2.0 liter engines are better than <2.0 liter engines.

1/22/2010 1:23:36 AM

it's kind of an amazing achievement for an automotive manufacturer. A heavy two seater, even though it's FWD. A hybrid, yet relatively poor gas mileage. A "sports car" with hardly any power or acceleration.

1/22/2010 12:40:59 PM

an economy car that isnt cheap.

1/22/2010 1:21:31 PM

I'm gonna reserve judgment on this until some driving impressions come back. acceleration numbers aren't everything. My wife's 1999 miata apparently couldn't get to 60 any quicker than around 7.5 seconds when it was doing the rounds of magazine testing in 1999. It's plenty thrilling despite that. So maybe 8.3 seconds might be ok. It's certainly quicker than most vehicles purpose-designed to be mild-hybrids. The stock honda insight (which can manage 40/43) needs nearly 11 seconds. The only car I can think of that provides roughly this combination of mpg and accel is the current mini cooper, with (manual specs) 28/37 and 0-60=8.5s. But the cooper does have a back seat. And it is about $3-4k cheaper. And yeah, there is the fit, which is way cheaper and manages 27/33 and accelerates nearly as quickly... and has a lot more room. But the crz is much lower and a little wider.... so maybe it'll be more fun.

Just thought of another one: the new Golf and Jetta TDI can be had for around 23k, and those manage 30/42. And vw.com says the 0-60 is around 8.6 seconds. So you could think of this as a 2 seat, revvier alternative to a golf tdi. It might be fun.

I DO wish that it looked more like the 1999 honda spocket (sp) concept:


you gotta agree that if they aren't going to have a coupe roofline but make the car this big, and yet, not provide a back seat, then it might as well have a mini truck bed. therefore, the spocket.



[Edited on January 22, 2010 at 3:11 PM. Reason : added pics]

1/22/2010 3:01:03 PM

The Fit's 0-60 is in the mid 8s. It has more room and is larger than the CR-Z, and has less power.

I'm not seeing the point of this car.

1/22/2010 4:09:50 PM

It's a sports car... It's supposed to be small on the inside.

1/22/2010 8:08:35 PM

Quote :

"My wife's 1999 miata apparently couldn't get to 60 any quicker than around 7.5 seconds when it was doing the rounds of magazine testing in 1999."

Your wife's car is a go kart, and there's something to be said for that. It isn't a 2 seater FWD weighing in at a portly 2700 lbs.

1/23/2010 8:54:40 AM