“GM has never sold a competitive small car in America.” Not true. The imported rear wheel-drive Opel 1900– the sedan version of the Manta– was a superb machine for its day. Unfortunately, a rising dollar and a lack of marketing and development vis-a-vis the Japanese competition (Datsun 510) doomed the 1900 to footnoted obscurity. And now, once again, General Motors NA turns to Opel to get back in the small car game. They've brought over the Eurozone’s best selling passenger car: the Astra. Starting this January, you can buy an Astra in America, only with the logo swapped from Opel’s lightning bolt to Saturn’s rings. Should you?

Nothing is more quintessentially British than an old Mini (save fagging at Eton). The new German-owned MINI, on the other hand, is a German car in all but place of manufaktur. In a move that pushes the MINI concept even further away from its spiritual origins, The Globe reveals that a Canadian company will build an estimated 40k of MINI's Don't-call-it-an-SUV SUV in Austria. Canadian auto-parts maker MAGNA CORP has won the contract to build the new "Mini-based Multi-Activity Vehicle" (MBMAV?). As predicted here, it will do so at its Magna-Steyr plant in Graz, Austria, shifting X3 production stateside in 2009. For those of you keeping score at home, MAGNA made a play for Chrysler after it was dumped by Daimler, and recently unionized its work force in advance of a possible second go.

Pity the poor engineers charged with turning Dodge’s “anything-but-cute,” anything-but-clever Caliber into a proper hot hatch. Transforming the Caliber into a desirable piece of sporting kit seems about as likely as landing Michael Jackson a job as a mall Santa. But here it is, for 2008: the Caliber SRT4. So Dodge’s gone and done the deed anyway. Or have they?

Hot on the heels of Steven Lang's editorial explaining the financial pitfalls of car depreciation, moments away from Justin Berkowitz review of the Infiniti G37, we're delighted to present CNNMoney's "Top 10 Best Resale Value Cars." The automotive analysts looked at Kelly Blue Book's guesses estimates of what different models might will be worth in five years. They then rated the cars based on their relative retained value. Not surprisingly, the list is import intensive. Surprisingly, three of the winners are Volkswagens. Here's the complete list in alphabetical order, with each model's predicted five-year retained value:

Chevy Corvette – 50 percent
Honda Civic Sedan – 52 percent
Infiniti G37 – 52 percent
MINI Cooper – 52 percent
Scion tC – 52 percent
Scion xB – 52 percent
Toyota Corolla – 52 percent
Volkswagen Eos – 52 percent
Volkswagen Jetta – 51 percent
Volkswagen Rabbit – 51 percent

Someone go get my Clonazepam. MINI has announced that it's building an SUV-type product, and cyber-mag Winding Road has the shots to prove it. Forget market share, ignore the ever-present push to increase sales numbers at any cost. The MINI Cooper was specifically, consistently and persistently sold as the anti-SUV– not the ante-SUV. This type of "every brand, every niche" mindset is killing the car industry, one BMW SAV, Mercedes hearse, Bentley hybrid, Audi city car, Lexus hypersport sedan and $29k Cadillac at a time. While most of those propositions are merely Three Stooges ridiculous, the MINI SUV (a.k.a. "Monte") has a major problem. It's not mini. It has to be quite a bit bigger, quite a bit heavier. It'll probably need (in some sense of that word) all wheel-drive. Oh, and a larger engine. At best, all that changes MINI from Mini to "Regular." Unless the new MINI SUV has Suzuki Sidekick off-road abilities, PASS.

George Clooney is box office catnip AND the critics’ darling. And no wonder: he looks great and he acts better than he looks. But what if you’re a movie producer who can’t afford Clooney’s vig? You get Thomas Haden Church. You know: the guy in Sideways, the movie about chit-chatting wine guzzlers. Sideway's producer knew Church wasn’t nearly as high profile as Clooney, but he was a lot less expensive. See where I’m going with this? If the MINI Cooper S is beyond your reach, should you lower your grasp? Big savings yes, but do you still get something of substance? Well, Church is an Oscar nominee. As for the Cooper…

I like vanilla ice cream. I know: as a guy who chooses "media" from the drop-down menu of professions, I should be into something exotic like swordfish pecan or Quaaludes and cream. But vanilla has a Zen purity that appeals to my inner minimalist (which I can't find from time to time 'cause he's so damn small). In the same way you can discern an ice cream maker's skills by sampling his or her vanilla, you can tell an automaker's prowess by assessing the quality of their plain Jane models. That's one reason TTAC is proud to review cars at the lower trim levels. It also explains my satisfaction upon hearing that Justin's sending me his MINI Cooper [non S] review. And one of the unremarked but remarkable reasons for Toyota's success: the low end models don't make you yearn for the higher end stuff. Contrast this with Detroit, where "strippers" often seem carefully designed to make you spend more money on something significantly better. Which works fine IF you take the financial plunge. I mean, I can imagine there will be a lot of pistonheads sitting in a V6 Pontiac G8 spending every moment of the journey wanting the V8. If that's NOT true, then I'll take it as a sign of genuine progress. 

Prius/hybrid bashers have a new angle of attack, thanks to Cardiff University and UK automotive consultancy Clifford Thames (who currently features Toyota's logo on its website). The Financial Times reports that the dynamic duo studied a range of vehicles and concluded that many conventional petrol or diesel engined machines (e.g. the Mini Cooper D diesel hatchback and Fiat Panda) are "greener" than the gas – electric Prius. How's that then? "The Cardiff/Clifford Thames ranking gave CO2, nitrogen oxide and other emissions a 50 per cent weighting in assessing cars’ overall environmental friendliness. For the other 50 per cent, it ranked vehicles on their construction, energy and end-of-life costs, based on their length, width and weight." We'd like to see a  bit more detail on that formula. Meanwhile the study's author was aware that their results were a bit, um, skewed. “We’re not saying that any car that is the same size as the Prius is better," Clifford Thames’ Richard Barber admitted. "but the gap is closing very rapidly, and conventional technologies will pass the Prius." In fact, “Conventional technology will overtake the Prius over the next 12 to 18 months, and consumers won’t have to pay a premium for it,” said David Riemenschneider, Clifford Thames’ chief executive. Let the eco-games begin! Oh wait; they already have.

Drive dutifully reports the results of a MINI-commissioned survey of 2,018 UK motorists on the subject of diesel cleanliness. Market-research agency YouGov (who me, Gov?) discovered that “diesel-powered cars are thought to be way behind hybrid models for cleanliness.” Those of you equipped with a functional PR BS-detector will immediately note the “thought to be” proviso and the vague “way behind” qualifier. You’ll also fail to be surprised when MINI’s UK brand manager Andy Hearn follows-up this startling factoid by revealing that his employer’s new, oil-burning model generates CO2 numbers that are “identical” to the Toyota Prius’. This despite the fact that “just three per cent believe a diesel vehicle could be considered a low source of carbon emissions.” On the subject of relative levels of particulate matter emanating from diesel and hybrid engined tailpipes, the survey and its PR lackey the Cambridge Evening News showed no interest whatsoever.

This Sunday's New York Times carried an article about McDonald's move upscale within the Eurozone. We're talking minimalist decor, caffè lattes, Internet access and "rental iPods." The changes' champion: Denis Hennequin, the French-born president of McDonald’s Europe. When challenged about the wisdom of aiming Le Big Mac (a.k.a. Mac Royale) at les BCBG (preppies), Hennequin said he "admires strong brands that reinvent themselves to become more fashionable and appealing, as the trendy car line Mini Cooper did." Excusez-moi. The Mini Cooper is not "a car line," it's now MINI, not Mini; and the original Mini was extinct before BMW resurrected (not reinvented) the brand. D'accord?

Although Isetta fans need not get too excited, CARSguide reveals that BMW is considering developing a car more mini than MINI, based on the MINI. BMW has ordered work on prototypes of a car smaller than anything they currently offer, in hopes of helping lower the company's CO2 emissions fleet average. As evidenced by Fiat's initial success with its resurrected Cinquecento, Europe's "city car" segment is growing fast.  As European manufacturers face rising gas prices, tighter emission standards and burdensome taxes on their products, the supermini class should continue to expand. What's next, a Euro-kei car?

The American Automobile Association recently calculated the average cost of driving a car. News flash: your automobile is devouring your children’s college fund to the tune of 52.2 cents per mile. Multiply that number by 15k miles and decades of driving, and automotive ownership costs make Ivy League tuition seem like a bargain. Thankfully, you can lower your cost of ownership (of the car) with three strategies. Each one will put a nice six figure dent back into your savings account, and a big fat smile on your face whenever you turn the key.

The first strategy is conservation: spending as little money as humanly possible. Automotive conservationists aren’t motivated by performance, comfort or snob appeal. All they want to do is get from Point A to Point B while keeping as much money in their pocket as humanly possible. They want to save in the showroom, at the pump, after service and at trade-in time.

Conservationists are, by their nature, small car aficionados. They’re willfully oblivious to the fact that small cars are an SUV’s accidental toe jam. They happily endure cramped quarters, sloth, low status and any of the other so-called downsides of owning a small, “boring” car. They concentrate on their econobox’s purchase price and operating costs.

Conservationists are big fans of Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki, Subaru and, of course, Honda and Toyota. They’re value junkies who scour the value of used cars before they even think about buying a new one.

To become a conservationist, find someone who drives a small, cheap, boring car who can tell you how much they spend on their car per month AND annually. Internet owners’ forums are an invaluable resource. Just register on a site dedicated to an inexpensive small car (“Cheap bastard” ought to do it) and post a thread asking “How much does it cost to run your X?”

The second strategy is endurance.

When most folks think of a car that last forever, they think of an old Volvo or Mercedes. That’s so last century. These days, most every automobile built can crest 100k miles without much trouble. In fact, 150k is the new 100k: the way point that tells an owner that he or she’s found a machine that can go the distance. Which is, let’s face it, one of your cheapest possible ownership options.

Frugal endurers are closet conservationists. They tend to pay cash up front (they consider monthly payments and interest charges an automotive fashion victim’s sin tax) for two-year-old or older cars.

They’re looking for vehicles blessed with [documented] factory-approved maintenance that have passed the “is it a lemon?” threshold. They look for unloved, low-spec models. Depending on their dedication, they’ll happily forgo such basic comforts as air conditioning and power door locks.

As endurers aren’t looking to trade in their wheels (i.e. they plan to run the vehicle into the ground), they couldn’t care less about their purchase’s short-term residuals. It’s all about keeping the car going, to get to those “cheap miles” at the end of the [hopefully] epic ownership period. And that means fastidious maintenance, extended warranties and celebrating the inevitable wear-and-tear.

To benefit from endurers’ sagacity, buy the most reliable car you can and hold it as long as possibly can. Period.

Mule trading is the third money saving strategy.

Mule traders buy from used car auctions. They buy whatever vehicle [they believe] will hold its value in the retail market. Due to a fickle public and sinister depreciation curves, many mule traders skip the way cool late model stuff and go for ‘sleds;’ vehicles that cost $5k or less. They drive em’, fix em’, sell em’, rinse and repeat.

Of course, not all mules are broken down beasts of burden. There are plenty of hot (though inexpensive) used cars available at auction that will protect the mule trader’s money (e.g. the Mini Cooper, Scion Xb, and Honda Fit). After anywhere between six months to 18 months, the traders simply sell the vehicle to a dealer, who uses them as high profit ‘finance fodder.’

The mule trader takes on the depreciation risk on the assumption that today’s hot new car will be tomorrow’s hot used car. The keen-eyed mule trader gets a higher trade-in value for the car, the dealer receives a larger profit off the financed vehicle.  Everyone wins– save for the poor bastard with the hot car and large monthly payment.

Whether you reduce your overall automotive operating costs by conserving cash, fixing costs (endurer) or taking advantage of automotive fashions (mule trader), there’s always an opportunity to save a chunk of change on your motoring expenses. The challenge: determining which mindset best suits your budget, skills and time. As Patek Phillipe’s ads used to say, choose once but choose wisely.

Nominations for our Ten Best Automobiles  for 2007 proceed apace. So far, you’ve nominated 96 different [sold as] new vehicles, from the A3 to the Z4. We thought you might appreciate some fresh cyberspace in which to nominate, elucidate and participate in this automotive love-fest. Nominations are open until midnight (EST) this Friday; feel free to forward any further contenders or add your comments up until the deadline. Our writers will then select twenty finalists so you can choose the Ten Best. Meanwhile, here are some highlights from your nominations for the best of the best.   

In nominating the Ford Crown Victoria, Ingvar stated, “I am not American, and I haven’t been to the USA. But if I went there, I would buy one just to feel as American as possible. This and the Town Car should be put up in the MOMA or the Smithsonian as examples of true heroes of American industrialism.”

Matthew Sullivan explained how the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution earned his respect. “At first, I had no idea what I was getting… [Then] I got seat time in some of the greats in all prices ranges: Vette, Viper, M3, M5 (the new one), Boxster, S4, Mini Cooper JCW, Miata, Golf GTI, Civic Si, Euro Focus ST, etc… Eventually I came to realize that the Evo was my ‘price is no object’ car.”

There were plenty of paeans to more prosaic machines. Steven Lang nominated the Toyota Corolla. “I know this is a shocker from a sports car enthusiast. However I have to tip my hat to a model that represents the pinnacle of reliability, fuel efficiency, design efficiency, and just plain common sense. As a commuting device the Corolla simply makes more sense than any other compact car.”

As this part of the process does depend on the weight of numbers, I haven’t totaled up the number of nominations for each car (if someone wants to…). It seems fairly clear that the Mazda MX-5 and Jeep Wrangler are well-loved and respected favorites.

Steve Green spoke for many when he praised this most quintessential of American off-roaders: “A great vehicle is neither more nor less than exactly what it needs to be. By that measure, the new Jeep Wrangler is a damn good vehicle. The new Wrangler distills 60 years of tradition into unheard-of off-road skills, and better on-road manners than anyone could reasonably expect.”

HawaiiJim was positively poetic in his ardor for the Subaru Forester.

Not too wide and not too tall,
Its versatility stuns us all.
All-wheel drive for a stormy day,
Easy loading is its way.
Entry needs no leaps or bends
Through curvy roads it easily wends.
Gorgeous, No, babe-magnet, Not…
But super visibility makes it hot.
Common sense makes one thing clear
I nominate Forester with no fear!

Several commentators wanted to know why readers were nominating cars they had never driven, owned or otherwise personally experienced. As Virgil said, they can because they think they can. And they’re right. There are a lot of good reasons for nominating a car for a the Ten Best: looks, sound, specifications, technological prowess, pedigree, reputation, etc. Besides, in these YouTubular times, personal experience comes in many forms. 

Ryan remarked: “When all these nominations are rounded up, it’d be interesting to see how many cars were nominated for both Ten Best and Ten Worst.” So I dug out the list of Ten Worst Automobiles nominees and had a look. They are the best of cars; they are the worst of cars.

Acura TL
Audi A3
BMW Z4
Chevy Impala
Chrysler 300C/SRT8
Ford Crown Victoria
Ford F150
Ford  Mustang
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda Fit
Hyundai Tiburon
Jeep Wrangler
Land Rover Range Rover
Lincoln  Town Car
Mazda RX-8
MINI Cooper
Mitsubishi Lancer GS
Pontiac Solstice/GPX
Porsche Cayenne Turbo
Saturn Sky/Red Line
Scion xB
Toyota Camry
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Prius
VW Jetta GLI
VW Rabbit

This bi-polar poll demonstrates our readers’ catholic (small c) tastes. Which brings us to ole’s observation: “Do you guys even know how great this is, that 122 people have commented and stayed on topic, and haven’t abused each other for their opinions? How cool and [unfortunately] rare.”

Even though the delete button did see some service, I echo that sentiment. TTAC has the best group of readers in cyberland. While the comments on many other automotive websites often degenerate into flame wars and sophomoric name-calling, we can count on you, our faithful, literate readers to provide well-informed and thought-provoking insights, no matter what the subject.

Thanks to all of you for your part in making TTAC a safe haven for dangerous thinking. I look forward to revealing the 20 finalists and your 10 winners. Oh, and look out for a major surprise in the next day or so. We’re taking this bad boy to the next level. Our treat.

News flash! The 2007 MINI looks like the 2006 MINI. As there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the “old” model, BMW’s decision to leave things well enough alone shows welcome restraint. Well, almost. BMW’s added two extra inches to the new MINI– and we all know how meaningful two extra inches can be for guys (legroom!). But you’d be hard pressed to see any exterior effects– good or bad. So is it still all systems go for MINI’s V2 rocket, or does the new model (codenamed R56) prove that more is less?

“It handles like a go-cart.” For the past five-years I’ve taken this description of the BMW’s born-again clown car’s dynamics at face value. Living in Los Angeles, I’ve seen more of these faux-Brits than Carnaby Streeters ever did. And I’ve often wondered if the MINI was small and extraordinarily nimble like its forbearer, or just plain small. Other than sipping cheap wine next to the trio of stunt cars used in the third Austin Powers movie, I’d never had a chance to get up close and personal with a MINI. More importantly, I’d never put the British-built roadster’s handling to the test– until this week, when RF charged me with the task of assessing the “old” new MINI before the “new” new MINI arrives stateside.