metroelitemortgageinc's Blog

Volkswagen Jetta SE Design/Fit and Finish

Cleanly styled, the Jetta's most flattering angle is the front three-quarter, where the signature VW grille extends down to the lower fascia to give it some identity. Blacked-out window frames and tasteful chrome accents lend some uptown attitude. From other angles, however, some staffers felt the Jetta could be a Corolla's movie double.

Mazda MAZDA5 Comfort

More fixes that made it into this redesign thanks to consumer feedback are inboard armrests for the front passenger and outboard armrests for the second-row seats. Though the armrests themselves aren't particularly comfy, nor very comely. Also from the consumer fix-me list: Second-row passengers benefit from two air-conditioning vents (where there used to be none), but there are still no vents for third-row seats.
 

: Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

Function

The Tahoe's gauges are easily read, and both the climate and audio controls are intuitive. GM has one of the best navigation systems around, thanks to a simple interface that makes it a snap to enter a destination. The nav screen does triple duty, as it can show an energy flow diagram (that oddly lacks battery-pack status) and serves as a monitor for the back-up camera. Once you get used to the funky icons, the trip computer can show you everything from average fuel economy to the pressure in individual tires.

Toyota Corolla XLE Function

Storage space in the Corolla is quite good, with a pair of spacious gloveboxes, well-sized door pockets and a useful center console bin. The 12.3-cubic-foot trunk easily swallowed two sets of golf clubs and a large suitcase, all of which dropped easily into the wide trunk opening.