Lamenting the decline of the car

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

If you're concerned about the appearance of a truck buy a Honda Ridgeline: drives like a car yet carries enough for your Home Depot run.

For cars, I like hatchbacks. 2021 models I'm considering: VW Golf, Honda Fit (if still available), Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Crosstrek, Mercedes A Class.

This is what makes me happy about EVs. Eliminating the engine increases usable space. The ID3 is just slightly larger than a Golf. Usable space like a Passat sedan.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by wave46

I'm curious by what you mean by all-show, no go when referring to the Mazda.

I'd have to know more about his priorities before I make a recommendation.

Like handling better? Honda, Mazda or VW.

More engine and features? Probably shoot for the Koreans, like an Elantra or Forte.

Just a vanilla-mobile that'll be reliable? Toyota Corolla.

Something a bit more premium? The Subaru if you want AWD and Mercedes fit the bill.

I'm not a big fan of the new Mazda 3. It looks fantastic and has a class leading interior, and you could probably argue the top trim car is a near luxury vehicle at this point(which makes sense, given how they're pricing it). But you pay for those sloping rooflines when it comes to practicality. It's also not as fun to drive and throw around corners like previous 3s. Maybe its the new torsion beam suspension. It's also not very fuel efficient.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by theman23

I'm not a big fan of the new Mazda 3. It looks fantastic and has a class leading interior, and you could probably argue the top trim car is a near luxury vehicle at this point(which makes sense, given how they're pricing it). But you pay for those sloping rooflines when it comes to practicality. It's also not as fun to drive and throw around corners like previous 3s. Maybe its the new torsion beam suspension. It's also not very fuel efficient.

Odd, since I thought it was a rehash of the existing platform, rear suspension aside.

I have a 2015 model sedan and I've been quite happy with the fuel economy, but I've the 2.0L engine.

Compared to something like a Protege, my era 3 feels softer. I'd say it drives quite confidently on the highway, but doesn't handle like it's on rails.

It's a shame to hear they've further softened it. I know they've tried to reduce road noise in their newer models (my car is quite loud inside), so softening things up and adding sound deadening might help there.

[ssiguy]

In terms of imports, there really is no such thing as a "lemon" anymore. The problem is the designs. They are basically all the same...........truly a study of beige.

[theman23]

Not really unique to modern cars. In fact, probably better now. Current model Mazda 6 vs Toyota Camry have far less in common in design than a Mazda 626 and Camry from the 1990s.

[jamincan]

I drive a Golf and love it. I think the more recent models are slightly larger than mine (I have a Mk7), but even mine feels super roomy. If the back seat is dropped, I can easily fit two bikes in the back, and if I'm only loading my bike, I can easily fit it with the wheels on as well. It's also been pretty good on maintenance. I'm close to 250k on it now with the only major work done being new brake rotors.

[Doug]

Recently crossed 500K km on a 2008 Mazda5. Other than tires and oil changes, this vehicle has cost next to nothing to run, not bad for a $15k purchase in 2013.

[drew]

^ Nothing wrong with Mazda's. Their major weakness is how fast they will start to rust out as compared to other manufacturer's (Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc.).

At least based on Winnipeg observations.

I tried to find a used Mazda5 of that vintage locally a few years ago. Gave up as they all had some degree of rust.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

This is what makes me happy about EVs. Eliminating the engine increases usable space. The ID3 is just slightly larger than a Golf. Usable space like a Passat sedan.

Frunks are awesome. Can't wait to see the capacity on some SUV and truck models.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Frunks are awesome.

Not just storage. Literal cabin space. The ID3 is a cm shorter than the Golf. But it's got the wheelbase of a Passat and is 2 cm wider and 8 cm taller. So the cabin is huge compared to the Golf.

On the Mustang Mach E, they put in a liner and a drain plug. You can literally use the frunk as a cooler.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by esquire

On the subject of station wagons, it's curious that no one really markets them anymore. You can get slightly elongated hatchbacks but a true station wagon is a really rare sight these days, at least in Manitoba.

Contrast that with Europe where they are a pretty standard car category to this day. They seem like a pretty desirable type of vehicle for urban dwellers who can use some extra cargo room but don't really need a SUV or crossover. And having rented a couple of station wagons while overseas over the years, they drive nicely and not so much like a bulky minivan as is often the case with SUVs.

You'd think there would be a bit of an opportunity here...

Americans love for plodding crossovers and SUVs killed wagons here. Sadly because the USA doesn't want it, Canada likely won't get the stunning VW Arteon Shooting Brake (aka wagon):

[IMG]arteon shootingbrake by whatnextyvr, on Flickr[/IMG]

Image credit: https://www.autoevolution.com/

[ssiguy]

Looks decent but just standard fare. Lets face it, if you took off the VW icon at the front this could be any car on the planet.

Thinking about the cars of the 1970s is not "rose coloured glasses" because the cars really were different with a dizzying number of designs, sizes, styles, and makers.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Anyone buying the new Bronco?

I want a base model 2 door painted army green.

Honestly, the more I look at it, the more attractive it gets. Though if I pull the trigger I'll wait for the rumoured plug in Bronco Sport. I'm really liking what they have done with the Bronco lineup.

With this and the Mustang Mach E, Ford is showing some real innovation these days.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Looks decent but just standard fare. Lets face it, if you took off the VW icon at the front this could be any car on the planet.

Thinking about the cars of the 1970s is not "rose coloured glasses" because the cars really were different with a dizzying number of designs, sizes, styles, and makers.

That's debatable. The 1970s was pretty homogenized pablum for the era. Gaudy and ugly to boot (opera windows, anyone?)

A median 1970s-era Detroit sedan was probably some body-on-frame (fine, Chrysler had unibodies), rear-wheel drive, inline-six or V8 powered beast. Even Toyota was pretty much rear-drive, inline-four cars.

Aside from oddballs like the Oldsmobile Toronado/Cadillac Eldorado (which had their genesis in the 1960s), the truly innovative stuff was the VW Golf and Honda Civic/Accord at the time. Transverse engine, front-drive. Bonkers for the era.

Now the 1960s had some variety. Rear-engine, aircooled VWs and Chevrolet Corvairs. Turbocharged V8s (Oldsmobile Jetfire). The debut of the Mini, a front-engine, front-wheel drive car. The Olds Toronado/Cadillac Eldorado front-drive cars. Detroit producing a sophisticated overhead-cam inline-six (Pontiac, 1966). GM alone had several different designs of automatic transmissions.

Today, the technology is working in different directions. Underneath, something like a hybrid is hugely complex. My 'lament' is that the market is trending away from the small, light cars of the 1990s towards the SUV-style of things. Now, I get that the era one grows up in kind of sets the default tone for one's life and that change in inevitable. But still, there's something so light, tossable and airy about a 1990s/early 2000s Honda Civic or Mazda Protege. SUVs feel ponderous and weighty.

[Truenorth00]

Disagree. I'm an 80s kid. I don't like most 80s cars.

[urbandreamer]

Someone in Waterloo drives a bright blue Mustang Mach E - probably a software engineer testing the QNX interface.

Windsor is car city: it was cool to see so many cars from the 90s still on the roads in good shape.

I'm a 70s kid: cars from the 80s seemed so futuristic and sleek compared to the clunkers from the 70s. eg 1983 Audi 5000, 1985 Dodge Lancer, '85 Mercedes E, '86 Ford Taurus, '88 Honda Civic, 1989 Mitsubishi Eclipse, '89/90 Pontiac Transport, etc. I obsessively collected car brochures during this period.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I'm a 70s kid: cars from the 80s seemed so futuristic and sleek compared to the clunkers from the 70s. eg 1983 Audi 5000, 1985 Dodge Lancer, '85 Mercedes E, '86 Ford Taurus, '88 Honda Civic, 1989 Mitsubishi Eclipse, '89/90 Pontiac Transport, etc. I obsessively collected car brochures during this period.

Don't forget:
- Ford Probe
- Nissan Pulsar NX
- Toyota MR2
- Pontiac Fiero
- Acura Integra
- BMW M3
- Delorian DMC-12
- Honda CRX
- Mazda RX7
- Merkur XR4Ti
- Toyota Celica Supra

It was a great decade for neat looking cars. Generally not the most reliable ones, though.

My favorite wall poster at the time was of the Peugeot Proxima concept car.

[urbandreamer]

My favourite Cadillac of the era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fTbA-eYD5o

On highway 86 west of Molesworth I like to stop and admire the huge collection of 80s and 90s cars at 86 Auto Recyclers, including many of my favourite 1980s sports car: Porsche 928. Also loved the Fiero, MR2, '88 CRX, '93 Ford Probe GT, '87 Mustang, '90 300Z.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Looks decent but just standard fare. Lets face it, if you took off the VW icon at the front this could be any car on the planet.

Thinking about the cars of the 1970s is not "rose coloured glasses" because the cars really were different with a dizzying number of designs, sizes, styles, and makers.

Yes and no. There was little external difference between a mid 70's Sedan de Ville, Electra or Olds 98 except the end caps. And as much as I love the styling of those barges, they were generally shite to drive. My Gran Torino with its athsmatic 400 ci V8 couldn't wheeze out as much horsepower as my current ride's turbo 2 litre four cylinder. My dad's Caprice Classic would shudder and rattle over every bump in the road in a way that no modern car owner would find acceptable.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Yes and no. There was little external difference between a mid 70's Sedan de Ville, Electra or Olds 98 except the end caps. And as much as I love the styling of those barges, they were generally shite to drive. My Gran Torino with its athsmatic 400 ci V8 couldn't wheeze out as much horsepower as my current ride's turbo 2 litre four cylinder. My dad's Caprice Classic would shudder and rattle over every bump in the road in a way that no modern car owner would find acceptable.

People forget how inefficient, unreliable and deadly those cars were. To some extent, cars are more bland today because standards for them are dramatically higher. There's actual shape requirements driven by pedestrian collision data and aerodynamics for fuel efficiency. And to keep costs low, carmakers have to share development costs across several brands, using a common platform. That leads to more homogenization. You can get more interesting cars, if you're willing to pay for them.