Motorweek 2007 Subcompact Car Comparison Test

[@faizzdb]

I miss the days 3 dollars a gallon was considered high 😭

[@Mabeylater293]

Bring trump back

[@Poopsticle_256]

@@Mabeylater293Tf does that have to do with anything? You think the pres controls gas prices?

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

Heck when I was a kid it was $0.89 a gallon….80’s…

[@DrCharlesMontague]

So it’s about $2.75 where I live right now. I’d say that’s an improvement since I remember paying so much more as a young broke adult back in 2007-2012. I won’t give any presidents any credit, as our gas prices are not controlled by some joystick in the Oval Office, but over the course of my adult life gasoline has become easier to afford thanks to choices I’ve made.

[@scdu]

Omg thank you so much for this!!! I have an 07 fit and it's always exciting to see them in car content from the era.

[@m00nkinftw]

Honda Fit/Jazz is a criminally underrated car

[@hduncan2587]

We were in this market in 2006 to replace my dads 2000 Toyota Echo coupe, which he drove for 320,000 miles and then gave to me (and still drive to this day). Many of these subcompacts tested here were freshly on the market, but didn't quite pull off the highway estimates for an Echo replacement (which itself replaced an early 90's Geo Metro, predated by diesel Rabbits... it was a 100 mile commute one way, five days a week after all). The Yaris S manual was what we tested, being the obvious successor. It was a rainy night that made it hard to tell if it was worthy for us. It didn't feel as fun as our Echo, nor as roomy with the roof cut down slightly toward the back. I'd later drive the hatchback Yaris as a loaner car, and found it to be a bit more fun, with the wheels pushed out a bit more to the edges, and the interior trying to be less of a Camry. The Yaris sedan also left us wanting for interior since the center console cubbies were much smaller, with sharper edges, while the hatchback interior plastics (such as the glove box and storage ahead of the steering wheel) felt much thinner and more fragile, like a Tic-Tac box. With that said, if you're in the market for an old subcompact, look at both the hatch and sedan as they're both very different characters. The sedan is more airy in terms of interior width and brightness. Having the mini-Camry vibe interior, the Yaris sedan had more interior color variation (beige is your friend-- avoid bland grayscale), more silver brightwork, ALWAYS had a tach (unlike the hatch, which is hit or miss), and had armrests front and rear. The hatch is a narrower, more intimate interior, and changes storage options and driving character. It's a narrower, taller, shorter car better suited for city life, and lends to a more fun and chuckable-feeling platform. The Versa wasn't on our radar for his commuter, but I did look at it for my sister-- amazing space and comfort even against some of the compacts of the era. The door card padding for the armrests was a super thick foam rubber that could take a hard jab from the elbow with reckless abandon. Dynamics weren't a priority, with a ropey shifter and lame clutch and shifter, but if you wanted a lot of space and comfort, it was a good call. Offering a six-speed was a class first, of course. The following generation of Versa is... um... very different. Still MASSIVE inside, but at a price point. The Versa Note is very much a second-generation Honda Fit knock off, complete with a similar double-stacked glovebox. The sedan is far more generic. If the first gen Versa wasn't a dynamic choice, the second generation was even less so, straddled with a carryover 1.6L that came out in a bargain-basement Versa sedan that came out some time later. To further kill any fun in the second generation Versa, heel-toe shifting isn't even allowed, as the throttle won't work if the brake pedal is being pressed... odd thing to test? Sure. But I'm a driving enthusiast and like to be thorough. The chassis is also very much in need of tweaking. The Accent and Rio were also on the commuter list for my dad, and again the shifters weren't anything special, though they still felt like a Civic Si compared to the Aveo. The Accent offering the sporty SE with differently tuned suspension (I believe Eibach springs, thicker swaybars, and can't recall the shocks), beefy rolling stock (16" wheels with 205mm wide tires, a far cry from the old Accent GT) was something I always wanted to try. The Accent SE hatch also had a few "fast bit" options like a dealer-installed options like a B&M shifter, cold air intake, and muffler, though I doubt many went that route. Furthermore the Rio5 SX was still a more practical body with easier back seat access. The Accent Hatch also felt more like driving something rear wheel drive, with a long hood and the dash seeming very short, and the windshield close... very different from more cab-forward subcompacts. While testing the Rio5 SX, I also drove the also-new Spectra5 manual, and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The chassis was predictable, the powertrain willing, but sadly being rated at a lowly 33mpg knocked it out of contention. They don't tend to age well, but I'd still consider one for myself to this day. Honda was one of the worst for trying to test drive, and continues to be. I was tasked with narrowing cars down to finalists for my dad since work and commuting took up so much of his time. Out of all the dealers, Honda was the worst, turning me down to test the then-new Civic and Fit out in autumn of 2006. Nearly 20 years later, my niece had the same treatment from Honda. Needless to say, neither time did they get our business. With that said, the Fit was a great offering for the time, offering the first subcompact five-speed auto, first paddle shifts in an economy car, and of course the "Magic back seat." I do wish we had the chance, though the second generation Fit would have been a more dynamic choice (though the back end always seems a step behind the front end in enthusiastic transitions). The Civic was an amazing car at the time as well, with a commodious cabin for the class, good economy, sharp steering, etc... but again, Honda dealers left a bad taste in our mouth, and continue to. Besides, I've driven so many of those Civics when I worked at the auction, the interiors don't wear well, and working in automotive wholesale/reconditioning now, Honda still can't design a sun-visor that lasts. Be it a 2006 Civic, a 2017 Accord, or a 2021 HR-V, they always seem to go all floppy at the hinge... and they're a pain to replace. Just use screws like anyone else, Honda! Gah! All things considered, for their economy cars, I'd still consider the second and third generation Fit as an easy recommendation... and I'd also love a 2.0L Civic Si sedan as they really were that fun to wring out compared to what followed. Aveo and Reno never made our list to look at, and I'm glad. Aveo had a reputation for snapping timing belts prematurely, and the Reno was... well, I'm not even sure what. Sure, they both had some aesthetic appeal, but dynamically the Aveo was very much an appliance that offered a look of quality (like the wood trim and color options like mentioned in the review), but little in real substance. Seats weren't supportive in the Aveo, power never compelling even as it went up in ratings over time... it just never hit on what the Echo was for us. Regarding the Reno, it was more car and power than needed, a bit more of a styling exercise, not as economy minded. Honestly Suzuki never really seemed to have its own identity for it's vehicles. The Reno had a very Mazda6 tail-end, the Verona took a lot of 2002 Acura TL vibes inside and out, the Esteem (especially the wagon) looked very 1998 Subaru Legacy/Outback, Kizashi took a lot of Audi A4/VW Jetta, Aerio was very Echo-esque (but PORKY)... throw in that many were rebadged Daewoos (we shopped the Lanos against the Echo... oof), what was Suzuki doing? Admittedly I think the SX4 is cool, but again has an awkwardness to it like the Echo, but bigger (and no real economy to back it up). In fact, the SX4, Echo, and Corolla have interchangeable steering wheel stalks... talk about familiar. The interior at least has a budget German look to it, again like the Kizashi. I'd consider the SX4 Sportback or crossover, but mostly out our curiosity as alternatives to a Matrix, Fit, or Corolla. Our choice as a 2006 Echo replacement ended up being a 2006 Corolla S manual (which my sister still owns). Sure the design had been out since 2003, the interior is a dreary black in S trim (that shift knob is leather? Coulda fooled me), and some of the plastics can make for a lot of static charge (though not as bad as the Matrix... which has horrendous interior quality in my experience with them). The Corolla was still offering the acceleration performance and fuel economy figures of the new Civic (both around 40mpg estimated for manuals, and a 0-60 around 7.9 seconds-- both relative sleepers), and we already trusted the brand. My dad was/is on the older side, and unlike the low-slung Civic, the Corolla had the tall roof and high H-point for easy ingress and egress like the Echo. We never had a new car in the family before the Echo (and we actually wanted a green manual sedan, but no dealers had one in California). It always surprised us... still does some 24 years later. The space, fun, economy, reliability-- the Corolla just gave us that with a little more sophistication. Did it meet the same economy? Nope. But it was a relatively a comfy cruiser with more features like cruise, CD, power everything that was still willing enough on a twisty road. Our Echo was pretty basic, with options being A/C, floor mats, and apparently the rear window defroster and power steering were also options. Yaris sedan definitely upped its game on options (and sport options and TRD support, annoyingly). The Corolla was fun for what it was, but my dad always missed my little Echo every time he'd see me with it-- enough where he bought another one during covid (a manual 2001 sedan), and I upgraded a few things on it before he took it home (Corolla intermittent wiper stalk, Scion xA front seats, and Corolla S leather steering wheel). Echoes aren't going to be as safe, well equipped, or fashionable as some of the cars in this test, but somehow it's still under my skin as more enjoyable... I guess because it weighs under 2,100lbs but still has a biggish interior and trunk. When I feel like driving something faster and more comfortable, I have my BMW 128i coupe... which still doesn't put a smile on my face the same way.

[@TheGbeecher]

Comment much (?)...😅

[@jbar_85]

The Accent was so cute back then! I wanted to get that car back then.

[@davcuts2897]

17 years later and only the Versa is still around. Car manufactures decided everyone wants an SUV.

[@usersixtyseven]

the honda fit, toyota yaris, and hyundai accent are still for sale??

[@davcuts2897]

@@usersixtyseven not in the US. The Yaris is still available overseas, and the Honda Fit is sold as the Jazz in other parts of the world. I'm not sure if other countries still get the Accent.

[@jeepthing98]

Im surprised the Reno and Aveo only got 25-26 mpg. My VW Passat has a 2.0 T and I average 35mpg with an 18.5 gal tank. 600+ mile range.

[@davewilson7602]

I was just about to say I had a Passat that beat most of these on mileage 😂 too bad mine had a bunch of electrical issues so I sold it for a Honda. Other than the reliability I loved it

[@EricFortuneJr.]

Most of these little 1.5-1.6 liters have to work hard even just move 2500 lbs around and they work even harder at higher speeds. The Reno and Aveo probability got low mpg because the engineers didn’t really have a budget to design and fine tune the power train. They just put something together to get their foot in the segment while it was hot and make a profit.

[@DrCharlesMontague]

Most people don’t realize fuel economy isn’t 100% related to the size of the car. I had a BMW 318i that averaged 32 mpg on my commute, an Audi A4 that averaged as much as 34, a VW CC that averaged as high as 36, and later a Passat that averaged a staggering 39 on a long trip, even with an APR go-fast tune! These were sizable cars, but they were also of course more luxurious and expensive than the subcompacts tested here. Add height and weight though (SUVs), then you have a problem.

[@m00nkinftw]

Only ones worth buying are the Yaris and the Fit

[@gm12551]

$3 then is $4.50 now.

[@DrCharlesMontague]

$2.75 where I live right now! That’s an improvement!

[@jbar_85]

Even for 2006, how can a radio not be standard? I had a 2009 Yaris for 3 years. It wasn’t terrible but I did have AC issues.

[@jbar_85]

People are dumb because when gas goes down for 3 months they go and buy suvs and trucks only for gas to go up and then go on and complain about their low gas mileage. Boy bye! 😂

[@codycrawford2385]

The junk yard is full of every single one of these now why bc people don’t take care of anything even at its cheaper price

[@DrCharlesMontague]

It’s such a shame. Even cheap cars are expensive enough to deserve care. I don’t understand people’s throwaway mentality about things.

[@TheGbeecher]

Whatever possessed Toyota to design the goofy Yaris gauge cluster(?!) 😂 BTW - I drove a 2011 Hyundai Accent for a year or more...good car...❤

[@mitch9521]

Hyundai owners will hate on the Yaris center gauges but have you ever seen a broken down Yaris? Nope. Can't say the same about the Korean junk.

[@GeeEm1313]

Only the Versa and Fit were good. The Yaris was reliable, and the fuel economy was great, but everything else was only okay.

[@mitch9521]

Its an economy car doing economy car things, it wasn't trying to be upscale like the other goober mobiles that can't even get into the high 30s average LMAO. JUNK!

[@DrCharlesMontague]

Agreed. I remember when all of these were new, and I ran an import shop that worked on all of them. The Fit and Yaris were *the* most bulletproof, but the others weren’t exactly bad if people took some basic care of them. The worst thing about the Hyundai and Kia were the somewhat pricey (and crucial) timing belt replacements. Everything else was pretty solid. Versas were the most refined, and weren’t bad at all, but people treated them like garbage.