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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.

VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.

Volkswagen's new Passat Alltrack ready to scale the Alps

Volvo may be stepping up its off-roading game with a greater variety of Cross Country models tumbling out the factory in Gothenburg, but the other (larger) European automaker whose name starts with the letters V-O-L is also broadening and updating its range of road-going automobiles equipped to handle a little soft-road duty. Aside from Audi's Allroad line, Skoda's Scout models and the new Seat Leon X-Perience, the Volkswagen brand itself has recently showcased Alltrack versions of the Golf, Multivan and of course the Passat. And now it's announced a new version of the latter for the European market. Based on the Euro-spec Passat Variant, the new VW Passat Alltrack follows a familiar formula: take a station wagon, equip it with all-wheel drive, jack up the suspension, add some lower body cladding and some new trim and – voila! – you've got a pseudo rough-roader on your hands. Set to debut in just a couple of weeks from now at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the new Passat Alltrack is visually distinguished by its new bumpers, underbody protection, beefed-up wheel arch moldings and a ride height increased by over an inch to the benefit of ground clearance as well as approach and departure angles. European buyers who like to leave the road every once in a while (or give the impression that they do) will be able to choose from a range of five engines: two burning gasoline with either 148 horsepower or 217, and three diesels available in 148-, 187- or 237-hp states of tune. The base TSI and TDI engines are mated to a six-speed manual, while the top three are hooked up to a six-speed DCT, but they all come with 4Motion all-wheel drive as standard. All but the base TSI model boast a towing capacity of 1,800 kg, enhanced by a Trailer Assist system that automatically lines the vehicle up to a trailer. It even comes equipped with an off-road mode that incorporates Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Assist to make any journey across the Alps a breeze. Wolfsburg / Geneva, 19 February 2015 World premiere of the new Passat Alltrack All-wheel drive all-rounder combines the best of on-road and off-road driving - Passat Alltrack: 100 per cent 4MOTION – from 150 PS to 240 PS - Superior off-road performance with off-road mode and all-wheel drive Ten important facts about the world premiere of the Passat Alltrack: 1. Permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard. 2. Distinctive off-road look with new bumpers, underbody protection, door sill and wheel arch trims. 3.