Future of subcompact cars?

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CharBaby

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I have always had a soft spot for the subcompact vehicles, especially hatchbacks. Though they're not my ultimate favorite category as I prefer the mainstream midsize family sedans as they offer a great deal of value. However, I do have a fondness for the subcompacts. And this is not to omit the "compact" sedans/hatches (Civic, Mazda3, Corolla, Elantra/Forte, Focus). You can bring them up if you wish. I like'em too!

As CUV/SUV are on the rise, what does this BITOG team foresee in the future for these subcompact sedans & hatchbacks?
I'm not really thinking about the CooperMINI or FIAT500 as they're a bit more of a niche vehicle.

I.E., Accents/RIOs, FIT, Versa/NOTE, Yaris/iA. The Fiesta(Sdn/Hbk) will be gone soon if it isn't already and I'm not sure what GM has planned in regards to the Spark/Sonic.

What say the board, any interest in them?
 
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I still think Europe is the place for these but as long as we have cheap gas I think their presence here will be curtailed. I liked the hatchback Yaris until they brought out the insect looking front grill assembly.
 
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I have never owned a Honda Fit however they are a very nice value and run forever. A friend of mine has one that he bought new and I am sure it has at least
150,000 miles on it by now. The Honda Fit is a very good car for the money and they are kind of cool and give excellent mileage. The Yaris is good as well but they don't look as nice as the Civic IMO but they are very nice too. I wouldn't buy anything other than the Honda or Toyota and the only reason is due to reliability. The other brands might be good but I don't know anything about them. I think the Spark looks really junky. I see in your signature you already have a Honda Civic therefore I would think you would lean toward the Fit as well.
 
Wait until gas prices spike again, the market will be flooded with CUV/SUVs that won't sell, and hybrids will be all the rage again. I think my solution of something big. something small, and all reliable yet old enough not to need full insurance coverage is a good way to go. Maybe GDI will raise SUV mileage enough to compete in high gas price periods-but I'm not sold on longevity yet, there's been a LOT of expensive issues (grenading Hyundai/Kias, etc.).
 
There will always be a segment of the population who wants a small, cheap, efficient car. If anything, laws have regulated these vehicles somewhat larger, which benefits the user to some extent.

It's not like the vehicles that are being sold are economical to operate or cheap to buy.

I think most CUV/SUVs fall somewhere between silly and stupid, but of course the manufacturers will sell to peoples' vsnity...

Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Wait until gas prices spike again, the market will be flooded with CUV/SUVs that won't sell, and hybrids will be all the rage again. I think my solution of something big. something small, and all reliable yet old enough not to need full insurance coverage is a good way to go. Maybe GDI will raise SUV mileage enough to compete in high gas price periods-but I'm not sold on longevity yet, there's been a LOT of expensive issues (grenading Hyundai/Kias, etc.).



Exactly.
 
The Fit is the only one I'd want to be seen in, and I have misgivings about working on that engine halfway under the cowl and windshield.

I liked the 80s-90s ones with lots of glass, squared off styling, and some degree of engineering attention/ quality. The Japanese makes spread their engineers thin, since then, becoming full-line makers of trucks and everything else and the little cars seem to be "phoned-in" now. Something seems amiss where the cars have higher rooflines but more squashed sides now too... and while it might have better safety and aero, it's a styling turn-off. Yaris is the big offender. I also can't get past cars like the Aveo/Spork with the rear axle at the rear bumper.

I liked my 02 prizmrolla, last year of the traditional "3 box" style. After that they stretched the car out with all this aero ground effects junk, like a 1990 Chevy Beretta.
sick.gif


All the fuel economy stuff aside, my 2nd gen Prius seems to have a bunch of nice little engineering touches, and in a nice package too. Wife can fit her saxophone-in-case in the luggage compartment with the seats up, which she couldn't do in her HHR, an SUV for crying out loud.

Europe has some nice hatches, I've seen pictures. We only get the Golf at a reasonable price. Other importers think it'll cheapen the brand so we don't get MB, BMW etc.
 
As long as we have CAFE and a large assortment of foreign subcompact designs to import or reproduce here, the subcompact will do OK. Very OK when gas prices spike.
 
Originally Posted by joekingcorvette
I have never owned a Honda Fit however they are a very nice value and run forever. A friend of mine has one that he bought new and I am sure it has at least
150,000 miles on it by now. The Honda Fit is a very good car for the money and they are kind of cool and give excellent mileage. The Yaris is good as well but they don't look as nice as the Civic IMO but they are very nice too. I wouldn't buy anything other than the Honda or Toyota and the only reason is due to reliability. The other brands might be good but I don't know anything about them. I think the Spark looks really junky. I see in your signature you already have a Honda Civic therefore I would think you would lean toward the Fit as well.


Yeah, this is our 4 Honda, mostly Accords.
However, I have driven the FIT and it is just too loud & crashy over bumps for my liking. But, it has a nice drivetrain.
The Yaris(TOYOTA) is a bit junky feeling and the Mazda built iA is too loud also. The GM imports(Spark/Sonic) are not for me.

The one that I really liked is the Nissan Versa NOTE. The only thing that scares me about it is(yeah, I know, I own an Altima) NISSAN's reliability especially the CVT.

The NOTE is smooth, quiet and absorbs broken pavement very well and reasonably comfortable. Wasn't real fast but, it wasn't slow either. I loved it when I rented one for 10 days. Absolutely loved it and surprisingly so did my wife.

I also like but, have not test driven one yet is the, KIA Rio hatch. It's probably better made than most but, I'd have to drive it.
 
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I love sub compact cars. I owned a Honda Fit, and a Hyundai Elantra GT and just traded it in for a 2018 Hyundai Kona AWD 1.6T and put a set of Ebach lowering springs in so it handles like a hot hatch. It handled great before, but not in the hot hatch territory, now it does. Car and Driver rated this sub compact CUV at 0-60 @ 6.6 seconds. A sub compact CUV CAN be the new hot hatch with benefits. AWD make this car handle SO good I can't tell you. I could not ask for more ...except a 2.0 liter turbo would be nice. Hyndaui Kona N is in the works by Hyundai I guess. With my foot into the turbo the DCT gets me 18 to 20 mpg and on the hwy I have hit 32-34 mpg manually calculated, not the car computer.
 
Gas prices effect working people with long commutes. Like those living in L.A. where one way 30 to 45 mile commutes are commonplace. For people who are either retired, or else live where things are close and convenient, the price of gas has little effect on their lives or lifestyle. Those people will never get rid of a car due to low fuel mileage. In fact just the opposite. If the price of gas was to go way back up, (say $4.00 to $5.00 @ gallon), and force prices to plummet on these larger, less fuel efficient vehicles, it might be enough for some of them to come out of the woodwork and purchase one. Speaking only for myself at my age, there is no way I would ever purchase one of those tiny roller skates..... Unless it came to that or walking.
 
I think there will be a subcompact renaissance once this insane auto lending bubble collapses and they stop giving out $50,000 truck loans on seven year terms.People will no longer be able to borrow beyond their means once the industry comes back down to earth the way housing did in 2008, and subcompacts will the the only affordable new car option people have. There's still a large chunk of the population who don't purchase used vehicles for one reason or another, and that's who these vehicles will appeal to. With how upmarket subcompacts have moved over the years, they're hardly penalty boxes anymore.
 
I am not a big person, probably average. Getting into a BMW 3 series ain't fun.
Dunno if our Model 3 is a subcompact, but it is easy to get in and out.
So it isn't so much the size, rather it is the ergonomics.
Of course there is a market for these cars.
 
Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Wait until gas prices spike again, the market will be flooded with CUV/SUVs that won't sell, and hybrids will be all the rage again. I think my solution of something big. something small, and all reliable yet old enough not to need full insurance coverage is a good way to go. Maybe GDI will raise SUV mileage enough to compete in high gas price periods-but I'm not sold on longevity yet, there's been a LOT of expensive issues (grenading Hyundai/Kias, etc.).


This^^

Good economical sedans are stupid cheap right now as all of the lemmings head for larger and thirstier vehicles, sales of which have been buoyed by cheap fuel.
Even my Accord Hybrid was quite cheap with Honda having taken a good whack at the sticker price and the selling dealer knocking another ten percent off.
Come the next fuel price spike, I'll be okay with fuel prices while those using four door pickup as family transport won't be so sanguine.
Not all CUVs are especially thirsty. Our newer Forester, as an example, will deliver fuel economy in daily use rivaling that of our '12 Accord.
 
Cheap gas, and 0% interest rates (free money) have distorted the car market towards pickups and SUV's. What could go wrong?

I Imagine if cars loans were 8% more would be buying smaller cars.
 
During the $4.50 gas we had some years back, a coworker bought a big honking truck. These behemoths weren't moving off the dealer's lot, so he got $8K incentive to buy one. He's sitting pretty right now.

I guess now is the time to buy a subcompact for any future rise in gas. I remember when gas was $4.50, used Geo Metros were commanding crazy prices.... much more than sober economics would dictate.
 
One of my favorite tv shows, Samurai Wheels, which sadly is not on anymore recently had a special that touched on EVs and the future of the Japanese automobile market. Some of these trends will apply to the US too imo.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/vod/samuraiwheels/3004553/


Note in the second half of the show the discussion about tall compact wagons. These vehicles show the future in a subscription based automotive society. Simple to build, great utility and perfect for the future.
 
The largest car in my garage is 176.5 inches long; I don't plan to buy anything larger. I almost bought a Fiesta ST, but I couldn't find one with Recaros and without a hole in the roof.
 
Hybrids have made subcompacts irrelevant. When you can purchase a Camry or Accord that averages 47 mpg, why bother? In cities Lyft and Uber rule or you can get a Maven quick rental. A bicycle is better yet for short trips. Subcompacts only attribute is being cheap initially and easy to park, but they often cost more to insure than larger cars making gas savings less pronounced.
 
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Originally Posted by JHZR2

I think most CUV/SUVs fall somewhere between silly and stupid, but of course the manufacturers will sell to peoples' vsnity...

May I add this to my signature?
 
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