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The Ten Small Cars Of The Future
Detroit, 2:54 AM
Fri Nov 27
1 posts in the last 24 hours
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The Ten Small Cars Of The Future |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
12/09/08
12/09/08
The Fiesta's a great little car, I have no doubt. But look at that! It's definitely got the jet-airplane look going, and by that I mean "rounded, styled body and tiny little wheels". Argh.
The Wave is the anti-Pontiac. Rubbish to drive, slow, and that's about all I have to say. Keep it as a Chevrolet, or perhaps sell it as a Saturn... but God, not a Pontiac. Oh, and fix the Cobalt-like fuel economy, too.
The Peapod and iQ are bordering on so-small-they're-scary, but I can deal with that. They're kinda cute. As long as they're not utter mileage failures like the gas-powered Smart, they're not bad.
I'd definitely take a Soul or Cube (preferably the Nissan, as I could then partially debadge it, then add a superscript 3 to the Nissan logo). Nissan³. I could get behind that.
I sure wouldn't turn down the Cruze, either. If I had to drive a compact sedan, well, that's not a bad bet at all from the look of it, at least not with the 1.4T. The Volt, if I could afford one, should be quite nice as well.
Anyway, outside of the G3 (which, being old and slow, is aptly named), this is Good News.
12/09/08
12/09/08
Space problem solved! Return to your tasks!
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Reading is hard, I know...
12/09/08
12/09/08
As if the Aveo isn't infamous or shitty enough, let's pull the wool over the car-ignorant American public and trick them into thinking that it's a completely different car! It's a pointless rebadge of an awful Korean car for a brand that's bleeding to death, designed to appease the bloated dealers clamoring for a full product range, even after GM promised numerous times to quit slapping the same ugly face on the same ugly car. And to add insult to injury, it has a stupid generic alphanumeric name and a shitty nickname to boot. "Wave?" Is that supposed to be "Driving Excitement?"
For every silver lining in the form of the Volt, the Cruze, and the Orlando, there's turd-colored cloud called the G3. If this is what GM is still going to do then good riddance.
12/09/08
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Discuss.
12/09/08
Fixed for universality
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Additionally, the Chevy Orlando is dreamy. No, wait, that's Orlando Bloom.
12/09/08
Yes.
Very.
12/09/08
So unless you live in a city and NEED the small size, I don't see how many of these are any better for the US than a four-banger midsize with 32mpg highway. Do you really want a MUCH smaller car for an extra 2-3 mpg?
12/09/08
My friend just bout a Versa Sedan, with the CVT and only gets 32 MPG. He paid about 16 grand for it too.
Meanwhile, I'm sporting the 2.4 4 cylinder Accord ('07), I got it for 15 and I get around 34-35 MPG when I don't drive like I've got to be somewhere.
I don't consider it all victory though, as he got the Aux input and I didn't. But I have a midsize that gets BETTER gas mileage than the sub compact.
Really makes you think...
...That subcompacts aren't all they're cracked up to be.
12/09/08
12/09/08
My best friend came to visit me last summer, a trip of around 800 kms, and he managed just shy of 50 mpg in his TDI Golf.
These ultra-small cars need to do better if their primary selling point is fuel economy. For my daily highway commute, the G8 GT is the best option for comfort, performance, and price, if I'm only sacrificing 2 mpg.
12/09/08
1. People are dumb. Just like looking at a body builder and assuming he could kick your ass (because muscles are supposed to equal fitness, but that's only partially the case), people see small cars or hear a marque and assume "good economy." I don't know how many times people have heard I drive a VW and their first reaction is "hey, that must get great gas mileage." To which I reply "In city driving, in summer with the A/C on, maybe 16 or 17 in the city" (wow, VW puts leather and V6 engines in their cars nowadays?)
2. Two-box designs all reign supreme. Wagons are the king, followed by hatchbacks. That is the decree. I have often said this, but after sitting in the back of our new(to us) Passat Wagon, the sense of openness AND the extra storage mean I will NEVER go back to a sedan again. How silly those things are.
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Just like the oversize cars from yesterday were unnecessary, so are the small ones of today and tomorrow, but from the 2 trends, the later one is clearly the wisest.
12/09/08
vs.
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Anyway, it's a Toyota, it'll never break down, and it's a Toyota, it'll probably be cheaper than a Smart. They don't mark shit up nearly as much as Benz or BMW with the smart of Mini.
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Yes, I know the Cube and the Soul are both on their way, but the rest....