Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I think 15" is about as small as they come now, and 17" are not uncommon with compacts.
And, unless you want some serious encroachment into the passenger cabin from those wheel wells, you need to punch out the wheelbase a bit, as well.
Even today, TireRack only has two choices ($46 and $54).
Even the next size up, 205/75/R15, which was once a common size on the downsized big GM cars, and optional on the Fords I believe, is pretty rare these days. Tirerack only lists 7, and three of them are trailer tires. I dunno what would happen if you put a trailer tire on a car, but I have a feeling you're not supposed to! :P
I bet one of my old Tercel tires would handily fit in the compact tire space in the trunk of most modern cars. Except cars don't have spares period any more, especially smaller cars. (USA Today)
My '84 Porsche had the upgraded 16" size... lol
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I think they've gone overboard. I was shopping for compacts and had to avoid the high end models just to get away from 17" rims with low profile tires. DC has a lot of potholes and that's the one regret I have with my Miata (16" and 17" were available, I wish I'd gone smaller).
Going back to the early SE Miata, you could get 14" BBS rims that weighed around 10 lbs:
http://www.wheelweights.net/
How much do you think my 17"s weight? More than double, I bet. It's not listed but more are in the mid 20s.
Some of the 20" plus wheels are 30 lbs plus. Crazy.
I have 18" on my current car, and that's overkill... the rear tires are over $300 each!! (looks great, though..lol)
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Also wonder what they call two Ka cars parked next to each other in Mexico.
I dunno, but park one of them little 2-seat Audi roadsters to the left of 'em, and it gets even better. :P
'85 300Z had 15s
'85 MR2 has 14s
'98 Volvo had 16s, which I thought were perfectly sized.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
The big Sienna has 16"s.
When the ForTwo came out, it was an aberration and we just included it in discussions here. Then came the Fiat 500, and it got thrown in here as well. Now the iQ has been out for more than half a year, and the Spark has just come along. I think of all of these as "microcars", although I don't know that that is a category that is recognized anywhere. And I single out the Spark as perhaps bridging the two classes, because even though it is tiny (no trunk at all - the back seat headrests touch the rear glass) and only children could fit in the back seat, it DOES have four doors.
I don't know how well any of these models will do in sales individually, but I am hopeful that as America downsizes back to more rational-sized vehicles, subcompact sales wil pick up now that there is a growing class of cars EVEN SMALLER than them... :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Just for fun, I looked up the specs of the rear engine, RWD Renault Dauphine, a somewhat popular Import in the late '50 - searly '60s. Dimension wise it was fairly close to the Spark, but it had 30 hp vs. 85 for the Spark, and weighed just 1,324 lbs. (no power anything or safety features) vs. 2,269 for the Spark. The Dauphine was actually 10.3" longer than the Spark, but the Spark is 2.9" wider and 4.3" taller. Interesting comparisons.
If you really need to squish it into tiny parking spots, it's just the right size. And it's certainly a better value than the iQ.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
As a result, the subcompact segment recorded the biggest increase in sales: in August this year, 57,300 subcompact models were delivered in the States, up 42 percent compared to the same month in 2011.
Is that on track for more than half a million sales per year?! Subcompacts??!!
Things are definitely looking up. ;-)
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/08/rising-gas-prices-push-us-buyers.html
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
They'll drop again if gas goes down, though.
The catch with A segment cars is that you get diminishing returns. I think it's because they are still required to meet the same safety and emissions standards as bigger cars, yet in a smaller package.
That means they may be 20% smaller, but they're not 20% cheaper. Maybe more like 10% cheaper.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
To maintain the low price point, the Spark uses a 4-speed auto and 5-speed manual whereas the Sonic and Cruze have 6 speeds in both gearboxes.
This, of course, hampers fuel economy.
That means they may be 20% smaller, but they're not 20% cheaper. Maybe more like 10% cheaper.
True, but have you SEEN the base price on a new Spark? Pretty darn low - I'm thinking it must be the least expensive new car sold in America at this point, or pretty darn close to it. $13,5 to start, and that's with A/C, power windows, and a stereo, not to mention the obligatory ABS and a gazillion airbags.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Sonic hatch starts at $14.8k, Spark starting at $12.2k. I guess that is a fair amount, $2600 less.
Spark also looks like an angry mosquito while the Sonic is too anonymous looking, so that might help the little one. The look stands out more.
I hear the next gen Mini, due in 2013 as a 2014 model, might have as its standard powerplant a 3 cylinder turbo. Hwy mpg would be up to a hybrid, but performance would be the same as this version....Sounds good.
TURIN, Italy -- The United States will get four more versions of the Fiat 500 subcompact in the next two years.
This fall, a turbocharged 500 joins the lineup. Early next year, Fiat will begin sales of an electric. In mid-2013, a four-door, five-seat, high-roof 500L will join the range. In 2014, Fiat will add a 500X small crossover.
My question is, if they plan to start selling a "Turbo", what is the Abarth and how is it different?
The 500L looks weird - the Clubman and Countryman look much better....
http://www.autonews.com/article/20120903/OEM04/309039988/fiat-plans-4-more-versi- ons-of-500
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Just as MINI has done an excellent job of segmenting the market, Fiat will try to follow a similar script with the 500.
I guess they named it EssEss as SS still has unwelcome connotations here in Europe.
Off topic but Ford have now announced their new B-Max 5-door compact - somewhere twixt a Fiesta and a Focus with sliding rear doors. Best power unit is said to be the 999cc 118bhp gasser. Not a rocket ship but more than adequate for it's intended market. Have a Googletm for details.
The turbo will have 135HP; the Abarth 160HP.
The last year they had a Chevy Sprint Metro, which was the most fuel efficient model, that bridged the gap to the Geo name change.
As for the B-Max, if I'm not confusing it with another model, we'll get it in hybrid version, to compete with the Prius. Some please correct me if I'm wrong on this. Anyhow, I'd prefer the standard, non-electrified one.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Later Geos made up to 55hp, though I'm not sure what changes were made to get up to that explosive level of power.
Things are getting very interesting over here, particularly for small, inexpensive, relatively roomy cars with small gasoline engines and VW Group is leading the way.
In fact,, I think they may officially be THE last...Versa, Yaris, Fit, Accent, Rio, Sonic, Spark, Fiesta, Fiat 500, VW ????
Who did I forget?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)