The Case family is a pretty average American family when it comes to things automotive. That means we have two cars, one of which is an SUV. Granted, the SUV is a Toyota Highlander, which is relatively small as far as SUVs go, and the car is a Honda Accord Hybrid, which is somewhat more efficient than most 6-cylinder cars that push 260HP. The Accord can be considered small, at least when it sits next to a Ford Crown Victoria, but it’s still not small, in the way that a Mini Cooper is small.
Most small cars in the US are either specialized—like the Mazda Miata or BMW Z4—or are considered “economy” cars. “Economy” here is a euphemism for “cheap.” Most small cars sold in the US until this year have been low-cost cars with minimal amenities and designed for people with tight budgets.
Of course, there has been a gradual movement in the US to smaller cars that don’t completely suck, like the Mini Cooper or the Mazda3. But for the most part, the Chrysler Neons and Chevy Aveos of the world are boring and uninteresting. Honda and Toyota have recently introduced more interesting small cars, in the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, but these are still perceived as cars for the budget conscious—students, people on fixed incomes and people just getting started in the work force.
So when we took our vacation this year in the UK, I was impressed by the wide variety of small cars. Lo and behold, small doesn’t mean boxy or simply cheap transportation. For example, I saw the first Mercedes-Benz I would ever want to own: the A190. I don’t have a picture of the A190, but here’s an A150, which is pretty similar. The A190 has amenities like leather seats, room for five and a decent, if not large, hatchback area.
Another interesting vehicle is the Smart, which was co-developed by Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, but has since reverted completely to Mercedes. We’ve seen some press about the two-door Smart car in the US, but did you know there’s a four-door version, aptly called the “Forfour?”
Another car that I spotted was the Audi A2, and advanced technology car that has had a troubled history and isn’t currently being manufactured. Still, the form factor is pretty cool, the diesel version gets tremendous mileage, and it doesn’t lack for amenities relative to other small cars.
Speaking of diesel engines, they’re quite popular in the UK, and not just among European car makers. Until I made my trip to the UK, my impression of diesel cars came from the very loud diesel pickup truck that lives next door, or the Mercedes diesels that trail clouds of blue smoke around Silicon Valley.
But when we went on a tour of the area around Stratford-Upon-Avon, our host, Bob Ochoa of Diamond Tours squired us around in a Ford minivan. But this Ford minivan sported a diesel engine, and it was the quietest, easiest-starting diesel I’d ever experienced. And it scooted along just fine when fully loaded with five people. And there wasn’t a bit of blue smoke to be seen.
I’d love to see more creative and interesting small cars become successful in the US. The publicity around the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris may be well and good, but they’re still boxy and lack in amenities that might make them attractive to families with teenagers.
If small cars with interesting tech, cool features and acceptable creature comforts were available, would you get one? Or would you stick with big American cars? Drop by the forums and let us know.
This Week on ExtremeTech Usually, we tell you what you should do when you go about building a PC, but this week, Loyd’s sharing stories about what not to do when you build a system.
Meanwhile, Jason spends some quality time with a 23-inch wide screen PC display while Victor dissects a pair of home theater cases. Meanwhile, Jeremy Atkinson games with yet another oddball PC game controller.
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