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Diet Abarth
Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to stick to a routine of drinking diet soda. Nevermind the fact that I'm trying to cut soda out of my life altogether - every now and then, I just want the high-octane stuff, and diet simply won't do. If I'm already going to subject myself to the sweeteners and caffeine, I'm going to take the calories that go along with it.
Some people feel the same way about cars (go big or go home!), but I'm not one of them - I often see the merit in less-potent machines that automakers offer. For example, while I simply adored the Mini John Cooper Works GP that I recently tested, I still said I'd rather have a Cooper S Hardtop every day. And while the Ford Focus ST may have been crowned the winner in my hot hatch comparison test from last year, my experience in the Fiesta ST a couple of months ago reminded me yet again that less can indeed be more.

Ram and Fiat working on possible midsize pickup for global markets

The midsize pickup segment is enjoying a recent boom globally, with updated models like the new Ford Ranger on the way and a revised Toyota Hilux already testing. The next automaker to take the plunge into the market might be FCA with this recently spotted, highly camouflaged truck. Click through the gallery to see the pickup wearing two different disguises during cold-weather testing. Unfortunately, they keep the truck very well hidden, and even the bed is covered in both of them. Still, it appears that the front end wears a fairly upright design, and the four-door cab is obvious. Also, take a look at the rear to spot coil springs for the suspension, rather than leaf springs. According to our spies, this vehicle's size is larger than the current front-wheel drive Fiat Strada and is closer in dimensions to models like the Ranger and Hilux. Of course, the most intriguing question is whether FCA might bring this vehicle to the US as a Ram competitor against the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. The company's five-year plan makes no mention of such a model here through at least 2018, though. However, Europe and South America are set to receive a midsize pickup in 2016. Perhaps, that's what we are seeing here. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat-Ram Pickup Spy Shots View 14 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Fiat RAM Truck FCA

We wish the Fiat Toro compact pickup would come to America

Ready for another round of wailing and gnashing of teeth? Then let the Brazilian-market Fiat Toro pickup commence the lamentations about our domestic lack of compact pickup trucks. Previewed by the FCC4 concept showed at last year's Sao Paolo Motor Show, and then this mule, the little double-cab is rumored to be based on the Small Wide 4x4 corporate architecture that supports the Jeep Renegade. At 193.5 inches long, the Toro is 26 inches longer than the Renegade, 20 inches shorter than the Chevrolet Colorado extended cab, and ten inches shorter than the 2011 Ford Ranger. The Toro is offered in three trims - Urban, Adrenaline, and Country - and two drive options. The Urban comes in a front-wheel drive configuration, and gets a 1.8-liter E-Torq Flex four-cylinder with 138 horsepower mated to a six-speed automatic. Adrenaline is also 4x2 only, but buyers will get a 2.0-liter Multijet turbodiesel with 170 hp tied to that six-speed auto or a six-speed manual. The top Country trim is the only one with 4x4 and it gets all the powertrain options: the 1.8-liter with the six-speed auto, or the 2.0-liter diesel with either a six-speed manual, six-speed auto, or nine-speed automatic. The manual can be specced with 4x2 or 4x4, the nine-speed only comes in 4x4. The turbodiesel has up to 280 pound-feet of torque in other Fiat applications. Fiat Brazil says it can carry five in "the comfort of a luxury car." That might be a bit much, but it is tow-rated for 2,200 pounds and can be optioned with appealingly useful and decorative features like xenon headlights, LED DRLs, fog lights, bright underbody protection, Uconnect with a five-inch touchscreen, light and rain sensors, and a sunroof. The smaller Fiat Strada, a compact Brazilian-market pickup we drove in 2013 that 74 percent of you said Fiat should bring here, managed an easy 50 miles per gallon with a 1.3-liter turbodiesel with 94 hp and 148 lb-ft. The Toro wouldn't be that sippy with fuel, but we have a feeling it'd be more than pleasing to those still hankering for a genuinely small truck with some comfort features and a decent tow rating. We also have to wonder if such a machine, perhaps with the powertrain options of the Jeep Renegade, might help with Fiat's lagging US sales figures. Related Video: