, so subtle are G-Vectoring Control's functions that you may not notice the difference during back-to-back drives with the 2016 and 2017 models.

Yet G-Vectoring Control, which reduces steering effort with modest torque reductions to a given wheel mid-corner, makes the 2017 Mazda 3 even better to drive, as if that was necessary.

The problem? The Mazda 3 didn't need to be better to drive. 

It would be nice if the Mazda 3 was better to live with. 

Road noise is excessive, slush strikes the undercarriage like thunder, the driver's armrest is too uselessly positioned to be useful, rear ingress is awkward, the plasticky head-up display is an afterthought, the cabin took forever to warm up on 0°C mornings, the 2.5L doesn't feel much quicker than the 2.0L, fuel economy is unimpressive, and the price tag is lofty.

It's not perfect, no. But it's still the pick of the current compact car class.

WHAT IS IT?
The third-generation Mazda 3 is a successor to the Mazda Protege and Mazda 323, and essentially acts as the eleventh iteration of Mazda's core small car. Larger than the Mazda 2 no longer sold in the U.S. or Canada (except as the sedan version of Toyota's Yaris) but smaller than the Mazda 6, the Mazda 3 uses both the 155-horsepower 2.0L four-cylinder that serves as the only engine in the 2-based Mazda CX-3 and the 184-horsepower 2.5L four-cylinder that serves as the only engine in the midsize Mazda 6. 

Neither engine is turbocharged. Both are available with 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

2017 MAZDA 3 SPORT GT Base Price: $21,345 * As-Tested Price: $29,995 * Colour: Machine Grey Assembly: Hiroshima, Japan Drive Type: front-wheel drive Transmission: 6-speed manual Engine: 2.5L DOHC 16-valve I-4 Horsepower: 184 @ 5700 rpm Torque: 185 lb-ft @ 3250 rpm Curb Weight: 3033 pounds Length: 175.6 inches Width: 70.6 inches Height: 57.3 inches Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Tires: Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Tire Size: 215/45R18 Passenger Volume: 2730 litres Cargo Volume: 572 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1334 litres EPA City: 25 mpg EPA Hwy: 33 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 9.6 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 7.0 L/100km Observed: 29.0 mpg Observed: 8.1 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1795 in fees.

The test car Mazda Canada sent our way is a slightly updated 2017 Mazda 3 hatchback, known as the 5-Door in the United States and the Sport here in Canada. Available as a GX or GS with the 2.0L, this specific car is a GT that comes standard with the 2.5L engine. Added to this $26,795 Sport GT are $300 Machine Grey paint and a $2900 Premium Package (leather, power driver's seat, Bose audo, navigation, proximity access, and a safety suite: adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, auto high beams, etc.) 

The grand total with the manual transmission is $29,995.

An automatic transmission is a no-cost option on the GT, but the automatic adds to the option sheet a $1350 Technology Package with Mazda's i-ELOOP regenerative braking, active grille shutters, and adaptive lighting, dragging the fully optioned price up to $31,345.

HOW BIG IS IT?
In order to get a sense of the Mazda 3's dimensions, compare it with three cars: its predecessor, its direct rival, and its obvious in-showroom alternative.

The second-generation Mazda 3 hatchback was nearly two inches longer than the current car, more than an inch narrower, and half an inch taller. The 2017 Mazda 3 offers 2% more passenger volume and 19% more cargo volume than the old car, according to official specs.

The new-for-2017 Honda Civic Hatchback, a 5-door variant of Canada's most popular car, is slightly more than two inches longer than the 2017 Mazda 3 Sport, almost identically broad, and nearly an inch lower. In upper-trim levels, the Civic has 2% less passenger volume (but feels like the more spacious car) and 27% more cargo capacity. 

Many buyers are now veering toward vehicles like Mazda's own CX-5, which has recently been selling just as often as the Mazda 3 in Canada. The top-trim CX-5 is three inches longer than the Mazda 3, nearly two inches wider, but 8.4 inches taller. These dimensional differences carve out 6% more space for passengers and 69% more cargo volume.

DOES IT WORK?
In almost every way, yes, it does.

The 2017 Mazda 3 Sport GT isn't just an attractive hatch with surprisingly sporty handling and the bigger of two available engines. 

To begin with, first impressions are of a car that isn't that sporty. Ride quality in this Mazda, on 215/45R18s, is better than in the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX, on 215/55R16s, that we're driving this week. 

Yet Mazda completed the complicated (and often uncompleted) task of marrying that ride quality to exceptional handling. Not only does the Mazda 3 Sport quickly bite into a corner and hang on with its all its might, it provides feedback through the wheel and chassis all the way through the corner. 

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Feedback, communication, engagement. That's the kind of stuff that enables you to push the Mazda a little harder, to discover its limits with help from the Mazda itself, not just on the basis of your own nerve. 

In our test car, that sense of man-machine connection is furthered by a manual transmission that illustrates all the best attributes of manual transmissions. A light clutch with a clear point of engagement, a vibration-free shifter with short throws and mechanical sensations – this is why drivers enjoy rowing their own. 

Manual transmissions are not automatically (pardon me) terrific, as we testified earlier this year. But Mazda excels in this area, and you must weigh the appeal of this transmission if you're considering a new Mazda 3.

Intuitive controls are the norm throughout the 3, in fact. Mazda's infotainment unit is thankfully controlled by a central control knob between the front seats, aided by volume control and quick access buttons there, too. The screen isn't the fastest or the most technologically advanced, but simple functions are blissfully simple, and climate changes are controlled independently. 

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Canadian sales of the Mazda 3 are surely not what they once were. Mazda Canada sold more than 50,000 3s as recently as 2008 but won't sell 30,000 in 2016. Through 11 months, sales of the 3 family are down 21% compared with 2015. It's fair to say many of those buyers are now owners of a CX-5 or CX-3, but the overarching Mazda brand has steadily been losing market share in Canada as its most popular model declines.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Mazda 3 Sales Figures
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata GS Driven Review
2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8TSI Comfortline Driven Review
2015 Kia Forte SX-L Turbo Driven Review

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South of the border, where the 3 is a far less prominent vehicle, sales are down 23 percent from the 3's 2012 peak. The Mazda 3 owns less than 5% of the compact car segment, a category in which it ranks ninth. In Canada, the Mazda 3 owns more than 8% of the compact car category.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
We say no.

But opinions are allowed to differ, and you owe it to yourself to drive a 2017 Volkswagen Golf with the excellent 1.8L turbocharged engine. There's also a new Subaru Impreza 5-Door arriving at dealers. Canadians are bound to consider the new hatchback version of the Honda Civic, perennially Canada's best-selling car for more than a handful of reasons.

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HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Well, this certainly seems like a lot of money for a compact Mazda, doesn't it?

You want the bigger 2.5L engine, not only for the extra power but for the equipment associated with the upper-trim levels that include the 2.5L. That seems fair. But we recommend consideration of the 2.0L-powered, $23,095 Mazda 3 Sport GS. Don't pony up $1300 for the automatic, but throw in $989 for a set of Mazda's 17-inch Hyper Silver alloys so your 3 doesn't look so dreadfully poverty-spec.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
There's no better all-around package in the class than the Mazda 3 Sport, already a class leader before it was improved for 2017. 

It is not faultless, but it excels in so many different areas. Competitors, such as the Volkswagen Golf, may drive sweetly, but then there are price and infotainment concerns. Others feel better built, such as the Honda Civic Hatchback, but it's fa less fun to drive and something of an ugly duckling. Others, such as the Kia Forte5, are more attractive, yet the long-term resale value concern is a real one.

The 2017 Mazda 3 Sport GT is sufficiently spacious, attractive, quick, and efficient; decently equipped and priced; intuitively laid out; and utterly terrific to drive. 

Subtract its class-leading dynamic repertoire and it'd still be an impressive car. But throw in the kind of dynamic behaviour that links it closely to the Mazda MX-5 Miata and all doubt is removed.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The 3 was supplied by Mazda Canada's press office.

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2017 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost 2.0 Review – It's A Top Seller For A Reason That'll Please Enthusiasts

We had the option of driving to Prince Edward Island in either our own long-term 2015 Honda Odyssey EX or this 2017 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost 2.0. 

THE GOOD + Lots of power + Engaging handling + Have it your way + Acceptable infotainment + Handsome exterior

THE BAD – Plenty of chintzy interior bits – Uncomfortable fuel economy – Everybody's got one – Not that big inside – Ride is a touch stiff

Four humans, one large dog, a Baby Jogger Summit X3, and enough suitcases, baby stuff and assorted equipment to make my wife's childhood bedroom an office-away-from-home required the kind of space our van offers. Particularly since the van's third row of seating would come into use all week long.

But more and more families are turning away from passenger cars to small crossovers. The Ford Escape, consistently the top-selling utility vehicle in Canada, very nearly outsells the whole Ford Canada passenger car division. 

Through the first 10 months of 2016, Ford reported 39,080 Escape sales and 39,743 total C-Max, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, Mustang, and Taurus sales.

The Escape isn't all-new for the 2017 model year, but it has been revitalized by a new engine lineup, a new front end, and new technology. 

We reviewed a Ruby Red $41,349 2015 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost 2.0 in February 2015. This time, the as-tested price has grown by $3340 and the engine pumps out 14 more horsepower. But the colour remains the same.

WHAT IS IT?
The Ford Motor Company began building Ford Escapes in 2000. The first Escapes were also rebadged as Mazda Tributes and Mercury Mariners. The current Escape is sold in some markets as the Ford Kuga. Thoroughly facelifted for the 2017 model year, the Escape now features SYNC 3 and the availability of a turbocharged 1.5L EcoBoost four-cylinder. 

2017 FORD ESCAPE TITANIUM Base Price: $26,889 * As-Tested Price: $44,689 * Colour: Ruby Red Assembly: Louisville, Kentucky Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 245 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 275 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm Curb Weight: 3765 pounds Length: 178.1 inches Width: 72.4 inches Height: 66.3 inches Wheelbase: 105.9 inches Tires: Continental ContiProContacts Tire Size: 235/45R19 Passenger Volume: 2795 litres Cargo Volume: 962 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1925 litres EPA City: 20 mpg EPA Hwy: 27 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 11.5 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.7 L/100km Observed: 21.6 mpg Observed: 10.9 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1790 in fees.

In Canada, the Escape lineup begins with an outdated 2.5L 168-horsepower inline-four in S trim, which doesn't offer all-wheel drive. The 2017 Ford Escape SE comes standard with the 1.5T. All-wheel drive is a $2200 option. The 2.0L EcoBoost is a $1000 option. 

The $35,589 2017 Ford Escape Titanium is equipped exclusively with the 2.0L EcoBoost; all-wheel drive is again a $2200 option. 

Loaned to GCBC by Ford Canada, this Ruby Red $44,689 Escape Titanium includes all-wheel drive, $450 worth of Ruby Red paint, and $6550 of other options: a $1750 301A package, $150 floor mats, $1350 for adaptive cruise, a $500 towing package, $150 roof rails, a $2000 Candian Touring Package with navigation and a panoramic sunroof, and $650 19-inch wheels.

HOW BIG IS IT?
The Escape is delightfully compact on the outside, perhaps too small on the inside if you're test-driving it back-to-back with a Toyota RAV4. The Toyota is three inches longer than the Escape, just as wide, and nearly an inch taller.

The RAV4 does, however, benefit from a larger interior: 3% more passenger volume, 13% more cargo capacity behind the rear seats, 8% more total cargo volume.

Many buyers veering toward a small crossover from a conventional family car will find a different comparison worthy of note. The 2017 Ford Fusion is nearly 14 inches longer, bumper to bumper, than the 2017 Ford Escape, and half an inch wider, but it's eight inches lower. 

The Fusion's larger exterior dimensions produce 4% more passenger volume, yet the Fusion has less than half the Escape's cargo volume. 

DOES IT WORK?
Fitted with the hi-po powerplant, the 2017 Ford Escape provides the most fun you can have behind the wheel of an affordable, powerful, compact crossover. (Admittedly, our tester isn't affordable, but we'll get to that.) 

Feelsome steering, quick turn-in response, a firm but mostly compliant ride, surprisingly composed handling even when a twisty road throws up a suddenly tightening curve with unexpectedly rough pavement: all of this suggests the same engineers who brought us excellent on-road behaviour in the Fiesta, Fusion, Focus, and Mustang worked on the Escape, as well. 

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Ford Escape Sales Figures
2017 Kia Sportage SX Turbo Driven Review
2015 Honda CR-V Touring Driven Review
2016 Kia Sorento SX Turbo Driven Review

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The Escape is nimble, eager to change direction, and relatively unruffled by your feeble attempts to drive like it's a Focus ST. 

And it's quick. In a segment where tens of thousands of buyers choose Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s and Nissan Rogues – small crossovers that don't even offer real power upgrades – the Escape's 245 horsepower are welcome. 275 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm means overtaking on a brief highway passing lane is a breeze. From rest, highway speeds comes up in seven seconds.

Exterior Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
Interior Photo Credits: Ford

Fuel economy takes a hit, of course. We averaged 10.9 L/100km in this Escape in mixed driving, better than the 12.4 L/100km we observed a couple of winters ago in a similar Escape but a litre off the pace we saw in the Honda CR-V, North America's top-selling utility vehicle, and way back of the 9.1 L/100km we saw in the Hyundai Tucson, one of Canada's fastest-growing utilities. 

Power comes at a price. 

Acquiring a vehicle that first showed its face half a decade ago also results in compromise. Ford's new SYNC 3 infotainment unit is, well, it's fine. But in the Escape, SYNC 3's touchscreen is so far inset that operating the menus near the bottom is awkward. The screen is also a long reach away from the very comfortable driver's seat. The circular audio controls directly in front of the touchscreen are cheap and noisy. The shift paddles are chintzy. The sunglasses holder is fragile. Rear doors are tinny. 

Years after its debut, the Escape is still surprisingly terrific to drive. But inside, this doesn't entirely feel like a 2017 model year vehicle.

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IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
The Ford Escape is Canada's perennial best-selling SUV/crossover. 

But it likely won't top the sales charts in 2016. The Escape trailed the top-ranked Toyota RAV4 by 3383 units heading into November; its lead over the third-ranked Honda CR-V shrunk to only 745 units at the end of October. In a utility vehicle sector that's up 10% this year, Ford Escape sales are down 3%. 

South of the border, the Ford Escape was most recently America's top-selling SUV/crossover in 2011. In 2016, sales of SUVs/crossovers are up 7% this year, but the aging Escape – 2017 is the current generation's fifth year – is essentially flat, up by a scant 0.2%.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
There are plenty of small crossovers on the market, but if you want a small crossover with big power the number of options shrinks to a handful. The more popular Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 don't offer hi-po options. The Nissan Rogue's naturally aspirated 2.5L inline-four isn't about to set the pavement on fire. Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson? Pleasant vehicles, but not powerful vehicles.

The Kia Sportage SX, V6-powered variants of the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain and Dodge Journey and Jeep Cherokee, perhaps the somewhat larger Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and its 2.0L turbo – these are contenders. But turn your attention to the Subaru Forester XT if you want a proper, compact, high-power rival for the Ford Escape EcoBoost 2.0. Forester XTs start at $35,770 and come standard with all-wheel drive. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Canadians don't need to spend $45,000 to fit an all-wheel-drive 2017 Ford Escape with the 245-horsepower 2.0L EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. 

$31,589 nets you a 2017 Ford Escape SE EcoBoost AWD. 

At least for the time being, Ford Canada is offering $3500 off the Escape.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
With the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder providing serious umph and 19-inch Continental ContiProContacts biting into the pavement, the light-on-its-toes 2017 Ford Escape is the best mainstream compact crossover to drive.

Is it the best compact crossover? No, not for families who want greater space efficiency or buyers who see no advantage in adding power or consumers who crave a higher level of perceived quality. 

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Escape was supplied by Ford Canada's press office.

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2017 Audi A4 Allroad Review - You Don't Need To Understand It To Know It's Good

Cladding.

GM's now defunct Pontiac brand became synonymous with lower bodyside cladding. By the time product guru Bob Lutz smoothed out the sides of Pontiacs, the brand was ready to give up the ghost.

THE GOOD + It's a wagon + Tremendous powertrain + Audi MMI + High-class interior + Real-world ride/handling

THE BAD – Annoying shifter – No Man's Land positioning – Plenty pricey – Still climbing up and out – Not that much of a wagon

But not all cladding is ribbed, body colour stuff like the plastic General Motors slathered across Grand Ams and Grand Prixs and numerous other cars.

Designers also affix extra plastic to vehicles in order to toughen up the exterior appearance. 

Wrap the wheelarches. Run many feet of black cladding along the bottom of the doors. 

The goal is to make the lower portions of both bumpers so matte there'll be no mistaking the rugged mission of your Jeep, or your Land Cruiser, or your G-Wagen. 

Or your European luxury station wagon.

The ride height of Audi's second-generation A4 Allroad is only 23 millimetres higher than the Audi A4 Avant on which it's based; ground clearance is up by 34 millimetres to only 165 millimetres. This is not a high-riding SUV. The 2017 Audi A4 Allroad does not even remotely offer a commanding view of the road ahead.

But there are 100 millimetres of matte black cladding surrounding the front wheels; 114 surrounding the rear wheels. 

WHAT IS IT?
The 2017 Audi A4 sedan is the fifth in a line of compact Audis dating back to 1995. Linked to those A4s have always been wagons, or Avants in Audi parlance.

2017 AUDI A4 ALLROAD TECHNIK Base Price: $49,695 * As-Tested Price: $64,405 * Colour: Glacier White Assembly: Ingolstadt, Germany Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic Engine: 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 252 @ 6000 rpm Torque: 273 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm Curb Weight: 3825 pounds Length: 187.0 inches Width: 72.5 inches Height: 58.8 inches Wheelbase: 110.9 inches Tires: Continental SportContact Tire Size: 245/40R19 Passenger Volume: 2605 litres Cargo Volume: 685 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1656 litres EPA City: 23 mpg EPA Hwy: 28 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 10.2 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.3 L/100km Observed: 24.3 mpg Observed: 9.7 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2095 in fees.

Up a notch in size and price, Audi's second-generation A6 Avant was transformed into an Allroad with an adjustable suspension and SUV styling cues to create a premium alternative to the Subaru Outback that had arrived half-a-decade earlier. 

Audi no longer offers that car, nor do they sell an A6 Avant, in North America. But Audi brought the Allroad formula to the fourth-generation A4 in the summer of 2012, killing off the A4 Avant in the process (in North America.) 

Now we're entering the age of a new A4, and thus a new A4 Allroad. Our 2017 Audi A4 Allroad tester, loaned to us by Audi Canada at the end of October 2016, was delivered in top-spec Technik trim. The $49,695 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro Komfort is $3900 less than the Allroad Progressiv, $7700 less than a basic Allroad Technik, and $9100 more expensive than an entry-level A4 sedan. 

Added to our test car was $890 Glacier White paint, $300 rear window sun shades, $800 comfort seating, a $1000 head-up display unit, $520 for Audi Connect, a $2000 Advanced Driver Assistance Package (adaptive cruise, Audi pre sense, active lane assist, traffic congestion assist, traffic sign recognition), and a $1400 Sport Package (19-inch wheels, aluminum inlays, and sport seats). Our car did not include the $1000 adaptive dampers. 

Grand total: $64,405.

HOW BIG IS IT?
It's a wagon, but that doesn't mean it's your grandfather's 1982 Ford Country Squire. 

Audi's own Q5 crossover, by no means as spacious as its exterior dimensions suggest, offers 10% more passenger volume and 20% more cargo volume behind the rear seats than the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad.

But compared with the Audi A4 sedan, the Allroad's cargo area is not only more flexible in shape, it's 86% larger. The Allroad is nearly an inch longer than the sedan, bumper to bumper, and requires 2.6 inches of additional clearance at the roof. 

DOES IT WORK?
It was only a few weeks ago that we reviewed the slightly lower, slightly lighter, more aggressively tired, 2017 Audi A4 sedan. The sedan is essentially this Allroad, only lower and lighter and with stickier rubber and a trunk. You can, therefore, read the words from this same section in the A4 sedan's review, and subtract a fragment of edginess from its handling, enhance its ride quality by a pinch, and add more cargo volume. Otherwise, the Does It Work? response from that review fits here.

"On a ten-minute test drive with a sales consultant yammering away in your ear, it's easy to be impressed by the new A4's off-the-line pull, the material quality and assembly, and the new car's reduced noise, vibration, and harshness. But it's more difficult to take note of a car's niggling issues, the minor flaws that you'll regret regret not noticing when you signed on the dotted line.

That's where car reviewers come in, or at least where they should come in. I spent a week driving the 2017 Audi A4, and I can (and will) discuss at length its winning characteristics. But Audi can do that, too. So can your local Audi dealer's sales consultant. In fact, since you are interested in the car, you can likely do so, too. Positivity is the easy part: it's 2016, cars are nice. Expensive cars are especially nice.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

But you won't possibly think highly of the 2017 Audi A4's shifter, which possesses no real detents and needs to be thumbed into park via a separate button. Parallel parking in three or five points seemed to always result in the car being in neutral rather than reverse. In the long run, it's minor, and you'll get used to it. Maybe.

The new A4 also does an exceptional job of silencing wind and road noise, but that opens up an avenue for engine clatter, diesely engine clatter, to make its way into the cabin. Rarely does the 2.0T sound pleasant. The engine noise is by no means alarming or obnoxious, but you will notice this minor fault in Audi's NVH work.

The rear seat's centre hump is massive, and for such a lengthy car, the rear seat lacks real space overall, a common complaint in this class. The trunk is vast and properly shaped, however, so you won't have trouble taking four people and their stuff on a trip. But five?

With Audi Drive Select in Comfort mode and the transmission in D, the dual-clutch automatic is reluctant to provide much in the way of throttle response from rest. Perched on a slope, perpendicular to traffic, betwixt corners on a high-speed road? You better goose the throttle, because a quarter-inch of travel gets you nothing otherwise. Or change the drive modes.

Everything about Audi's MMI is user-friendly, enough to negate the need for a plug-in-only and rather limited Apple CarPlay. (CarPlay is great, but it's not all things to all people all the time.) But why does the volume knob, conveniently located on the centre console, have to be so far away from the MMI controller, aft even of the shifter? It's an awkward arm bend away.

These are the kinds of "faults" that jump out during a week with the 2017 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T precisely because the car is so composed, so comfortable, so technologically advanced, so refined, quick, and quiet.

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Not historically considered a dynamic tour de force, the new A4 both rides and handles better than before. It's still not a feelsome and interactive machine, but the 2017 A4 is a more competent corner carver while, at the same time, able to traverse rough pavement with greater alacrity. Brake feel is much improved, steering weight and directness (in comfort mode) is more natural, and the 252-horsepower 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder provides loads of mid-range punch, helped along by a dual-clutch that can snap off downshifts in a flash.

Cabin comfort is better, too, particularly with our car's sport seats. The bolstering isn't what you'll find in an RS model, but the seats nicely blend comfort with stability.

We expect high levels of build quality in Audis, and the A4 is certainly no slouch. It's in the way the steering wheel stalks move, the climate control knobs twirl, and the cross cabin vents slide. The workmanship befits the lofty price point.

The pervasive sense of quality won't win headlines. That's where Audi's customizable virtual cockpit steps in. Besides all the safety gear we've come to expect in heavily-optioned luxury cars, Google Earth in the middle of your gauge cluster is the item that will most impress your friends. Not only is the system attractive to look at, it's quick to transition between modes, just like the centre screen above the dash. That centre screen doesn't tuck away, mind you, but it feels and looks much more expensive than the unit in Mercedes-Benz's C-Class."

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Audi's Canada A4 sales figures don't separate the A4 sedan from the Allroad. We know that overall, A4 sales are on the rise thanks to the newness of the car and despite a general downturn in passenger car sales. 

Total A4 sales reached an 18-month high of 720 units in October 2016.

In the United States, the first Audi A4 Allroad proved to be a rarity, with Audi's own Q5 outselling the Allroad by approximately ten-to-one. With the new car only just reaching dealers and only just beginning to benefit from this marketing campaign, Allroad sales increased in September and October after 21 consecutive months of decline. But even in October, Americans were 12 times more likely to purchase or lease an A4 sedan.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
Consider three options, only one of which lines up directly against the A4 Allroad because most other premium brands don't market an elevated, SUVified, compact wagon in North America.

The Subaru Outback 3.6R Premium with a technology package costs $43,370. It's not remotely as fun to drive nor as prestigious as the A4 Allroad, but it's very refined and way bigger inside.

Without the Allroad's added ride height – not noticeable in real-world driving anyway – the BMW 328d xDrive Touring is a diesel-powered wagon that starts at $51,945. It'll feel comparatively chintzy inside and won't be as driver-centric as you think BMWs ought to be. But, man, it's cool.

The Volvo V60 Cross Country starts at $47,315, undercutting the A4 Allroad by $2380. Arguably, the Volvo looks better, as well. Don't mistake modern Volvo wagons with the boxy car your uncle, the college professor, drove in the early 90s. But the V60 Cross Country does offer 16% more cargo volume than the Audi A4 Allroad.

And then there's the obvious option. Set to be launched as an all-new second-generation model soon, the Audi Q5 is Canada's top-selling premium brand utility vehicle. The Q5 is priced right, looks the business, and actually allows its occupants to feel like they're sitting up a little higher. You could get the hi-po SQ5 ($60,695) for less than the cost of our heavily optioned A4 Allroad tester.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Presumably, what you want is a luxurious wagon. There aren't many choices. But pumped up with the higher Technik trim level and a further $6910 in options, the Allroad starts to approach the territory of the larger Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon. 

We don't always promote the complete and utter avoidance of options, but in the case of the basic 2017 Audi A4 Allroad Komfort, the car still looks terrific, it's still handsomely equipped, and it's still fitted with this $64,405 A4 Allroad Technik's excellent powertrain. Except it costs $14,710 less.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
Admit it. You thought the idea of a sport-utility wagon seemed silly when Subaru first brought the Outback to market in the mid-90s. Now, the Outback is just a normal part of automotive society, and you get it: the Subaru offers genuine SUV ride height, a genuine all-wheel-drive system, and a rugged image fought for over the course of two decades.

The 2017 Audi A4 Allroad is, by comparison, a little lacking in sensibility. Audi increased the ride height so negligibly that you don't notice its benefits in traffic – when looking up at the minivan driver beside you – or in terms of lost handling prowess when caning the wagon on your favourite rural road. So why did they bother?

No, seriously. Why? Crossovers are fine. Canadians are buying far more SUVs/crossovers than cars now. But the Allroad, at best, only barely crosses over from the A4's domain into the Q5's territory.

Why do we need all the cladding, why is the ride height increased at all? Presumably, because the Audi A4 Avant that still exists in other markets simply wouldn't pass muster in North America.

Thankfully, for those who can accept the pretentious SUV cues, the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad is an objectively great car irrespective of our product positioning opinions. We said two months ago that all of the Audi A4 sedan's rivals, "do something better than the new Audi A4. None of them do so many things so well."

Take that decree, and add cargo capacity.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Allroad was supplied by Audi Canada's press office.

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