Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[raubvogel]

I am glad to see the Smart car they brought to the US gone. What a fugly car that screamed "my life is over." Now the Smart Roadster, I would buy it. But, it was decided it is not the car Americans would buy. WTF?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by niky

The Jimny is useless for families. That back seat makes the rear seat of the CR-Z look sensible. When you buy one, you're buying a toy for yourself, not a means of transport.

Sure the Jimny might not be the most practical "car", not even for a family of 4, unless they're all short.

But anyway, even though an American, Australian or even some European might consider it quite unlikely, we know some random subcompact can be still perfectly viable as a family car. There is a lot of those Suzukis in Uruguay...

[niky]

Well, turning small cars into "SUV's" might be one way of getting people into them:



Chevrolet missed a 'Beat' by not producing its 'Trax' concept instead of the 'Beat' (Spark).

Could have beat Ford to the punch by a few years. (Spark launched 2009, EcoSport Mk.2 2012, Trax 2013)

They could go even smaller than the EcoSport/Trax.

People would likely buy them.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I also thought it was quite pointless when GM didn't release that Trax prototype as a production model, even though the Spark/Beat would still have some demand too. BTW nowadays in Brazil JAC doesn't sell any sedan or conventional hatchback, and IIRC not even that FWD minivan, but I've seen a lot of that T40 SUV.

[MetroMPG]

Well, the rumour mill is saying that the next gen Mirage will share a platform with the next gen Nissan Juke (Nissan bought a controlling stake in the company). So it may become CUV-lite as well.


https://www.leftlanenews.com/2020-mi...ke-100969.html

[niky]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

I also thought it was quite pointless when GM didn't release that Trax prototype as a production model, even though the Spark/Beat would still have some demand too. BTW nowadays in Brazil JAC doesn't sell any sedan or conventional hatchback, and IIRC not even that FWD minivan, but I've seen a lot of that T40 SUV.

They just launched their consumer line-up here (after years of selling nothing but vans, trucks and that awful CitiPony). Almost all crossovers and vans.

T40 is the S2 here. The one in the picture is the S1.

Reviewed the S2 a while back, even got some video out of it. Amazingly loaded vehicle for the price, and the build quality is thoroughly modern.

This S1, not so. Amazing that they managed to fit leatherette trim, TPMS and other amenities into something so cheap... but it's still cheap. You can tell where they cut costs. Then again, it costs as much as a stripper Mirage... so you can forgive a few gaffes.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Well, the rumour mill is saying that the next gen Mirage will share a platform with the next gen Nissan Juke (Nissan bought a controlling stake in the company). So it may become CUV-lite as well.


https://www.leftlanenews.com/2020-mi...ke-100969.html

I take that as a sign, hopefully, that the next-generation Juke won't be so damn heavy.

[MetroMPG]

Simplify and add Mirage-ness?

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by niky

Sedans never made sense. Less useful space within the same footprint as a wagon or hatch.

We just buy them because they're prettier.

Sedans always made sense. The past century proves that. Other designs came and went.

A hatch or a wagon is harder to cool or heat. Has no locked covered storage of consequence.

And handling is worse. Weight is higher.

Same with front engine/rear drive. Long term better.

Etc

[niky]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Sedans always made sense. The past century proves that. Other designs came and went.

A hatch or a wagon is harder to cool or heat. Has no locked covered storage of consequence.

And handling is worse. Weight is higher.

Same with front engine/rear drive. Long term better.

Etc

Wagons were killed off...

...by SUVs... not sedans.

People will always want more space per footprint. And you can secure cargo with a lid in a wagon. Said lid also makes cooling easier. A locked trunk does a lot of good, sure, when by smashing one window, you can access the button that pops it. In both cases, you've been robbed.

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Yes, a Wagon is heavier, has worse handling, and is harder to cool than a sedan. But a sedan is heavier, is harder to cool and has worse handling than a hatchback.

And that's what most crossovers are: raised hatchbacks.

Granted, they're worse handling because they're raised, but they're only raised because people want to be able to climb parking curbs. The moment manufacturers start building tall sedans (they're already doing coupes, stupidly), watch as people abandon sedans, too.

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Disclaimer: I love sedans. But in the end, they are nowhere near the most efficient use of space.

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Disclaimerx2: I also love front-engine rear drive vehicles, but the amount of fuel use over a lifetime compared to a front-driver negates any long-term cost savings in maintenance (which are mostly due to front-drivers being more lightly built... because they CAN build them lightly... not because they have to... it's perfectly possible to have a front engined live-axle car that is as easy to care for as a Yank Tank, but nobody would buy it. And nobody is buying Yank Tanks, anymore, either.).

[Xist]

I wish that I could purchase a fast back, although I imagine that the Insight and Prius hatches are good enough.

I do not understand complaints against sedans. They are hatchbacks with a booty. I guess that it just depends on whether you want vertical or horizontal cargo.

I love my Civic, but with a bad head gasket, and low compression, I have been looking for another car for a while. I just cannot find another 1996 - 2000 HX worth mentioning. This is the first time that I found a newer one, either. How about $3,000 for a 2002 with 157,000 miles and 46,000 on the engine? https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/c...653577840.html

Or I could do something boring and purchase this 2005 Prius with 171,000 miles and brand-new cheap non-LLR tires with a 40,000-mile warranty (that is probably non-transferrable): https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/c...633094674.html

It is weird, the owner says it has a CEL for a bad gas cap, but they do not have emissions in his small town in the middle of nowhere, so he does not care, but he also shows that he paid over $700 for recent work, so why not pay $8 for a gas cap, and make it easier to sell?

Also, he says to ask for the VIN, but he also includes pictures of his receipts, which show the VIN, as well as his name and address. The good part is that this is not the name of the jealous husband of an old flame. They used to live in that town and he has harassed me before.