2010 Honda Insight: She Said, She Said

The new Honda Insight has gotten a lot of negative buzz lately despite being a capable hybrid. Part of the problem is comparisons to the Toyota Prius. Here are two more voices weighing in on the little hybrid from Honda and whether or not it holds up to life in the big city.

Beth: The best way to describe the Honda Insight’s looks is to say it’s a mini-Prius, which is also a pretty apt description of the car itself. It’s like the Prius, just less so — less efficient, less refined, less money (it costs about $2,000 less than Toyota’s signature hybrid). I averaged about 44 mpg in my time with the Insight, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it felt hard-earned to me.

2009 Dodge Charger: She Said, She Said

The Dodge Charger was designed to be a masculine family sedan good for commuting and suburban errands. So how does it stack up over a week with two female city-dwellers?

Amanda: I had never really given the Dodge Charger all that much thought before, if only because muscular exterior styling on a sedan doesn’t really appeal to me (although I can definitely see why it would appeal to some folks). And while I did like it more than I thought I would, I’m still having a difficult time coming up with too many exciting things to say about this car.

Beth: I had a similar experience with the Charger. This genre of car just doesn’t do much for me, but I was pleasantly surprised with how easy and comfortable it was to drive. I carried five adults in there with relative ease and, while not ideal, the short windows didn’t present as much of a visual problem as I expected them to. That’s not to say I didn’t have beefs with this car, though. For starters, why on earth does its USB input not have the functionality to play iPods? Would anyone out there really prefer to play music off a flash drive?

2009 Infiniti FX35: She Said, She Said

Last year, Infiniti revamped its midsize SUV, the FX. It boasts a new interior and exterior, as well as a powerful V-6 engine in base FX35 form. It was that model that Beth and Amanda tested for this review.

Beth: It took me about 15 minutes to be completely won over by Infiniti’s FX35. I’ve always liked this crossover’s striking looks, and once inside my affection only grew. It wasn’t just that I was dazzled by the Around View Monitor, which displays a bird’s-eye view of the car when you shift into Reverse, it was how easy it was to use all the other gadgets it offers. Whether it was answering my phone using the FX35’s Bluetooth system or skimming through playlists on my iPod — displayed right there on the navigation screen — every command came completely naturally and intuitively in this car.

2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: She Said, She Said

A Jeep Wrangler may be a terrific summer escape vehicle, but it didn’t wow our two testers during winter excursions, especially in downtown Chicago. However, it was clear which one of our dynamic duo liked Jeep’s four-door Wrangler more.

Amanda: The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is a tricky car to review. From what I can tell, many Wrangler fans are fans for life, and most of the issues I had with the rugged off-roader probably wouldn’t bother a driver who is likely looking for very different things in their SUV than I am. I had never driven a Wrangler prior to this, and overall I did like the four-door version much more than I thought I would.

Beth: I just couldn’t figure out the appeal. I like the look of the two-door Wrangler — though probably not enough to buy one — but the four-door version doesn’t even have that going for it. It looks like a Dodge Nitro and was about as enjoyable to drive — and neither of those statements are compliments.

She Said, She Said: Lexus LS 460

Who said we don’t share the wealth around the Cars.com offices? This time out Amanda and Beth took on Lexus’ flagship sedan, the LS 460L. There could be worse ways to spend a week of commuting. With a sticker price near $80,000, it is by far the most expensive car the two have tested and they seemed to like it despite its overall size.

Beth: There was something very poetic about driving Lexus’ flagship sedan over Thanksgiving weekend. That’s because the only thing I can think of that’s more indulgent than sitting down to a perfectly roasted turkey, surrounded by heaps of rich, carb-loaded side dishes, is driving the LS 460. This is a car so indulgent it’s not content with trivialities like a heated steering wheel or auto-closing trunk, it ups the ante all the way to a brake-hold button that rids drivers of the indignity of keeping their foot on the brake at stoplights. Why don’t you just throw an extra jar of corn syrup and some crème fraiche into the pecan pie while you’re at it?

She Said, She Said: 2008 Ford Edge

This time out Amanda and Beth took on Ford’s Edge SUV. Amanda doesn't go into her current Ford SUV ownership trials and tribulations, but she has a lot of background preparing her for this review. Check out what they both had to say.

Amanda: I spent a lot — and I mean a lot — of time driving this car. Over one weekend I spent more than 10 hours driving it to St. Louis and back, and I’ve gotta say it’s a comfortable road trip car. To be fair, we did have the Limited trim that came with seat heaters, leather interior and Ford Sync. I would’ve liked a little more pickup when trying to merge on the interstate, but it was a really smooth ride and I honestly didn’t mind having to spend so many consecutive hours in it.

Beth: I didn’t spend nearly that much time in the Edge, but it’s easy to see it as comfortable highway transportation. I didn’t love it quite so much driving around town, where it felt slightly underpowered whenever I took it up an incline. Overall, though, it’s a smooth and comfortable — if uninteresting — crossover to drive, which is probably what a vehicle of this type ought to be.

She Said/She Said: 2008 Toyota Prius

Beth: The word “hybrid” has essentially become synonymous with “tree-hugger” and “granola,” and at least in the Prius’ case the title is earned. We averaged fuel economy in the mid-40s in a week’s worth of normal Chicago driving, and I felt very environmentally friendly when I managed to drive a little over a mile with the gas engine only firing — briefly — twice. What I didn’t expect from the Prius, though, was that it can get up and go when it needs to. If you want to drive in an uber-efficient manner, you can. And if you need to make it 90-plus miles in an hour, you can get there only a few minutes late. (Not that I tested this theory out myself, of course…)

Amanda: I was likewise impressed with the pick-up in the Prius, as well as the overall driving experience. One thing I wished it had that some other hybrids have is an indicator light — rather than a special screen you have to pull up on the center console — to let you know when you’re in electric mode. It’s a minor gripe, I know, but the transition between the gas and electric modes was so smooth most of the time that I sometimes didn’t even realize which I was using. Here’s the thing about the Prius in general, though: Many driving or design issues I have with it are often outweighed by its above-average fuel economy.

She Said, She Said: 2008 Land Rover LR2

Beth: The latest car to get the She Said/She Said treatment is Land Rover’s LR2, a compact luxury SUV that, frankly, I could sum up in one word: eh. It drives nicely, has comfortable seats and some cushy features; it just failed to elicit any strong feelings from me. There’s nothing exciting about its rather boxy looks, and the wood trim inside — probably intended to hint at luxury — screamed “cheesy” to me.

Amanda: I think I made a mistake in discussing the LR2 with a couple of the reviewers before I drove it. The way they spoke about it, I expected to love it — but I had the same lukewarm reaction you did. I agree that it was very comfortable to drive, and I never felt like it was too big for me, but there were so many things that seemed overly complicated about it. I had to fight with the armrest to get it to the right height; it seemed like there were an excessive number of buttons on the center console — and don’t even get me started on the navigation system.