MotorMouths

The 2012 Kia Rio is compelling and downright attractive. Add acceptable performance and a well-tuned chassis to that package, and you have a car that takes some of the drudgery out of commuting whether you live in Seoul or L.A.

Amngst competitors, the 2011 Dodge Durango stands apart as the lone SUV that offers a V8 option and bona fide towing capability, but it isn’t the quickest or the most fuel-efficient, and it certainly doesn’t have the roomiest seating.

Pretty much any compact crossover will meet your demands for utility. The difference is that the 2011 Sportage does it in style. Its sharp exterior design sets it apart and Kia has made some significant strides in drivetrain refinement and steering feel.

The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is a useful, luxurious, seven-passenger SUV that’s tough enough to pull your trailer, powerful enough to get you down the freeway and refined enough to not annoy you with the body-on-frame stuff most of the time.

The seven-passenger 2010 Lexus GX 460 is one of just a handful of jack-of-all-trades utility vehicles that are still on the market. You don’t buy it to do a specific task. You buy it because it offers solutions to situations you haven’t even thought of yet.

As it is, this 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS is still a good deal for $20,000. But a good deal isn’t necessarily a great drive. We can’t help but feel that the 2011 Sonata could have been this car if Hyundai had felt comfortable charging a little more for it.

If you like the iQ’s design or you’re really bad at parking, well, by all means, buy one. The rest of us, though, will find more value in similarly priced cars with more surface area.

It’s a bit more fuel-efficient, and whether you’re accelerating, braking or turning a corner, this hybrid RX is a touch smoother and more refined.

The 2011 Scion tC is a car without a singular mission. This coupe-hatchback has to do too much. It has to give equal priority to style, feature content and out-and-out affordability. There’s just not enough money left in the budget to do anything very exciting with the car’s chassis.