Do You Like Small Cars? Does Anybody?

I love small cars because they are (typically) a hoot to drive in the real world, and they're not the penalty boxes that they were even 5-10 years ago. As proof I submit the 1-series, C30, and Mini.

Depends on how you define "small". Except for width, Lotus Elise, Porsche 911, Honda S2000, BMW 135i and Z4 are all smaller than a Nissan Versa. A Ferrari F430 is only an inch and a half longer.

What a load of toilet paper so journalists can get paid. I know, you gotta crank out a piece of writing to fill the spaces or you don't generate income for the paper and you get fired for being dead weight. We all have job pressure like that. Just make something, even if it's crap.

Mazda Mazda3 -3%: Mazda's #1 seller.
Toyota Corolla -11%: Toyota's #2 seller, behind Camry -38%.
Honda Civic -33%: Honda's #2 seller, behind Accord -37%.
Ford Focus -37%: Ford's #3 seller, behind F -48%, Escape -27%.

The story's probably based off of the experience of dealers who overstocked. Kinda like automakers who don't predict supply and demand correctly, who drew a simple minded exponential graph and don't realize that most growth curves are sigmoid and level out.
"At this rate, we'll be moving 200,000 compact cars a month by next month if we extrapolate the line on this graph! ya!"

I like the Mazda3, C30, A4, IS, G.

It's not just Europe.. did you know 60% of cars sold in Canada are small cars?

The top selling car is the Civic followed by the Mazda3 or Corolla (depending on the list).

1:Honda Civic
2:Toyota Corolla
3:Mazda 3
4:Toyota Yaris
5:Chevy Cobalt
6:Hyundai Accent
7:Pontiac G5
8:Toyota Camry
9:Nissan Versa
10:Ford Focus

I've noticed that Americans place a much higher value on status and image when choosing cars then Canadians. We look at it in a practical way and see no negative image problem with a hatchback or other small car. (I think that's why minivans are still strong sellers and full size SUV's never were)

Personally I would buy a Mazda3 over a Mazda6, a Civic or Fit over an Accord and a Mini over a 3 series anytime.

I've never seen the advantage of a midsize over a small car. They don't really seat anymore people or offer more useable space in most cases. They can be more comfortable but you loose the light nimble feel of a compact.

It's an easy choice to go for lower price, better mileage and fun to drive.

Well in the USA, the midsize offers more safety against the other vehicles in the USA.
Like the dirt cheap Explorers and Tahoes. They're everywhere. Because they're dirt cheap.

Sometimes it's scary to think about the Tahoe with the person with the cell phone and the ipod and the chatting buddy and the navigation system sitting in the left front seat sitting in a laid back position and blasting those subs.

That's the advantage. Thanks.

I loooove small cars. The smaller the better, frankly, as long as I can fit inside.

I think it's safe to say small cars have evolved in recent years. I'm 6' and thick around the middle, and I have felt comfortable in several small cars that I have sat in recently. Years ago, that wasn't necessarily the case. Also safety systems in small cars afford better survivability odds than in years past. So, I think it's a stigma that shoppers have against small cars.

But, as billt9 talks about. The looming shadow of monsterous SUVs on the road can put the fear of death in an Aveo driver. A used bigger car offers piece of mind, same price, and more presense to car shoppers.

"Everyone always uses Europe as an example, but you know what rich people in Europe drive? S-Class sedans, and 7 Series sedans and A8s. And if they're really rich - Jeep Grand Cherokees."

What's your point? You know what rich people drive in the US? S-Class sedans, 7 series and Lexus. Really rich drive Bentleys.
What does that mean? That we drive what we choose only because we can't afford a Bentley? Amazing analysis..

"Regular" people in Europe drive small cars. They don't pick trucks. And I've seen their reaction to cool small cars like MINIs and the new Fiat 500. They go nuts for them.

I've driven the current Civic, Mazda3 and Hyundai Accent. All great cars in their own way, and for the most part they are roomy enough.

I wanted to get my wife a Ford Fusion, as they get solid ratings, and are very attractively priced now. However, she is smitten by the Honda Civic. I was concerned about the utility of a small car for a family, but the back seat is roomy, and the trunk is sizeable with a low overhang. I think I do like small cars!

The salesman said it has a high-strength steel beam located high around the engine compartment to prevent being "mounted" by larger vehicles. I'm not sure anything would stop an SUV, however!

Excluding my wife's truck, the roomiest car I've owned is a '07 Focus.

Woah, lots of angry reaction here!

I think the point is that last year small cars were THE talk of the automotive market, and whether or not that will continue to be the case. Typically small cars sell because they are cheap, not because they are necessarily what people want most (why does walmart sell more than sears? It sure ain't the quality or style...). Last year though, the civic was THE best selling car for a while: that likely shows that it wasn't just people who couldn't afford the accord buying civics.

I personally don't think the US automotive market should ever look like the European market: far to big of geography differences (and I have lived both in Europe and the east coast US). Europeans don't spend as much time in their cars because they don't need to. Stores and employers are much closer together, so scooters serve as the economy cars of Europe. In the US, we aren't as densely populated. I spend hours on the highway in order to visit family: there is no way even a nice compact like a mini would be ideal for me, or the many americans like me (particularly if I had kids in the backseat for hours on end).

"But, as billt9 talks about. The looming shadow of monsterous SUVs on the road can put the fear of death in an Aveo driver. A used bigger car offers piece of mind, same price, and more presense to car shoppers."

I've known a lot of Americans over the years and I've never found them to be nervous or timid people. The thought of them being afraid to drive a small car is hard to believe.

I don't think this is just a small car/big car thing. I think it is also difference in how each culture sees the "specialness" of cars.

In America, driving a car is assumed as a right. Everyone drives, and everyone owns at least one car (not saying that's true, just what the perception is). Most drivers don't actually care about their car though. That's one reason you see so many junky cars in the U.S. Everyone must have a vehicle of some sort, even if they don't want to maintain it or can't afford to. Even driving the car while you're in the driver's seat is a pretty low priority, slotting in below talking on one's cell phone/texting, slurping the starbucks, applying makeup, reading the newspaper, etc.

When I lived in Europe, it seemed to me driving and owning a car was regarded much more as a privilege, or an option for those who really wanted to. At dinner one night at Oxford's University Church another student asked me if many students in America owned cars. She was surprised when I said yes. She stopped talking to me when I said two, as she thought I was yanking her chain. (In my defense I'm trying to sell one of them...)

So in America, no matter what you're going to drive something. If you can't afford to maintain it, you won't. You go for the biggest thing you can, just because it is your right, even if you have to cheap out to do it.

In Europe, I saw almost no junky cars. Sure, there were plenty of older ones, but most were well maintained. Since a car is optional, if you're going to do it you do it right. You buy something that suits your needs and is practical in your environment, but it is going to be nice. You won't cheap out and sacrifice quality just for size.

As far as 7 series drivers, yes rich people drive them in Europe, because rich people can afford to. In the U.S., on the other hand, a 7 series driver is either a blond 17 year old princess texting her bffs and sipping a frappachino, and the plates read FRMDADY, or the 7 series has 30 inch chrome wheels with rubber band tires, crazy bright pink or purple metallic paint, cheap and painful aftermarket HIDs, and limo tinted windows with the name of some custom shop splashed across the rear window, and it will be repo'd in 5 days.

Americans, usually figuratively, but occasionally literally, LIVE in their cars. So, driving something that is as big as a house seems to make sense.

That being said, I hate driving a vehicle that's too big. Usually they feel less responsive to the driver's input, and are horrible pains to maneuver anywhere other than on the highway.

But to address the issue of safety... Many US studies have shown larger vehicles to be safer vehicles. But I wonder if any of them have neutralized the demographics of who is buying which vehicles? Younger, more inexperienced buyers are generally not in the bigger vehicles. And I can guarantee you that a safe and attentive driver is the most important safety feature you can install in your vehicle!

I personally downsized from a Passat to a 4-Door GTI and while I miss some of the luxury conveniences of the Passat, I wholly appreciate the better mileage, increased practicality (Hatch versus Sedan Boot) and more spirited handling of the GTI. The only regret I have about purchasing the GTI is I wish I could have got it with 4-Motion and the 2.0T, but VWAG calls that an A3 and prices it ridiculously more for identical mechanicals...

I wish to comment on the safety issue people keep talking about here. Sure, big cars may offer you more crumple zone or more shear mass to protect its occupants, but don't forget that an aspect of safety is being able to AVOID the accident in the first place. In this case, most (not all) small cars excel over larger vehicles. With less inertia to change direction and often times quicker steering ratios, your Honda Fit is going to react quicker than your Honda Pilot.

Also, I should note that I really enjoy being able to park anywhere I see a spot...=)

I love small cars - this is a fact I make known on a regular basis here on Edmunds. I think that, for the most part, people in North America overestimate the size of vehicle they need. I own a MINI, and I rent a moving truck for the 1 day a year I actually have to move some furniture. All the talk about living with a small car isn't just fluff - it really can be done. Obviously its not for everyone, but even driving a smallER vehicle in general is a good thing. Is there a real need for the Accord to be so large right now? What happened to 10 years ago when the Accord, Malibu, etc were sort of mid-sized? Now we have a Civic as big as an old Accord.