Its Baaaaack: Best Compact Car

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
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Unfortunatley, the US EPA standards qualify these cars as Subcompacts and Compacts.... Us big ass americans. :dopey:
 
Honda Jazz/Fit

japan-car-honda-fit-jazz.jpg


Pretty much because it is the only small car I have had any experience with recenlty. I had one as a loan car for a long weekend in the country and it was superb. Economical, roomy and fun to drive.
 
My nomination is the New Vauxhall Corsa VXR.

CorsaVXR_5.jpg


190bhp
1.6 turbo
£15625
140mph
0-60 in 6.8

Direct competition to the Mini Cooper S from the looks of things.
 
I'll back up the Golf/Rabbit, add the GTi to the mix as well. I think it's the best thing going right now, lots of charisma, brand character and well-built to boot. I'd get one if I had the cash.
 
Jim Prower
I'll back up the Golf/Rabbit, add the GTi to the mix as well. I think it's the best thing going right now, lots of charisma, brand character and well-built to boot. I'd get one if I had the cash.
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The GTi doesn't fit under the price limit in any region.
 
OH, Price limit. didn't see THAT.

But it's essentially the same car...just more powerful...
 
Maybe the nominations should be for model rather than trim level (ie Golf rather than Golf GTi) ?
 
toyomatt84
Nice try...

Changing the price range after my post... really mature there, bud.
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I didn't change the price one bit there bucko... It helps to read the first post completely before posting. I'm not certain if a moderator can track the changes I made at the different times, but the prices had remained the same since I started the thread. The only things I changed was the position of the pictures of the Golf/Rabbit from left to center, mainly so the post looked a bit more reasonable.

So, I'm happy to have the Civic in here, but the Si and Type-R both fall short in the pricing game. Quite frankly, the best Golf/Rabbit does as well, as the GTI is out of the running too.

...Better luck next time...

TheCracker
I think the given pricing levels are always going to cause problems. You can get a 150bhp 2.5ltr Golf/Rabbit in the US for $14,990 - $5k under your $20k limit. In the UK, our £16k limits us to a 113bhp 1.6ltr Golf! - hardly gives us a level playing field does it?
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TheCracker
Maybe the nominations should be for model rather than trim level (ie Golf rather than Golf GTi) ?
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The plan was to use a benchmark car (in this case the Golf/Rabbit) for what we're looking for, attempt to get a decent spread on the pricing, and thereby try to cover as much of the field as I can. The problem is that cars that are technically the same are likely to be very different in each region (to my knowledge our Golf is the only one with the 2.5L), and throw in the crazy factors like currency rates and taxes on the different cars, and you've got yourself quite a mess.

Using whatcar.co.uk and edmunds.com I usually try to find the benchmark car to measure the class by, check through prices on the similar models, and then compare to prices in Germany as well. In this case, I checked the Golf out in fairly similar specs in all regions, checked the competition, and went on from there. With the GBP being worth about $2 USD, it makes direct pricing tricky to work out, so picking a higher-end Golf and adding 1K GBP seemed to cover most of the segment, however with the EUR worth about $1.20 USD, the price differences were minimal.

I'll refine the process as I go, but for now the pricing limits have not changed, will not change, and therefore stand as they were when I first posted.

£16,000 GBP, €20,000 EUR, and $20,000 USD
 
The fact that the Civic Si/Type-R is too expensive, as is the GTI, is the reason I agreed with YSSMAN's Rabbit. The base Civic coupes and sedans just aren't as good as the Rabbit.
 
800px-Renault_Clio_2006_silver_vl.jpg


Well what else would I vote for?

The Clio III takes what was good about the previous Clios, made it bigger and better but added innovative new features and a quality hike into the mix.
Throw in an engaging drive, a base price of less than £7500 and an enviable safety record, and you're on to the most well-rounded small hatchback of the 21st century.

Also, the Renaultsport Clio 197 fits comfortably into the price limitations, however I am advocating the "normal" Clio range.
 
I had considered the Clio at one point... But after remembering that I've never seen one in person, much less know much about the car altogether, nominating it would have been suicide.

...Same goes for the C4. I love it, but I couldn't nominate. Anyone else care to add some French models?
 
I had to think about it a lot Brad, there's some very worthy options in the compact sector.

But sub-10k for this kind of quality is amazing (for the UK anyway)
renault_clio_interior_16_06_05.jpg


It's even nice quality materials, AND well screwed together.
 
I still haven't driven a 3 yet. I loved the Protoge before it (we nearly bought a Protoge5, same can be said of a 6), so I would hope the 3 would be just as good, if not better. The Mazda will have legs, I hope, but I'm still in assumption that this will be a runoff between the Golf and the Civic.

We'll see...
 
The Seat is one brilliant looking machine. And really if you think about it Europe just has the best "compact" cars around. They have literally everything in this thread so far--while America (and other parts of the world) fall hideously short.

I'd be very stressed out having to choose which of those hatches to buy if I was in the UK--such good competition over there.
 
The French cars, I'm guessing, would probably be winning me over if I lived elsewhere in the world. One look at the C4 gets me all squiggly inside, not to mention the other awesome Renaults and Peugeots that sadly aren't sold here.

(Yes, I know they aren't that good... But they're different!)

It would be a very tough segment to shop in indeed, and it is truly part of the reason why I picked my starting-point here...
 
Sage
Niky’s right.
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Hahaha... another biased vote for the Mazda... :grin:

----

I think the prices are always going to be problematic (and no, toyomatt, YSSMAN didn't change the prices... they were that way from the beginning).

It's probably best if we follow in the spirit and philosophy of what YSSMAN is trying to do... this is "Best Compact Car"... not "Best Sport Compact" or "Best Hot Hatch".

No be-winged, turbocharged or fully-loaded wondercars here... just the top-of-the-line "regular" cars.

We can hash out the "Hot" ones in the next thread. :sly:
 
Fine. I choose the regular Swift or the regular Fiesta or the regular Seat Cupra.
 
Just to clue everybody in... Even if you nominated a hot version of the car, I was just going to use the blanket standard anyway...

I'll give the thread the rest of the day to add more nominations if people need them, otherwise we'll just move on to the next round tonight...
 
oh... right....

so if the base level of the car is under the price you said, it counts? Like if the base price for a car is 19,999€, it's valid?
 
-> What are the bases on this nomination? Performance? Practicallity? Most affordable? Or the best balance out of everything? But anyways I would nominate these cars by category:

Performance

Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart Version-R
colt_20060823.jpg

^ 5-doors, Evo spirit, and practical. These are the main reasons on why the Colt Ver-R is amazing. I keep on wondering on why they can't release it outside Japan.

Practicality

Honda Fit/Jazz 1.5L VTEC
honda_fit.jpg

^ Despite its age, its still a benchmark for other rivals to follow. Interior flexibility is just second to none. Its not just cheap, but its fun to drive as well. Packaging is also excellent, it beats out my WRX for petes sake!

Most Affordable (tie)

Hyundai Accent 1.5L CRDi GLS (diesel)
20061214123359Accent_2006.jpg

^ Who needs a overhyped Hybrid when you have this? I know, to most people, Hyundai are crap and don't give a ****. But a B-segment that is diesel that is MPG galore!

Volkwagen Polo 1.9L TDI
norm_10_Polo_TDI_2005_Eu.jpg

^ If most people can't trust Hyundai well heres an alternative, why can't VW USA offer this car here?

-> I think of all the cars that are listed above I would vote for the Fit for the gas powered and Polo TDI as the diesel.

(:
 
-Diego-
oh... right....

so if the base level of the car is under the price you said, it counts? Like if the base price for a car is 19,999€, it's valid?
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I'd personally prefer it so that you could get a car you'd actually want to buy for the same price. You know, no crank windows, probably are going to want things like A/C, etc.

As long as it costs less than 20K USD, 20K UR, and 16K GBP, fits the class requirement, then I'm okay with it...

The Vanishing Boy
-> What are the bases on this nomination? Performance? Practicallity? Most affordable? Or the best balance out of everything?
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You're going to want the best overall car for the money. Of course, personal definitions are going to decide what you personally believe to be the best car in a given category...

Oh, and please limit your nominations to just one car...
 
It's so obviously the Mk2 Ford Focus.

800px-2006_Ford_Focus_XR5_Turbo.JPG


(ST pictured, but not intended to be representative)


Though it's a family car, like the Mazda 3, VW Golf and Honda Civic, rather than the smaller Fiesta, Corsa, Swift, Jazz and Ibiza (and there's still a class below that).

For a massively-produced vehicle, it has class-leading build quality, equipment, ride, comfort and handling. It's like its sister Mazda3, but with almost all the dials turned up just one click. And it made the Golf V's lifespan 3 years shorter.
 
Famine
It's so obviously the Mk2 Ford Focus.

800px-2006_Ford_Focus_XR5_Turbo.JPG


For a massively-produced vehicle, it has class-leading build quality, equipment, ride, comfort and handling. It's like its sister Mazda3, but with almost all the dials turned up just one click. And it made the Golf V's lifespan 3 years shorter.
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...And its still one of the best cars that SHOULD be sold in the United States, and ISN'T. Oh, that and the Mondeo too...
 

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