# Opinions on small cars sought **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757 "2016-05-03T04:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Clare\_de\_Loone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/clare_de_loone/32/3407_2.png) [@Clare\_de\_Loone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clare_de_Loone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/21 "2016-05-03T18:28:32Z")
My only complaint about my 2013 Honda Fit is its low clearance in deep snow. Happily, I can usually avoid that. Oh, and the weird headrests, but I think many cars have that issue. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/22 "2016-05-03T19:05:18Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I know some of these do not come with spares, but I already buy full-sized spares for cars with donut spares buy getting a junkyard wheel and a cheap (or used) tire, so I’m already prepared for this. I own a small hydraulic jack, a plug kit, and an air compressor, so I’m set on tires… When was the last time you had a flat? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/23 "2016-05-03T19:07:10Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > I love my Corolla and it’s dependability. My second choice was the Mazda3. Good choices, but the OP’s Impreza is bigger than she wants now, and the Corolla and 3 are even bigger (a few inches in both l & w, the Impreza is 1" taller though). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/24 "2016-05-03T19:09:00Z")
I would look at the Fit and the somewhat larger Mazda3. If you decide the Honda is a little too cramped, go for the Mazda. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/25 "2016-05-03T19:10:52Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I know some of these do not come with spares, but I already buy full-sized spares for cars with donut spares buy getting a junkyard wheel and a cheap (or used) tire, so I’m already prepared for this. I own a small hydraulic jack, a plug kit, and an air compressor, so I’m set on tires. I own a 2010 Honda Fit, which I like very much. But I don’t think a full-size spare tire will fit in the spare tire well. (And I don’t think it comes with a spare tires at all in Canada.) And you might also want to review the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s [list of top-rated cars](http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/TSP-List) for how well they protect the passengers and driver in the event of a crash. The Honda Fit is not listed among them, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/26 "2016-05-03T19:18:28Z")
> [@missred](#): > > I test drove the Ford Fiesta and am seriously considering it as my next car. I second the Fiesta. I had a 2012 and it was a fun little car. I’d never owned one that small before and would highly recommend it. Just make sure it has cruise control as the one I had didn’t because the dealer forgot to order it. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/27 "2016-05-03T19:19:30Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Based on my own personal research, test driving and purchase of a Mazda3 last year, I think you should at least put it on your list to consider. It’s not Spark or Fiat 500 small, but the mileage is comparable (depending on your right foot) and it’s readily available with a 6MT that is a joy to drive. > > The Spark is considerably less expensive while the Fiat 500 is a lot closer in price. All but the 500 Turbo model puts you in ~100HP vehicle. The Turbo 500 puts you above base price of the Mazda3 and is still only 135HP. The base 2L Mazda engine is 155HP before you add dollars to move up to the 185HP 2.5L. I chose to add those dollars, but even the 2L Mazda3 felt very capable with a 6MT when I test drove it. I did not test drive any automatics, but it doesn’t sound like you’re interested in them anyway. > > I’m not a horsepower size queen, but 98HP (even in a 2300lb. Spark) sounds pretty anemic to me. The Fiat 500 base model is 101HP, also around 2300lbs. Also, the Mazda comes with a donut spare. Not sure about the Spark or 500. I haven’t had a single regret about my purchase decision. I’ll second this. I got my first Mazda3 in 2004 and traded it in for a 2014. Both very good cars and a pleasure to drive. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/28 "2016-05-03T19:49:20Z")
I have a 2013 Kia Soul. I was dubious at first but I needed a “commuting to work/shopping” car with a price which wouldn’t break the bank. I got a great deal on it. The more I drive it, the more I find myself falling in love with it. Great gas mileage (average 25 MPH), a lot roomier than you’d think (I recently helped a friend move and I got something like 12 good-sized boxes in the back plus some odd stuff shoved into the sides – from the outside it doesn’t look like that much would fit, but it does. Plus I have two good-sized dogs, lol). There’s a spare tire well underneath the back. Great sound system, peppy engine/pickup, relatively quiet drive. Even my husband likes it, and he’s generally not one for small cars. Hyundai’s reputation seems to be improving every year. IIRC Kia/Hyundai is one of safer makes nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/29 "2016-05-03T19:59:39Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I have a 2013 Kia Soul. I was dubious at first but I needed a “commuting to work/shopping” car with a price which wouldn’t break the bank. I got a great deal on it. The more I drive it, the more I find myself falling in love with it. > > Great gas mileage (average 25 MPH), I’m assuming you mean 25 MPG :D. Which is good but not great as some much larger cars will get that. My Fiesta was getting somewhere in the upper 30’s/low 40’s. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/30 "2016-05-03T22:37:53Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I’m assuming you mean 25 MPG :D. Which is good but not great as some much larger cars will get that. My Fiesta was getting somewhere in the upper 30’s/low 40’s. LOLOL, I didn’t notice that before I hit “post”! My odometer has an “average MPG” ticker which shifts depending on the weather and how fast/slow you’re going. My average is around 25 when I’m out and about in town, 27 or 28 when on the highway. Believe me, that’s a vast improvement over the average 15-16 MPH I was getting with my Jeep. The Kia’s tank gets filled once every 10-12 days. I was putting $20 worth of fuel in the Jeep every other day. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/31 "2016-05-03T23:26:15Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I have a 2013 Kia Soul. I was dubious at first but I needed a “commuting to work/shopping” car with a price which wouldn’t break the bank. I got a great deal on it. The more I drive it, the more I find myself falling in love with it. > > Great gas mileage (average 25 MPH), a lot roomier than you’d think (I recently helped a friend move and I got something like 12 good-sized boxes in the back plus some odd stuff shoved into the sides – from the outside it doesn’t look like that much would fit, but it does. Plus I have two good-sized dogs, lol). There’s a spare tire well underneath the back. Great sound system, peppy engine/pickup, relatively quiet drive. Even my husband likes it, and he’s generally not one for small cars. Hyundai’s reputation seems to be improving every year. IIRC Kia/Hyundai is one of safer makes nowadays. That was one thing that I didn’t like about the Soul: the gas mileage. I got 30 mpg on my last compact pick up and 40+ in the Yaris. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/32 "2016-05-03T23:54:07Z")
I carshare, and so have driven a few different smaller cars. A friend of mine loans me her Fiat 500, too. The complaint about the Fiat I have is there’s no center console. It really is tight, the space between front passengers and between driver and controls like radio and heat/AC. I’m used to, even in small cars, at least two cup holders plus a little bin for other stuff, plus a little center armrest/storage thingy and the Fiat just has the cup holders. Even those are inconvenient to use as they’re sort of under the dash a little, so I keep knocking the top of the cup against the dash and thinking I’m going to pop the lid off and spill all over my friend’s car. Also, the 500 has very little cargo space. I’m pretty sure a spare tire wouldn’t fit back there without having to stand it up and then be visible through the back window. It’s fun to drive, to me it feels bigger than it is from a pure steering/braking/accelerating view, but it really is tight. Friend tends to keep the back seats folded down to put groceries and general daily stuff back there. My car sharing company has changed my nearest choices to sedans, but I used to use either a Fit or Fiesta fairly regularly. I preferred the Fit. It was peppier off the line and felt solid on the road. And I tend to prefer Fords just because I owned a couple in the 90’s and everything just feels familiar. So of the 500, Fit, and Fiesta, if I had to pick one to own, I’d take the Fit. I’ve also driven a Prius and an Insight. They’re both yawners, though the Prius feels more upscale inside than any of the above. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/33 "2016-05-04T03:35:38Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Availability of Fiat parts and service is a consideration, depending on location. My first car was a Fiat. Living in San Francisco and going to college in Santa Barbara CA, Fiat parts and service were readily available. But on a cross country road trip, SF to Albany NY, Cape Cod, Washington DC, Key West, Santa Barbara and back to SF, it was a serious consideration. > > As for a small car, another vote for the Honda Fit here. My niece loves hers, and at 6’0" she is not short. My brother and me, I’m 6’0" and he’s 6’2" so we’re not small also, we comfortably had a fourth adult with us in her Fit. Great space utilization in that car. Good headroom, front and back. Almost any Chrysler dealership will be able to work on a new Fiat 500. So parts for it would be fairly easy. Same way most Chrysler dealers still get parts for older Mitsubishi engines. Ever looked at a Chevrolet Sonic? It’s one step above the Spark, and one below the Cruze. My coworker has one and she loves it. Comes in a hatchback and notch back version. After seeing the crash tests on it (for the hatchback version), I must say even I was impressed. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/34 "2016-05-04T08:04:40Z")
I personally quite like the smaller cars from the VW group: the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and I guess the Audi A1 is similar. Most look great and are fun to drive. I’m not sure all of them are available in the US. I see many posts about the mazda 3, but I think the Mazda 2 is more the size the OP wants. I have never driven one, so no clue about its merits. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/35 "2016-05-04T14:46:24Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > I personally quite like the smaller cars from the VW group: the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and I guess the Audi A1 is similar. Most look great and are fun to drive. I’m not sure all of them are available in the US. > > I see many posts about the mazda 3, but I think the Mazda 2 is more the size the OP wants. I have never driven one, so no clue about its merits. The 2 is not that popular here - don’t see too many on the road. The 3 is still a small car and its gas mileage is actually _better_. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/36 "2016-05-05T02:47:43Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > The 2 is not that popular here - don’t see too many on the road. The 3 is still a small car and its gas mileage is actually _better_. It was only sold in the US for model years 2011-2014. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/37 "2016-05-05T03:42:43Z")
I have a 2012 Nissan Versa hatchback and it’s OK. It has good trunk space and rear leg room but the options are very basic, the ride isn’t great, and it’s slow. I’ve driven my mom’s Honda Fit and the difference in the car’s responsiveness when you hit the gas pedal is very noticeable. I have yet to have any maintenance problems with it but I probably wouldn’t buy another one. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/38 "2016-05-09T02:18:41Z")
It’s good to see love for the Fiesta, as that’s what I came here to recommend even though it wasn’t on the original list. In the interests of disclosure, I launched that car in North America, which gives me a lot of insight to how it’s built and handles. It’s a fun car to drive and gets awesome fuel economy (I’m not sure of today’s figures, but at launch the automatic actually achieved better MPG than the stick). ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/39 "2016-05-09T03:34:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > When was the last time you had a flat? 😕 About eight months ago I ran over a nail. I plugged the tire, and it was fine. I had another one where I curbed it and broke the bead seal. I overinflated it to seal it, and no more problems. I was afraid it would need sealer, but it didn’t. It was a fairly new tire. I’m lucky I didn’t damage the sidewall. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757/40 "2016-05-09T04:53:13Z")
What area do you live in? Weather? Drive in snow? Most car magazines drive and test these cars. So should you, there’s no charge. Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Scion 1a, Sonic are usually the top 4 in the subcompact class. Compact class - Mazda 3, Golf, Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic and Kia Soul are top rated. The Soul and Cruze overlap the price range of the subcompacts at the low range. I’ve spent a bunch of time in the Soul, Fit, and last model Cruze. Comes down to style, how you sit/feel in the car, and how it matches your needs. My preference was the Fit for driving dynamics. The Soul was okay for around town. The Cruze was solid like the Fit but the front seat cushion was too short, I’m 6’2". Couldn’t get comfortable on multi-hour trips. I believe the latest model corrects this. Drive them all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-small-cars-sought/753757.md?page=3)