In the late 1980's, my family bought a new 1989 Toyota Tercel. Totally basic 3-door; 4-speed standard, and NO options except a rear wiper. Had a carbureted 1.5L SOHC 4-cylinder with 76HP. Dark grey and black all-vinyl interior.
A couple of years later I took drivers ed on a 1991 Mazda 323 equipped the same way, basic 3-door, 5-speed with few options. FI 1.6L SOHC engine with 82HP, black and dark grey all-vinyl interior.
Today, if you want a totally basic car, you can buy a Nissan Micra. It is a 5-door hatch back with few options. It has a 1.6L DOHC engine with 106HP, and it has an all-vinyl interior in dark grey and black. I have driven both of these vehicles, and it stuns me just how similar in specifications, features, power level, and 'feel' they are.
Now, I am aware that back in the late 1980's/early 1990's, the above vehicles weren't the bottom-rung economy cars, that would have been a Hyundai Excel or Chevy Sprint. Today, the Nissan Micra is basically as cheap as it gets. But the Micra and 323 or Tercel are very similar in size and equipment level, and still 'Feel' the same - the vinyl seats are very similar, the dash/console/shifter look and feel very similar.
It just surprises me that after 30 years these two vehicles are SO similar, like there has been no real progress in basic Asian compacts in 30 years. If in 1988 you had gone back even 10 years, there was huge differences between cars - a 1978 Mazda GLC and a 1989 323 were not even comparable.
Thoughts?
A couple of years later I took drivers ed on a 1991 Mazda 323 equipped the same way, basic 3-door, 5-speed with few options. FI 1.6L SOHC engine with 82HP, black and dark grey all-vinyl interior.
Today, if you want a totally basic car, you can buy a Nissan Micra. It is a 5-door hatch back with few options. It has a 1.6L DOHC engine with 106HP, and it has an all-vinyl interior in dark grey and black. I have driven both of these vehicles, and it stuns me just how similar in specifications, features, power level, and 'feel' they are.
Now, I am aware that back in the late 1980's/early 1990's, the above vehicles weren't the bottom-rung economy cars, that would have been a Hyundai Excel or Chevy Sprint. Today, the Nissan Micra is basically as cheap as it gets. But the Micra and 323 or Tercel are very similar in size and equipment level, and still 'Feel' the same - the vinyl seats are very similar, the dash/console/shifter look and feel very similar.
It just surprises me that after 30 years these two vehicles are SO similar, like there has been no real progress in basic Asian compacts in 30 years. If in 1988 you had gone back even 10 years, there was huge differences between cars - a 1978 Mazda GLC and a 1989 323 were not even comparable.
Thoughts?