Wife said I should try one, so I did. I can see why it's class leading, and honestly if I was in the market for a sub-compact, I'd be hard pressed to go elsewhere. Ok, perhaps I could, I mean I have not driven all of them. But bang for buck, I think it's there, and I could hardly fault someone for not cross shopping. Engine likes to rev, good clutch, good trans, good visibility. Backup camera with different views; don't know if towing is allowed but there is a way to look directly down (wish my truck had that!).
"Magic seats" are a nice touch, although if the floor was truly flat I think that would be a bigger selling point--there are bumps (for car stiffening, don't know) which I think kinda sorta gets in the way. Also, while everyone sells the magic seats as great for families, I'd like to point out one obvious flaw: if you use them, you've run out of people space. I'm a little hard pressed to call this a family car. College kid, single guy/gal, commuter car because the spouse has a mid/full size, etc. With the seats up, trunk space is not bad (it's a sub-compact!) but I guess i'm used to sedans.
On the downside... it's a sub-compact. I thought the ride was a bit harsh, bouncy maybe; it's betrayed by very light steering. Suspension and setup calls for "sporty" yet the steering is over boosted. Highway noise was pronounced. 3,200rpm at 70mph, give or take. Hard to fault a sub-compact for that, and I did test the LX with a six speed manual. Engine was never droning nor buzzy, but it was there--and always.
It's also short geared. If you're new to stick shift's then this is your car. I wound it out to 4k in an intersection and still didn't hit 20mph. I think conservative drivers might object to shifting two-three times to clear an intersection (you know, the sort not interested in winding out to 5 or 6k on a regular basis). I thought perhaps under powered also, winding to 4k didn't help much--but OTOH the car never felt gutless at low rpm either. Again, sub-compact, so, take it as you will.
While the headliner is grey the rest is black. Inoffensive but as I've talked about in other threads, not my cup of tea.
Overall, I could see myself interested in this if I was a suburb dweller.
"Magic seats" are a nice touch, although if the floor was truly flat I think that would be a bigger selling point--there are bumps (for car stiffening, don't know) which I think kinda sorta gets in the way. Also, while everyone sells the magic seats as great for families, I'd like to point out one obvious flaw: if you use them, you've run out of people space. I'm a little hard pressed to call this a family car. College kid, single guy/gal, commuter car because the spouse has a mid/full size, etc. With the seats up, trunk space is not bad (it's a sub-compact!) but I guess i'm used to sedans.
On the downside... it's a sub-compact. I thought the ride was a bit harsh, bouncy maybe; it's betrayed by very light steering. Suspension and setup calls for "sporty" yet the steering is over boosted. Highway noise was pronounced. 3,200rpm at 70mph, give or take. Hard to fault a sub-compact for that, and I did test the LX with a six speed manual. Engine was never droning nor buzzy, but it was there--and always.
It's also short geared. If you're new to stick shift's then this is your car. I wound it out to 4k in an intersection and still didn't hit 20mph. I think conservative drivers might object to shifting two-three times to clear an intersection (you know, the sort not interested in winding out to 5 or 6k on a regular basis). I thought perhaps under powered also, winding to 4k didn't help much--but OTOH the car never felt gutless at low rpm either. Again, sub-compact, so, take it as you will.
While the headliner is grey the rest is black. Inoffensive but as I've talked about in other threads, not my cup of tea.
Overall, I could see myself interested in this if I was a suburb dweller.
