List of small hatchback cars

[Chalo]

With a 15 second 0-100km, you're dead meat while trying to merge onto highway traffic that travels at 105km+.
Most of our highway onramps where i live have a ~3% grade. Add the weight of a passenger and you are really hosed.
Not looking to light up any tires.. just survive American roads.

Some of us here drove wheezing old VW microbuses for regular transportation and for long distance travel, well into the 70mph posted, 80+mph actual speed time period. We survived.

Big trucks can't zip right up to highway speed, but they live out their days on the highway. Just because you don't like the feeling of being overtaken as you merge doesn't make it an issue of practical safety or feasibility. You look for a space and you take it.

I'm very much looking forward to automated cars, because they get simple concepts that seem to elude humans.

[neptronix]

Yeah that all sounds nice but my area has nearly no law enforcement and people crash and do stupid things constantly because they're on their cell phones while driving and don't pay attention. We also have a huge opioid problem on top. You have to be extremely defensive out here.
And most cars here weigh 2-3 times more than a compact car.

Don't feel so safe in a subcompact car, merging into a 70mph lane doing 50 just because i have a passenger in the car or turned the air conditioning on. Saw a mitsubishi mirage turn into a metal pancake out here while merging. Have only seen one other mitsubishi mirage on these roads. That's telling.

Hey, you do what you want with your life. I'm okay with burning 1% more gasoline than the absolute slowest car for sale in the united states.

[wineboyrider]

Occasionally Toyota puts out some real garbage. You cannot trust them to do everything right.

Toyota Matrix 1.8L manual transmissions fail around 75k miles.
The 2.2L engine was famous for engine sludge.
The 2.4L engine that came after that had engine sludge issues and oil burning / consumption issues for over a decade, which got worse near the end of their run in 2012. Over a million cars are affected and Toyota is being shrimpy about fixing them.
First and second generation rav4's had exploding manual transmissions - 5th gear goes out after 150k.
The high revving 1.8L motors in the 2000's would start consuming oil like mad and died very young.
Mid to late 2000's 4runners had frames that would disintegrate in less than a decade. ( Wife's mom had one of those and Toyota did not cover it; the car is a total loss )
Scions and other Toyotas had massive paint quality issues in the 2000's - not sure if this is still going on.

Wife's rav4 with the 2.0 is a nice car but at 140,000 miles it's blowing oil out the rings already and started doing that at 90k. Transmission still going strong because we're nice to it.

2007 Toyota Matrix 1.8l 275,000 miles and counting.Zero non maintenance issues. Zero

[Lebowski]

Testdrive tomorrow in a Honda Jazz CVT 2017, 22000km, costs 65% of new. I like the whole seat folding system, and the cars reliability. Lets see what the cvt is like...

[tomjasz]

Yeah that all sounds nice but my area has nearly no law enforcement and people crash and do stupid things constantly because they're on their cell phones while driving and don't pay attention. We also have a huge opioid problem on top. You have to be extremely defensive out here.
And most cars here weigh 2-3 times more than a compact car.

Don't feel so safe in a subcompact car, merging into a 70mph lane doing 50 just because i have a passenger in the car or turned the air conditioning on. Saw a mitsubishi mirage turn into a metal pancake out here while merging. Have only seen one other mitsubishi mirage on these roads. That's telling.

Hey, you do what you want with your life. I'm okay with burning 1% more gasoline than the absolute slowest car for sale in the united states.

The best reward for leaving Las Vegas. 3 out of 5 at or over the legal limit on a busy weekend. I bought a Yaris, liked it, but was terrified. Kept up at a ridiculous amount of income driving 4 door Tundra. But I felt it was survivable.

If traffic to LA ran 90mph and I maintained the speed, EVERYONE needed to pass me. At any speed I was the ant. Yaris hatch wound be great here in tiny town.

[Lebowski]

Testdrive tomorrow in a Honda Jazz CVT 2017, 22000km, costs 65% of new. I like the whole seat folding system, and the cars reliability. Lets see what the cvt is like...

No jazz cvt for me, the car drives like the engine is filled with molasses. Also on cruise control, with the Swiss up and down terrain, the engine rpm is all over the place and constantly changing.

[neptronix]

The best reward for leaving Las Vegas. 3 out of 5 at or over the legal limit on a busy weekend. I bought a Yaris, liked it, but was terrified. Kept up at a ridiculous amount of income driving 4 door Tundra. But I felt it was survivable.

If traffic to LA ran 90mph and I maintained the speed, EVERYONE needed to pass me. At any speed I was the ant. Yaris hatch wound be great here in tiny town.

Just keep in mind that the Yaris hatch and the Yaris IA are two completely different cars.
The Yaris IA is a rebadged Mazda 2 with an engine that has fantastic torque for it's size, and well dialed in suspension and brakes.
The Yaris hatchback is a boring and slow thing made by Toyota.

Vegas is freaking nuts and much like driving in California. Utah is another story.. less aggression, more stupidity.
Just assume someone will do something stupid here and you'll be pretty safe.

[dogman dan]

Ya guys need to try a Subaru. Yes, you'll be pulling that engine in about 150,000 miles for a valve job, ( on the non turbo types) but when you do it will take 45 min to put that engine on a table. After that its all easy peasy. 2.5 liter engine, and about 23 mpg at 80 mph. So not super mileage, but if you ever drive in snow the all wheel drive is priceless.


The 2010 forester I have cruise controls all day at 90 mph. Not limited by power though, it just wont set above 90. My 1998 forester cruise controlled at 100 mph. The limitation is really the road surface, and traffic. Most of the west I won't set it above 85 because of the road. East of the Mississippi just set it on the 65 mph limit.

New subarus lead their class in crash ratings, so that weight does cost mileage. But I have to say I don't feel naked like I did in the ol 66 bug. I crashed it once at low speed and knocked out the windshield with my head. That's one reason I have no plans to make an old bug electric.

[tomjasz]

l 66 bug. I crashed it once at low speed and knocked out the windshield with my head. That's one reason I have no plans to make an old bug electric.

Agreed!
My 74 super beetle convertible terrified me after totaling out a Camry. We would not have survived in a Bug. But here in Minnesota, the road salt has taken out all the old bugs unless they were garaged until the streets were salt-free and put away again before the salting season. We looked hard at Subaru but the info I could find put the Rav4 in a better light.

[Lebowski]

I'm about to order the most basic Citroen C3. Extremely comfy car also when you're 1m92 tall. Very economical but only 68 hp from a three cilinder non turbo 1.2L . 0 to 60mph take 16.4 seconds. Has the only option I really care for, cruise control (who cares about hp when you're doing 60mph on cruise control).

No radio, no airconditioning. Has comfy seats you would just put in the living room. Suspension is extremely soft and comfortable, but the car behaves as a 70-ies barge (like from starchky and hutch) which i find kind of fun. For a mp3 player I'm thinking about installing a 7" tablet where normally the radio goes, and a bluetooth speaker somewhere (maybe on the shelf behing the passenger seats). Would just love to build an old school tube amplifier for it...

Brand new this car costs 11200 chf (about the same in US $)

[Hillhater]

Im a big fan of Citroen's.
I ran several of them back in the 70s- 80s..the GS models mostly (but also CX.)
https://goo.gl/images/iBC2Cc

Those were super sophisticated technical vehicles with flat 4 , air cooled, motors, hydraulic/gas adjstable suspension , high pressure braking and power steering systems , (that used the car weight to generate the presure !). Inboard disc brakes ?, "lounge quality" seating, etc etc......and class leading aerodynamics.
....but, i dont think today i could contemplate driving any new car that did not have aircon !
Its one of those convenience features that once you have used, its impossible to do without......like starter motors, windsheid washers, or even just a heater....( and yes, i have driven cars without those features !)
......

[tomjasz]

An electric 2CV, my dream car. Never hod so much fun driving a slow car. Electric would be wild.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/cars/cit ... is-1980319

[Hillhater]

An electric 2CV, my dream car. Never hod so much fun driving a slow car. ....

In the '70s, i lived/worked in Spain.
A group of us "owned" an old 2CV. ..no roof, no doors, no seats other than the drivers, no exhaust, ....and not much rubber on the tires !......
..but, yes, a great fun car.

[neptronix]

I'm about to order the most basic Citroen C3. Extremely comfy car also when you're 1m92 tall. Very economical but only 68 hp from a three cilinder non turbo 1.2L . 0 to 60mph take 16.4 seconds. Has the only option I really care for, cruise control (who cares about hp when you're doing 60mph on cruise control).

..

Brand new this car costs 11200 chf (about the same in US $)

All i gotta say is, drive it up a mountain before you buy it. That's pretty low power for the weight of the car.
I have a car with a 1.5 that's 50kg heavier and it struggles going up mountain passes at high elevation.

[Lebowski]

I've crossed mountains with my 8 hp scooter, going up 15% inclines in second gear going really slow. This gives a sense of accomplishment you'll never have on a 'proper' motorcycle.

Granted, with 68 hp you'll be in front of the traffic jam, but the next engine up is a 82 hp which is not much faster. The last remaining choise is then the 110hp, which has GDI (gasoline direct injection) and all the numerous problems and costs that come with this.

[Lebowski]

Ordered the Citroen C3 I was talking about, this is what it looks like (for people not familiar with Citroen)
No radio, but will install a 7" tablet and a bluetooth speaker. No airco but will go redneck on that when necessary (frozen bottles in a cooler, with forced airflow over it, or build a dual airflow swamp cooler). But the last year with my Mercedes the airco was broken and I did not really miss it.

c3_1.png (158.26 KiB) Viewed 244 times

c3_3.png (167.31 KiB) Viewed 244 times

[markz]

Tato Nano
https://youtu.be/NGEwG62Q1UQ?t=32