Q1: These are all mediocre. Most are good, but need improvement.
Q2: Good cars that do well, but lose to the competition.
Q3: These cars are almost winners, but were edged out by the competition.
Podium: These are the top 3 cars.
Winner: The best of these new 2009 cars.
Q1
Volkswagen Routan: This rebadged Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan could have worked, but it's let down by two things. First, it costs more than its almost identical American variants and the Honda Odyssey. Second it has no significant differences from the Chrysler. Therefore the only reason to buy this American minivan disguised as a German is to be different, but it's not worth it.
Mini Clubman: This is really just a silly and pointless design exercise as far as I'm concerned. It claims to have more space, but the back seat is still only for small children, you lose the low cargo floor of the Cooper, and the twin rear doors are unintuitive. The Clubman's only real good points are gas mileage, handling, and performance in the Clubman S.
Dodge Journey: This midsize crossover delivers on some of its promises. It's full of little storage cubbies and practical features, it also isn't boring like a minivan, but doesn't give up minivan practicality. The Journey is let down by poor quality and it isn't very good to drive. This is a good idea in need of improvement.
Smart Fortwo: This microcar promises great gas mileage, the ability to park anywhere, and safety. It is safe and can park in tiny spots, but not as much as the original Fortwo. The Gas mileage also isn't as good as it needs to be to sell well, but the biggest problem is how slow the car is. It's good, but isn't impressive or good enough to do well here.
Lexus IS-F: This performance Lexus targets the BMW M3, but it misses the mark. The Lexus has an 8-speed automatic transmission, which makes it heavier and slower than the 7-speed dual clutch M3. The Lexus has too many parts that let it down, the engine also isn't as good as the M3's. Lexus gave this car too many parts from the LS instead of the performance parts it needed.
Lincoln MKS: This big Lincoln is based off the new Ford Taurus, but has an improved rear suspension and a slightly larger V6. It has lots of new technology in a smart, easy to use package. This Lincoln is a very good car, but with more power and a sportier suspension setup would go a long way to making this car better.
Q2
Acura TSX: This is Acura's new small sport sedan, it has a 205hp 2.4L I4 and front wheel drive. The old TSX was a fun and comfortable premium sedan, and the new one is that, but with lots of new technology. The problem here is that they've made an interesting, fun car slightly
boring against its competition and it's slower too.
Dodge Challenger: This new retro muscle car, especially the 425hp SRT-8 manages to combine modern performance and classic looks. The SRT-8 is extremely fast and has good handling, but the quality needs to be improved. The only reason this car didn't do better is the upcoming Chevy Comaro which will have better performance and handling.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: This 451hp 6.2L V8 variant of the great looking new C-class is Mercedes' answer to the new M3. It's bigger and heavier than the M3, but with an extra 31hp it's almost as fast, but it isn't as good of a performance car as the BMW. The C63 is a good value and nicer than the M3, but not as complete a car.
Honda Fit: This new subcompact Honda is larger than the first Fit, but it hasn't lost the original car's fun, but frugal appeal. The new Fit is larger and more powerful, but it still gets better gas mileage than the old one. This new Fit is the best mainstream subcompact car, the only problem I can think of is that prices are up.
BMW 1-Series: BMW's 1-Series Coupe goes back to some of the 1970's BMW 2002 recipe, a small, fast 4 seat coupe. The 135i however is much more like the E46 M3 in performance and size. The 135i is fast and fun, but the 335i is this car's biggest problem, the 335i is more practical and not much more expensive.
Volkswagen CC: For 2009 the Volkswagen Passat is getting a "four-door coupe" body, new styling, and a four seat interior. The new design is good looking, but impractical and expensive. The Passat's strengths like handling and acceleration are still there, but it cost much more.
Q3
Nissan Maxima: Nissan is trying to return to the original four door sports car, but this time they're using the four door coupe styling and handsome interior for that. The 290hp V6 provides plenty of power and refinement. The new Maxima is a very good premium sport sedan, that should do well.
Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen/TDI: This summer gas prices rose to over $4.00 a gallon and I have said that diesel is the best solution currently available, so Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI gets great gas mileage and in Sportwagen form is also very practical. The only drawbacks are it costs $24,000 and we can't get the 170hp version of the 2.0L I4 that we get 140hp from.
Hyundai Genesis: Hyundai is attempting to make a luxury sedan for 2009. They have all the right parts, a sound system from the Rolls-Royce Phantom, a 375hp 4.6L V8, and a very nicely finished interior. As you'd expect from a Hyundai it's an amazing value, at over $20,000 less than the Lexus LS460. It isn't exciting like a BMW, but the LS460 is even more boring in many ways. This Hyundai is a very good car.
Mazda 6: This new Mazda 6 brings a more interesting option to a market dominated by the dreary Toyota Camry. The new 170hp 2.5L 4-cylinder and 272hp 3.7L V6 are both powerful and refined, unlike the old car's engines. The handling is also a huge improvement, making this car just as good, if not better than the class leading Honda Accord.
Cadillac CTS-V: For 2009 Cadillac has a new CTS-V with an unbelievable 556hp from a supercharged 6.2L V8 shared with the Corvette ZR1. This car is priced near the BMW M3, but competes with the M5. I personally think this is much better than the M5, it has more power, a much less confusing, but still better technology control system than the i-Drive, and the CTS it started as is better than the 5-Series the M5 started as.
BMW M3: This new BMW M3 is a complete engineering masterpiece, like the Nissan GT-R, but more manageable. It has some tough competition, but easily beats it, so well I would buy one over a BMW M5 any day. The M3 sedan is practical and comfortable enough to be a family car, but still fast enough to beat a lot of much more expensive cars.
Podium
Acura TL: It's taken 3 tries, but Honda has finally created the best midsized sport sedan you can buy today. The old TL's were great, but by moving away from the Honda Accord this new one is so much better. The SH-AWD and technology pack version makes Acura's more expensive RL just pointless. This is one of the most advanced and nice new cars.
Pontiac G8: This rebadged Holden Commodore was designed to target the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, but it's so good it has beat the BMW 550i. This car has great handling, ride quality, and thanks to a 361hp 6.0L V8 is also very fast. For $35,000 you can have a fully loaded G8 GT, that as far as I'm concerned is a brilliant luxury sport sedan.
Jaguar XF: This new midsized luxury sedan from Jaguar has a 4.2L V8 with 300hp or 420 in Supercharged form. This car is the best car in its class by a long way. The only car that comes close to the XF is the Infiniti M45, but it needs more power, something the Jag has plenty of. The only thing that kept this car from winning was its base price of $50,000 and $62,000 for the Supercharged version.
Winner
Infiniti G37: I have always liked this Infiniti. It has always been larger, less expensive, and faster than the closest BMW 3-Series to it. Now with 328hp this car can be just about every car you will ever really need. It has a luxury car badge on the front, lot`s of comfort, and it's an amazing sport sedan. This car wasn't redesigned for 2009, but upgraded, a lot. It now has a 7-speed automatic transmission and you can have an all wheel drive version of the G37 Sport too. it really is brilliant.
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