TCB's Car of the Week:3

It is Monday night. NFL football fans have their TV dinners on their laps while watching their team play. Amidst the air of excitement amongst us, it is time for TheCarBlogger to choose its Car of the Week for this week. This week, TheCarBlogger's Car of the Week award goes to the Mazda5.

The days of the Nissan Axxess and the Mitsubishi Space Wagon are long into the archive section. Since they have been discontinued, which is about 10 years or so, the "mini-MPV" segment was long forgotten. The hold was broken when Mazda entered the segment with the "5" last year.

Oil prices have risen in North America and the popularity of fuel-gushing sport-utility vehicles have been steadily decreasing. While Ford was awe-strucken with the sales result, import manufacturers have been busy releasing new subcompact cars and basically smaller, and more efficient variants of what was already out there.

The 5, called Premacy in its domestic market, was already flying off the lots in Japan. The 5 is a multi-activity crossover, deemed my Mazda. We, consumers, call it a "mini-minivan" which sounds more appropriate...

Follow the jump to continue reading the story.

The 5 is based on the popular 3 compact model. The 5 slots between the Mazda3 Sport and the discontinued MPV. It comes with dual sliding doors and even a storage space under each 2nd-row seat without sacrificing style, which will definitely attract the baby boomers.

The 5 is coupled with a 2.3L 157HP 4-cylinder engine which is also found in the Mazda3. The 5 is versatile, practical, stylish, and presents value. The 5's base price is $17,995, and all the goodies you need is standard.

This growing segment is starting to be noticed by other manufacturers and Kia has just released its Rondo mini-MPV with more manufacturers rumoured to follow the successful footsteps. Is there anything better than seating 6 people in comfort for under $20,000 without consuming more gas than a Toyota Camry? Glance at today's gas price at your local gas station and bingo.

TCB's Car Of The Week:2

This week's TheCarBlogger's Car of the Week Award goes to the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Hyundai 'used' to be known as makers of cheap (in quality as well) cars with the lowest sticker prices you could ever imagine. However, they have since gained consciousness of reality before you can say 'TheCarBlogger'. The Santa Fe is a fine example of this.

The previous-generation Santa Fe, although perceived well, had mediocre quality, love-it-or-hate-it design, coupled with a below average fuel economy. The new Santa Fe turned heads and dropped many jaws when it first debuted at the 2006 North American International Autoshow.

The styling, which cued the Infiniti FX and the Lexus RX minorly, is elegant, the interior has top notch quality, the engine is powerful (opt. 3.3L 242hp V6), and is coupled with Hyundai's very reasonable pricing and warranty. This vehicle is the real example of Hyundai's turning point in the industry and their new approach to the market.

The Santa Fe boasts many accolades and awards including Autobytel's SUV of the Year Award. In the portfolio goes TheCarBlogger's Car of the Week award. What can a guy ask for more in the Santa Fe?

TCB's Car Of The Week

Every week, TheCarBlogger will choose a vehicle that is capable, stylish, and has value all in one. TheCarBlogger will also look into how significant the vehicle is towards the industry and the company itself.

This week's Car of the Week is the Saturn Aura. Saturn, the underdog of GM, introduced the Aura mid-size sedan last year. It wowed many for its sleek styling, capable powertrain in a reasonable price. It was a GM that imports found fear for. Albeit having some material issues, especially inside with the plastic syndrome, the Aura proved that GM was not in a coma just yet.

The Aura sweeped the 2007 North American Car Of The Year Award and many other awards from different publications. It might still lack some tidbits of what a mid-size sedan needs. But the Aura is one of GM's deserving accomplishments.