Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
More and more I am starting to long for the essence of simplicity in a car. All of this expense and complexity for what seems like minimal returns. I wonder where the sweet spot was. Cars from the 70s and 80s had complex emissions and fuel systems prone to fail but today's cars put the first space shuttle to shame with wiring and computers also glitchy as could be when old. Maybe late 90s early 2000s.
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I think unfortunately the sweet spot doesn't really exist. In theory, it'd be a brand new car, with engines built to stricter emissions standards and with better understanding of materials and aerodynamics potentially allowing for lighter and sleeker vehicles.
Unfortunately, technology is being squandered on SUVs, which is where the money is. The European and especially the Japanese manufacturers still offer lightweight, compact and efficient vehicles, but my problem with many of those (again, less so the Japanese ones, but kei vehicles are expensive personal-import only) is that they lack personality. Of the lightweight (ideally sub-1000kg), compact, fuel-efficient cars available currently in the UK, I'm interested in only a handful - the current Smart Fortwo (and its Renault Twingo cousin), the Suzuki Ignis, and the Fiat Panda. Of those the Smart stands out because it's a two-seater - and since I rarely use more than the seat I'm sitting in, I certainly don't need four or five seats.
Simplicity is more or less built-in with these cars too. Low-spec ones offer enough equipment for comfort but not so much the car is overrun by it, the engines are relatively simple, and manual transmissions are still prevalent. It's just a shame there aren't more like them - and with a bit more
joie de vivre.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalya
I can't like imagine driving something other than my 2000 Insight. The car weighs nothing, is super aerodynamic, and with only a few mods and a dead hybrid battery I'm still doing over 75 mpg IN THE RAIN. I don't think I ever want to go back to a steel bodied car. I'm even looking to sell my G2 Insight. The G2 is a good car, I can get over 50 mpg, and it's more utilitarian than the G1 of course, but it's not fun to drive like the G1.
It's too bad aluminum body manufacturing is so expensive. The CR-Z would have been a wonderful vehicle if it was made out of aluminum and the 6th gear was a taller.
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I used to own a G1 Insight, and more and more recently the thought has crossed my mind of getting another. Whenever I think about getting a small, simple and reliable vehicle which isn't overburdened with size or seats, I'm not sure there's a better option. Can't deny the idea of a car that won't require rust repairs is appealing too.
It's definitely a shame the CR-Z wasn't lighter. I'd still consider one, as I enjoy driving them and they can still be fairly frugal, but it'd have been even
more fun and even
more efficient if it were lighter.