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Comments
However, a tip of the hat to BMW's MINI division, who sells a very small car but somehow seems to hypnotize buyers into thinking they are looking at a very big car.
I think maybe all those junky subcompacts from the 80s just poisoned Americans to the idea of a quality, efficient sub.
Maybe the MINI is changing that attitude---hope so.
And the '70s and the '60s and the '50s, etc. What was the first subcompact that was nicely trimmed for its time? The B13 Sentra SE?
To tell you the truth, my buddy's 1980 Accord hatchback was awfully nicely trimmed for the time. Its interior wasn't durable, but it sure must've looked nice when it was new. There was very little hard plastic, but lots of cloth, padded vinyl, etc.
Honestly, I even saw a '77 or so Chevette, at Hershey last year, that had some kind of dress-up interior package that made it look pretty nice. Cloth seats, carpeted lower door panels, fairly thick vinyl on the upper door panels, etc. I would say it certainly looked more upscale than a basic bigger car of that year, like a '77 Malibu or Impala. But nobody cared because it was a small car, and small cars were supposed to be cheap.
Back in college, a friend of mine had a 1986 or 1987 Cavalier 4-door that was in some dress-up trim level, and it was pretty nice. Another buddy had a 1989 Z-24, and I thought that was about the high point for the Cavalier, interior-wise. The Z-24 got a nicer dash than the other Cavs, though, which helped somewhat.
It is supposed to be a pretty good drive from first reports in the press. It is basically a much more sporty 5-door version of the Yaris, only with the (next-gen) Corolla engine, which has variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust.
But its styling is as goofy as the xA's was "forgettable". In size it is similar to the current Matrix, only a little smaller in all dimensions. It is hard to get a feel for just how big it is, but I am guessing it will be about the same size as the Versa, and bigger than the Fit an Aveo5.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Its not that bad. You can park on the street, just not overnight. Just about every house has enough room to park at least two cars on the driveway so adding the two in the garage you can park 4 cars off the street and not blocking driveways (5 or more with a 3 car garage). How many cars does a single family home have to have parking for?
That part about a car being parked in the driveway for an extended period of time without being moved really grates me. As long as its tagged, and not dismantled or something, it's really nobody's business.
The issue with that is that people would basically park their car there and leave it for months and even years. Basically a broken down car that just sits in the driveway. The thing is the suburb that I live in has always had a "runned down" repertation to it. The current mayor has been very aggressive (and sucessfull) in reversing that and the city has some very strict codes for maintaining property. Currently its almost impossible to build condos or duplexes in this town, all have to be single family homes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
5.
1. Her commuting car
2. His commuting car
3. Weekend/Family car (minivan/SUV)
4. Workshop (toolchest, saw, etc.)
5. Plants, lawn mower, bicycles.
Wish I had a 5-car garage. Most ppl in this subdivision have 2 or 3 car garages, and there are 2 cars (the commute ones) parked on the driveway/street overnight.
In this area, we do not have basements, so everybody uses their garage as non-air conditioned storage space.
Most of the homes here also have 2 or 3 car garages and I would say that less than half the homes have cars parked on the driveway at night.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I understand that the interior room of the xD is no more than the xA, just more power and features, but about the same footprint.
1. Her car 2. His car 3. Lawn mower 4. Jet ski trailer
Surely they cant ask the family to move out or buy a bigger house (with a 4-car garage) if there is parking space on their private driveway. Or can they?
My guess is that they could park the lawn mower and the jet ski trailer on one side of the garage and one car on the other and the second car in the driveway. Thats how I see others doing it.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The xA? If they didn't sell a 3-door Yaris and weren't already contemplating putting the 5-door Yaris on sale in the States, I am sure the new xD would have the same 110 hp of the old model, maybe 115 with dual VVT-i.
If you look at the whole range of cars, you will see a shift towards the smaller end, just in terms of the proliferation of subcompact models these last few years. This, while the number of larger cars has stayed about the same. And word around the campfire is Scion is looking to put a fourth model, also something small, in its lineup. They know what will sell in the future. ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Okay, so it was a tight squeeze. I had to park the DeSoto at an angle, jack up its rear-end, and slide it off to the side. Then park the Catalina in so tight that you couldn't squeez in between it and the DeSoto. And position the two tractors just right, one behind the other, so that I could open the Catalina's door. And I think we ended up storing the trailer up on its end!
So needless to say, it was pretty impractical, but it can be done! :shades:
Stil, I was SOOO glad when I finally had my 4-car garage built. And I'd imagine my grandmother was, too, because it helped empty out her garage pretty nicely.
Also, her garage was a bit over-sized for a 2-car garage. My Granddad had it built around 1969 or so, back when a "standard" sized car was about 216", and he wanted plenty of room to be able to work around a car, have room for tools and stuff. I think it's about 25x25 feet, whereas many modern 2-car garages are lucky if one of those dimensions exceeds 20 feet!
So I guess if you want to have a party, just make sure all the guests clear out before sunrise! (technically then, it's not overnight!)
When I lived in my condo, parking was always an issue. We all had 1-car garages, and a reserved spot right in front of the garage. You had to have a parking permit to park on condo property, and they'd issue two permits per condo. So in theory, you could have three cars on the premises...one in the garage, one with a permit (and it was a sticker, not a hanging permit) in your reserved spot, and one in overflow, if you could find it. Our court had 8 dwellings, with 8 reserved spots, and three overflow. And that was generous compared to some courts!
Luckily, I lived close to the county street, and not deep within the premises, so if I needed more parking, I could often find it out on the street. That tended to fill up though, with people storing pop-up campers, boats on trailers, etc out there. And other people would park sloppy, taking up what could have easily been two spaces.
I'm SOOOO glad to be out of that place though, and out in the boonies, where I can have my 4.28 acres and not worry about parking! Although my neighbor next door is hosting a wedding today at her place, and we're going to park some of the cars over here in my yard. I'm not lookin forward to it.
I am not so sure that they know that their fourth creation will be in demand right away...in fact, the xB and the xA both seemed to be in question for a while in the U.S. The tC built a small demand fanbase easier or earlier IIRC.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
The Scion's have been fun to look at and the new lineup is different style-wise but I don't know if the xD looks "better" than the older xA's. Just different. I'd find a side-by-side picture of the new xB and xD interesting to look at. They seem similar when looking separately at their pics.
But my earlier point was that people are expecting some style and substance and just because it's Scion putting the potential 4th Scion out doesn't deem it will be successful.
I think it must have took the baby boomers a little more inspection before they saw something in the Scion models. Now Scion is indeed on it's way and I think they add some needed excitement to the nation's pickup truck proliferated highways and byways. Pickups are nice for hauling but they're about as exciting as a Backstreet Boys concert to look at IMO.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Well fine...I am always more than amused to see a Porsche or Miata driven by a klutz while I carve him/her up in traffic as he bogs in 4th gear and crunches into reverse by mistake.
Low-powered cars with cheap OEM tires and rear drum brakes require some skill to be driven well, I will admit...but then, who has not improved himself by using too little to the fullest, rather than too much, badly?
Personally, I'd rather choose my own tires and upgrade my own brakes, then spend thousands for a factory premium package that may or may not work for me.
Case in point---MINI---the few goodies I want on the car are packaged with tons of things I could care less about. I'd rather buy the base car and add a few nice things to it.
For instance, I have never before had a sunroof in any of my rigs but thought that it might be cool to have one(pardon the pun)on this new Lancer GTS. Also, my car's and SUV's stereo's are usually standard fare but the GTS offered a Rockford Fosgate 650-watt unit that promised to rock. I like to rock so I knew I couldn't go wrong with this 650-watt RF stereo.
The other GTS touches, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shiftknob, contour-bucket seats up front, bodykit, foglights and even a spoiler were always things I would pass on when buying. But this Lancer GTS was different to me. I loved the front view pictures of the 4-door and was pretty well set on purchasing but when I saw how attractive the rear end looked I really wanted the car. Yikes.
Turns out I jumped ship from the manual transmission trend I was on, too. No more 5-speed tranny, after two Kia's in a row w/5-speed tranny's. Now, I have regular old automatic if I want to stuff donuts or hamburgers into my face or, the CVT magnesium paddle shifters!
What fun toys they add to the Lancer GTS! They do seem to work as a shift-toy funtime thing if I want to play. They shift quickly and pick up the car quickly in to the next propel-mode forward. The car drives and handles very smoothly and cornering is accepted and the push for "more" comes from the car in to turns. Very tight and well-built for handling. The performance tires will in rough roads give you a grader-rip feel and sound until you're on a smoother surface again. I knew why I was hearing it and it always changes to smooth again so it's not a concern, it's the make of the tire at play. They do grip nicely on turns.
I was thinking of buying the less-expensive GS or GL Lancer for 2008 but realized that I would be wanting to add these extras to those models and before long I'd be in the same price range and I really love the look the bodykit gives the Lancer GTS.
The more I saw the Lancer GTS with the bodykit and spoiler and those 10-spoke alloys the more I wanted that model of Lancer. This is my first Japanese car and the drive and ride is great with no squeaks, rattles, pops or humms at all.
I think that this time is probably the best time to buy new cars since probably the 60's. I remember that time as being a time that was always exciting come fall when the new cars came out. I was a fairly young kid but the different car designs started catching my eyes early. The '62-'65 Chevy Nova's, the '65 Ford Mustang, even the '61-'66 Chevy Impala or Biscayne, heck I even liked the old '61-'65 Ford Falcon's. Body design was an art then and my new '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS gives me some of that nice design feeling once again.
It is sadly a lost art for the domestic builders here in America, largely. It would be nice to see that change, really.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
However since I don't believe in Dog fighting it doesn't matter how abandoned the xB may or may not ever become. Not interested no dogs to drive to the fight.
Actually I think all Mitsubishi Lancers are compacts because the new Lancer is near the old one in dimensions. I think the new Lancer is two inches longer. I'll re-check that information.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
When judging the success of the current subcompacts, we have to look at all the manufacturers, and industry trends too. We now have Chrysler and Ford talking definitely about introducing subs to their line-ups, and VW "thinking about it" in a very loud manner too. GM, Honda, Nissan, and of course Toyota are already there.
Sales are good amongst all the models on sale today. When the xD arrives, I bet it will sell well too, although with the trade-off in fuel economy and "sport" that Toyota made, they may lose a few sales to folks looking for 35-mpg driving.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Not to mention, the Fit seems like it must have much better outward visibility, and it remains the king of cargo space in its class when appropriately configured.
I cannot WAIT for the 2009 Fit. For one thing it should have i-VTEC (continuously variable) for better low-end torque, better emissions, and better fuel economy. And some restyling on the outside would be in order IMO.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
However, the front-end of that xD has got to be one of the most Godawful things I've ever seen! I guess it might grow on me, but then so does this annoying pus-filled thing between my shoulder blades that I can't quite reach to pop. :surprise:
Too much information!!1 :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I can't imagine driving that thing.
I think the xD's styling is at least distinctive to the car (like it or not) but the Fit is the usual bland Honda "sorry if I offended anyone, excuse me".
Early looks at the Scion xD show that it may have a tad more rear seat room than the outgoing xA. I think I like the xA's styling more, too.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
You think that seems bad, check out an xB's new numbers.
What I originally thought was a benign and fairly pointless change now seems to actually hurt the consumer. All this will do is squeeze efficient and thirsty cars into a narrower range, which provides the consumer with less info. And yes, I am one of those weirdos who always manages to MAKE the EPA ratings in actual use! :-P
In old numbers, the new xD probably would have had a rating of 30/36, not bad although I agree it could be better. I think it will be a moderately fast car for its price range though.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I got 40.1 mpg out of my 1989 Pontiac Bonneville one time when it was rated for 16/26 on the new ratings.
I would regularly get 35 mpg on the highway and 25 in the city.
I could get just squeak out 30 mpg out of my 1990 Jeep Cherokee and that was with oversized off-road tires. And yes before you ask I had the speedometer corrected for the plus size tires.
I was actually shocked to see new ratings on 1998 Accord (old: 23/30 for overall 26 mpg, new: 20/27 for overall 23 mpg), a car I have driven for over 178K miles now. It has NEVER returned worse than 23 mpg on a tank (and that would happen sometimes when my commute was less than 2 miles). 26 mpg is more like it, just like the old rating said.
My 2006 TL (about 28K miles now) has been good for 24 mpg with my rather abusive driving style (always first out of the gates and one of the faster cars on the highways, same as I drive my Accord). That is in-line with the old standard (23 mpg overall). The worst ever was just one tank returning 23.2 mpg (calculated). 24-24.5 mpg is normal.
With light footed driving (simply avoiding aggressive starts and minimizing braking), I've averaged over 26 mpg in last three tanks in 50-50 driving with average speed in 37-39 mph range (my location affords me an average speed of 65 mph on freeways and 28-30 mph on city streets including lights).