Versa, Fit, Yaris

All these new cars launched with oil at almost $80 a barrel would be almost immpossible just a few short years ago. The Honda Insight was the target of many jokes from Suburban owners. Suburban owners who have just auctioned off a kidney in order to fill up.
I think these cars are a pretty good idea, and Nissan's "premium subcompact" product especially suits my tastes. It has all the toys, just smaller, think of it as a miniture Escalade. Throw in some tv's and a Playstation and your good to go.

Thats why I bought this 323. Grand prix is nice, but it literally sucks gas.

The grand prix sucks gas? That's a V6, is it the 3.8 or 3.4. What does it get in mpg? Have either of you driven a V8?

The grand prix sucks gas? That's a V6, is it the 3.8 or 3.4. What does it get in mpg? Have either of you driven a V8?
Its 3.8, best mileage in the city it gets is 16MPG ( I live in San Francisco=Lots of hills). The only V8 I had ever driven was 2006 GTO, I test drove it for about half hour so I can't judge the gas mileage.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2185/pontiac005ut4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Gas guzzler ^

I have driven a 4.8 Lincoln Continental and the 5.7 Cadillac Eldorado (1981, carburated, but what beauty), so I know bad gas mileage first hand.

Yea, all of these cars are/were a hit overseas. Now the car companies are finally bringing them to the states. I just wonder if they'll catch on over here like they did elsewhere, I sure hope so. Smaller cars = less traffic. Me personally, I like the Fit, but that's totally biased reasoning. :lol:

The grand prix sucks gas? That's a V6, is it the 3.8 or 3.4. What does it get in mpg? Have either of you driven a V8?
yep, my 4.6L Cougar.

All these new cars launched with oil at almost $80 a barrel would be almost immpossible just a few short years ago.

that is of course if you ignore the fact that the Yaris was released in the rest of the world 6 odd years ago and the Fit following a couple of years later.

I did not ignore this fact. I just made and ass out of you and me and assumed we were talking about the United States. You are absolutely right sir, the rest of the world has been attempting to conserve fossil fuels for decades, only Americans are so severly optimistic they do not believe we can ever run out of gas.

I did not ignore this fact. I just made and ass out of you and me and assumed we were talking about the United States. You are absolutely right sir, the rest of the world has been attempting to conserve fossil fuels for decades, only Americans are so severly optimistic they do not believe we can ever run out of gas.

what?
first of all

I just made and ass out of you and me and assumed we were talking about the United States.

what? ass out of you and me = ass+u+me = assume?
your thread mate, I read what you typed and you did not mention anything about the rest of the world. Except you mentioned an oil price that did not exist when the cars were first introduced, so that pretty much says that you are only talking about the US release of the car

second of all, I do not see where the thread is going. Are you making a stand about American cars being short sighted and not looking towards a sustainable future? Are you talking about the benefits of a more fuel economical car? Are you ignoring the fact that part of sustainabilty, as well as about being economical, is about being clean which is arguably more important than simple mpg?

--------drunken monkey, he was just saying that he assumed we were talking US terms, and that was what he was basing off of.--------

i personally think everyone should be made to drive a subcompct every time they take a long trip, or commute to work or back. Everyone with a fast, ponied' up car should have a d-d (daily driver)

The us would save gallons and gallons of gas if we could just cut out the senseless trips, and drove the wife's 32 horsepower suzuki to the store instead of our V10 Viper srt-10's.

These cars show us what needs to be done to save the Mustangs and GTO's and Super Bee's for our kids and grandkids.

--------drunken monkey, he was just saying that he assumed we were talking US terms, and that was what he was basing off of.--------

i personally think everyone should be made to drive a subcompct every time they take a long trip, or commute to work or back. Everyone with a fast, ponied' up car should have a d-d (daily driver)

The us would save gallons and gallons of gas if we could just cut out the senseless trips, and drove the wife's 32 horsepower suzuki to the store instead of our V10 Viper srt-10's.

These cars show us what needs to be done to save the Mustangs and GTO's and Super Bee's for our kids and grandkids.

If you can afford a Viper, I doubt you're bitching about gas prices.

In Canada, we have a "Gas-Guzzler tax" that is paid when the vehicle is purchased. The amount paid is based on how bad the vehicle is on economy.
I think we need that tax applied every year, when we re-new our license plates.
That would help in so many ways, and the government should like it too.

I mean this in the nicest possible way, and i do mean the nicest, but raising, or adding new taxes is definatly the WORST idea ever :)

I agree.

I think these cars are a good thing, and I would actually drive a Fit or a Yaris. I would love to see and end to people driving around in giant ass SUVs and trucks. I can understand if they actually use it for its intended purpose and not just because they think it is safer, like the seating position, have a complex, or just want to intimidate others on the road. They don't just guzzle fuel; they are unsafe to other drivers on the road.

I hope these smaller cars take off.

I guess you know that trucks don't meet car safety specs. No 5 mile / hr bumpers, no door guards, no roll over protection, etc. How can these be called safe? But they're ok as long as you collide with a car.
When I looked at an SUV, (the station wagons I could find at the time), I asked if it met truck safety specs. The salesman said "oh yes". I said so no 5 m/ hr bumper, no door guards, no roll-over protection? He didn't know what to say.
Luckily, there are some wagon out now.

The Yaris is a hugely impressive little car, in fact I'm fairly sure it has been Italys best selling car the last few years (Edging out the Fiat Punto, all I know is that Fiat were very scared of the car).

Do you guys get the hatch version? Or just the Sedan?

having travelled around Italy, I can understand why a small, nimble, softly sprung car that can fit 5 people in would be popular there.
i've had mine now for coming up to 7 years now, from new I might add and apart from one recall on the brakes that were over servoed, it has not set a foot wrong.
100+mph AND still get 40mph is not unknown for this little monster.
I do a regular 60 mile sprint to the coast every other week in a 1.0 litre car and part from 15 miles of 50mph, the rest is 70-100mph (100mph at around 5000rpm) all the way and i still get around 45 mpg and that's with 2 extra passengers and two days worth of luggage each.

I have not driven the Yaris yet but the Xa (basicly the same thing) is cool, I thought that it would be slow as hell. WAY OFF that thing is rev happy and loves spinning tires (go figgure) Now mind you my friend has done a few mods to his Xa but none to the engine that I know of (lowerd 2", proformance shocks). If I did not hate front wheel drives like I do I would by an Xa (or Yaris) in a heartbeat.

I like the little cars...fuel economy makes up for alot of shortcomings, especially with the price of oil now

I drove my parents Olds Bravada when I was in high school, and that thing just sucked gas...It didn't have the Vortec, just the 4.2L I6, but it really went through a tank

I love my RSX at the pump...it goes around 500-600km on a tank, and the tank costs $34 Cdn (like what $29 American) to fill up on premium fuel...

16mpg doesn't sound good for a 6 cylinder. I have a V8 and get an average of 20mpg.

I heard the Fit has paddle shifters...is it true??

yes...on the auto...

i read a car comparison on all 3 and overall the Honda Fit was the better car

I for one am waiting for the new Suzuki Swift or specifically Swift Sport to come out in the US.

Even though I do read that the SX4 is geating great reviews for a compact hatch, it is just not a sub compact like the Yaris, Fit, Versa, and Rio5. It makes better competition to the Scion xA, base Impreza and Lancer.

not sure what the versa is but i've driven both the yaris and fit (jazz in the UK) and i have to say that the Jazz is the better car. When the Yaris was first released in the UK, it was a breath of fresh air, being both light (800ish kgs) and blessed with a fantastically rev happy engine. Compared to the fit though, it is still just a funky looking small car and if i'm being honest, the suspension is too soft and there is quite a bit of body roll (although you eventually learn how much roll is possible before the grip gives).
The 1.5 Tsport model rectifies this but I would say it is a bit too firm and over bumps, the car isn't a happy. The stiffer rear has the effect of making the car harder to judge on long corners and where as you can usually accellerate out in the softer cars, in the TSport, you seem to pick a line+speed and stick to it instead.

The Fit/Jazz on the other hand is overall a much better car and engineered better as Honda's usually are. Even on the outside, the perfectly matching panel gaps gives an indication of how much effort is put into the car. The engine is another little marvel. Despite being a three valved engine, it again more than matches its direct peers in terms of performance although it can sound a little tinny compared to the more "screamy" toyota's vti engine.
the ride however is where the Jazz beats the toyota as it is more or less right in the middle of the softer base yaris and the harder T sport.
In the same long corner (slight camber, gradual downhill), you can really push the car and accelerate through the whole corner without the roll and drama of the base yaris or the fear of the TSport.

I have yet to drive a new Yaris but from I hear, the TSport has seen a lot of work to remedy the old problems. I also hear that it's gained a bit of weight as per usual.....

I really recommend that you go and test drive both of these cars.
Granted that they're no 106 GTi (may you rest in pieces....) but they are huge fun when you learn how they behave.

The Versa = the Tiida in other markets.


Basically it directly replaces the Pulsar/Almera for many.

I'm thinking about getting a versa or Fit. Hopefully like others said these cars get rid off SUVS forever!

I can't say I hope SUV's are rid forever. I would definately like to see less of them on the road. They do have their place though. I looked at a fit for about a minute before I bought the civic. It looked, well... like a honda, so I am sure it was of good quality. It was just a little too goofy and little for me to stomach though.

i see more suvs now...i know i drive one...only on the weekends and on family trips...other than that, it stays parked during the week