2 Door Jaguar XF 2009

2009 Jaguar XF.

MSRP: $49,200 - $63,700

Reviewers were universal in their love of the new 2009 Jaguar XF’s exterior and interior styling.

Edmunds.com credits its “crouching stance” and “coupelike roof,” that taper into a fastback-style tail, but thought the nose was “somewhat quirky.” Though both Edmunds.com and Automobile comment on the XF’s passing resemblance to the Lexus GS series, Automobile thought that gave the new Jaguar a little less “drama than you’d expect...nice but not stunning.” Without the Jaguar hood ornament, they think, you wouldn’t know which company built the new XF. Kelley Blue Book felt the “unorthodox” look has a “sleek, flowing profile.”

From the rear, the high-mounted LED taillamps looked familiar to an Aston Martin, Cars.com said. Motor Trend sums up the exterior critiques by saying, “Make no styling judgments until you've seen the XF in person...in the metal the XF radiates a modernity and sexiness that simply don't translate to the printed page.”

Inside, Automobile thinks “the XF's interior really scores,” and that “the cabin overflows with neat details, such as the gear shifter, covered HVAC vents that rotate to open, a start button that pulses red when you enter the car, and blue lighting around the instruments and dials.” The tech mavens at C/Net were “most impressed by the dashboard components,” like that clever shifter dial that reminds TheCarConnection.com’s editors of a high-end audio system. It’s the combination of “traditional cues with contemporary touches,” in Cars.com’s words, that gives this new Jaguar an ambience completely different from the larger XJ sedan--and from any Jaguar before it.

TheCarConnection.com’s car experts think the 2009 Jaguar XF is without question the most attractive car Jaguar has accomplished in decades. There's nothing heavy-handed or retro about the look. Quite the contrary--it is an extraordinarily modern interpretation that traditional luxury benchmarks like Audi should note well.

2002 Isuzu Axiom.

MSRP: $26,535 - $31,335n 1993,
Isuzu abandoned the car market, in favor of the truck/ SUV market, where the company had met with better success. Isuzu had tried, and failed, to compete with Toyota, Nissan and Honda as a full-line car company. But the 1980s, a time when all it seemed a car needed was a Japanese nameplate, were over. And the companies like Isuzu and Subaru trying to compete head-on with Toyota were hurting.

The Isuzu Trooper had been the Japanese Jeep Cherokee through the ‘80s, and the company diversified with a string of popular SUVs, such as the Rodeo and the Amigo that helped put an SUV in every American driveway. But the golden age of the SUV — when four doors on a four-wheel drive truck platform was a license to print money — is over. Competition has made the vehicles more competent, refined, and carlike. So Isuzu finds itself touting an SUV for its carlike features.

The Axiom’s angular, industrial styling is a departure from the macho brush-basher styling employed on most SUVs. The more carlike look is reminiscent of Cadillac’s current design theme, and the Axiom looks a bit like a smaller Escalade, at least from the front. The 17-inch alloy wheels are attractive, and wear tires with a carlike tread pattern. This bit of common sense improves on-road ride, handling, gas mileage and noise, at the expense of off-road capability.

Isuzu’s newest SUV retains the trucklike body-on-frame construction of its predecessors, even while competitors move toward unibody construction for its advantages in rigidity and space efficiency. The only obvious clue to the Axiom’s separate frame is its high floor. Combined with the low, flat seats, the Axiom’s leg room can feel cramped. However, the door frames open to the floor, unlike unibody designs that need a high door sill to maintain rigidity. With no lip to step over, the Axiom isn’t as hard to get into as its high floor would suggest.

2009 Infiniti G37 . 2 Door

2009 Infiniti G37.

MSRP: $43,850 - $43,900

The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible comes with a long list of standard safety features, but as of yet, it has not been crash-tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The standard set of safety features outfitted to the G37 Convertible explains its high rating by TheCarConnection.com’s editors. The list includes “a four-wheel disc brake system — including antilock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist technology,” according to Edmunds, along with “standard pop-up roll bars.”

Infiniti’s own Web site and press materials cite other standard safety features as including front airbags, both seat-mounted and door-mounted side airbags, stability control, and active head restraints. Safety options include Intelligent Cruise Control with Preview Braking, which uses sensors to establish a safe speed from vehicles traveling further ahead in the same lane.

Visibility in the G37 Convertible is very good, of course, with the top down. With the top up, it’s still better than in the Coupe: “the narrow roof pillar design (required to make it all fit in the trunk) gives the G37 convertible better outward visibility than the coupe even when the top is up,” Edmunds observes.

2 Door 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

MSRP: $22,000 - $32,000

The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a new sports car from Korean automaker Hyundai. Hyundai will initially offer the curvaceous Hyundai Genesis 2010 Coupe in six different trims, which Autoblog lists as "2.0T, 2.0T Premium, 2.0T Track, 3.8, 3.8 Grand Touring, and 3.8 Track." The numerical designations refer to the engine under the car's hood, which comes in the form of either a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder or naturally aspirated V-6. Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com contain wide-ranging praise for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe's exterior styling, which Edmunds says is "handsome and sporty—calling the coupe the best-looking Hyundai ever would be a perfectly reasonable statement."

Don't let the Hyundai Genesis Coupe's name confuse you, however, as Autoblog reviewers note that "the all-new Genesis Coupe is not a two-door version of the sedan." Rather, this vehicle "looks like a race car and acts like one too," according to The Detroit News. Reviewers at The Detroit News add that "the exterior shines with its long hood and sloping roof," while the slippery "front end sweeps back and the elongated headlamps seem to stretch the 182.3-inch car." If you're having a hard time getting the general idea from TheCarConnection.com's pictures of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, just imagine the Infiniti G37 and you'll be on the right track; Automobile Magazine says that "although its similarity doesn't come across as well in photographs, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a dead ringer for the Infiniti G37 coupe."

The Hyundai Genesis 2010 Coupe's interior also earns praise from reviewers, but many point out a few ergonomic idiosyncrasies. Overall, The Detroit News rates the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe's interior as "excellent," contending that the "simple interior design" keeps the focus on the road, where it should be. Edmunds adds that "the cabin is particularly impressive, boasting an enveloping cockpit-like environment." However, Edmunds also warns that "navigating through the stereo's tonal adjustments is too labor-intensive" and there is an "unconventional sideways orientation for the power window and mirror switches." TheCarConnection.com's own editors also notice the unusual configuration, which definitely requires an adjustment period.

2 Door Hyundai Tiburon 2008

2008 Hyundai Tiburon.

MSRP: $17,270 - $22,770Automobile notes that "the [Hyundai] Tiburon's exterior design is an amalgamation of design cues from various makes...if you squint your eyes, the front end of this car looks like a baby jagure XK/Aston Martin, which is not a bad thing." Cars.com says the “body features a high belt line and a short greenhouse, with a steeply raked windshield and back window," while Kelley Blue Book notes "a more muscular-looking hood and the front fenders and grille area having a slightly more aerodynamic and sleek appearance." Edmunds calls the styling “distinctive” and reports “the Tiburon (the name means 'shark' in Spanish) has improved in both looks and performance” with the current edition.
Automobile notes that 2008 Hyundai Tiburon standard safety equipment "includes front airbags, front side-impact airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, and a tire pressure monitor." Optional Hyundai Tiburon safety equipment includes "Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Brake Assist and Traction Control.

2 Door Honda Civic Coupe 2008

2008 Honda Civic Coupe.

MSRP: $14,810 - $23,060

In terms of styling, the2008 Civic continues to stand out from the crowd after a major face-lift in 2006 on its eighth-generation body style—a “smartly designed” look, according to Edmunds. Kelley Blue Book notes that while exterior style was once "considered the Civic's only weak point," it has become "one of the car's most appealing attributes. With its sharply raked windshield and low profile, the sleek Civic Coupe looks like nothing else on the road." Cars.com agrees, remarking that while in the past the Civic had been “vanilla,” the current car “took a serious right turn at practical and went right to the sci-fi section." Car and Driver says, “The Civic’s styling—the large, fast windshield, minivan-like front end, and UFO-style two-tiered dashboard—incites a bit of controversy, as these are all love-them-or-hate-them elements.”

Proving that the ultramodern looks of the 2008 Civic Coupe are not just skin deep, the Civic's cosmic realignment extends to the cabin. Edmunds notes the "unusual" layout of the instrument panel, and Cars.com observes that the dashboard "is very deep, punctuated by a radical two-tiered display that's straight out of a Star Trek shuttle pod." Automobile observes “the digital readout with blue backlighting fits in well with the cars [sic] sci-fi ambiance.” Kelley Blue Book says the 2008 Civic Coupe "features the most visually futuristic interior of any vehicle on the market," adding that the Civic's "appeal to younger drivers has put Hond back into the good graces of the tuner and aftermarket crowd."

2 Door Honda Accord Coupe 2009

2009 Honda Accord Coupe.

MSRP: $22,405 - $31,155

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the 2009 Honda Accord Coupe's aggressive look pleases most tastemakers.

At a quick glance, the Accord Coupe does look big, but it's more of an illusion caused by the taller, longer nose. Also notably larger are the wheels; the four-cylinder models now have 17-inch wheels, while the V-6 version gets bigger 18-inch hoops. Popular Mechanics notes that the Accord Coupe's footprint is 3 inches longer, 1.5 inches wider, and a full inch taller, which makes it roomier and more comfortable, but it's still small enough to carry the designation of being a compact car.

Edmunds goes on to report that the 2009 Accord Coupe "is a genuine attention-grabber, in a sporty kind of way—something no previous version of the Accord Coupe could be accused of." Jalopnik is not as enthusiastic about the Coupe's exterior or interior esthetics, saying, "In places the 2009 Honda Accord Coupe is woefully bland, in others awkwardly edgy." While they claim that the interior is "positively posh," they're not too crazy about the grayish plastic dashboard and "cornucopia" of buttons, which are "awkwardly unintuitive" and clash with the nice leather.

2 door 2008 Honda S2000

2008 Honda S2000.

MSRP: $34,300 - $37,300
According to the reviewers at Edmunds, the “2008 Honda S2000 is a compact two-seat roadster that’s offered in two trims: standard and CR.” Both trims share the same basic profile, which Cars.com calls a “wedge-shaped profile that stands apart from other roadsters,” but Kelley Blue Book notes that “CR models include an aerodynamic body kit,” along with “lift-reducing front and rear spoilers and a removable aluminum hard top in place of the conventional cloth” one on the standard honda S2000.

2 door 2008 Honda Accord Coupe

2008 Honda Accord Coupe.

MSRP: $21,860 - $30,510
The new 2008 Honda Accord Coupe has a larger footprint than the outgoing model. Popular Mechanics notes that it's 3 inches longer, 1.5 inches wider, and a full inch taller, which makes it roomier and more comfortable, but it's still small enough to carry the designation of being a compact car. At a quick glance, the Accord Coupe does look big, but it's more of an illusion caused by the taller, longer nose. Also notably larger are the wheels; the four-cylinder models now have 17-inch wheels, while the V-6 version gets bigger 18-inch hoops.

Jalopnik is not as enthusiastic about the Coupe's exterior or interior esthetics, saying, "In places the 2008 honda Accord Coupe is woefully bland, in others awkwardly edgy." While they claim that the interior is "positively posh," they're not too crazy about the grayish plastic dashboard and "cornucopia" of buttons, which are "awkwardly unintuitive" and clash with the nice leather.

Motor Trend disagrees about the Accord Coupe's cabin. Honda has always done tight panels and high quality surfaces, but with the new Accord Coupe they've really outdone themselves." They like the look of the seamless matte finish and silver gray plastics and go on to say that "the new Accord's dash displays are MacBook Pro all the way."

TheCarConnection.com’s editors don’t find much wrong with the new Honda ; 2008 brings, for the first time ever, a unique look and completely different body panels for the two-door. The two-door is markedly sleeker, with a sexy curve to the roof, and the bold character line, sweeping from front wheels to rear lamps, gives the coupe a sense of constant motion. The new Accord's cockpit is definitely among the best, too--the dashboard is laid out in a sort of dual-cockpit mode, and gauges and controls are particularly well placed.

2 Door Ford Focus 2009

Ford Focus 2009.

MSRP: $15,520 - $18,265
the cabin of the 2009 Ford Focus is much the same as last year's model. The interior is, in fact, a winner in reviews read by TheCarConnection.com; even those who slam the exterior styling praise at the cabin design. Autoblog notes that "hardly anything has changed" inside the Ford Focus coupe, which still features a "T-shaped swath of silver plastic...with clearly laid out controls for the stereo and HVAC placed front and center." Consumer Guide praises the "well-arranged dashboard [that] has mostly intuitive and handy controls," although the gauges "can be hard to read in changing lighting conditions." Cars.com claims that "almost every aspect is improved" over the previous generation, "and the striking, winged dashboard draws the eyes immediately." Kelley Blue Book adds that one of the benefits of the more mature dashboard design is that it offers "improved storage spaces, better-positioned controls and attractive ice-blue backlighting

2 Door Fisker Karma 2011

Fisker Karma 2011.

Last year Fisker Automotive landed a stand right in the thick of things on the main floor of the Detroit show, and created quite a buzz not only with its so-called “sexy car,” the Karma, but with the company's wealth of information about the product and an announced intent to bring it to production in fourth-quarter 2009. What's more, it seemed like genuinely well-funded operation, with venture capital that included Palo Alto Investors and Kleiner Perking Caufield & Byers, a firm that included Al Gore as a partne