MotorMouths

The 2012 Camry is a strong effort, but it competes with equally strong rivals. Nothing suggests it will give up its status as best-selling car in the U.S., but neither does it represent a radical new presentation of a midsize sedan.

Fix a few things and the Suzuki SX4 SportBack’s a strong contender for best of its class — if a jolly time is higher on your list than a dirt-cheap price.

Subaru is guilty of some omissions and underachievement in the 2010 Outback but managed to make the wagon so appealing to drive, even to ride in as a passenger, that the goofs don’t seem to matter.

If you go by the numbers, the redesigned 2012 Subaru Impreza is a couple of steps back. The marquee matter, though, is that the 2012 Impreza fuel-economy ratings are from 5 to 10 miles per gallon better than the 2011’s.

Subaru’s 2013 BRZ sports coupe is such a ball that you seldom notice the few aggravations. The price is remarkably reasonable for the look, feel and joy that you get.

That’s more like it. The Scion tC makeover for 2011 results in a crisp, purposeful, comfortable, good-driving coupe. The previous car was slightly underpowered, and its older transmissions didn’t bring out the engine’s best.

The Scion FR-S is a gorgeous, joy-generating, modest-price, small sports coupe that turns out to be slightly more appealing than its near-clone, the Subaru BRZ.

The 2011 Quest’s styling was off-putting. The front appears tapered, stylish. But the upright, overly festooned rear seemed a mismatch. Overall, better than its predecessor, but perhaps not the bull’s-eye Nissan wants.

The Nissan Leaf is generally sweet to drive, but still a second or third car for most Americans because of unexpected demands, unplanned trips that could exceed range.

Except for odd styling (we grew to like it) and the unexpected fuel thirst (and we didn’t drive all that hard all that much) Juke seemed a remarkably alluring vehicle in a market overpopulated by boring small cars.

Nissan shouldn’t be so quick to downplay Cube’s car-ness. For low-demand drivers, it’s dandy. And it also appears likely to satisfy people who don’t really want cars.

There’s enough good about the car that we’d love to give the new Altima a fist-bump and unreserved applause. But until that steering gets retuned, and the cloth seats and their lumbar setup are upgraded, no can do.