2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Hatchback 3-door 1.6l. With Sport Mode on 2040-cars

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Suzuki previews new S-Cross compact CUV ahead of Paris debut

Despite having one heck of a lackluster presence here in the United States, Suzuki still manages to do well in other markets. That in mind, the automaker continually releases new products and concept cars at international auto shows that aren't destined for U.S. consumption, but this might not be one of those times.
The aging SX4 crossover is in need of replacement, and if Suzuki is still committed to selling passenger cars in the States, something fresh like this S-Cross concept could be just the ticket. Suzuki has, after all, confirmed that the S-Cross will eventually make its way into production.
We have no other details to divulge about the S-Cross, except that it's a small crossover concept and that it will make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in September. Suzuki says that the S-Cross has a "Emotion x Quality x Aerodynamics" design theme that uses "distinctive dynamic lines that start on the front bumper, sweep across the doors, and continue to the rear of the body." No offense, Suzuki, but we've heard that before.

Suzuki's next Jimny won't veer too far from The Way Of The Samurai

Suzuki might be gone as an automaker in the US, but the brand is still driving along in other parts of the world. In fact, it even has new products in the pipeline and among them is a replacement for the venerable Jimny compact SUV (better known as the Samurai in America). The last all-new Jimny hit the market back in 1998, but the little SUVs have grown quite a cult following, especially in the UK. Farmers love them because the compact vehicles can go just about anywhere, thanks to a relatively high ground clearance, small size and four-wheel drive. With the new generation due in 2017, according to Top Gear, that's nearly 20 years of hard work for this off-roader. Though, Suzuki refreshed the Jimny slightly for the 2013 model year (pictured above) across the pond with a revised front end. Don't expect the future iteration to go soft, though. Unlike the similarly long-lived Land Rover Defender, which is rumored to be a bit friendlier in its next generation, Suzuki wants keep the model's abilities as capable as possible, while adding some modern assistance systems. "The next Jimny will be an evolution. It will follow the same recipe. When you see it you'll know it's a Jimny," said the automaker's UK sales boss Dale Wyatt to Top Gear. "If you were a sheep farmer in the Scottish hills you'd see the car is perfect; no argument to change it." If all these promises about the future come true, we might get to hear about the Jimny driving around the world or pulling a huge truck out of the snow for many years to come.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Suzuki Esteem Wagon

GM began selling Americans the Suzuki Cultus with Chevrolet Sprint badges in the 1985 model year, with the following generation of Cultus becoming the Geo (and, a bit later, Chevrolet) Metro. Suzuki began selling the Cultus as the Swift over here starting in 1990, then enlarged that car's platform to create the bigger Cultus Crescent five years later. This car first showed up in American Suzuki showrooms as the 1995 Esteem, and a wagon version arrived for 1998. Most of the Esteem longroofs disappeared from our roads long ago, but I was able to find this high-mile 2000 model in a Northern California car graveyard. The Esteem was available in the United States through 2002, after which it was replaced by the Aerio. Since station wagons were falling out of favor in a hurry with American car shoppers by that point, the Aerio wasn't available as a wagon; Suzuki buyers here who insisted on a small cargo hauler in 2003 either had to move up to the bigger Forenza wagon or join the SUV craze by getting a Vitara. All that was in the future when this car was first sold, though. It's a base-grade GL 1.8 model with no options that I can find, and its MSRP was $13,399. That's about $23,959 in 2023 dollars. The 2000-2002 Esteem wagon was forced to compete for sales against the bigger and more powerful Daewoo Nubira wagon, which had a menacingly similar price tag ($14,160 in 2000, or $25,320 after inflation). Hyundai was in the final year of selling a wagon version of the Elantra here in 2000, and its price was a mere $12,499 ($22,350 today). Ford was asking $15,380 for its cheapest 2000 Focus wagon ($27,501 now), while Saturn offered the SW2 wagon for $14,290 ($25,552 in 2023 bucks). What all those affordable small wagons had in common was a five-speed manual transmission as base equipment, and that's what this car has. A four-speed automatic added $1,000 ($1,788 today) to the cost of a new 2000 Esteem. This car came with a DOHC 1.8-liter four-cylinder rated at 122 horsepower and 117 pound-feet. Not exciting by 21st-century standards, but enough to keep driving misery at bay in a 2,359-pound wagon. This car's owner or owners took good care of it, and it rewarded them by driving 237,255 miles during its 23 years on the road. The interior still looks good, which is typical of high-mile cars I find in these places. A car owner who keeps the upholstery in good shape also tends to perform all the maintenance on the dot.