CARS
The Incredible
Shrinking Automobile
ROAD TRIPPIN’
Big Auto sobers up
and goes green.
A peppy new car class may be just what the doctor ordered for auto sales
No matter what happens to the price of gas, the era of the oversize waning and that maybe, just maybe, America is starting to catch
automobile is over. The foreseeable future is one in which trucks and on to what Europe has long known: Small cars can actually be cool
SUVs are pushed into their respective niches and utilized by those (see The Italian Job).
who need them (farmers and construction workers) and not by Just a few years ago, the Mini Cooper was an adorable oddity.
those who just like the look of them (your wife). Today, it seems downright large next to some of the cars being
In 2008, passenger cars outsold SUVs for the first time this hawked. And more are on the way, including a reborn Ford Fiesta
decade. More than 460,000 subcompacts were sold; that’s about (in 2010), a microcar from GM (in 2011), and any number of electric
a 20 percent increase in a year in which overall industry sales were minicars from start-up companies such as Think. But forget the
down 18 percent. It says that the bigger-is-better philosophy is future. Here’s the best of what’s out there right now. JOSH DEAN
FOR THE CHILD FREE
Smart Fortwo
So small, it’s in a class of
its own…literally. In the
Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety rankings,
the Smart is the lone
microcar, and the Fortwo
(get it?) took its licks well,
earning “good” ratings for
front and side impacts.
Three feet shorter than the
Mini Cooper and roughly
700 pounds lighter, it
combines the advantages
of a motorcycle with the
safety features of a car.
MPG: 33/41
Base price: $11,990
FOR THE SAFE T Y CONSCIOUS
Honda Fit
The 2009 Fit is the
Insurance Institute of
Highway Safety’s top mini-
car pick. It’s the only one
among its peers to receive
the top rating of “good”
for front, side, and rear
collisions. It also has a 117-
horsepower four-cylinder
engine, a hatchback, more
than 50 total cubic feet of
cargo volume, and a zillion
options (including
satellite-linked navigation
and an iPod jack).
MPG: 27/33
Base price: $14,750
FOR THE SINGLE-CHILD POPULIS T
Toyota Yaris
America’s best-selling
subcompact— 102,000
were sold last year—gets
a new body style for 2009.
The five-door “liftback”
is essentially a slightly
elongated version of
the existing three-door
hatchback, plus two doors.
The five-door Yaris can seat
up to four people, plus a
dog (or a pile of groceries)
in the rear. Side air bags,
antilock brakes, and an iPod
jack come standard.
MPG: 29/36
Base price: $12,205
FOR THE VERMON TER
Suzuki SX- 4 Crossover
The SX- 4 is the cheapest
four-wheel-drive vehicle
on the market and is plenty
capable for weekend ski
trips or even a full season
of Montana living, as long
as you don’t need to haul a
horse trailer. It has ample
storage (via hatchback),
seating for five, and
standard navigation, all in
a package you can easily
parallel park on the street
if you happen to live in
Boston or Berkeley.
MPG: 21/28
Base price: $16,500
FOR THE SOCCER DAD
Mazda 5
The 5 is a peculiar beast.
Looking at its shape, you’d
think, Subcompact? But
consider the sliding rear
doors and three rows of
seats, one of which folds
down to create 44 cubic
feet of cargo space, and
you can’t help but wonder,
Minivan? (Emphasis on
mini.) Both would be right.
In industry jargon, the 5
inhabits an altogether new
category of MAV (i.e.,
multiactivity vehicle).
MPG: 22/28
Base price: $18,665
THE INTELLIGENT DRIVER
Best way to boost fuel efficiency
You don’t have to buy a minicar to help do your part for
Mother Nature. The Blade is an aftermarket device that
attaches to your car’s tailpipe and helps filter pollutants
from the exhaust stream. It also improves fuel efficiency
by shortening the duration of your car’s wasteful cold-
start period, when fuel burn and particulate emissions are
both at their worst. The Blade looks a little like a gun
silencer and is the first such tool to meet the EPA’s 511
Protocol. According to Sabertec, the device’s Austin,
Texas–based manufacturer, the Blade reduces CO
2
emissions by up to 12 percent and improves fuel economy
by up to 12 percent, depending on the make and model of
your car. What’s more, it costs only $199. Its filter lasts
about a year and costs only $20 to replace when it’s, well,
exhausted. bladeyourride.com J .D .
