MT Then and Now is a semi-regular blog feature on MotorTrend.com that capitalizes on newly published road test articles by comparing reviewed vehicles to previous reviews published years ago on the Web site. Click through to the rest of this post to see a few examples of this successful feature.
American compact cars simply aren’t what they used to be. Six years ago, we tested five $20,000 compact sedans including a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS and a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 ST. Driven with a Kia Spectra SX, Mazda3 S, and Toyota Corolla XRS.
The Chevrolet and Ford placed fifth and fourth, respectively.
Audi’s 2012 A7 appears to balance the style focus of the Mercedes-Benz CLS with the cargo capacity of the BMW 535i GT. Now that the A7 four-door hatch has been priced, we can determine what buyers should really be comparing with the A7, which starts at $60,125.
“You paid how much for that Hyundai?” is a question that was preceded years earlier by “You’re paying how much for that fancy Honda?”
When Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche all introduced small, sporty convertibles more than a decade ago, only the Benz had a retractable hardtop. The SLK wasn’t the sportiest of the Z3/Boxster/SLK/TT German two-doors, but that didn’t stop the car from selling well. For 2012, the SLK enters its third generation and makes a noticeable move toward the sporty side of the luxury sport roadster segment.
Two generations of bland Acura TLs made way in 2004 for the competent midsize luxury sedan that, as we said in a 2005 review, was finally worthy of serious attention from the established German automakers. With the 2009 TL, Acura made the full transition from wallflower to hard-to-ignore. Acura’s Touring Luxury car became the best-selling luxury sedan in the U.S. in 2005, but some say the bold 2009 redesign went too far.
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