By Alex Nunez on April 6, 2011 in
When the lights go up on the 2011 New York Auto Show in a couple of weeks, there should be no shortage of important debuts aimed at the mainstream economy car buyer. For instance, it's just been announced that the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza will be on hand. Honda has already confirmed that it'll pull the wraps off the 2012 Honda Civic family, and the rumormill suggests that the equally-new 2012 Nissan Versa will also be premiered. Absent detailed info, which is still being kept under wraps for the time being, we can still discuss what we do know about these new rides.
2012 Subaru Impreza
So, Subaru's mum on the nitty gritty, but they have revealed a profile shot of the new Impreza's styling, which takes a very clean, "safe" approach. Nothing outlandish here, and considering that critics almost universally panned the current Impreza's looks when it debuted, we expect the new look to be more broadly appealing. It'll also be more spacious, according to Subaru. The big news is this: Subaru says that with its standard all-wheel-drive system, the 2012 Impreza will deliver 36 mpg fuel economy. We're presuming that's the highway number, and if so, it represents a 10 mpg improvement over the current car, which registers 26 mpg on the highway with the base engine and automatic transmission. That's an impressive bump, to say the least.
2012 Honda Civic
As you can see in the above photos, the new 2012 Honda Civic sedans and coupes doesn't stray too far from the current cars, looks-wise. Honda is touting increased fuel economy accross the board, however, and is introducing a new trim level, the Civic HF, which is designed for maximum fuel economy without going hybrid. To that end, the HF is expected to carry an EPA rating of 41 mpg highway, while the standard Civic configuration will come in at 39 mpg highway. The improved Civic Hybrid will be rated at 45 mpg in combined city/highway use (up from 41 mpg today), and the racy Civic Si picks up a slight power increase and improves to 31 mpg highway from the current car's 29 mpg. The natural gas-powered Civic GX sedan also returns, and Honda says it's expected to have a fuel efficiency improvement of seven percent over the currently available car.
2012 Nissan Versa
Critics like the current Nissan Versa, a best-reviewed model. It's roomy and comfortable, gets decent fuel economy, and offers the flexibility of hatchback or sedan body styles. In addition, the base sedan is one of the cheapest new cars you can buy, period. What the current Versa is not, however, is good looking. It's downright homely. While Nissan has not yet officially confirmed that the next-gen Versa will bow in New York, all signs point that way, and a design sketch of the new car indicates that the ugly days will be a thing of the past. Better still, the sketch shows that the 2012 Nissan Versa is essentially the same car as the Chinese-market 2012 Nissan Sunny, a much better-looking vehicle than the Versa available in showrooms today. So, fingers crossed -- if the 2012 Nissan Versa keeps the the current car's good stuff while becoming both better looking and (probably) more fuel-efficient, it should continue to be a reviewer favorite.
We'll be at the New York Auto Show press days on April 20 and 21, so watch our Twitter and Facebook feeds for tidbits direct from the show floor.