Would you buy a small car if it matches large car amenities?
The Case family, on their recent trip to the UK, had a chance to check out some European cars which, unlike in the U.S., "small" was not synonymous with "economical" and "cheap".
Loyd Case discovered the Mercedes-Benz A190, a four-door hatchback which is the first Benz said he's ever fallen in love with. The family also viewed the Audi A2 (pictured) and four-door versions of the SMART cars (two-door versions of which will be arriving in the U.S. in the next few years). The Cases, whose experiences with diesel vehicles have been less than favorable in the U.S., found not a trace of blue smoke from their diesel-powered Ford minivan.
After reading the Cases' experience, would you buy a small car with similar luxury and functionality? Or are American cars still your first choice?
[Source: Extreme Tech]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Auto 2:55AM (7/27/2006)
Just in the past month I was looking for a new car. One of my requirements was that it was fuel efficient, four door, and not totally boring. After going to both Toyota and Honda to look at the Yarris and Fit and being told by both dealerships that not only did they not have any cars they could even show me andthat the next 2 trucks loaded with these mighty little wonders were completly sold out. I am starting to think that I am not the only one who wants a little car that is fuel efficient. I finally landed on a PT Cruiser, which is a decently fuel efficient car but more importantly is Fun.
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Tony Zirngibl 7:33AM (7/27/2006)
Forty years ago I drpve a VW and got 30 mpg on a lowly 40 horsepower engine. I had no problem going 70 mph on the freeway. Someone explain to me why these carmakers need to put a hundred or more horse power in a car at tne expense of what we all really want in a car...real fuel economy ? All the so called advances in engine design are wasted .
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JOAN ELLIS 8:25AM (7/27/2006)
Of course I would be willing to buy small....most of this country would....but we don't bet the chance. Why can't the U.S. import or make some of the cars you are talking about? I break into an anger sweat seeing these pictures and knowing I can't buy one. Even the Fit and the Yaris aren't as cute as the European cars. I want to be excited by the interior of my car, not by its power. Give me colors and fuel economy please.
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Bill Guiffre 8:34AM (7/27/2006)
If you build it (big), they (Americans) will buy it. Pretty much true although I know you can come up with a laundry list of failures.
Just like houses, we seem to think of more sq. ft. as better. I think of it as more sq. ft. to clean.
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Jeff 8:40AM (7/27/2006)
Tony,
We want more power for the acceleration. My mother-in-law has a 1969 VW Beetle and getting it up to highway speed takes a dangerous amount of time. Besides, there are 200+hp cars that get over 30 mpg on the highway. And there are 100-120 hp cars that do better than that. Hell, a new Corvette gets about 25 mpg on the highway.
I'd say the engine advances are pretty impressive.
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jim 9:00AM (7/27/2006)
Just put a diesel in an A3 or something like it. I have not had cloth seats in the last seven cars.
j i m
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john 10:58AM (7/27/2006)
the europeans can accomplish what Case talks about right now....ie Europeans can export the Europe-only engines such as BMW's 520i to the US.
BMW doesn't because bigger engines = more profit $$$$ in US/Canada.
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Tom Shepherd 11:47AM (7/27/2006)
I drive an Acura TL but would much rather drive an Integra as I did for 10 years if they, 1. Still made it. 2. Would put the same level of luxury in a car that small (the size of a Civic). The smaller size is easier to drive and would use less gas for the same power.
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mickster 12:30PM (7/27/2006)
Tom-Acura of Canada does make a Civic derivative loaded with luxury which would be the closest to the old Integra. It's the CSX and I wish we could get it here, even as a Civic.
I had a 95 Integra followed by a VW Bug (2000-and a lemon) followed by an 03 TL Type S followed by a Civic Hybrid. I wish the Civic had leather, sunroof and power seats, but I'm willing to give that up for this commuter and 40+ MPG!
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R. Anand 1:31PM (7/27/2006)
Interesting article. I was recently thinking about a new car and came to the conclusion that what I really want is a Toyota Corolla sized car (not more than 1.8L engine) with leather interior, sunroof and reasonably quiet. I am sure there is going to be a big market for this kind of a car in the future.
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DJ 2:31PM (7/27/2006)
As another visitor has already said, I too get frustrated when I see European/Asian small cars that look great and include amenities typically found in more expensive, large cars. The good ol' US seems to have a mental block about a lot of things, especially when it comes to this idea that small cars can’t have leather seats, noise dampening, or navigation. I wonder if these smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles were prevalent here in America, would we be in the global resource mess we're in now?
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Charles S 3:25PM (7/27/2006)
I took a class in college which was called something like "international marketing". A case study was the Japanese Nintendo (FamiCom) versus the US Nintendo unit. Both systems have the same GUTS, but the US version was twice as big; essentially a big plastic box with lots of empty spaces inside. Of course, we talked about cars too. Small cars in general, has always been a low profit market, because Americans are not willing to pay premium prices for small cars.
Do NOT let the shortage in small cars inventories fool you, the US market still favor BIG and powerful cars. Honda and Toyota's small cars are release in relatively small numbers, so the quick turn around at the dealership is more an issue of supply, as much as demand.
*IF* we have a crystal ball and know that gas prices will stay around $3 from now til the next decade, I can promise you tomorrow, the small cars market will plummet, and big will be back in style in a heartbeat.
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Jimbo 4:05AM (7/28/2006)
Smaller cars are prevalent in Europe due to higher fuel costs but also because everything is smaller because their cities are older. Smaller roads, smaller carparks, smaller garages. The demand for small cars in the States is primarily driven by fuel costs since we have big roads, big garages, etc.
I know I'm straying off topic here but the point is that I do not want a small car for my daily driver because they are almost always too small on the inside. The only small car I want is a sports car that won't be driven every day. America doesn't want small cars, we want reasonably roomy midsize or larger cars that are fuel efficient. Size and efficiency are not mutually exclusive. Emissions equipment is heavy, a safe crash structure is heavy. We are still stamping our cars out of steel. What we need are better materials technology and better manufacturing techniques to make larger cars lighter and as fuel efficient as small cars. Add in a dash of EPA developed hydraulic hybrid tech for good measure.
To sum up, will I buy a kitted out small car? Short answer:no, long answer:see above.
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Charles S 1:06PM (7/28/2006)
"I do not want a small car for my daily driver because they are almost always too small on the inside. The only small car I want is a sports car that won't be driven every day."
The statements above seems to indicate that it's ok to be small, as long as some other "value" balances it out (such as the "excitement" of a sports car), otherwise, settling for a small car is to "trade down" so to speak.
I was going to write a big long lecture about why a Small car is better than a big hunk of steel, but what's the point, in the end, there is NO real logic in buying a car.
Americans will always be defensive if they drive up the driveway in a small car, and feel that they got good value if they buy BIG. Like I said, this new interest in small cars will not last.
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Sam Saalwaechter 5:17PM (7/30/2006)
I owned a Volkswagen diesel that got 50+ miles to the gallon. And I own a Geo Metro XFI that got 53 miles/gal. on the open road and did 75miles/hour in the mountains where posted. Why do we not see these kind of cars being produced today.Small car yes but still a great value.
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Joe_Thompson 3:36AM (10/02/2006)
I am sure one of those anticipating for this car's sale period. Audi is a highly respected name when it comes to aluminum car body construction. And its Audi A2 embodies the smart, lightweight manufacturing techniques that Audi uses to come up with its high quality line of cars that are oozing with lovely aluminum details. Nice!
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