Designing a city car is harder than you think. Such a vehicle has to be good value, economical, safe and stylish while being as practical as possible. Here are ten cars perfect for conquering a metropolis.
10.) Fiat 500
The original Fiat 500 wasn't designed to be a city car, it was designed to be the car for the whole family. It could overheat in a traffic jam and shifting gears meant a lot of work too, but it had its benefits.
Super short, super frugal, super easy to drive in the city.
As I said, not quite as super easy, and if you wanted more reliability, you were better off with its more expensive Austrian sibling, the Steyr-Puch 500.
Suggested By: My X-type is too a real Jaguar, Photo Credit: Fiat
9.) Suzuki SX4
Automatch recommended the Honda Fit, but while that's a better built car, the Suzuki deserves your love too, as —Wacko— explains:
Same size car, more power, and has AWD,6 speed Manual, you know for those cities with snow, and fun as hell to hoon in the winter.
Suggested By: —Wacko—, Photo Credit: Suzuki
8.) Toyota iQ
The iQ was more expensive than it should have been, but it's the perfect tool for surviving in a busy city center. Easy to park, seats four if, by four, you mean two children in the back looking vaguely trapped.
Suggested By: RazoE, Photo Credit: Toyota
7.) Scion xB
The Scion is all about maximum interior space, and if you have a family, an iQ certainly won't do it. Parking shouldn't be an issue since it's shaped like a brick.
Not the smallest car ever, seats 4 comfortably. Springs and shocks were designed for tight and twisting Japanese roads, and city driving. The car has very little overhang in both front and rear, making it a dream to park. Visibility out of it is fantastic, making it easy to spot pedestrians in all directions, and keep them from becoming speed bumps. Over 30 mpg from the 1.5L motor. And let's not forget that sexy square design.
Suggested By: HateBox, Photo Credit: Scion
6.) Smart ForTwo
Hate it as much as you like, but nothing is easier to park with four wheels.
Suggested By: DasWauto, Photo Credit: Smart
5.) Ford Ka
The Ka is stylish, compact and handles well. That's pretty much all you need from a city car.
The Scrambler says it can be done:
We rented one while on our honeymoon back in 2005. Loved it. Just an honest, basic car for getting around those city streets. Counting down the years until I can import one so that I can note that it is possible, but I can't because I'll be old by then and probably recovering from some sort of fall injury.
Suggested By: The Scrambler says it can be done, Photo Credit: Ford
4.) Renault Twingo
While the Ford Ka was popular among young men, the Renault Twingo found is way to female hearts. Easy to see why. It's very practical, simple to use and comes with a cute face. A great design indeed.
Suggested By: Kookanoodles, Photo Credit: Renault
3.) Volkswagen Golf TDI
People grow up and have more stuff to carry. They also want more comfortable seats, better air conditioning and solid build quality.
The Golf TDI adds excellent fuel mileage to that mix. Bigger than a supermini, so you might end up spending more time with looking for a parking place. It's worth it.
Suggested By: jqj213, Photo Credit: Volkswagen
2.) Honda City Turbo
If the turbo supermini stuff wouldn't be enough for you, how about the added Motocompo in the trunk?
Suggested By: Shane Elliott, Photo Credit: Honda
1.) Fiat Panda
Forget the 500, the Panda is the real deal.
It's dirt cheap, comes with protective plastics all around, it's easy to work on and has more storage compartments in the cabin than a Space Shuttle.
Add four-wheel drive, and you become the king of the hill too.
Suggested By: My hovercraft is full of eels, Photo Credit: Fiat
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Top Photo Credit: Renault