Test Ride: 2016 CanAm Spyder RS-S

To be honest, I never understood the CamAm Spyder. It has all of the negatives of the motorcycle - the lack of crash protection, exposure to the elements, limited practicality, and excessive noise - with none of the benefits - outrageously quick acceleration, thrilling sensation of leaning into corners, ability to split lanes in California. For me, the Spyder always represented a segment of motorcycling that seemed too far outside of logical for me to really pay much attention to. Whenever I saw one on the road, I would generally roll my eyes and think to myself, "There goes another guy with more money than brains." So because of this, I had never really expressed much interest in giving the CanAm Spyder a test, even though their demo days seemed to be omnipresent no matter what city I lived in. This time around, at the International Motorcycle Show, I figured it was time to get over my prejudices and see if I could make sense of why people would find this thing even remotely appealing.

Test Drive: 2013 Subaru WRX 5-Door

See how the Subaru WRX performed against its competitors in our Hot Hatch Comparison.

MSRP: $25,795
Price as tested: $27,740
 
The 2013 Subaru WRX marks the final model year for this generation of the WRX. The car the WRX is based on, the Impreza, has already moved on into a new platform with a new look and new features. For 2013, the Subaru WRX has not changed much from the previous two years. Here, I look at a base model 2013 Subaru WRX in 5-door hatchback guise. The as tested price of this vehicle includes the fog lamp kit, STI short throw shifter kit, chrome exhaust finisher, and XM/Sirius satellite radio.

Test Drive: 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth

See how the Fiat 500 performed against its competitors in our Hot Hatch Comparison.

MSRP: $22,700

Price as tested: $23,200

Fiat has not sold a car in the United States in decades, but in the past couple of years, following its acquisition of an ownership stake in Chrysler, Fiat has introduced a brand new 500 to lead its charge back into the US market. Abarth, Fiat's in house tuning arm, got a hold of the 500 with the intention of turning the 500 into a rip snorting micro machine with go-kart like reflexes. Have they succeeded in building a car that will appeal to the American enthusiast?

Test Drive: 2013 Volkswagen Passat SE 5MT

Update: See how the Volkswagen Passat did in our 2013 Mid-Size Family Sedan Comparison.

Volkswagen has always been the oddity in the mid-size segment. While the Passats have been good, they have never quite gotten the kind of accolades heaped on them the way that Honda's Accord does and have never experienced the kind of sales success that the Camry and Accord each see. Some of that may have to do with German cars generally having the reputation for having poor reliability and being expensive to repair. It could also have something to do with VW's of the past having designs that wer
e far from attractive, leaving most buyers to have written off purchasing the brand even though their most recent has have been handsome, if a bit unassuming.

Regardless of its commercial success, I have always generally liked VWs and the Passat, a car which my grandfather owned nearly 20 years ago. To see how it has evolved in some places, but not in others is interesting and might speak to some of why it continues to struggle to reach the kind of audience that the much more pedestrian Japanese sedans are able to. There is nothing particularly bad about the 2013 Passat SE that I tested, but then again there is nothing outstanding about the car either.