A modern BMW Isetta?

The BMW Isetta was an odd duck to say the least. You entered the car by swinging the entire front end open. The car had a wider front track than rear track. Steve Urkel drove on on the show Family Matters. Sigh.

Anyway, apparently BMW has been giving the "go" on an Isetta reto reash for the 21st century. As seen on Auto Express', Web site, the car would still have that "bubble car" look. Perhaps another Smart car competitor?




Links
BMW Isetta Wikipedia Page
Autoblog Green's new Isetta discussion
Auto Express' Isetta story

Do not want: India's Big Booty Suzuki

I don't mind a bit of "junk in the trunk," but this is ridiculous. The Suzuki Swift that is currently sold in Japan, Europe, and well, the rest of the world looks great, gets high scores from the automotive press and owners a like. Rumor has it, the U.S. will get the new Swift in 2010. However, I certainly hope we don't get this version.

As seen on Autoblog, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (an Indian division of the company mostly owned by Suzuki), has come out with the Swift DZire. The nice lines of the hatchback have been compromised in the name of a gigantic ass.

The normal-bootied Swift is seen below. Hopefullly, the U.S. gets the hatch in 2010, and not the trunk-clad version.

First autocross of the year!

The first autocross of the year in the Portland/Salem area is coming up on March 30; it's hosted by the Willamette Motor Club.

The event will be located at the Les Schwab in Salem, located at 2350 Mission St. SE. If by chance anyone from the Portland/Salem area happens to be reading this and is going to go, let me know! Let's hope for sun and warmth.

The Disappearance of the Small 4x4

Last week I was in Moab, UT – an amazing place of beauty, adventure, and excitement. I was there participating in the Easter Jeep Safari – a haven for 4x4 enthusiasts of all kinds. It was an amazing event with some awesome vehicles.

With my affinity for small vehicles, I was particularly fond of the Suzuki Samurais and Sidekicks (Vitara or Chevy Tracker). Both vehicles are very capable thanks to their solid rear axles (and solid front axles on the Samurai), selectable transfer cases, and low-range gears. However, none of these vehicles are available in the U.S. anymore. The Samurai disappeared from the U.S. market in 1995. Two-door Vitaras/Sidekicks/Trackers left the market in 2003. Now, the smallest true 4x4 is the Suzuki Grand Vitara, but it has a fully independent suspension – great for the highway, but not for off-roading.

However, one needs not look to far to find compact and capable four-wheel drive vehicles that are still in existence. Simply look to Japan.

Suzuki still makes a small, four-wheeler in Japan called the Jimny. The Jimny is essentially the second-generation Samurai that we never got in the States. It's a very capable little brute, just like the Sammi. Also like the Sammi, it's pretty Spartan on the luxury. However, like their earlier brethren, they can also be modified to be extremely good off road (see below).

A quick check of Craigslist.org, and one can see how much the venerable Samurais are still going for. Modified Samurais can run for nearly double their asking price in the 1980s when extensively modified. There's even a company called Lightning Conversions that sells 4.3-liter Vortech V-6 and 350 cubic-inch V-8 engines for the Samurai and Sidekick!
Other companies, such as Mitsubishi, make tiny SUVs, such as the Pajero Mini (at left), which is considred a Kei car. The Pajaro Mini competes with the Jimny in Asia. Other than the Jeep Wrangler, there are no more two-door SUVs in the U.S. Not too long ago, there were a bunch for two-door, compact SUVs including Toyota's RAV4, Land Rover's Freelander, Isuzu's Amigo, Chevy's Blazer, Ford's Explorer, and more. Now, everything has four-doors.

Both the Jimny and the Pajero Mini are very tiny, probably too tiny for the U.S. However, it'd be nice to have the option of another Tracker or Samurai-sized 4x4 for the U.S.

Nissan Cube is a 'Yes' for the U.S.

It looks like yet another subcompact vehicle is headed to the U.S.!

For several years now, there has been speculation that the Nissan Cube, a boxy urban vehicle similar to Scion's first-generation xB, would hit the U.S. showrooms. However, it just never seemed to happen. However, it was announced at the New York Auto Show that Nissan is officially bringing the Cube to the U.S. Perhaps Nissan will gain some of the market that Scion has lost (and continues to lose) with the second-generation xB, since the Cube is small and boxy – just like the original xB.

Nissan says they'll debut the new U.S.-bound Cube at the L.A. Auto Show this fall. The photo above is the current Cube, which is sold in Japan.

Behold – the 2009 Honda Fit!

Honda has released photos of the upcoming 2009 Fit for the U.S. market. According to the official press release, the '09 Fit will go on sale in fall of '08. It will again feature a 1.5-liter engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed auto trans. Horsepower figures weren't given, but I'd bet them to be around the 105-110 mark.

Other unique features include a jack for iPods and USB port for "radio controlled connectivity," available satellite navigation system, the much-praised rear "magic seats," as well as the new Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA).

More info can be found at the '09 Fit preview site.

MSN on "downsizing" cars

Again, pointing to the fact that small cars are beginning to gain some momentum in the U.S., MSN has a story called "Time to downsize?" on its Web site. It's an interesting read that says that hybrids get all the energy-saving attention, and small cars tend to get overlooked. I concur. Neat article that's worth a read.

Link: "Time To Downsize?"

USA Today: Smallest Car Sales Up

In an article published on 3/11/08 in USA Today about the recent record fuel prices ("Record fuel prices blow budgets"), it reports that according to Autodata, sales of the least expensive, smallest vehicles increased 34% last month. It also reports that "sales of all types of small cars" were up 5%, even though the industry as a whole was down 6%.

With the national average gas price at $3.23 a gallon (here in Portland, OR it's averaging $3.38 a gallon), evidently, at least last month, people decided to start purchasing smaller cars. I never expect to see gas below $3.00 a gallon again, I can't imagine we'll see a big drop off in small car sales. Add to this a slew of new subcompact cars on the horizon bound for the U.S. from Ford, GM, and probably the other automakers, this could be a sign of a bona-fide paradigm shift.

For your conveninece, I've included a super-accurate graph I created to show the relationship between gas prices and U.S. small car sales. You can thank me later.

Funny Thai Commercial

This is a pretty funny commercial for Bridgestone Tires featuring a Yaris.

Better breathing for my Yaris

Rather than spend the money on an expensive air intake for my Yaris, I decided to save some cash by making my own high(er)-flow intake. I'd done this before on other cars with good results, so I figured why not?. No, I don't have any dyno numbers, but it sounds good and I'll never had to buy another filter since I used a K&N.


Basically it goes something like this: I bought a spare airbox from a Yaris owner. I proceeded to remove the built-in charcoal filter in the top of the airbox. Next, I broke out the Dremel tool, and removed much of the lower portions of the airbox, thus making the bottom of the K&N air filter exposed and able to suck more air. However, since I didn't remove all of the airbox, it still bolted into the stock location and fits perfectly. The photos above are of the bottom-half of the airbox with the sections removed.

The result was an inexpensive intake that looks stock and sounds great.

I know – some of you are thinking it's not dyno proven, it's sucking in warm air, so on, and so fourth. Well, perhaps, but I really don't care since the short-ram air intakes typically don't make a lot of power to begin with, and I'm not paying the money for one. Call me cheap. Regardless, this project was quick, easy, and effective. And to paraphrase a friend of mine on Honda-Tech, "If your ass can feel the difference between 90hp and 95hp in a 2300 lb. car, you should be flying experimental aircraft for another planet in a galaxy far far away."

So there.

Scion in a slump?

A recently released Autoweek article entitled "Scion hits a wall", states that 2007 Scion sales fell almost 25%. The article talks about various reasons why. However, none of them mention the possibility of the now portly xB and new xD sedans simply being unappealing to consumers.

As you may know (assuming anyone is reading this), that the second-gen xB gained a staggering 600 lbs. in its redesign. It also went from 1.5 liters to 2.4 liters and went from an EPA rating of 27/32 to 22/28, respectively. These changes were apparently what customers wanted "fixed" according to Farlon Smith, general manager of Beechmont Toyota-Scion in Cincinnati.

However, with the lower sales, one has to wonder, is it simply that people liked the smaller subcompact 2004-2006 xB and xA more than the new, larger and more powerful xB and funky-styled xD?

A visit to Scion enthusiast sites such as Scionlife.com or ClubxB.com will yield many a polarized owner. It seems many people resent Scion for getting rid of the original xB for the new xB. Many (including myself), wish the replacement for the old xB would've been the new Toyota bB from Japan (see below), which more closely follows the first-generation Scion xB's shape. In fact, the first xB in the U.S. was essentially the same car as Japan's bB.
However, due to the complaints of the xB being too small, we get the bloated xB.

The xD (see below), is a new design to replace the xA, which I also liked. The xD isn't so bad. However, I'm not 100% sold on the design, and I think that many others feel the same way. At least it's fuel economy is better. It is certainly smaller than the new xB, and is based on the Yaris' chassis.


When it comes down to brass tacks, I'm simply speculating on the idea that one of the reason's Scion is in sales slump is due to it's currently unappealing lineup. I don't work for Toyota, so I really don't know. However, I can tell you this: I bought a Yaris to replace my 1st-gen xB, and it seems many other car shoppers are opting for the smaller, more fuel-efficient Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, and the Korean makes, too rather than the Scion brand. Perhaps that new bB isn't looking so bad after all, eh Scion?

Consumer Reports: Yaris = Fail. I disagree.

Let it be known that I am not a fan of the magazine Consumer Reports. I just don't think they have a clue on some things, especially some things automotive.

The latest move by the magazine that makes me continue my distrust is the ranking of the Toyota Yaris (with the manual transmission) as one of the worst cars on the U.S. market at the moment. According to a report on CNN Money's Web site, CR said the Yaris' "lows" were acceleration, vague steering, and numb shifter. Let's address the acceleration issue first.

According to Road and Track magazine's comparison test of the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa (April 2007):

"At our test track, the Yaris flat-out smoked the other two to 60 mph, taking 8.5 seconds against the Fit’s 9.0 and the Versa’s 9.1. Aside from its obvious lack-of-weight advantage (it weighs only 2295 lb.!), that quick time was achieved because the gearing of the Yaris’ 5-speed manual transmission allowed it to hold 2nd gear to 60 mph, while the 6-speed Versa and shorter-geared 5-speed Fit required shifts to 3rd."

Okay, so what's that mean, CR? Were your tests done differently?

Second: Vague steering. OK – the Yaris' steering isn't the best on the market. Fine. However, remember: this is an economy car. Most people aren't buying this car because of its world-class steering feel. The Yaris was the least-expensive vehicle CR tested. It says so right on the magazine's Web site. What do you want for $12K?

Third: Numb shifter. Define "numb." Imprecise? Compared to what? Certainly not the Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio. Those two cars, which I still think are overall good vehicles, had the worst manual shifter I've ever felt. How about a manual Chevrolet Cobalt? Even the Cobalt SS Supercharged had a clunky, imprecise shifter compared to my Yaris.

Like CR, these are my opinions. I certainly don't think the Yaris deserves to be on this list. I can think of plenty of other vehicles that should be on this list instead of the Yaris, but you know what they say about opinions: Opinions are like assholes – everyone has one (and they all stink).