2023 Preview: 6 All-new affordable vehicles we’re aching to sample

Article content

High-end vehicles grab a lot of attention, but the majority of buyers have to watch their wallets. To their credit, automakers have figured out that a vehicle can be good-looking and fun to drive, and still be closer to the lower end of the price scale. Here are some reasonably-priced commuters and performance models coming your way in 2023.

Article content

2024 Subaru Impreza

The compact Impreza now morphs into its sixth generation. This four-door hatchback features an available power upgrade, stiffer chassis, improved safety features, and new styling. Our own Clayton Seams saw it at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and says its redesign looks close to a hunkered-down and de-cladded version of the popular Crosstrek sport-ute.

Most trims use a 2.0L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine as the current generation does, making 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque, but with internal reliability improvements. The new RS trim ups the ante with a 2.5L engine that makes 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. Both engines mate to an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT). Full-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) will be standard on all trims, of course, revised for better handling and with active torque vectoring, along with a new power steering rack based on that of the WRX.

Article content

Other features include the latest iteration of EyeSight driver-assist technologies, and available 11.6-inch multimedia system with wireless connectivity. We don’t have pricing yet, but the outgoing 2023 Impreza starts at $23,925.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

The new electric Equinox shares its name with the gas-powered version, but it’s new from the ground up and riding on GM’s Ultium electric-specific platform. Seating five occupants, it has an estimated range of 480 kilometres on a charge. Front-wheel-drive is the default, and preliminary figures are 210 horsepower and 242 lb-ft of torque out of the electric motor. Available all-wheel adds a second motor for the rear wheels, and the two working together provides 290 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque. The regenerative braking allows for “one-pedal driving,” slowing and stopping the vehicle so you only need to use the throttle and not the brake pedal.

Article content

The Equinox EV will start around $35,000 in 1LT trim — about $5,000 more than the gas-powered 2023 Equinox in similar trim. A 17.7-inch infotainment screen is available; the front and rear lights perform a welcoming animation as you walk up, and the liftgate can open on approach as well. The Equinox EV will offer Super Cruise, which lets you take your hands off the wheel on compatible highways. A navigation app will plan your route to include available charging stations, too.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla

Toyota is going full-throttle with its first-ever GR Corolla, with those initials standing for “Gazoo Racing,” a division formed so president Akio Toyoda could go racing. The team built him the GR Yaris, and much of its engineering has migrated into this new Corolla hot hatch.

Article content

That includes its turbocharged 1.6L three-cylinder engine, pumping out 300 horses and 295 lb-ft of torque, and mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. All four wheels are driven, and the driver can adjust the torque split from 60-40; to 50-50; to 70-30. There are front and rear limited-slip differentials, slotted front brake discs, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires — along with standard heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, emergency front braking, lane-departure alert, and automatic high-beam headlamps.

Clayton Seams drove it, and it reports it’s a “joy on the track” and feels “eager, willing and communicative,” but it’s also comfortable on the street, even over rough pavement. There’s also a top-line Morizo Edition – that was Toyoda’s racing nickname – that increases torque to 295 lb-ft, and reduces weight with a carbon-fibre roof and no rear seat. The base GR Corolla is $45,490; the next-step-up Circuit Edition is $53,990. The Morizo is $59,990, but it’s a limited edition and only ten will come to Canada.

Article content

2024 Chevrolet Trax

Chevy’s smallest sport-ute is all-new for 2024, with new standard features but a lower starting price. It’s longer than before, providing more front and rear legroom, as well as a boost in cargo capacity, from 530 to 725 litres.

But there’s a considerable power drop, with its new 1.2L turbocharged three-cylinder making 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, and with a six-speed automatic transmission. The outgoing Trax used a turbo 1.4L four-cylinder that made 155 horses and 177 lb-ft. An even tougher sell for Canadians might be that the previous AWD version isn’t carried over, and it’s front-wheel-drive only.

But there are a lot more features this time around. The $21,699 starting price is $400 less that the current model, but standard items on all trims now include LED headlamps, heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, emergency front braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure assist, and automatic high-beam headlamps. Upper trims will offer an 11-inch infotainment screen, wireless charger, and for the first time on a Trax, adaptive cruise control. The new styling also makes it look more like a scaled-down version of Chevy’s larger sport-utes, and less like a piggy bank.

Article content

2022 Honda Civic Type R

It starts at $50,000 and that isn’t exactly pocket change, but the Civic Type R fits this category because of what you get for that cash. It’s the most powerful production vehicle Honda’s ever sold in Canada, and also only the second Civic Type R sold here, as the rest – dating from the 1997 debut – stayed in Japan.

It’s based on the newest version of the Civic Hatchback and uses a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder that cranks out 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Shiftless people need not apply, as the sole transmission choice is a six-speed manual. It lays power down to the front wheels, but through a limited-slip differential to help minimize torque-steer.

The styling is more refined, with softer angles than the previous origami-sharp corners and a better-looking front end, and the taller wing is better for rear visibility. Elle Alder took one for a drive and said it “might just be the best enthusiast hot hatch in the segment” but also “attractive as a properly usable car.” That dual purpose is important in this category, since not every enthusiast can afford a second everyday vehicle if the hot one’s a bit much for the street.

Article content

2023 Kia Niro

The Kia Niro morphs into its second generation as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), or full electric. All are larger than before, with new exterior and interior styling that includes an “aero blade” rear quarter, available in a contrasting colour; seats with integrated coat hangers; dual 10.25-inch instrument cluster and infotainment screens; and environmentally-friendly materials including a headliner made from recycled wallpaper. The larger footprint gives it more occupant space and 646 litres of cargo space with the rear seats up, and there are more driver-assist safety technologies.

The hybrid uses a 1.6L L four-cylinder engine with electric motor, making a combined 139 horsepower and officially rated at 4.8 L/100 km in city/highway driving. The PHEV uses the same engine but rates a combined 180 horsepower, and can drive up to 55 kilometres on electricity alone on a charge. When that depletes, it reverts to conventional hybrid operation. The EV has a 201-horsepower electric motor with 64.8-kWh battery, and a range of 407 kilometres on a charge.

Pricing estimates are $29,995 for the hybrid; $37,995 for the PHEV; and $44,995 for the EV. According to Brian Harper, who took a preliminary drive in the Niro, the automaker expects the all-electric version to make up the bulk of the lineup’s sales.