Subcompact Supercar: Is this the world's fastest Fiat 500?

This very well may be the world's fastest Fiat 500. It's apparently powered by a Honda S2000 engine and built for the drag strip.

The 12.95 E.T. at 101 MPH shown in this video is pretty impressive. However, there's a video on YouTube of this pocket rocket going 10.44 at 138.9 MPH.

So, 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth, eat your heart out ... at least until ther first sharp corner.

In the driveway: 2012 Kia Rio EX

Subcompact Culture attended the launch of the 2012 Kia Rio back in October. There, Mercedes (my wife and fellow contributor) talked about the host of new features and gave some initial driving impressions. Well, now we'll have the mid-level Rio EX for a week (and I'll finally get to drive it, too).

A bit bigger: 2012 Toyota Camry: Improving the best seller

Although many will argue the Toyota Camry isn’t the epitome of automotive enthusiasm, it’s impossible to argue against its tremendous sales in the U.S. In fact, it’s been a best seller in America for 13 of the past 14 years, and Toyota has built 6.5 million of them in its Georgetown, Kentucky facility. But for 2012, Toyota aims to inject more driving enthusiasm into the Camry, as well as a host of improvements.

Behold: The Mountain Metro

While visiting Mt. Hood Meadows this weekend, I ran across this: The Mountain Metro (or perhaps the Snowbound Swift?). This isn't any ordinary Metro/Swift, though. Custom hood scoop? Check. Custom fender flares? Yep. Rear spoiler? Uh huh. Do-it-yourself rattle-can paint job? You bet. I see it even has three alloy wheels and one steel one. Why not?

In all honesty, it'd be a great little mountain vehicle. It's something that's somewhat safe, front-wheel drive, has studded snow tires, and you don't have to worry about the gravel and rocks ruining the paint job. I'm totally for it.What can I say? I've got a soft spot for winter cars and mountain-going Metros.

Happy Thanksgiving from Subcompact Culture

May your turkey look much better than this terrible graphic I threw together a few years ago, but use each year.

Regardless, have a safe, happy Thanksgiving from our small car family to yours!

Nostalgic Subcompact: Nissan Stanza Wagon

We ran across this rarity today in Hood River, Oregon. Although not something that’s incredibly eye catching, sexy, or anything like that, a mid-to-late 1980s Stanza 4x4 Wagon in this good of shape is notable.

The boxy Stanza Wagon was only available from 1986–1988 and offered in 2WD and 4WD. Both versions came with a 2.0-liter engine mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Power output was 97 hp. and 114 ft./lbs. of torque; fuel economy ranged from 17 city/20 highway for the 4WD with the auto to 21 city/26 highway for the 2WD with the manual.

It wasn’t the powerplant, performance, or the super-awesome '80s tall-wagon box-centric styling that was important—it was the car’s versatility that was put on a pedestal. One of the most unusual features: There were no door pillars between the two front doors and two sliding doors. That’s right: No door pillars. Open the two front and two sliding doors and you’ve got a giant, gaping hole in which to insert people or cargo. And that’s before opening the rear hatch. By the way, you could get seating for either five or seven.

I don't know anything about the 4WD system and I couldn't find anything about it online. I assume it was a traditional 4WD system with a high-range only (someone correct me here). I am sure, however, it was probably awesome in the snow.

The Stanza faced a host of great competitors including the Toyota Tercel wagon, Dodge Colt Vista, and the Honda Civic Wagon. All were somewhat less awkward looking than the tall Stanza, in my opinion. Regardless, the car above and below was in outstanding shape and is an interesting cross section of the 1980s tall wagon genre.

Chevrolet Spark: A mini car wearing a bow tie

I have to hand it to Chevrolet for taking some big risks in the small car arena. First, there's the new Sonic—a surprisingly good subcompact (keep an eye out for a review of the 2012 Sonic LTZ) with an available 1.4 turbo engine. Then there's the announcement that the Chevrolet Cruze will be available with a diesel engine. Now, Chevy debuted the Spark mini car at the LA Auto Show, and announced it will be sold on North American soil. A few years ago, the thought of a mini car wearing the Chevy bow tie would've been nearly unthinkable. But seeing the previously announced small car news, you could say Chevy is on a bona-fide small car kick.

Our cars in winter mode

Winter is almost here. It dropped into the 20s last night in Portland and we had some freezing fog.

This year I picked up a set of used 15" alloy wheels and shod them with a set of gently used 205/65/15 General Altimax studded tires. Coupled with all-wheel drive, the SX4 should be a snowmobile--just in time for ski/snowboard season. Speaking of, I need to put my ski rack on.

The Yaris uses the same setup as last year: 14" steel wheels (via our old Honda Civic) wrapped in 185/65/14 Hankook iPike studded snow tires. These proved themselves last year in the snow and ice last season. I hope the General tires are as good as these.

Bring on winter!

Spotted: Clean first-gen Tercel

I was in a small town south of Portland recently on work, and saw this rarity: An old first-gen Toyota Tercel. Other than a couple little door dings, it was in pretty snazzy condition. It's not often that you see these older Tercels in this good of condition. Kudos to the owner for keeping this early Tercel in such great shape.

SCCA B-spec racing is going to B great

Really, what's cooler for a subcompact car enthusiast than to hear about the growth of the SCCA B-Spec race class? This class is for subcompact production cars; total costs can't exceed $25,000, making these race cars much more affordable than other higher-horsepower cars. Yes, this is really happening. Hmm ... a Subcompact Culture race car—how cool would that be?

Review: 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge: Little Italy, big personality

The Italian-based Fiat brand has made its return to North America in a big way using a very small car. The Fiat 500 is an A-segment car that’s ready to do battle against a host of other small cars, including the venerable MINI Cooper, a vehicle that has owned the premium subcompact market since its introduction in 2002. Our test model was a top-of-the-line 2012 500 “Lounge” model with all of the luxury goods. Hey, it's good enough for J-Lo. So what do we think?

Fiat 500 Abarth "Seduction" ad is a bit racy, as is the Fiat 500 Abarth

Here's a somewhat racy commercial for the all-new Fiat 500 Abarth that debuted at the LA Auto Show today. The scorpion tattoo on the woman's neck is a nice touch. Anyone else want a cappuccino right about now? Mama mia!

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth info

Yep, it's official: The Fiat 500 Abarth info is out. According to Chrysler, the Mexican-made Abarth model gets a turbocharged/intercooled version of the 1.4-liter MultiAir engine that'll make 160 hp and 170 ft./lbs. of torque. The Abarth model will also showcase 16- or 17-inch wheels, a performance suspension, aero kit, 10% quicker steering, tuned Koni shock absorbers, and a bunch more—but to me the performance stuff is  what really matters.

So how much will it weigh? The press release says 2,533 lbs. It's available with a five-speed manual only, by the way (as it should be). No word on price or fuel economy yet, although I'll guess and say it'll be around $22,000, and 25/31 for fuel economy. Until the official numbers come out, I think I'll bask in the oh-so-cool media images. You should too.

It's a t-shirt!

You know you're a "car guy" when you wait in line at the SEMA Show for that must-have T-shirt. You know you're geek when it's for a Yaris T-shirt. Yes, I love it, and yes, it's now one of three Yaris T-shirts I own. Here's the Yaris T-shirt I got at last year's SEMA Show.

October 2011 subcompact sales

Sorry for the late sales report on this one, but better late than never.

October 2011's sales were quite interesting. The Toyota Yaris, no doubt due to the redesigned model hitting lots, had the biggest month-over-month increase, yet still has the biggest overall decrease year to day. I haven't seen that before here. Also new is the Nissan Versa, which sold the most units of any subcompact in October. The Juke has an inflated YTD number, as do the Mazda2, Ford Fiesta, and Honda CR-Z. The Kia Soul continues its quest for year-to-date sales domination.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Chevrolet Aveo is dead, replaced by the all-new Sonic, which is why its numbers looks so bad. If you don't consider the Aveo, the Cube is the biggest loser this month moving only 198 units. Even the Smart ForTwo sold more units, and by quite a bit. I wonder what's going on here? In addition, Fiat isn't moving a ton of 500s, either, certainly under the 50,000 Chrysler was looking to move.

Make/Model	Oct. '11 vs. Oct '10	Units, Oct '11	YTD Oct. '11 vs. Oct. '11	YTD Sales
Toyota Yaris	+160.6%	6792	-34.5%	22586
Mazda2	+51.7%	954	+584.6%	11809
Nissan Versa	+47.1%	8889	-2.8%	80500
Nissan Juke	+37.2%	2885	+1343.0%	30344
Kia Soul	+15.8%	7109	+55.5%	85778
Kia Rio	+10.3%	2005	-30.4%	15797
Ford Fiesta	+7.2%	4124	+320.5%	61349
Suzuki SX4	-5.0%	945	+12.0%	10360
Hyundai Accent	-10.0%	4833	+1.1%	45630
Smart ForTwo	-10.9%	327	-18.1%	4213
MIN Cooper/S Convertible	-19.6%	399	-30.2%	4394
MINI Cooper/S Clubman	-24.0%	513	-16.0%	6030
MINI Cooper/S Hardtop	-25.3%	2077	-8.5%	22922
Scion xD	-25.4%	628	-6.6%	7920
Honda Fit	-33.1%	2822	+12.1%	50790
Honda CR-Z	-78.9%	289	+212.4%	10461
Nissan Cube	-85.4%	198	-33.7%	13850
Chevrolet Aveo*	-98.9%	65	-30.9%	28547
Chevrolet Sonic	--	3833	--	5539
MINI Crossover	--	2012	--	13290
Fiat 500	--	1965	--	15826
MINI Coupe	--	414	--	414

What the hell? Your PT Cruiser limousine is waiting for you ... out by the dumpster.

I was shocked, awed, and slightly nauseated when I saw this in the parking lot of a winery in Oregon yesterday. Although I wanted to turn my head away, like any self-respecting journalist, I had to photograph it. The public deserves to know this is out there.

Then again, if I owned a limo company and was taking a bunch of people wine tasting all day, I'd rather have them barf in this than in the Lincoln or Cadillac.

I think this photo deserves a caption. Leave one in the comments.

The Teal Terror hits the trails in Tillamook State Forest

Mercedes and I finally got a chance to go "wheeling" in Tillamook State Forest in Oregon. I'd been wanting to make it here for a few months in the Teal Terror, and was finally able to. It was a ton of fun.

As you may know, project Teal Terror isn't heavily modified, but it's got just enough done to it to make it a bit more capable off road. This includes a 2" lift kit from BDS Suspension, 235/75/15 BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, and the 15x7 wheels. My Shrockworks bumper and WARN winch will be installed within the month, too. Regardless of modifications, it's amazing how capable a true 4x4 can be. The combination of a low-range transfer case, a bit of forward momentum, and choosing the right line certainly amazed me the first time I ever when four wheeling.

In the driveway: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic 5DR LTZ

Just got the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ five door. And yes, this is the 1.4-liter turbo with the six-speed manual. I have been looking forward to this one for a while.

I have literally only driven it about a half mile, but I could tell a couple of things: It's powerful. The small turbo engine makes good power down low. Also, it seems to handle well. There's a nice sweeping curve I took and handling appears to be very good. Can't comment on much other than I love the way it looks and the interior materials feel good. Can't wait put some seat time in on Chevy's hot hatch.

Review: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL: An eclectic, electric

The Nissan Leaf charged on to the scene (yes, that's a pun) this year as the first mass-marketed all-electric car on the U.S. market. It's got a range of about 100 miles and will charge on regular household 110-volt current or 220-volt current. It's got all the amenities of a "normal" gas-powered vehicle, but there's no gas engine, no emissions, and little noise. So what'd we think?

Mitsubishi to debut new Mirage at Tokyo

Mitsubishi is debuting its new Mirage (yes, they're brining the name back) at the Tokyo Auto show, and this is it—in all its hubcap-clad blandness.

The Mirage will be powered by a 1.0-liter MIVEC three-cylinder engine with Auto Stop & Go (ASG)hooked to a CVT. It is, of course, tuned for fuel economy, and Mitsubishi is targeting 30 km/l (70 mpg), likely on the Japanese driving cycle. Mitsubishi says the Mirage will start sales in Thailand in March 2012.

Suzuki's offerings for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

Suzuki released details regarding the vehicles it's bringing to the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, held November 30–December 11. The booth's theme is "Small cars for a big future." except for the U.S. and Canada

A couple of their concepts are rather far out, but hey, this is the Tokyo Motor Show—what else would you expect?  Hey Regina? Is that you?

A few other Fiat 500s from the 2011 SEMA Show

Fiat 500 from the Mopar booth. Digging to flat-blue paint.

I already showed off the Road Race Motorsports Fiat 500 from the SEMA Show earlier. It, however, wasn't the only 500 at the show; far from it, actually. In fact, the 500 was named the hottest Sport Compact car of the SEMA Show this year. 

With that in mind, here are some of the other 500s I encountered at the show. 

Girliest MINI ever from the West Coast Customs booth at the SEMA Show

I'll just be straight up with this: I don't know much about it. It was, however, in the West Coast Customs booth at this year's SEMA show. It is super pink, has a sparkly top, and nice little Panasport-style white-and-pink wheels. Oh, it's got Continental tires, too. (I can tell since the sign is there. How's that for investigative journalism?)

Then again, some things are best left unsaid. Like why you'd do this to a poor MINI.

In the driveway: 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge

We've got the Fiat 500 Lounge in for review. I picked it up at the airport on the way back from the SEMA Show. I had a backpack and a large suitcase with me. Hmmm ... will it all fit? Well, I had to fold the rear seat down but it did fit.

The little A-segment car makes a lot of engine noise,  but it isn't a raucous sound. But it isn't a quiet car under throttle.

Handling is great and since it's so small, I feel like it could be driven at 100 MPH everywhere--very nimble. Could use a bit more bolstering in the seats though. More to come.

Toyota Yaris B-Spec: It's a (race) car!

By now you may have heard the 2012 Yaris' tag line, "It's a car!" This tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact it's the entry-level model is kind of snarky, and I kind of like it. For the 2011 SEMA Show, Toyota continued this theme with their B-spec race car, and even offered t-shirts that said "It's a race car!" (and yes, I got the t-shirt, and no you can't have it).

Ford shows off custom Fiestas at its SEMA booth

Ford showed off a number of its hot Fiesta five-doors at the SEMA Show this year. From mild to raced-out, Ford had a little bit of everything for the Fiesta fan this year. I won't bore you with text; here are the photos of most of the Fiestas at the booth:

Chevy puts the Sonic front and center at the 2011 SEMA Show

Although I knew Chevrolet was going to have a bunch of its new Sonic models at the SEMA Show, I didn't realize they were going to have nearly a dozen of them. I'll also say I had no idea they could make these cars look this good. Case in point, the brown metal-flake Sonic on the gold wheels above. Pictures don't do this justice. It is gorgeous. But this was only one of many ...

Road Race Motorsports' flat-black Fiat 500 is a mean micro

The Fiat 500 was named the hottest sport-compact car of the SEMA Show. And if I had to choose the hottest of the hottest Fiats, Road Race Motorsports' Fiat would be it by a long shot. It's just plain mean looking. It also showcased a number of the company's latest Fiat parts.

RRM's flat-black menace features the Road Race Motorsports Corsa intake and Corsa exhaust system, and Road Race Motorsports piggyback. It also has a host of other items such as Stance wheels wrapped in Toyo tires, custom suspension, carbon-fiber fender flares, and more

The car wears custom graphics including the logo of owner Rob Tallini's new parts store, SubcompactCarParts.com, which has goodies for a number of popular small cars.

There were quite a few 500s at the show, but none were as mean and racy looking as RRMs.

LINK
Road Race Motorsports

SEMA Show 2011

 Yes I'm still alive. In fact, I've been at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas with my day job. I've got a bunch of pics that I will eventually get uploaded. Until then, here's a pic of one of the Scion iQs from the Scion Booth. Stay tuned!