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" Civic-Minded Honda injects the market with not just one but four new flavors of its popular compact Civic. The Honda Civic is largely responsible for the iconic grip small Japanese cars have on the American carbuyer. Early on, it defined compact, well-built, counterculture transportation, delivering qualities that the Big Three carmakers failed to acknowledge. For 2006, Honda has a family of new Civics. The Sedan is longer and wider, powered by a 140-hp 1.8-liter i-VTEC Four hooked to a choice of two five-speeds. That&amp;#039;s an increase of 13 hp from &amp;#039;05. The Coupe sits on a shorter wheelbase than the Sedan for the first time. Both cars get better fuel economy than previous Civics with that same 1.8. A 110-hp 1.3-liter aided by Honda&amp;#039;s next-generation Integrated Motor Assist drives the Civic Hybrid through a CVT to deliver 50 mpg, city or highway. Finally, the 197-hp manual-gearbox Civic Si (based on the Coupe) is aimed at serious drivers, with specific Michelin tires and decidedly capable suspension tuning. All four Civics benefit from a redone chassis with substantial upgrades to occupant crash protection.--Mike Allen Speed Bumps Beware If it&amp;#039;s been the lack of a third row of seats that&amp;#039;s kept you from buying a new Jeep, wait no more. Commander is here. And, you would not be alone if you were looking for something with seating for seven--that&amp;#039;s the current sweet spot in the midsize SUV market. To gain that all-important extra row, Jeep engineers added a mere 2 in. to your basic Grand Cherokee and then cleverly raised the rear section of the roof by 3.15 in. The bump up in the roof is hidden by the Commander&amp;#039;s roof rack. The proof of any seat, however, is in the sitting. And while the third row in most midsize SUVs is less inviting than the second row, we found the Commander to be particularly cramped. Get past the size of a typical 8-year-old and you&amp;#039;re in for a very uncomfortable time. Also, with a mere 2-in. stretch, there&amp;#039;s precious little space between the third-row seat and the backlite. Of course, with the third seat folded into the floor, there&amp;#039;s a smidgen more cargo floor than in a Grand Cherokee. Other than the added length, height and seats, the Commander is very much a Grand Cherokee. Stability control and side airbag curtains with rollover-detection are standard. There are three 4wd systems, three engines and two five-speed automatics to choose from. And for the first time, you can get fuel-saving 2wd capability with that 330-hp 5.7-liter V8 option. Prices start at $27,985 for the 2wd version.--Jim Dunne and Ken Juran Road Warrior Picture a machine with the lightweight maneuverability of a dirt bike and the stickiness of a sportbike, and you have Suzuki&amp;#039;s new DR-Z 400 SM. In other words, this half street/half dirt bike is all about ride-it-like-you-stole-it hooligan fun. Supermoto racing, which combines motocross and road racing, is relatively unknown here but wildly popular in Europe. To help build momentum and add some fun to its U.S. lineup, Suzuki has given us the $6199 DR-Z 400 SM, powered by a 398cc four-stroke single mated to a close-ratio five-speed trans. On a twisty rough mountain road, the ultralight 295-pound DR-Z proved more fun than any sportbike. This, however, is not a long-haul machine--the short gearing makes freeway riding very buzzy. But as a commuter bike and weekend toy, the DR-Z packs more smiles per mile than just about any bike on the road.--Ben Stewart Spunky The old Kia Rio was one of the least expensive cars on the market. But it wasn&amp;#039;t exactly fun. Well, the all-new 2006 Kia Rio and Rio 5 wagon keep the price in the basement but add some real driving enjoyment to the mix. There&amp;#039;s a stiff new chassis with taut springs and dampers at each corner, and steering tuned for Europe. Here, the Rio corners flat and holds the road with agility not found in many other cars in this class. It&amp;#039;s kinda fun. Under the hood is a new 1.6-liter 110-hp four-cylinder with 107 lb.-ft. of torque. Those numbers may not raise eyebrows, but the engine provides enough spunk to keep the Rio in step with traffic--especially with the five-speed manual. And it&amp;#039;s fuel thrifty: Even the automatic version gets 38 mpg on the highway. The new Rio is bigger in every dimension except length. From the driver&amp;#039;s seat, the interior is comfortable, clean and classy--a rarity for this price class. Speaking of prices, they start at $10,570.--B.S. Mighty Midsize Mitsubishi hasn&amp;#039;t had a pickup truck in its arsenal since the mini-sized Mighty Max left our shores in the &amp;#039;90s. Pickups have only gotten bigger, and the new Raider is Mitsu&amp;#039;s first true midsize truck. It packs a standard V6 or an optional V8. Wait a minute, Mitsubishi makes a V8? Well, not exactly. You see, the Raider is essentially a Dodge Dakota in drag. The mechanical twins run down the very same production line in Warren, Mich. And that&amp;#039;s okay because Daimler-Chrysler corporate cousin Dodge certainly knows how to make pickups. The Raider comes in either two- or four-wheel drive in three trim levels: LS, Durocross and XLS. The standard 3.7-liter V6 makes 210 hp and is paired with a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The 4.7-liter V8 is the more robust choice and channels 230 hp and 290 lb.-ft. of torque through a five-speed automatic. But what makes the Raider different from the Dodge is the unique sheetmetal and upscale interior. Both get standard Bluetooth connectivity on V8-equipped XLS models. Bluetooth is certainly becoming more popular in cars, but DaimlerChrysler is really going like gangbusters (see ), allowing you to sync your cellphone to your truck and have conversations over its sound system. Plus, you can listen to the Sirius Satellite Radio. Expect Mitsubishi Raiders to start at around $20,000.--B.S. Party of Five Whatever you do, don&amp;#039;t call the Mazda5 a minivan. Or even a mini minivan. The folks at Mazda would prefer you think of their newest tall wagon as, well, anything but one of those. In truth, this pint-size people mover is more like a high-roof Mazda3 wagon than anything else. It&amp;#039;s got the same great chassis as the Mazda3, which means sporty handling with a capital S. Even with a longer wheelbase and more weight, the stylish six-passenger Mazda5 is a blast to drive when the road bends. We&amp;#039;d like more power than the 2.3-liter 157-hp four-cylinder delivers, but the slick-shifting five-speed manual does its best to keep the engine in the fun zone. The optional automatic provides fewer grins, but it&amp;#039;s more practical for traffic-snarled freeway commuters. Either way, at $17,995 the Mazda5 is one of the least expensive ways to transport six people and all their gear.--B.S. Grand Expectations Forget what you might remember about the old Suzuki Grand Vitara. Suzuki&amp;#039;s latest SUV now rolls on a unibody structure with a four-wheel independent suspension with standard ABS and stability control. It&amp;#039;s longer and wider than the old Grand, and offers 68.9 cu. ft. of storage with the rear seats folded flat. It also comes with six airbags--standard. There are two 4wd systems available: a single-mode all-wheel drive and a real four-mode 4x4 system with Low range. A rear-drive model is also offered. Back in the States after the press launch in Costa Rica, we sampled a U.S.-spec model equipped with the standard 2.7-liter 24-valve V6. A five-speed manual is standard but ours was paired with a five-speed automatic. The new Grand Vitara feels light and nimble around town, but with only 185 hp and 184 lb.-ft. of torque, acceleration isn&amp;#039;t exactly breathtaking. Still, for about $19,000 you get a refined and capable little SUV.--B.S. HONDA CIVIC, Photograph by Brent Humphreys "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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