3 American Cars That Trump the Foreign Competition

Believe it or not, the Big Three are finally building cars that diehard foreign buyers can consider -- even if they've been out in the import wilderness for decades. Detroit is still having trouble with quality issues -- only GMC and Cadillac made J.D. Power's initial quality Top 10 this year -- but in terms of style, performance and utility (not to mention personality), the domestics have taken some giant steps.

Here are three new models you might want to consider putting in your garage, simply because they're better in many ways than the competition:

2013 Chevrolet Malibu: Getting midsize right. When just about everything else built by GM was antiquated and a gas guzzler, GM reintroduced the proud Malibu nameplate in 2008 -- at the height of its bankruptcy crisis. The new Malibu, a surprisingly good and competitive car, was proof that a pilot light remained on in Detroit. The all-new 2013 Malibu, which I admired at the New York Auto Show, will be out early next year.

GM played it smart by staying out of the horsepower race. There will be no V-6 option, just a sensible range of four-cylinder engines (one is forthcoming with turbocharging) that should be able to compete with the best from Japan and Germany. There's no full hybrid, but there is a mild hybrid ECO model equipped with eAssist start-stop technology (also the rage abroad) that will achieve 38 mpg highway, 26 city. For buyers of: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry.
2012 Ford Focus: Quality in a small package. The Focus, completely redesigned for the 2012 model year, is a global car, sold substantially unchanged in world markets. That means you can have a domestically built "foreign" car -- the same Focus sold in Germany! To please buyers all over the planet, Ford needed to soar above the local competition, and it did.

The American Focus was a dreary economy car, but for 2012 it got considerably sportier, with excellent handling and interior fit and finish that will make German competitors envious. Ford could do a bit better on price, since you can buy the very versatile Honda Fit for $3,000 less than a Focus hatch (which starts around $17,000). Another challenge for Ford is getting the bugs out of the otherwise impressive MyFord Touch infotainment system -- a reason many buyers chose the car over the cheaper competition. For buyers of: Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra.
2011 Chrysler 300 and 300C: Combining sport and luxury. Chrysler needs a sales hit, and it can't just be the Jeeps. The brand has struggled with both sport sedans and entry-level economy cars, but the 300 (the "C" model adds four-wheel drive) is an upgrade and a serious play. The design is evolutionary, not revolutionary -- when I saw it rolled out, I was disappointed that the styling choices weren't bolder.

The drivetrains are also far more traditional than the Ford and Chevy profiled here, offering rear-wheel drive and a choice of a V-6 or an old-school pushrod V-8 with 363 horsepower. That yields 5.8-second zero to 60 times, making this a very quick contender in the class. The biggest revelation is the classy interior, upgraded with high-value materials from gangster-land garish.

Motor Trend put the 300C up against a state-of-the-art Hyundai Genesis, and the made-in-Detroit 300 actually won, but it didn't get points for subtlety. The magazine reports:

If its sheer size doesn't get your attention, its bold, shameless styling and rumbling V-8 will demand it.

Related:

• Ford's In-Car Tech Glitches are Worse than People Think
• World Malibu Debut is a Must-Win for GM