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Best cheap SUVs: You don't have to pay a lot to get a lot

Here's a news flash: Everything is a lot more expensive now! And that definitely goes for new SUVs, with prices that keep nudging higher and higher. Actually "nudging" might be too soft of a description for their motion. "Skyrocketing" is probably more accurate.  While higher prices and hefty interest rates have likely knocked a lot of people out of the new car market entirely, there are still quite a few cheap SUV choices. Better still, they're not terrible! Far from it, in fact. While the lowest price SUVs used to be drab, sorry affairs best left to the lots of Avis and Budget, that is definitely not the case today. Not only are there legitimately appealing cheap SUV choices, they offer genuine differences in character, capability and design. It's not just a series of anonymous boxes with different badges. Below you won't just find a simple list of the cheapest SUVs available. We are actually pointing out the best ones. They are listed from least expensive to most expensive, with none exceeding a starting price of $30,000. Most are subcompacts, but a few of our top choices in the compact SUV segment snuck on. Finally, please excuse the crummy photo quality. We sought out representative trim levels of the prices in question rather than just reusing pretty carmaker-provided photos of the most expensive trim levels. This is what the cars will actually look like. Kia Soul Why it stands out: Ample space and abundant features for the money; unique style; strong turbo engine upgrade Could be better: All-wheel drive is not available Starting Price: $21,315 Read our most recent Kia Soul Review The Kia Soul definitely didn't start off as a small SUV, and the term "crossover" is probably better applied to it. Still, what started life as an undefinable funky tall hatchback now finds itself in its third generation with numerous vehicles of similar shape and size that are dubbed "small SUV" or "small crossover." If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ... Call it what you will, but the Soul delivers the goods with tons of equipment and space for its price and size, an agreeable driving demeanor, and an even more powerful engine upgrade than the Kona's. We also think it's pretty cool. All of the above helped it win our subcompact SUV comparison test. Now, if there's one area where the Soul does not satisfy a typical SUV requirement, it's the lack of available all-wheel drive.

Volkswagen Scirocco GTS set for Shanghai reveal

Though we still can't get one over here, buyers in other markets can get the Scirocco in an array of trim levels. And at the Shanghai Motor Show this month, Volkswagen is introducing another. The new Scirocco GTS slots between the base models and the R performance version. Reviving the spirit of the original introduced more than 30 years ago and picking up where the last model left off, the new GTS splits the Scirocco lineup the way the GTI fits into the Golf range. It even packs the GTI's engine: a 2.0-liter turbo four with 210 hp, mated to either a six-speed manual or DSG. The GTS also packs standard 18-inch (or optional 19-inch wheels), a further departure from the R-Line aero kit and racing stripes running up the top. The interior is similarly upgraded with special trim, a golf-ball shifter (on manual versions) and more. All of this makes the Scirocco an even more tempting proposition – if only we could get our hands on one. Wolfsburg/Shanghai, 16 April 2015 Comeback of a GT icon: World premiere of the 220 PS Scirocco GTS in Shanghai - Exclusive GTS trim with new 18-inch alloy wheels - Scirocco GTS* has a new generation of infotainment equipment on board as standard Ten key facts about the Scirocco GTS*: 1. The new Scirocco GTS makes its debut as a separate and especially sporty GT version 2. 220 PS Scirocco GTS has a top speed of 246 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds 3. Individualised exterior with new 18-inch alloy wheels and optional GTS decor (decor standard in China) 4. Red brake callipers as an identifying feature 5. Exclusive GTS interior with black trim features, red stitching and the legendary golf ball gear knob 6. Included as standard: the "Composition Colour", from the latest generation of infotainment systems 7. Modular infotainment matrix (MIB II) available for all Scirocco models from the end of May 8. The Scirocco GTS can also be ordered with an extremely quick-shifting 6-speed DSG gearbox as an option 9. The spirit of the first Scirocco GTS (which made its debut in 1982) was carried forward into the year 2015 in the new GTS 10. With over a million sold, the Scirocco is one of the most successful sports cars in the world Some cars live for ever because they are constantly reinvented. The Scirocco, a pure-bred European sports car, is one of these cars that is forever young. Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 41 years ago, it became an icon of compact German coupes.

There might be a second VW software cheat

The initial flurry of news about Volkswagen's diesel scandal is just beginning to settle down, but the company is months away from actually having any of the affected vehicles fixed. A stop sale is still in effect on new examples in the US, as well. The remedy process now faces yet another hurdle because the Environmental Protection Agency is requesting more info about other previously undisclosed emissions software on the engines, Bloomberg reports. Separate from the defeat device that evades tests, this new bit of code reportedly helps warm up the engine. However, automakers are supposed to disclose to the EPA any software that can affect emissions. The tech isn't necessarily against the law, but the regulatory agency needs to know about it during evaluations. The company didn't reveal this system until applying for certification on the latest TDIs. "VW did very recently provide EPA with very preliminary information on an auxiliary emissions control device that VW said was included in one or more model years," EPA spokesperson Nick Conger told Bloomberg. In response to the disclosure, VW took back its application for the diesels until it provided more details to the EPA on the previously undisclosed code. So far, there's no evidence that this code is actually another defeat device, though. Regulators are preparing an onslaught of tests on the revised engine to make sure the German automaker isn't gaming the system again. VW has until November 20 to outline a fix for the diesels to the California Air Resources Board. In response to the scandal, the company is preparing for severe cutbacks to have enough money to pay for all of the expected fines and repairs. It also recently announced plans for a serious electrification push in the near future.