Eunos_Cosmo
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2007
- Messages
- 6,968
- Location
- Oakland
- Car(s)
- '84 Mazda RX7, '12 Mazda 2, '99 Porsche Boxster
I'm not really going to elaborate on the decision to go with a new car. I just am.
I set for myself these criteria:
Small
Fun to drive
Fuel Efficient (in this case 32mpg+ combined)
Good looking
Affordable (in this case well under 20k)
Manual Transmission (under no circumstances will I tolerate a small engine with an Auto or CVT)
So with that being established, I've made myself a list of cars to go look at, chat up the dealerships about, and most importantly, drive.
-Ford Fiesta (Driven 3_31, post 15)
-Mazda2 (Driven 3_30, post 1)
-Kia Soul too large
-Nissan Juke too expensive
-Fiat 500 (Driven 3_30, post 1)
-Mazda3 skyactiv too expensive
-Mazda5 skyactiv (outside my price range, but who cares!)
-Honda Fit (Driven 3_31, post 15)
-Honda Civic Too expensive, too big, not good enough of a car
-Honda CR-Z (begrudgingly only offered with a cvt in my price range) Enormous blind spot, stupid hybrid, too expensive
-Kia Forte Too bland, too big.
-Kia Rio
-Hyundai Veloster
EDIT: Gone through and edited my list. I've crossed out some after thinking about them a little more and deciding they aren't what I want
I'm going to add to the list as I think of them. I will be posting mostly test drive notes and a sort of cursory summary of each car. Partially for my benefit, partially for everyone's. Therefore, some of the information will be subjective.
So, onto the first two candidates I drove today, 3_30_2012. The Mazda2 and the Fiat 500. I'll start with the Fiat.
Fiat 500
+Fantastic Styling, inside and out. It's just a good looking thing. Awesome gauge cluster.
+More practical than I would have guessed. Fairly large trunk/boot area and the rear seats fold down.
+"Sport Mode"
+Great stereo
-Inane ergonomics
-Flat powerband, uninspiring engine
-Sloppy steering
-Sloppy gear-change
-Questionable build quality
-Too high seating position
-Essentially unusable rear seats
$18,5xx as tested. Sport model, with no options
Overall I was pretty disappointed with the Fiat. I really wanted to like it, and I did until I sat inside it. The seating position is just dumb. I felt way too upright and high, like I was driving a van. Even after only a few minutes, my left leg and ankle started to hurt from the position required of them to actuate the clutch pedal. Forget heel and toe, it's not going to happen easily. Even more so when the engine is nearly mute, and doesn't really give you any feedback. Off idle torque is good, but after 3,500rpm it just feels pointless to rev it any higher. The body control when not in sport mode is strangely vague, as is the steering response. Why isn't the car just always in sport mode? I don't understand it. The clutch is very, very soft, and the engagement point is, again, vague. Gear-shift is adequate, but not really rewarding. Dynamically, the Fiat is just not a very good car. Worryingly, I don't see how the Abarth could correct some of these very fundamental issues either. If you want a cruiser that will look good in downtown, and you prefer an automatic, I can see how this car would be appealing. But I had no fun with it.
Mazda2:
+Willing engine
+Willing, tossable chassis
+Mazda!
+Solid gearbox
+Good driving position
+Responsive in general
+Decent back seat room
-BLAND
-Decade-old looking interior
$15,5xx as tested. Almost no options
I preferred the Mazda2 to the Fiat, which is something I was not expecting. Even with a very American-sized salesman (300lbs easy) in the car with me, the car seemed to feel quicker than the Fiat. Everything felt very connected and communicative. It felt like an early 90s hatchback instead of a contemporary thing, which, to me, is great. All the controls were nicely weighted and feedback was provided just fine. I feel like I could get between the steering, engine, and gearbox much easier than in the Fiat. I was also able to heel and toe quite easily, perhaps even easier than in my Integra. The engine has 'acceptable' off-idle torque, but it actually likes to rev. Above 4,000rpm it was pretty damn fun, which surprised me a lot. However, the exterior design is just mediocrity at it's worst, and the interior is pretty low rent and uninspiring. The stereo is also pretty average in the base model. So of the 2, the Mazda is definitely the "better" car objectively. Quite a bit cheaper too. I just wish it was better looking. Shame really.
Next time I go driving, I think I'm going to drive a Fiesta. It should deliver everything I liked about the Mazda, but it looks better and it seems to have a nicer interior. Will update this continuously. By all means, you guys can make suggestions of cars to drive. I am very sad that our selection of hatchbacks in the USA is so limited. I'd really love to drive a Renault Twingo, Suzuki Swift, and Citroen DS3
I set for myself these criteria:
Small
Fun to drive
Fuel Efficient (in this case 32mpg+ combined)
Good looking
Affordable (in this case well under 20k)
Manual Transmission (under no circumstances will I tolerate a small engine with an Auto or CVT)
So with that being established, I've made myself a list of cars to go look at, chat up the dealerships about, and most importantly, drive.
-Ford Fiesta (Driven 3_31, post 15)
-Mazda2 (Driven 3_30, post 1)
-
-
-Fiat 500 (Driven 3_30, post 1)
-
-Mazda5 skyactiv (outside my price range, but who cares!)
-Honda Fit (Driven 3_31, post 15)
-
-
-
-Kia Rio
-Hyundai Veloster
EDIT: Gone through and edited my list. I've crossed out some after thinking about them a little more and deciding they aren't what I want
I'm going to add to the list as I think of them. I will be posting mostly test drive notes and a sort of cursory summary of each car. Partially for my benefit, partially for everyone's. Therefore, some of the information will be subjective.
So, onto the first two candidates I drove today, 3_30_2012. The Mazda2 and the Fiat 500. I'll start with the Fiat.
Fiat 500
+Fantastic Styling, inside and out. It's just a good looking thing. Awesome gauge cluster.
+More practical than I would have guessed. Fairly large trunk/boot area and the rear seats fold down.
+"Sport Mode"
+Great stereo
-Inane ergonomics
-Flat powerband, uninspiring engine
-Sloppy steering
-Sloppy gear-change
-Questionable build quality
-Too high seating position
-Essentially unusable rear seats
$18,5xx as tested. Sport model, with no options
Overall I was pretty disappointed with the Fiat. I really wanted to like it, and I did until I sat inside it. The seating position is just dumb. I felt way too upright and high, like I was driving a van. Even after only a few minutes, my left leg and ankle started to hurt from the position required of them to actuate the clutch pedal. Forget heel and toe, it's not going to happen easily. Even more so when the engine is nearly mute, and doesn't really give you any feedback. Off idle torque is good, but after 3,500rpm it just feels pointless to rev it any higher. The body control when not in sport mode is strangely vague, as is the steering response. Why isn't the car just always in sport mode? I don't understand it. The clutch is very, very soft, and the engagement point is, again, vague. Gear-shift is adequate, but not really rewarding. Dynamically, the Fiat is just not a very good car. Worryingly, I don't see how the Abarth could correct some of these very fundamental issues either. If you want a cruiser that will look good in downtown, and you prefer an automatic, I can see how this car would be appealing. But I had no fun with it.
Mazda2:
+Willing engine
+Willing, tossable chassis
+Mazda!
+Solid gearbox
+Good driving position
+Responsive in general
+Decent back seat room
-BLAND
-Decade-old looking interior
$15,5xx as tested. Almost no options
I preferred the Mazda2 to the Fiat, which is something I was not expecting. Even with a very American-sized salesman (300lbs easy) in the car with me, the car seemed to feel quicker than the Fiat. Everything felt very connected and communicative. It felt like an early 90s hatchback instead of a contemporary thing, which, to me, is great. All the controls were nicely weighted and feedback was provided just fine. I feel like I could get between the steering, engine, and gearbox much easier than in the Fiat. I was also able to heel and toe quite easily, perhaps even easier than in my Integra. The engine has 'acceptable' off-idle torque, but it actually likes to rev. Above 4,000rpm it was pretty damn fun, which surprised me a lot. However, the exterior design is just mediocrity at it's worst, and the interior is pretty low rent and uninspiring. The stereo is also pretty average in the base model. So of the 2, the Mazda is definitely the "better" car objectively. Quite a bit cheaper too. I just wish it was better looking. Shame really.
Next time I go driving, I think I'm going to drive a Fiesta. It should deliver everything I liked about the Mazda, but it looks better and it seems to have a nicer interior. Will update this continuously. By all means, you guys can make suggestions of cars to drive. I am very sad that our selection of hatchbacks in the USA is so limited. I'd really love to drive a Renault Twingo, Suzuki Swift, and Citroen DS3
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