Car brand

[deadheadskier]

Hyundai Elantra: I'd read very positive things, but I was skeptical. The test drive impressed me. Better mileage and cheaper than the Matrix, with a better warranty. No wagon though, but then I saw this terrific piece of marketing:

http://www.elantratouring.com/

It's coming this fall. It would be hard for me to give up all wheel drive and some interior space, but that's how things are going.

I may have missed on the site what the fuel efficiency rating is for this vehicle. I'd definitely consider it as a replacement down the line for our Sonata. The Sonata has been a great car for us and gets around 28mpg on the highway, which isn't bad for a V6. Overall combined is about 23.5. I'd like for the next vehicle to be north of 30mpg if not 40, the latter being doubtful for the Elantra, but one can dream

 

[bigbog]

...in Quebec City...

seen several in my area --mostly folks from Ottawa shopping here in the States.

I spent a weekend up in Quebec City...~early April, nothing But small. I probably passed many hybrids/electrics by without knowing it...

 

[drjeff]

I actually got a ride on one of these yesterday

A good friend of mine just took delivery of his smart car last week and stopped by my house last night. I was suprised that me at 6'3" and him at 6'1" could relatively easily and comfortably fit inside. Just a really weird sensation though at driving speeds with both how close to the road you are and how short the hood is.

When I asked my friend what his first impressions of how it drives were, his answer was "it's not my porsche boxster in the corners, but it is way better than the golf cart that it looks like" Pickup up was no worse than your standard "economy" car, and the ride was closer to a european performance "stiff" sensation than a softer american road cruiser sensation, but not uncomfortable at all.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Wow, I'm surprised you found the head room/leg room was adequate for you. If you look real close, you can see the driver's feet thru the floor boards braking and running Flintstone style, lol.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

there's probably a place for the "smart" car in europe, but i think a lot of people are wrongly assuming it's a super-eco-friendly car....

the touted gas mileage is "up to" 33 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway, which means it probably gets closer to 30 mpg in the city and 37 or 38 on the highway in real life.

the honda civic hybrid gets "up to" 40 in the city and 45 on the highway....it goes without saying that the civic is MUCH bigger and not much more expensive.

i just don't see the point of the "smart" in the U.S.....even the supposed advantage of parking is negated in the U.S., because so many parallel parking spots are delineated by markings (vs. a free-for-all in europe).

 

[Paul]

I actually got a ride on one of these yesterday

Wow, I'm surprised you found the head room/leg room was adequate for you. If you look real close, you can see the driver's feet thru the floor boards braking and running Flintstone style, lol.

Of course it was. As you can see, Jeff had to sit on the roof.

 

[drjeff]

Of course it was. As you can see, Jeff had to sit on the roof.

Did I mention it was a convertible?? (actually not, I'm just gramatically challenged!) After seeing it in person, my immediate reaction was "where's the golf bag holder on the back??" Since it's not a heck of alot bigger than your average golf cart!

Just wish I could have ridden in this tricked out smart car

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I wouldn't feel safe in the smart car among all the big SUVs..they look like they should cost about $5k and they are close to 20 g's

 

[dmc]

there's probably a place for the "smart" car in europe, but i think a lot of people are wrongly assuming it's a super-eco-friendly car....

the touted gas mileage is "up to" 33 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway, which means it probably gets closer to 30 mpg in the city and 37 or 38 on the highway in real life.

the honda civic hybrid gets "up to" 40 in the city and 45 on the highway....it goes without saying that the civic is MUCH bigger and not much more expensive.

i just don't see the point of the "smart" in the U.S.....even the supposed advantage of parking is negated in the U.S., because so many parallel parking spots are delineated by markings (vs. a free-for-all in europe).

i think they are "greener" then hybrids... In the sense that they don't have batteries and all that nasty stuff...

 

[dmc]

I wouldn't feel safe in the smart car among all the big SUVs..they look like they should cost about $5k and they are close to 20 g's

they don't impact like normal cars... They actually bounce...

 

[roark]

Looks interesting... I've been more and more impressed with the build quality of Hyundai as of late... I think it'll be worth checking out.

-w

wife and I have been pleased with our 02 accent. It's not luxurious in any way but it gets the job done. Also has some nice features my 96 civic was lacking (trunk light, power steering). We usually get 40+mpg. That we paid 60% of sticker doesn't hurt either

 

[Phillycore]

Ever see the smartuki ??



It's a hayabusa powered smart car.....insane

 

[mlctvt]

I'm sure only a few percent of all cars at a typical ski area are Suburus..it seems like alot of PASRs have Suburus...Me, Glenn, Nick, Toast, Justo, Trev, KT and Dan

We've got two Subaru's a '05 WRX and an '05 Legacy GT limited. Both are manual transmission Turbo Wagons. Also two other true sports cars '99 Mazda Miata and '91 Toyota MR2.
No boring cars for me :-D

 

[mlctvt]

I personally don't care for the Legacy I drive for work. I would consider buying a subie for personal use someday if the warranty on them improves. IMO 3 years 36K miles sucks

What year is it? The model year '05 -up Subaru Legacy is significantly improved over the earlier models. Also the GT turbo cars are also nothing like the NA cars. My loaded Legacy GT is better built than my Infiniti G35 Coupe was. I'm extremely impressed, Too bad Subaru discountinued the manual transmission turbo wagons. My next car may have to be a less reliable Saab, Aud or VW.