Big Toys: 5 cars to take a second look at this fall

2012 MINI Cooper S Coupe – $32,400

The MINI Cooper is the exception to the small car rule. Was it crazy to think Americans would buy a small car costing more than $30K with luxury features? Crazy talk! However, MINI pulled it off. What about a two-seater coupe that looks like it is wearing a helmet? Enter the MINI Cooper S Coupe. Turbo-charged, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, headroom and legroom for those six-foot and taller, and enough trunk room to hold a 24 inch suitcase, a duffel bag and laptop roll aboard. At $32,400 as tested, this sporty, fast, and boldly styled coupe makes a statement and is still easy on the pocketbook when you refuel at 27/35 mpg city/hwy. Need more tech? This package has navigation, satellite radio and two-tone leather interior. Why for fall? Challenge the curves before the snow comes and then slap on some snow tires and let the advanced stability and traction control show you that a little car can get you to and fro in the snow. Read more

2012 VW EOS Lux – $38,355

When was the last time you looked at a VW convertible? Perhaps it was a Golf (or, eek…a Rabbit). Maybe, and most likely, it was a New Beetle. What about a hardtop convertible with a panoramic sunroof? The EOS gives Coloradans that unique attribute for an uncommonly affordable price, especially for German engineering. The beauty of this car is the retractable hardtop system. However, it also delivers with it 200-hp and a 0-60 time in the mid-6’s. You can choose to cruise top down, heated seats on, with the dual climate control set for each front passenger, or you can cruise top up with the climate control set and noise levels akin to a hardtop coupe. Wait! There is a third option; the EOS also lets you cruise with the top up and the glass panoramic sunroof open. For $38,355 as tested, the EOS Lux has navigation, satellite radio, leather and will be decent to your wallet at 22/30 mpg city/hwy. Read more

2012 Range Rover Sport – $67,695

Some of you may be thinking: This guy is nuts! These cars won’t hack it when it snows; where are the SUVs? Enter one of the most comfortable SUVs I have driven. The Range Rover Sport not only has style and status, but front seats that you have to experience to believe…heated to boot. While not as open as a convertible and lacking a panoramic sunroof (a standard size sunroof is included), the Range Rover has good visibility and interior headroom, great interior finishes, and a 5.0-liter V8 that makes it feel sportier than you would expect. Even better, your mother will be able to get in with the variable air suspension with “Accessible” mode to lower it and “Off-road” mode to raise it to climb over those pesky parking lot barriers at the mall during the holidays. At $67,695, the Range Rover Sport is luxury, but it will get you through anything or its name isn’t Land Rover. Economy? Well, you will have to follow the “Read more” link for the full review. Read more

2013 Corvette Grand Sport Convertible – $78,485

The Corvette is a piece of Americana, right alongside apple pie. The Corvette is celebrating 60 years of moving Americans around the USA (“See the USA in your Chevrolet…”). For the anniversary they are offering a special package that outfits the Corvette Grand Sport Convertible (the flared body mid-tier model) with the Diamond Blue interior, silver racing stripes and a blue soft top with racing stripes in the fabric. At 436-hp with the dual-mode exhaust (good for an extra 6 hp) the Corvette will make you and your passenger’s hearts race with excitement as you whiz by the fall colors and hear the roar of the exhaust echo through the peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains. It doesn’t get more American than that. Add heated seats, navigation (however dated looking) and magnetic-ride control, which can take it from comfortable to aggressive in the turn of a knob, and the Corvette can be an amazing top-down driving experience. Ironically, the $78,485 price as tested speaks more to the raw experience than the attention to design detail inside. Read more.

2012 BMW 650i X-Drive – $100,825

The BMW 650i represents a level of design and quality that few manufacturers can achieve and few consumers get to buy. The two-door 650i coupe is a real head turner and has an interior that will comfort you and your front passenger with 20-way, multi-contour seats trimmed in the best Napa leather. Our test vehicle had an Ivory White interior and an Alpine White exterior; definitely a stand out amongst the burnt orange leaves of the Aspens. Add 400-hp (445-hp for 2013), a panoramic (tilt only) sunroof and the M Sport package, and it might be hard to decide if the beauty in the changing of the colors is the Aspens turning or the BMW’s reddish/orange lighting that bathes the interior at night. In case you are wondering, the price as tested rings up at $100,825. MPG you ask? Not quite a guzzler, but still not a Prius at 15/20 mpg city/hwy. Read more