Just days after Jay Shoemakers’ merciless 55-point drubbing of the Toyota Prius, fellow TheTruthAboutCars.com contributor Paul Niedermeyer has countered with a glowing 94-point review. And while Shoemaker savaged every aspect of the “eco-worrier,” Niedermeyer is clearly smitten with the whole package:
There are very few inanimate objects which inspire my personal appreciation, respect, and interest as much as the 2010 Toyota Prius does.
Porsche purists may scoff, but the Panamera is the new top-scoring sedan on Motormouths.
It’s easy to forget that as recently as 1996, Ford’s Taurus was the best-selling car in the United States. But Ford neglected and finally killed the ubiquitous nameplate during its era of SUV excess, only to resurrect it in 2008. While that half-hearted iteration failed to wow critics or consumers, Ford’s new redesign — complete with a high-powered SHO option — is averaging a very respectable 83 on Motormouths.
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On the heels of its well-reviewed Soul hatchback, Kia keeps working to erase memories of the Korean brand’s low-rent past. Among other things, they hired one of Audi’s designers to ink the new Forte compact sedan, and it’s currently scoring 83 on Motormouths. That’s an 11-point bump over its predecessor, the ill-received Spectra. Let’s let Motor Trend sum it up:
Chevrolet’s heretofore underwhelming Equinox crossover just underwent a significant makeover, and the spiffy new version seems to be hit. Thus far, the 2010 Equinox is averaging a very nifty 84 in published reviews, which is more than 10 points higher than the earlier models.
Ah, those crazy Brits at Top Gear. Love the shopping mall scene.
The Pontiac Aztek is a first-ballot lock for the 10 worst Pontiacs Hall of Shame. Jalopnik, Autoblog, and The New York Times, have blamed it for the brand’s downfall. And Dan Neil counts it among the worst cars of all time, describing it as “something that dogs bark at and cathedrals employ to ring bells.” But are they wrong? Click for more
A few weeks ago the Honda Insight got an uncharacteristic hiding, courtesy of the curmudgeonly Jeremy Clarkson. Now it seems that Toyota’s signature hybrid is getting a turn in a critic’s doghouse. The Truth About Cars’ Jay Shoemaker rants just a bit on the 2010 Prius:
Here’s Kelsey Mays, the resident hipster at Cars.com, on one of the more unusual features of the Ford Fusion Hybrid:
Efficiency Leaves…bear a resemblance to contraband. A friend of mine climbed in and promptly asked: “Dude, why is there weed growing on your dashboard?” Click for more
Joe Weisenfelder does not believe in sugarcoating. Sorry, Smart ForTwo.
Mashable did a very nice write-up on us, part of their Spark of Genius series. [pic Via.]
