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Comments
It'll have to have ROOF AIRBAGS since the SUV will prolly just roll right over it!
:P
Meade
Meade
http://newscenter.ninn.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12398
Granted, there are unanswered questions here ... namely, the model of each car and whether the Mazda's occupants were belted ... (we do know that the Hyundai's driver was belted but died, and the Mazda's driver -- belted or not -- survived). Variables or not, it looks like a real-world crash test with very different results between the two vehicles.
I'm interested in real-world crash test data, ever since I walked away from an accident in a 1992 Mazda Protege 13 years ago. That car only had motorized "passive restraint" belts -- no air bags back then -- yet the car was designed well enough to save my large body after hydroplaning at 45 mph into the rear end of a Volvo station wagon that was stopped at a traffic light.
Meade
~alpha
Link: http://www.local6.com/news/4820813/detail.html
The only info I could find about the Hyundai is that it was a rental, and it was green. The 'rental' part suggests at least a late model. I have written the Orlando Sentinel reporter to see if she can share the model type.
-SM
The only '05 Hyundais that come in green are the Accent (a light green) and the Sonata (a blue-ish green). The '06 Sonata comes in Aquamarine, that could look green in the right light.
How very sad.
~alpha
It might be worth noting that the safety cage of the 1999-2005 Hyundai Sonata experienced serious intrusion and deformation during the 40-mph offset crash test. At higher velocities (especially those on the highway), fatalities, even of unbelted occupants, could easily occure with this degree of structural instability. Couple this with poor side-impact protection, and you have a severe problem. Hopefully, the '06 model has been meaningfully improved.
Mike
I hope all of you will check out that article and join us in the discussion at that first link to talk about your thoughts.
For the sake of clarity, I've slightly amended the title of this discussion. Any nominations to replace the Focus and Elantra in the under $16k category here?
BTW-does that mean new car prices are rising overall if we've changed the upper price limits to $16,000 now, instead of the old $15,000, for this "Low End Sedans" discussion?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
If I left this one at the $15k upper limit and started the Economy Sedan discussion at $16k (which is the parameter defined by the article that precipitated it) we have nowhere to talk about the few that might fall in between. I couldn't change the article, so I changed the title here.
Other nominations for inclusion, anyone? Not sure we need to make this about three Kias vs. three others, but what are everyone else's thoughts?
Anybody have any cars that they feel are being left out of this thread?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
The Elantra and Focus have been - by virtue of the article just posted that I linked, if nothing else - elevated to a bit of a higher status. That is beyond my control. I was tasked to ensure the new discussion fit the article, so that's what I did.
I hope you will join us there to continue to discuss the Elantra, the Focus and the others in that new comparo. And I hope you will remain a participant here to discuss the vehicles in this category.
I don't think there is any need to draw impenetrable lines between the vehicles based on some arbitrary retail price anyway. We all know that the price actually paid for any given vehicle will vary tremendously based on all kinds of factors. There isn't any reason not to treat these valuations as gray areas, at best.
The Elantra and Focus have moved up a step, that's all. We are not winnowing down this discussion to a few small cars by any means - we just need to decide what other rock bottom entry level vehicles belong in this discussion.
I hope you'll help up do that. :confuse:
Instead of grouping cars by price, why not by size, which is what much of the industry does?
I love small cars.....
I'm certainly open to redefining this by size which is what I thought you asked for. But if that's not what you want to do, that's okay ... I'll continue to seek opinions for which two rock bottom entry-level sedans we should connect this discussion to and leave the structure as it is.
Thanks.
But let's not go there ... we need to either be talking about the cars or what cars we want added to the categories here.
As the fuel econony issue becomes more prevalent these two threads are both going to be "must-go-to's" in the future. Look for trends in small cars-good trends, bad trends, trends that go bump in the night, you get the picture. Amend their headings and titles as wanted or needed but keep them both around for our continued participation. Gracias!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I can't change the fact that the editors included the Spectra and and Elantra in the "$16k-$20k" designation. If you want an answer on that, you could use the Help link and ask them about it.
As I've said previously, I needed to fit a discussion to that article. I didn't want to close down what we'd been doing here, so I made a bit of higher category in an attempt to accommodate the new comparo and let this discussion continue.
No one is telling you that you can't talk about the Spectra or the Elantra or any other car you want to talk about. I'm very glad to see you participating in the new discussion that includes them. We have lots of discussion options here, and if we need more, we'll just add them!!
If you need to continue this conversation with me, we probably should do it by email. Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts. I have obligations to meet the needs of the site as a whole, though. I'm sorry that's not feeling okay to you.
Chevy Aveo (the incumbent)
Honda Fit (all-new in early 2006)
Hyundai Accent (all-new this fall)
Kia Rio (all-new now)
Nissan Versa (all-new fall 2006)
Toyota ECHO/Yaris (all-new now, at least in Canada)
That leaves room for three more, which we'll need as this segment keeps expanding. Maybe VW will bring us the Polo, for example.
I wouldn't be surprised that happens very soon. VW is probably already having its "bean counters" look at the cost to building the Polo in their Mexican or Brazilian assembly lines for sale to the entire North American market. With the major resurgence of interest in more fuel-efficient cars in the USA, I don't think VW wants to be left behind while the likes of Honda, Toyota, Nissan and possibly even Ford sells the B-segment cars to eager buyers.
The Scion xA sells for just over $13,000 in stock form, and the xA RS 2.0, a souped-up Scion xA, for instance, retails for only $14,080. That's for a RS 2.0 with manual tranny, and they sell for about $14,800 with an automatic transmission.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
As long as the $16,000 or less cost of the vehicles is still factored into the discussions. It's OK if we leave hatches out, too. I just don't see that it makes that much difference because they're often compared with sedans, anyway.
I'd be OK with adding the Scion xA and xB, the Suzuki Forenza and the Suzuki Reno, because they're under $16,000, but maybe somebody else or the host could intervene and offer their thoughts on the matter.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
:shades:
How about this?
backy, "The Forums Test Drive Team" #171, 8 Oct 2005 9:41 pm
I will add that one interesting trend I see in this market is that this may be the first time when the Japanese automakers actually underprice the Koreans. The Fit and Versa are rumored to be coming out at around $12k US. The Yaris should start under $12k also, based on Canadian pricing. The price for the new Rio with only minimal equipment (no power package or ABS for example) is $13k. The Accent won't be any less.
My guess right now is that Honda and Toyota will price the Fit and Yaris around US$13,000 MSRP and Nissan around US$13,500 MSRP for the Versa.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/170861/1/.html