Cheap Cars Rule: 2012 Accent, Rio, Versa, 3 SkyActiv

[Omnis]

Those are discs. Problem?

 

[Dan_]

Well, I recently bought a Fit and my only major caveats about the car are the styling, which isn't very manly if you know what I mean... and the low end grunt of the engine, which is quite poor considering I live in a mountaineous area. Rear drums aren't a major turndown since I don't use the car in extreme situations.

I'm seriously considering either a Focus or a Forte ( Cerato ) as replacements for my car at the end of the year, but the plucky styling of the Rio captivated me. Although I doubt we'll ever get them around here, though.

 

[eSZee]

Well, I recently bought a Fit and my only major caveats about the car are the styling, which isn't very manly if you know what I mean... and the low end grunt of the engine, which is quite poor considering I live in a mountaineous area. Rear drums aren't a major turndown since I don't use the car in extreme situations.

I'm seriously considering either a Focus or a Forte ( Cerato ) as replacements for my car at the end of the year, but the plucky styling of the Rio captivated me. Although I doubt we'll ever get them around here, though.

I have pretty much the same feelings on my Fit. Most people find it ugly but honestly, I just chalk the shape as functional. Rear drums are no problem til I have to service them which shouldn't be a huge hassle. Low end is pretty sad but it's a 1.5L. What is ticking me off now with the 2012 Civic is that it gets better highway MPG while being heavier and having a bigger, more powerful engine. Has same city MPG, pretty much and combined also seems to be better. Which means on my routes, the combined would be the highway rating.
Sometimes I wonder if the folks at EPA have "take your kid to work days" and let the kids do testing on random cars or if they use a darts board to pick numbers.
As for replacement, I'll be considering diesels. Low end grunt while sipping fuel sounds good to me.

 

[Dan_]

I have pretty much the same feelings on my Fit. Most people find it ugly but honestly, I just chalk the shape as functional.

Functional is the word to describe it, since it's easy to park even in the most cluttered and busy mall parking lot and not awfully ugly. Interior wise, well, it's the best in class around here : Sound insulation, ride quality and material feel are miles away of the local VW, Fiat and GM competitors.

Low end is pretty sad but it's a 1.5L.

Mine is even worse, it's a 1.4 aluminum i-VTEC. I do most of my commuting on highways so it's quite competent ( does from 70mph to a 100 in a quite decent time ) since it's always above the 3k rpm mark. In city traffic though, it's a granny mobile.

I even considered a Citroen C4, which costs roughly the same and packs the same equipment coupled to a much bigger engine and better looks. The abrupt reduction on the resale value pushed me to get the little Honda.

 

[Jondot]

I even considered a Citroen C4, which costs roughly the same and packs the same equipment coupled to a much bigger engine and better looks. The abrupt reduction on the resale value pushed me to get the little Honda.

How on earth d'you get a C4 in New York?

 

[Dan_]

How on earth d'you get a C4 in New York?

I'm in Brazil. I thought that at this point I was a well known member, turns out that I'm not.

Did you ever check this? That might explain it.

 

[Jondot]

I'm in Brazil. I thought that at this point I was a well known member, turns out that I'm not.

Did you ever check this? That might explain it.

, oh. Sorry

And you probably are, I'm just not a very good yard stick to use as I tend to visit about 2 sub-forums these days...

Carry on!

 

[lalosoda]

Those are discs. Problem?

of course not!
the opposite actually.
rear disc breaks on an entry level hatchback is unheard of in the u.s.!
so this is certainly welcomed!
(hopefully they don't change their minds before it is officially released)

 

[eSZee]

Functional is the word to describe it, since it's easy to park even in the most cluttered and busy mall parking lot and not awfully ugly. Interior wise, well, it's the best in class around here : Sound insulation, ride quality and material feel are miles away of the local VW, Fiat and GM competitors.

Sound insulation when riding in the rear could use some work.

I just got back from driving a friend around in her brand new 2011 focus, 1500 miles on the clock. The car is a piece of stinking poo. The interior fitment was better than I remember in the 2003 cobra but the materials and feel are just like the 1995 saturn my parents bought when they came to this country. What a sad piece of crap. Why is the gas pedal so hard to press? Is that how FORD goes about getting better MPG? They make the pedal hard as hell so you get tired quickly and never press it hard? It felt slower and much heavier than the fit and fuel economy was around 28 when taking my daily commute to and from the house.

Now that think about it, the fiesta I drove last year and the one at the auto show was better, not much better but, better.

To make this on topic, the front bumper opening on the kia looks way too large for the car.

of course not!
the opposite actually.
rear disc breaks on an entry level hatchback is unheard of in the u.s.!
so this is certainly welcomed!
(hopefully they don't change their minds before it is officially released)

They are unheard of cause they aren't really needed. If you looked closely you would see it was the SX, which I think is the top of the line/sports model.

Might not make a difference but I would suspect it will be sold with drums out back.

 

[YSSMAN]

-> I know the C-segment SkyActiv is kinda off-topic in this bunch, but its a note worthy model here. I wonder how will it compare to the other Eco-ized C-seg cars (Cruze Eco, Civic HF, etc.).

If I'm understanding everything here, it sounds as though the 3 SkyActiv is getting the major efficiency boost without making many compromises elsewhere. My guessing leads me to believe that the same suspension and tires are standard on the 3SA as there are on the 3i Sport, which should make more a better ride and drive than most of the re-tuned models coming out.

A direct comparison to the Cruze Eco, Focus SFE and Civic HF is required as soon as they're all available on the market. I'd personally expect the Mazda to win out, probably with the Cruze in a close second. The ridiculous wheels on the Focus SFE make me want to push it into the bowels of hell.

 

[lalosoda]

They are unheard of cause they aren't really needed. If you looked closely you would see it was the SX, which I think is the top of the line/sports model.

Might not make a difference but I would suspect it will be sold with drums out back.

true. they don't really need them... but it would be nice to have them. even if it's just for the looks.

 

[homeforsummer]

Best place for this I think and I've not seen another thread, but on the subject of cheap cars ruling... how good does the 2012 Chevy Sonic look?

Wasn't even aware it existed until just now researching for an article, but it certainly looks a hell of a lot better than the Aveo it's replacing. Looks like we'll be getting it still badged Aveo, and obviously it won't be as cheap over here, but it's a pretty good looking small car. Interior takes lots of cues from the Volt too, which is a good thing.

 

[Tornado]

Wasn't even aware it existed until just now researching for an article, but it certainly looks a hell of a lot better than the Aveo it's replacing.

The Cobalt looked a lot better than the Cavalier when it came out, too.

 

[JCE]

The interior is what I'm worried about. The Cobalt, Cruze and now the Sonic all look good on the outside but the interior quality is lacking in each of the previous aforementioned models. I just hope GM puts a good quality interior in the Sonic--but history says they won't.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> A re-badged Aveo is a nice replacement to the 3SA on the thread title.

Article updates

- Kia Rio - no news yet

- Hyundai Accent - Autoblog & Inside Line just had a test on it!

- Nissan Versa -Seems like the 1st-gen hatch will carry on the 2012 model year...leaving the sedan getting the 2nd-gen treatment.

- Chevy (Aveo) Sonic - Autoblog had a go with it.

^ I can't wait for a HUGE B-segment comparo between these cars and the current ones! We'll just have to wait for the New Yaris next!

-> I can imagine some buff-mags will pull a huge comparo on these cars!

- 5D Hatch-
1. Honda Fit
2. Ford Fiesta
3. MINI Cooper Countryman (FWD)
4. Toyota *New* Yaris
5. Mazda 2
6. Chevrolet Sonic
7. Nissan *New* Versa
8. Scion xD
9. Suzuki SX4 Sport (FWD)
10. Hyundai Accent
11. Kia Rio

-3D Hatch-
1. Toyota *New* Yaris
2. Scion iQ
3. Fiat 500
4. Smart ForTwo
5. Hyundai *Old* Accent
6. MINI Cooper Hardtop (non-S)
7. Toyota *New* Yaris
8. Honda CR-Z

-Sedan-
1. Nissan *New* Versa
2. Suzuki SX4 Sport
3. Ford Fiesta
4. Chevrolet Sonic
5. Kia Rio
6. Hyundai Accent

-4D Odd Balls-
- MINI Cooper Clubman (non-S)
- Hyundai Veloster

^ Man, I wish I could be an Auto-Journo guy...

 

[homeforsummer]

The Cobalt looked a lot better than the Cavalier when it came out, too.

I'm not holding my breath for something amazing, but they've done a great job on the styling. And to be fair, Chevys are steadily getting better.

 

[Dan_]

Motortrend got hold of one of them some months ago, and they said the handling was decent and even the low-end models will have alloy wheels, which may sound like a big thing in this segment. As for the styling, I really appreciate it though the big headlamps and massive grille make it looks more Dodge than Chevy. I think it looks manly, opposed to the usual fully functional styling on this class.

 

[Omnis]

The Veloster is 3 doors, not 4. Driver's side is a coupe and passenger side is a sedan.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ The Veloster is weird, but like the Clubman it features four oddball doors:

3-passenger doors + hatch/access:

Veloster

Clubman (2 rear half-doors = 1 door)

-> Like the 3-dr hatches (ie. Golf):

2 pass. doors + hatch/access



BT -> I wonder what are the detail specs on the Rio SX. I bet it will be slotted between the Accent and the Veloster.

 

[Omnis]

Hatch doesn't count as a door. It's a hatch. You don't climb through a door.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ I know, but some people implies to 3 or 5 door on hatches & 2 door for coupes / 4 door sedan...

 

[disinfected]

Best place for this I think and I've not seen another thread, but on the subject of cheap cars ruling... how good does the 2012 Chevy Sonic look?

Wasn't even aware it existed until just now researching for an article, but it certainly looks a hell of a lot better than the Aveo it's replacing. Looks like we'll be getting it still badged Aveo, and obviously it won't be as cheap over here, but it's a pretty good looking small car. Interior takes lots of cues from the Volt too, which is a good thing.

Daewoo will never rule, no matter how it's badged.

 

[homeforsummer]

Hatch doesn't count as a door. It's a hatch. You don't climb through a door.

^ I know, but some people implies to 3 or 5 door on hatches & 2 door for coupes / 4 door sedan...

^ That. The motor industry consideres a hatch as a door, mainly to differentiate it from sedans, coupes etc.

The Veloster above is what I'd call a 5-door hatch. The "coupe" Veloster is a 3-door hatch.

 

[Mike0105]

^ That. The motor industry consideres a hatch as a door, mainly to differentiate it from sedans, coupes etc.

The Veloster above is what I'd call a 5-door hatch. The "coupe" Veloster is a 3-door hatch.

The industry will class the Velostar as a 4 door hatch, that and the MINI Clubman will be the only ones on sale. The boot lid is classed as a door, never understood why but there you go.

But with coupe's in general it is 2 door, despite having a 'hatch' boot lid.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> ...

The Veloster above is what I'd call a 5-door hatch. The "coupe" Veloster is a 3-door hatch.

^ The concept was a 3-dr hatch:

1 driver side + 1 passenger side + 1 hatch = 3 doors

-> While the production version is an odd 4-dr configuation:

1 driver side + 2 passenger side + 1 hatch = 4 doors

^ But Hyundai is mulling a 5-dr model in the near future...

 

[Mike0105]

-> ...

^ The concept was a 3-dr hatch:

1 driver side + 1 passenger side + 1 hatch = 3 doors

-> While the production version is an odd 4-dr configuation:

1 driver side + 2 passenger side + 1 hatch = 4 doors

^ But Hyundai is mulling a 5-dr model in the near future...

I'm sure I read that a 5 door would depend on sales of the 4 door. Based on hyundai's current upward trend and the fact that 'different' seems to sell well these days, I bet we will see 3, 4 and 5 door versions. But would that not tread on the i30 though? As I understand it, a new version of that is coming as well as the Velostar

 

[homeforsummer]

-> While the production version is an odd 4-dr configuation:

1 driver side + 2 passenger side + 1 hatch = 4 doors

Ah right, I didn't realise! I just assumed from that photo you posted it was symmetrical...

 

[Tornado]

I think calling the Mini Clubman a hatchback is stretching the definition a bit far...

 

[homeforsummer]

I think calling the Mini Clubman a hatchback is stretching the definition a bit far...

Agreed. It's not technically a hatchback, but it's hard to define as anything else either. The only other vehicles that have rear doors like that are vans.

I know MINI is trying to cultivate a classless image but I still think they should turn the Clubman into an actual van. For people running posh little shops and boutiques around this country the potential market would be huge. Literally every boutique owner in the UK would buy one.

 

[Mike0105]

^
At least the ones making enough money, those things aren't cheap for what they are!