Microcars: Little Cars, Big Savings
The price of gas is so high some of drivers are looking for smaller cars that don't need as much. And just in time, automakers have a batch of small cars on the market.
David Champion, the director of Consumer reports' auto test facility, has been checking them out and showed The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm some small, affordable options.
"Japan and Europe have been way ahead of the game," Champion explains. "Fuel prices over there are $5, $6, $7 a gallon. You can't afford to buy big vehicles and drive them around. They've got a little bit of a jump. Ford's got the Focus in that market, which is pretty good, and Chevrolet has the Aveo, although that's actually built in Korea."
Not coincidentally, all but one of the microcars Champion brought to The Early Show was built in Japan.
The first car he showcased is the Toyota Yaris. "It's pretty small. Sort of weird driving position," Champion notes. " When you're driving, the steering wheel seems very far away from you. It gets a bit tiring on a journey. There's a sort of strange, centrally mounted speedometer. It does come with nice little features — cup holders and pockets for all sorts of things here and there— that makes it very easy to live with."
Champion thinks the car will get gas mileage around the mid-30s per gallon. The vehicle sells for about $12,500.
As far as handling, Champion says it's pretty good. "A little tiring on the run. For zipping around town, it's great fun," he adds.
The second vehicle he brought is the Honda Fit, which is actually a little bit bigger.
"It's got some really sort of interesting features. The interior is very nicely done. But in the rear, you can either fold the seats flat to give you lots of room. When you put them up, you can actually fold the seat base up, and you've got nice room that you can put a bike or anything like that. Or you can actually pull these down, and it's a pretty roomy rear seat," Champion explains.
As far as gas mileage, Consumer Reports is predicting around the mid-30's; the sticker price is around $14,000 to $15,000, depending on options,
The third model Champion showcased is the Nissan Versa, which has just come out. Champion likes the car, since it is quite roomy inside.
"And for $14,000 that, you know, for the size and the amount of room and the features in it, it's an excellent deal. We're thinking it's going to be around 30 miles per gallon," Champion says.
He took the Versa for a spin and says it handled quite nicely at freeway speeds. "And, you know, you can use it just as a normal car. It's relatively quiet. It actually comes with a six-speed manual gear box or a variable transmission," he adds.
Speaking about safety, Champion says all the cars come with front air bags. "Most of them come with side curtain air bags as well, which is really important in a side impact. Again, the smaller, the lighter the car, if you're in a multi-vehicle crash, the more vulnerable you're going to be over a much larger car," he explains.
"With all the crash tests that are done these days and the side curtain air bags, they've really sort of spent a lot of time making them as safe as possible. But, you know, it is a small car. A lot of accidents are single-vehicle crashes or front to rear, where they would be just as good as anything else. Side crashes, with side curtain air bags, you should be OK," Champion says.
The last car Champion brought along is currently not on sale in the United States but has been a common sight on European streets for years. It's the Smart Car, a tiny two-seater.
"It's been built in Europe for a number of years now. It comes with a small, three-cylinder diesel engine and gets about 45 miles per gallon. One of the features is it's about as long as most cars are wide," Champion says. "So instead of having to parallel park it, you can actually nose it in, and away you go"
Speaking of safety, Champion says, "This, of course, hasn't been crash-tested here, and we don't have any figures on it. In Europe, it did reasonably well in the crash tests they've done over there, which are pretty similar to ours. In general, yes, you're very small, but it seems to be a very strong structure. Once you're inside it."
Asked if we might see the Smart Car will come to the U.S., Champion says, "Maybe not this generation, but in maybe a couple of years time. Something similar to this."
Editor's Note: DaimlerChrysler, the parent company of the Smart Car, recently announced plans to sell the car in the United States, beginning in 2008.