Car shopping
Been checking out cars in preparation for my move to California. The ones I've test-driven include:
Toyota Yaris 5-dr hatchback, automatic transmission. I liked the inside - pretty roomy for a tiny hatchback, comfortable seats, nice arm rest. Small trunk, unless the seats are folded down. Am a little worried about the placement of the cupholders - they fold down from the dashboard, which seems like a spill waiting to happen. I didn't like how it drove though. Seemed really underpowered when accelerating, and it was quite noisy. Also has a nasty blind spot behind the driver.
Honda Fit hatchback, manual. Probably my favorite in terms of how smartly it's laid out inside. These things are huge when you consider how small they are outside. Also: convenient controls, nice door pockets, comfortable. Drove okay - I expected it to be quite noisy (small Hondas often are) and it wasn't really, seemed to have adequate power. One complaint was that the engine was quite noisy when accelerating. Transmission also seemed a little jumpy...it'll take a bit to figure out just how much clutch to give it.
Toyota Corolla sedan, manual. I don't like how Corolla seats feel - something just seems uncomfortable about them. Plus, there's really not much headroom for the rear seats. But it drives great - probably my favorite handling, feels just like my dad's old 99 Civic. I could drive it with a very light touch on the gas pedal.
Toyota Prius. This was a "gee whiz" car - it's like Toyota pulled out all the stops engineering-wise. If you've ever driven one, you know what I mean - it has an up-to-the-minute mileage computer, graphics on whether power is flowing into or out of the batteries, statistics in 5 minute intervals, etc. Also loved that it has the radio controls on the steering wheel in the base model - in most other models, this is an expensive add-on, though then again, a Prius is an expensive car. Anyway, it was comfortable, and there's a surprising amount of leg-room in the back-seats. Headroom is short, though, and the trunk is small. Driving it was kinda fun - I ended up getting 37.7 MPG, though I heard you have to train yourself to do better. Rear visibility sucks though.
Honda Civic coupe, automatic. Would probably want a sedan if I actually bought. I really don't like the new Civic dashboards - they have a digital speedometer, but it's way in front and they lengthened the dash so you feel like you're in a jetfighter. Gimme something where I can see the hood and don't feel like I'm in a tunnel. The car itself is okay, it's not as underpowered as the 03-04 models, but I don't see much to recommend it over the Fit.
Honda Civic sedan, hybrid. Same comments about the dash and interior. The best thing about the hybrid is that it's really quiet. But it also feels really underpowered when accelerating onto the highway. I wonder if that kills most of the hybrid's gas mileage advantage.
Anyone have any opinions on these? Recommendations? I think I'm leaning towards the Fit, or Prius if I want to splurge, but I still haven't decided.
Toyota Yaris 5-dr hatchback, automatic transmission. I liked the inside - pretty roomy for a tiny hatchback, comfortable seats, nice arm rest. Small trunk, unless the seats are folded down. Am a little worried about the placement of the cupholders - they fold down from the dashboard, which seems like a spill waiting to happen. I didn't like how it drove though. Seemed really underpowered when accelerating, and it was quite noisy. Also has a nasty blind spot behind the driver.
Honda Fit hatchback, manual. Probably my favorite in terms of how smartly it's laid out inside. These things are huge when you consider how small they are outside. Also: convenient controls, nice door pockets, comfortable. Drove okay - I expected it to be quite noisy (small Hondas often are) and it wasn't really, seemed to have adequate power. One complaint was that the engine was quite noisy when accelerating. Transmission also seemed a little jumpy...it'll take a bit to figure out just how much clutch to give it.
Toyota Corolla sedan, manual. I don't like how Corolla seats feel - something just seems uncomfortable about them. Plus, there's really not much headroom for the rear seats. But it drives great - probably my favorite handling, feels just like my dad's old 99 Civic. I could drive it with a very light touch on the gas pedal.
Toyota Prius. This was a "gee whiz" car - it's like Toyota pulled out all the stops engineering-wise. If you've ever driven one, you know what I mean - it has an up-to-the-minute mileage computer, graphics on whether power is flowing into or out of the batteries, statistics in 5 minute intervals, etc. Also loved that it has the radio controls on the steering wheel in the base model - in most other models, this is an expensive add-on, though then again, a Prius is an expensive car. Anyway, it was comfortable, and there's a surprising amount of leg-room in the back-seats. Headroom is short, though, and the trunk is small. Driving it was kinda fun - I ended up getting 37.7 MPG, though I heard you have to train yourself to do better. Rear visibility sucks though.
Honda Civic coupe, automatic. Would probably want a sedan if I actually bought. I really don't like the new Civic dashboards - they have a digital speedometer, but it's way in front and they lengthened the dash so you feel like you're in a jetfighter. Gimme something where I can see the hood and don't feel like I'm in a tunnel. The car itself is okay, it's not as underpowered as the 03-04 models, but I don't see much to recommend it over the Fit.
Honda Civic sedan, hybrid. Same comments about the dash and interior. The best thing about the hybrid is that it's really quiet. But it also feels really underpowered when accelerating onto the highway. I wonder if that kills most of the hybrid's gas mileage advantage.
Anyone have any opinions on these? Recommendations? I think I'm leaning towards the Fit, or Prius if I want to splurge, but I still haven't decided.