MAZDASPEED6
A sad, sad tragedy. With the upcoming redesign of the Mazda6, the company decided to retire the performance version of their mid-size sedan a year early. A new version based on the next Mazda6 should turn up.
Powered by a 270-hp, turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter inline-4, the MAZDASPEED6 also boasted all-wheel drive and all the equipment you could get in a Mazda6. The MSP6 cost $36K and up.
Nissan X-Trail
Okay, this one ended its career as a 2006 model, but it was still on sale in 2007. The X-Trail wasn't offered in the United States but only in Canada, and was more or less replaced by the new Rogue.
Powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 that produced 165 horsepower, Nissan's compact SUV was available in front-wheel and 4-wheel drive configurations, with a shift-on-the-fly transfer case; something you can't get in the Sentra-based Rogue. Priced from $26K to $34K, the X-Trail was sold in Canada for three years, but was already on sale in Europe for several years (and still is), which explains its old-style appearance.
Saturn Ion
The much-criticized compact coupe and sedan from Saturn is being replaced by the new Astra, which is imported directly from Europe. The passing of the Ion marks the end of the polymer body panels, which didn't rust but didn't quite become the revolution GM had expected.
The 2007 models were powered by a choice of three engines: a 140-hp 2.2, a 170-hp 2.4 and a 205-hp, supercharged 2.0-liter that was found in the Red Line Quad Coupe. These cars were unrefined and uncomfortable but were pretty affordable when Saturn tacked on heavy rebates. The Astra will be more expensive but will quickly make us forget about the Ion.
A sad, sad tragedy. With the upcoming redesign of the Mazda6, the company decided to retire the performance version of their mid-size sedan a year early. A new version based on the next Mazda6 should turn up.
Powered by a 270-hp, turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter inline-4, the MAZDASPEED6 also boasted all-wheel drive and all the equipment you could get in a Mazda6. The MSP6 cost $36K and up.
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| Nissan X-Trail |
Nissan X-Trail
Okay, this one ended its career as a 2006 model, but it was still on sale in 2007. The X-Trail wasn't offered in the United States but only in Canada, and was more or less replaced by the new Rogue.
Powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 that produced 165 horsepower, Nissan's compact SUV was available in front-wheel and 4-wheel drive configurations, with a shift-on-the-fly transfer case; something you can't get in the Sentra-based Rogue. Priced from $26K to $34K, the X-Trail was sold in Canada for three years, but was already on sale in Europe for several years (and still is), which explains its old-style appearance.
Saturn Ion
The much-criticized compact coupe and sedan from Saturn is being replaced by the new Astra, which is imported directly from Europe. The passing of the Ion marks the end of the polymer body panels, which didn't rust but didn't quite become the revolution GM had expected.
The 2007 models were powered by a choice of three engines: a 140-hp 2.2, a 170-hp 2.4 and a 205-hp, supercharged 2.0-liter that was found in the Red Line Quad Coupe. These cars were unrefined and uncomfortable but were pretty affordable when Saturn tacked on heavy rebates. The Astra will be more expensive but will quickly make us forget about the Ion.
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| Saturn Ion |