Topic: Comparison Test: Compact Cars

[Brig]

Yes, quite a bit of work for everyone, especially Jon and Mike in the aftermath - great job all around, guys. 

My thoughts as well:

1) I fell truly, madly, deeply in love with the Impreza.  I'm even willing to forgive its very ordinary exterior styling and chalk it up under 'sleeper' because I loved it that much.  I loved the driving dynamics, the solidly-planted shoes, the pull-pull-pull-pull of the engine, and the sh*t-eating grin it put on my face when I tested it.  Exuberant is the word that comes to mind. The Cruze, while a worthy opponent, did no such thing for me; I would have put it in second place.

2)  The Corolla and Civic were huge disappointments for me.  If these buyers don't shop based on engine performance, I don't understand why there are so many Corollas on the road, when you could at least pick the Civic for the same amount of money and get a (somewhat) better-looking car inside and out.  And what's with the Civic gauges?  A stupid digital speedo readout 'way up in the corner of Level 2, and a bigass analogue tach in the centre of Level 1, where the speedo really should be.  Okay, maybe that's why there are so many Corollas on the road.

3)  I was also unpleasantly surprised by the Focus engine.  It did go-go-go, but not without a lot of noisy grumbling.

4)  The Jetta's crappy interior shocked the heck out of me.  What have they done to this formerly wonderful car?  And who upholsters the top of a console, to have it get ripped and dirty over time from jackets and dirty elbows?  Sad.  The engine didn't exactly blow me away, either.  The car did handle well, though.

A tiring couple of days, but still a unique experience.  So, when do we get to do luxury sedans over $65,000, Mike?   

[normancw]

What members were involved in the comparo?  Whoever you are, you folks did a great job!   

Jaeger
Brigitte
Weexy

..and the Autos.ca gents.

Good stuff, you folks did a bang up job!  Applaud awarded to all of you.   

and thanks for your additional comments.  I think it would be a good idea to include them in the article.

[5 Wheel Drive]

Great comparison, it was a good read.  I was a little surprised to see the Cruze on top, and the Sentra beating the Corolla and Civic.  Well done everyone!

[chrischasescars]

And, great line about the Sentra seats (soft as grandma's favorite wingback)...     Can see why you get paid the big bucks, mate.

That line was mine. I have to take credit, cos I was quite proud of it. =)

[simonsez]

Great article, lots of work and time involved in this one.  It would have been double-nice if they were all equipped with a stick but as we all know, we are a minority in that department.  Although it would have been interesting to see if the rankings would of remained the same had they all been tested with a clutch??

I am also surprised at the podium finishers,  my family and I rented a Cruze with the small turbo in Florida in March and although I loved the interior and the handling, it felt  underpowered with 4 on board and it was also tight in the backseat.

It sounds like you ranked the cars based on a scorecard, can these numbers be published?  You also mention back seat room on some vehicles but not all and that is one (real-world)  spec  that I always like to see rather than rely on manufacturer’s data.

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

Again, job well done!

[chrischasescars]

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

That's a good question. I'd like to do one, but it's a pretty big undertaking -- makes organizing a comparo like this look like a piece of cake.

[Mike]

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

That's a good question. I'd like to do one, but it's a pretty big undertaking -- makes organizing a comparo like this look like a piece of cake.

It's been discussed before and I like the idea too.  Problem is, what do you include? Hybrids? Electrics?

[chrischasescars]

One of the things that sticks out for me is how disappointed I was in the Elantra when driving it back-to-back with these other cars. It's a good car, and it certainly wasn't my least favourite, but it's clear it was designed with big sales in mind, rather than to appeal to buyers who pay a lot of attention to how the mechanics of the car operate.

I think the Focus would have been my favourite if we'd been testing cars with manual transmissions. As these cars were equipped, the Cruze really shone. It's truly a very well-designed car. If it proves reliable, it could be a game-changer for GM.

[Mike]

Great article, lots of work and time involved in this one.  It would have been double-nice if they were all equipped with a stick but as we all know, we are a minority in that department.  Although it would have been interesting to see if the rankings would of remained the same had they all been tested with a clutch??

I think not.  I think the vehicles who transmission were hampering them, like the Focus, would place much higher.  I think the Impreza would have scored lower

[chrischasescars]

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

That's a good question. I'd like to do one, but it's a pretty big undertaking -- makes organizing a comparo like this look like a piece of cake.

It's been discussed before and I like the idea too.  Problem is, what do you include? Hybrids? Electrics?

In the past, we've used compacts, just like the cars we compared here. But that was before hybrids had gained much market acceptance. With the resources, it'd be fun to capitalize on how economy-centric every vehicle segment has become, and do a huge week-long thing involving compacts, mid-size sedans, small CUVs and hybrid cars.

[5 Wheel Drive]

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

That's a good question. I'd like to do one, but it's a pretty big undertaking -- makes organizing a comparo like this look like a piece of cake.

Base it out of Ottawa like last time and I'd be happy to help out with that one! 

[Jaeger]

A tiring couple of days, but still a unique experience.  So, when do we get to do luxury sedans over $65,000, Mike?   

The bonus for helping Mike return the Elantra and Corolla to the east end of town (and hence crossing the city TWICE in truly awful rush-hour traffic) was that I got chauffered home in a Lexus LS 460 that he was picking up for review.  Yeah... I'm TOTALLY down with a luxury car comparo.    That this was so comfortable I damn near fell asleep 10 minutes into the drive.

Jaeger

[Mike]

A tiring couple of days, but still a unique experience.  So, when do we get to do luxury sedans over $65,000, Mike?   

The bonus for helping Mike return the Elantra and Corolla to the east end of town (and hence crossing the city TWICE in truly awful rush-hour traffic) was that I got chauffered home in a Lexus LS 460 that he was picking up for review.  Yeah... I'm TOTALLY down with a luxury car comparo.    That this was so comfortable I damn near fell asleep 10 minutes into the drive.

Jaeger

Ummmmm, what about getting to drive the SVX across town??

[Mike]

Also Mike/Chris, has there been any talks of doing a new “50 litre Fuel-Economy challenge” ?    It’s been a few years since the last one was done.   I think these were my favourite articles to read.

That's a good question. I'd like to do one, but it's a pretty big undertaking -- makes organizing a comparo like this look like a piece of cake.

It's been discussed before and I like the idea too.  Problem is, what do you include? Hybrids? Electrics?

In the past, we've used compacts, just like the cars we compared here. But that was before hybrids had gained much market acceptance. With the resources, it'd be fun to capitalize on how economy-centric every vehicle segment has become, and do a huge week-long thing involving compacts, mid-size sedans, small CUVs and hybrid cars.

I'll email you, but an idea similar to this has already begun the discussion page involving Jonathan and our un-named accomplice.

[Jaeger]

One of the things that sticks out for me is how disappointed I was in the Elantra when driving it back-to-back with these other cars. It's a good car, and it certainly wasn't my least favourite, but it's clear it was designed with big sales in mind, rather than to appeal to buyers who pay a lot of attention to how the mechanics of the car operate.

That's a fair comment - but "buyers who pay a lot of attention to how the mechanics of the car operate" likely represent a very small minority of compact car shoppers.  How else to explain Corolla sales?  Hyundai's plan was clearly to play a strong hand in the style and feature content departments.  It may not be a driver's car, but it sure was the nicest of the "appliance cars" (Corolla, Sentra, Civic, Jetta).  And I would have ranked it ahead of the Focus in solo 4th.  If I had to drive that bucking bronco Ford for an hour in congested and chaotic rush hour traffic, I would surely have become a road rage statistic.  The Elantra didn't make it fun (no car car could) but it didn't make a bad situation any worse.  And if what I'm hearing (might have been from you?) about the chassis improvements to revamped Genesis Coupes, Hyundai may well be moving rapidly up the learning curve in that difficult subject.

Ummmmm, what about getting to drive the SVX across town??

That was very retro-cool!    But after two full days of driving, and that lovely crawl along the 401 / 404, I was SO ready to be a passenger.

Jaeger

[Fobroader]

Great article you guys!! For me, its no surprise the "big 3" of compact cars ended up on the bottom. Using a great combination of resting on their laurels, buyer ignorance and trying so hard to build vehicles that are so anoynomous they dissapear in all parking lots, Toyota, Nissan and Honda have created the perfect non-car....ummm..car. Ive driven all 3 vehicles in various generations, Ive never liked them, theyve always been just a box for someone like my mom to go from home to Save-On-Foods reliably and without any fuss. The Cruze with a proper gearbox (read: Manual) sounds like it has taken the market by storm. It blew me away that GM can build a good small car, not just innofensive or affordable, but downright good. Good on ya GM, seems like the years of Cobalts/Sunflowers is behind you. Honestly....whats a bigger benchmark for a poor/non-enthusiast driver than a tan Corolla???  Its sad that you have to equip these cars with automatics, I know thats what the market wants, but these cars would be truly a much better drive with a standard tranny.....besides, if youre trying to buy a cheap car like any of these models, shouldnt you want a standard to cut costs???

[SaskSpecV]

Great article, lots of work and time involved in this one.  It would have been double-nice if they were all equipped with a stick but as we all know, we are a minority in that department.  Although it would have been interesting to see if the rankings would of remained the same had they all been tested with a clutch??

I think not.  I think the vehicles who transmission were hampering them, like the Focus, would place much higher.  I think the Impreza would have scored lower

Very nice job folks.  I too would like the comparison with manual trannys, but alas, with current M/T take rates that's not in the cards.  Amazing how the difference in tranny can change the character of the car.  The Focus M/T reviews have generally been very positive (and no one complained about the Focus engine when rowing their own gears).  Likewise, I suspect a M/T Mazda3 would make the car FEEL more "zoom zoom", even if it isn't any more powerful.  Conversely, I haven't seen any good reviews of the Cruze or Elantra M/T. 

Nice to see so many good choices in the Canadian marketplace.  And the comparison didn't even include the Forte - not that I found to be a ground-breaking car, but it is very class competitive, has multiple body style/powertrain choices, and is a very good value.  And with the (hopefully) much-improved Sentra and Dart on the way, things are looking good for us compact buyers.

[tpl]

Its sad that you have to equip these cars with automatics, I know thats what the market wants, but these cars would be truly a much better drive with a standard tranny.....besides, if youre trying to buy a cheap car like any of these models, shouldnt you want a standard to cut costs???

Yes but about 85% of the Great Canadian public would look at you blankly and say something like:
" My  <insert name here> won't drive a standard"
" I have to commute in heavy traffic and my <insert joint here> gets tired>
"What is a standard?"
"I used to drive a standard but my truck is automatic""

[Fobroader]

Its sad that you have to equip these cars with automatics, I know thats what the market wants, but these cars would be truly a much better drive with a standard tranny.....besides, if youre trying to buy a cheap car like any of these models, shouldnt you want a standard to cut costs???

Yes but about 85% of the Great Canadian public would look at you blankly and say something like:
" My  <insert name here> won't drive a standard"
" I have to commute in heavy traffic and my <insert joint here> gets tired>
"What is a standard?"
"I used to drive a standard but my truck is automatic""

I am so happy to be in that 15%!!!! I wouldnt even consider a car without a manual tranny, especially something in this size category. I loved the old Focus ZX3, with a manual tranny, it was the most fun car Ford had in its stable in the late 90's. The automatic ones were absolute garbage, now Im not one to think that slushbox tech has stopped improving in the last 10 years, but it seems that you complicate the car so much for something that could be easily fixed in 95% of situaitions by driving a manual car for a weekend to learn how to use it. I guess the "my dad taught me how to drive stick on a dirt road when I was 12" way of thinking is long gone........

[Oldsguy]

Given the well documented and appalling quality + reliability of last-gen GM products, and patchy reliability on the current generation

"Patchy reliability"? Really? Where did you pull that from?