I had to buy a new car when my 92 Corolla wouldn’t pass inspection this past summer, and I picked up an xA. Boy, do I ever love driving it. It is smaller than a Yaris–I’m parked next to one today, as a matter of fact. The only thing that you could compare it to an SUV is that you sit up straight and feel like you can see the whole road. Other than that, no dice. It’s really small and a snap to parallel park–but wicked roomy inside, esp if you have to haul something and put the backseats down. That said, while it is fuel efficient, I don’t get the gas mileage that I was still getting from my 92 Corolla. I chalk that up to car companies being in cahoots with the oil companies, but don’t get me started.
Actually, it’s NOT (smaller than the Yaris; believe me, I pay close attention to the dimensions of these smaller cars; Scion is the same as the Yaris EXCEPT that it’s 4" longer)… I agree it’s a nice-looking car and probably better quality for what you pay (more features are “standard” than on the basic Yaris so you’d end up paying more for the latter if you loaded it up with all the same equipment) but, as I say, too reminiscent of an SUV for my taste. When the time comes, I’ll certainly consider the xA and plan to test drive one in the meantime, along with the Yaris, Fit and, of course, the new Suzuki Swift (2010).
By the way, is there an easier way to read NEW posts on a thread than scrolling down reading the dates?
By the way, is there an easier way to read NEW posts on a thread than scrolling down reading the dates?
Nope…you’ve just got to look. This isn’t the worst message board I’ve ever used, but it’s certainly not the best either.
“By the way, is there an easier way to read NEW posts on a thread than scrolling down reading the dates?”
Sure, click on the little RSS logo at the bottom left of the page (right above the NPR logo). That will put the most recent post at the top.
Alright, Craig, you got me. 
I was only thinking in terms of the regular forum, not using the RSS feed. Even though it doesn’t always work properly, I like seeing replies grouped together, so I don’t use the feed.
LOL, I know that is a “less than elegant” solution, but it’s just about the only quick way to see if their are any new posts.
This may be close to the worst message board software I’ve ever used (since the 90s, anyway).
Of course, I don’t suppose most threads run 70 posts long, but that’s me: always stirring up controversy.
Thanks!!!
Perhaps this car may be perfect for you, as seen on Top Gear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN0LQJLabqA
Hahaha!!! Now even I had to laugh at that one; I love the way it starts rolling before the engine is turned on… Oh, and how the tire lifts off the ground in turns. But he’s right; compacts are HUGE.
That’s very cool, it made the Isetta next to it look big.
Hi - from UK. If you were north of the 49th you could maybe get hold of a Skoda Fabia (now part of the VW group and winner of all kinds of awards in the European small car sector). I have a standard 1.2litre (approx 60bhp) version of the first model. It averages around 48-50mpg (UK gallons) on manual transmission and the newer versions with a different engine VW engine are higher bhps and better economy. It’s small and neat, has hatchback versatility but will cruise comfortably at 80mph all day on long trips. I’ve had it from new for about 4 years and it has done nearly 70,000 miles on some of the UKs worst roads without any mechanical issues. Don’t know why Skoda don’t sell in the US?
Truly, I could solve a lot of my problems by leaving the country… Then I could even take my basket or canvas bag to the open-air market each day and ride my bike to work (or not work, better yet). They most likely won’t sell anything that small here because, well, Bigger’s Better in the US! Will look for pic.
I will put my two cents in for the Honda Fit, which I bought on the advice of the Car Talk Guys (to several callers looking for a good, safe, first car for their college-aged children). I personally like that fact that is a “big little car.” Not only does it get decent gas milage – the Yaris is the only economy car I saw that had better milage when I did my research last year (I test drove a Yaris, and it felt too rattly, insubstantial, and clausterphobically low-roofed) – but the Fit also is extremely well engineered inside. If you take the back head-rests off, the back seats flop down totally flat. Then, if you lift the seats up again, the metal back seat legs come up too, so you have a big space from the floor to ceiling in the back seat (the backs of the seats and the seats themselves are up in this position), which is good for hauling a bicycle or tall furniture. When the seats are totally down, I get just as much space as husband’s subaru outback wagon, which is at least 3 feet longer – I swear. My husband and I are in a band (The Danbury Shakes, if you are a MySpacer), and we fit ALL our equiptment – bass and guitar amps, PA, instruments, even drums. Plus, the seat is very tall and there is a lot of headroom, so I don’t feel like a sardine in there. It feels roomy in both the front and back seats. These adjustments are very easy to make – a small woman, 98-pound weakling, or child can put the seat up or down with ease. And, they lock firmly in place in each position, with a release lever to change positions.
The milage is very good too. I drive from the Palm Springs area to Los Angeles and back (which for those who don’t know is 125 miles each way)on a single tank of gas. I could do even better if I didn’t have medical condition known as a “led-foot” ;-)>.
The drivablity of the car is excellent. It turns on a dime. I can do a full U-turn in the tightest of spaces, and it “fits” into the smallest of car spaces. When I need to parallel park, I can slide into a space that no other cars can manage, so there’s almost always a space for me (especioally since everyone in LA seems to have a ginormous car). It handles very well on the freeway, hugging each curve. I feel totally in control. While it is not the most powerful car on the market, it has enough poop to get out of its own way or zoom out of an impending danger – which the Yaris did not feel powerful enough to do. The Fit feels much safer than the Yaris.
The Yaris is also the only car that cost less when I bought my Fit in 2007, and again, it felt a lot cheaper than it even was.
Finally, the Fit has excellent safety ratings, with all the passenger and full side-curtain air bags, which is why I didn’t want to buy a used car. Not only can I can zip in and out of harm’s way, but if there ever is an accident, I and all my passengers will have the protection of airbags. The passenger airbags also have a nice safety feature where they are disabled if the passenger weighs less than 50lbs, which I think is for small children or car seats. I don’t have kids myself, so I don’t know much about that, but a signal light tells you whether or not the passenger side air bags are enabled. When my husband is in the passenger seat, they are enabled; when my purse is in the passenger seat, they are disabled. So, my purse will not be hurt by the airbad deploying.
The only way to get better mileage in a car of comparable quality and stability is to get a hybrid. If you can afford that, I’d recommend it. I would have bought one myself if I could have afforded it. Even the used hybrids I saw cost at least 5 grand more than the brand new Fit, though.
While I was a little weary of buying a first model year car, I’ve had my Fit for about a year and a half now and have had no trouble with it at all. Just regular maintenence. The Fit is an excellent value for the money and a all around great car. And, no, I don’t work for Honda. I promise. I’m just a Community College English teacher (notice my impeccable grammar, graceful sentence structures, and impressive vocabulary, using words like “impeccable”)and a satisfied customer. (BTW, I also liked the Nissan Versa, which felt a little more luxurious and drove a little more smoothly than the Fit. However, it was more expensive, did not have as low milage, and the back seats did not drop down completely flat like the Fit. But, if you want an even more lush compact, I recommend the Versa.)
There is one annoying thing about the Fit, though. There is a little blinking wrench warning light that goes on to remind you to do regular maintenence. It is not a warning indicating a problem, like a “check engine” light on a Sabaru, for example. It’s just a milage-based maintenece reminder system. If you get the maintenence done at the dealer, they shut it off. However, when you go to another mechanic, they don’t, and then this little orange wrench blinks at you all the time. There is a way to shut it off, but the instructions are not in the owner’s manual, and I can never remember how to do it. You have to hold down the buttons on it in a particular way. The dealer showed me once, but I forget.
Does anyone out there know how to shut off this distracting reminder system? If you can post instructions, I’ll be forever grateful.
Happy driving!
Desert Driver
they make it hard to do because they don’t want that “idiot” light to get turned off to easily. this is another reason I’m kinda leery about buying a brand new car, it tells the owner when it needs maintained when the owner should know to read the manual as to when things should be done.
To the small really tiny car lovers. Here is a modern one in a head on collision I saw being towed off the road. The driver was medflighted and then died sadly. I am done with small cars after my current one (Subaru WRX).
Its what is left of a Honda FIT. They look unsafe due to the lack of anything in front of you to absorb the impact.
In 1981, my brother and three of his friends all died in a one vehicle accident. They were in a Chevy Suburban with its 6000 lbs of “safety”. So, don’t get the idea that small cars are death traps while big cars make you invulnerable. They are only a little safer, not safe.
One morning while riding my motorcycle to work along the backroads, a woman flagged me down and pointed to a hidden wreck on the other side of the fence. We climbed the fence and there was a dead 17 year old kid in an upside down Ford Explorer. He was wearing his seatbelt and the airbag was deployed yet it did not save his life.
Don’t get the idea that a big car makes you bullet proof.
Given the choice, in a collison with another vehilce, I’d take the Suburban over a Fit any day of the week. If you end up running into a static object then it’s a wash either way. Back when I was in school I worked at a body shop and was lucky enough to see the aftermath of a cira 1986 VW Fox Vs. circa 1995 Tahoe. It did not go well for the driver of the VW, as she died on impact. The car was destoyed, there was a fair amount of dried up blood on the inside. The driver of the Tahoe walked away without scratch, it needed a new bumper, new radiator, new fender, and some front end steering work.
I’d rather have a crown vic or something like that, SUVs are too prone to rolling over. Maybe if I can find a nice 1970 Chrysler Imperial for sale… 