This week, we’ve been looking at cars fifteen years old or newer. We’re going to cap off the week with a straight four-way shootout between them, no weird scenarios. Just pick your favorite. I can’t get too weird with things today, because next week I’m trying something new and silly. (You’ll see.)
Our fourth pairing yesterday was four-door trucks, and for a number of reasons, the Ford F-150 beat out the Ram 1500 by more than two to one. The Ram had a salvage title, a few strange modifications, and all the baggage that unfortunately comes with the brand. It was all too much, and the Ford cruised to an easy victory.
I guess that’s the right choice. I don’t care. I’m a Chevy truck guy. But the Ford would be fine. I guess.
Right, let’s take a second look at the week’s winners.
2014 Fiat 500
This little brown Fiat beat a dusty-pink Chevy Spark on Monday by a country mile. And apparently someone agreed with you all, because it has long since sold. But we’ll keep it in the running here anyway. It’s a turbocharged model, with a six-speed automatic that saps away some of the fun, but we’ll forgive that.
The Italians are known for their stylishness, so it’s no surprise this car is flashier inside than your typical small car. I quite like it, but I would worry about keeping that off-white steering wheel clean. I’ve liked these cars ever since they were introduced, and now that they’re depreciating a bit, I wouldn’t be surprised if one found its way into my garage eventually. But I would insist on a manual.
2016 Mazda CX-9
Family-sized crossovers are not my favorite cars, nor are they many of yours, from the sounds of it. Tuesday’s Showdown between this Mazda and a Buick Enclave resulted in a chorus of “meh” from the comments. The Buick didn’t stand a chance when it came to votes, though; even with this car’s high mileage, it won by a lot.
I’ve never driven one of these, so I can’t comment on it, but I can say I don’t like its successor, the CX-90. I rented one last year, and it drove me nuts with all its nannies. I imagine this one has fewer things to nag you, but I bet it’s every bit as dull to drive. Oh well, you don’t buy a car like this for fun.
2012 Toyota Prius
It’s hard to believe the Toyota Prius has been around for more than two decades. It’s now the old standby in the hybrid market, and according to you all, it’s still the top pick. I put it up against a Hyundai Ioniq, seven years newer and with fewer miles, and this Prius mopped the floor with it. It makes sense; classics are classics for a reason. If you’re in the mood to watch Casablanca and someone suggests Ishtar instead, you’re going to politely decline.
This photo actually represents the interior view of a Prius that I’m most familiar with: the back seat. And I imagine I’m not the only one. These cars are very common with ride-sharing services. I’ve driven a first-generation one, but I haven’t driven one since then. Am I missing out? I doubt it. I do admire the fuel economy these get, though.
2013 Ford F-150
Speaking of being number one in its segment, the Ford F-series has outsold every other truck, and indeed every other vehicle, for years now. Does that make it the best? Well, that depends on what you need a vehicle for. If you’re a contractor and you’re constantly hauling tools and supplies around, it’s probably perfect. If you work in the inner city and need to parallel park all the time, a full-size truck is the last thing you want. (Trust me on this.)
However, the F-series is not a one-size-fits-all vehicle. It’s offered in a dizzying range of specifications for just about any purpose, from no-nonsense work trucks to luxurious near-Lincolns. This FX4 model is the sort of thing you might pick if you want something nice for everyday use, but have a small boat or camper you want to tow on the weekends.
So that’s our show for this week. It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of newer cars, but I tried to give them a fair shake. I definitely know which one of these is my favorite, but what about you? Make your choice, and I’ll see you back here on Monday with a new twist on our game. Have a great weekend!
The Fiat is a 500 Pop, which means it’s naturally aspirated. The turbo 1.4 was only available in the Abarth and in detuned form on the 500 Turbo.
The Pop eventually also got the turbo mill, and the n/a motor disappeared from the US lineup. But I couldn’t tell you at this point what year that happened. I think you are right and it was later than ’14. My bestie has an ’18 Pop with the turbo. At that point the Turbo became just an appearance package.
The nice thing is you could get the cool white or white and brown interior like this car with the turbo – that was not possible in the original Turbo, and the Turbo had a lot fewer exterior color choices too. Which was super frustrating when I bought my Abarth. You could get a Pop in a zillion colors, a Turbo in a decent number, or an Abarth in *five* and all of them were boring. White, red, gray, and two different blacks, metallic and not metallic. Mine was metallic black, though I really wanted a white one. None to be had at the time within a reasonable distance, and I got a killer deal on the black one.
I already have a fun small manual daily driver. I have a large crossover (because there was nothing else reasonable to replace an original manual A6 Allroad). And I have an old manual truck that will do truck things better than this Ford. I guess I had better choose the Prius and reduce the miles I am putting on the Golf.
The Prius is the most sensible choice if all you need is reliable transportation, but I chose the Mazda CX-9 instead because I’ve always wanted one and like to be able to sleep in the back though I almost never do. Plus, I’ve always wanted a CX-9.
Also, I’ve driven 500s, and F150s, and many different Priuses and frankly, none of them particularly satisfy me in terms of feels.
The CX-9 is just a bigger/slower CX-5 from before Mazda starting losing buttons and adding a big screen. That sounds fine to me. 🙂
If the Fiat was a manual I would vote for it,but in this spec I don’t have any desire for it. As a matter of fact I don’t desire any of these,so I voted for the truck.
It depends. If I needed to sell my Golf and get something less expensive due to financial reasons, I’d get the Prius (which I voted for). If this was about getting a second car to drive that was still fun, I’d vote for the Fiat 500 but be sad that it’s not a manual. If I bought a property out in the country and needed a truck for Truck Things, then that F-150 would be a perfect fit.
Gotta go Mazda…Zoom! Zoom! It’s the best one here. Next would be the Fix Or Repair Daily/Found On Road Dead truck since it’s a…useful truck. Then the Fix It Again Tony since it’s at least tossable. Then the ugly Prius junk
Without the price I can’t vote
No, thank you very much….
Have you seen the price of gas lately? Prius.
If you don’t drive it the F-150 will cost you $0 in gas.
Going with the Fiat. Even with the automatic, it would be more fun to drive than any of the other options, and I don’t have a need for a truck or a crossover.
I’m sick for one day and people chose a high mileage first gen 3.5 Ecoboost over a Hemi?!
Golly. I get the F150 has the better transmission (by a freaking long shot, F’ those RFE’s lol), but at that mileage, I’d rather have the Hemi.
Any who, I chose the 500 because while 50mpg would be pretty sweet….. I can go around saying “I got a Fee-yacht!” and chuckle over it like I do when I call every modern Nissan a Datsun and make someone unnecessarily mad over it lmao
I picked all winners this week!!!
All four of these would make a fine garage as they all fill a specific need and purpose.
I choose the F150 as I could use a better tow vehicle than my stick shift Gladiator. I already have a gas sipper and a crossover to fill out my collection.
These are all OK choices in their own ways, I suppose. But I already have a hybrid so I don’t need the Prius. The Fiat would be fun (if it had a manual) but I have a perfectly cromulent sporty car. The CX-9, just no. So F-150 it is. It might be useful to haul crap around.
These options do not spark joy.
Sorry, the Spark lost on Monday.
Considering my daughter is in the market for a new used car, Prius it is. Her old ’08 Prius is still running strong at 290k, but rust and some other issues are taking a toll and it needs more investment than worthwhile to pass PA inspection this year.
Prius for me. I would just ask about the headgasket… or ask if it’s “using coolant”
The Prius likely needs a new head gasket soon if it wasn’t done already or had an owner that knew to try and stay ahead of it (even that isn’t guaranteed…bunch of theories on Prius Chat). The battery might be good to go for a while. The brake booster is a wild card if not done already.
With that said, I think they are still an excellent transportation appliance and the hatchback can swallow a lot of stuff. It has the greatest utility out of any of these choices.
Personally I don’t need a second Prius, so F-150 for me. At least it has a 6.5′ bed.
All of these are a reasonable choices for the right person. I picked the F150 mostly because I prefer pickups over other kinds of vehicles. This one is reasonably priced, appears to be in decent condition, and is a good spec (6 1/2 foot bed, 4×4, and not one of the extremely fancy trim levels).
I could also see myself buying the Prius if I just needed something basic to drive to work – what they lack in interesting they make up in reliability and efficiency. If you want an affordable, undramatic human transport box, it is hard to beat a used Prius.
I don’t see a situation where I would go for the Mazda or Fiat, but they seem like perfectly reasonable choices.
500 in brrrrrrooooowwwwwnnnnn for me. Genuinely dig it, even though it’s an auto.
Really all 4 together would make a solid garage.
Fiat for fun and maybe some daily use. Also maybe as a tinkering project for when things fail, like the window regulator or shifter cable bushing.
Prius for most daily driving duties.
Mazda for family hauling.
Ford for truck stuff.
True. 4 vehicles to cover all needs for about $20K if I remember the prices correctly.
Either truck or Fiat. Voted Fiat because it seems like fun but I really wish it was a stick. I could have gone Ford too. I’ll need another truck sooner than later but maybe not white.
Wife already has a ten year newer F150 in similar spec, so it’s the Fiat for me.
Prius, by elimination. Our 2 pickups are each far better at their jobs (being compact, hauling big heavy stuff) than that F150 could ever be, SUVs are dead to me, and if I’m gonna have an automatic I might has well have a hybrid.
The Fiat.
It’s so good someone already bought it.
Five grand for a third gen Prius for me. The Fix It Again was tempting, though.
(Don’t need a hauler, if I did I’d flip and call it in the air for either the boring crossover or the silly pickemup–they’ll do in a pinch but I sure wouldn’t want to DD either of ’em.)