Where Are The Sporty Korean Compacts?

Our posting of the 2014 Kia Soul is a great example of how the Korean automakers are truly coming out with appealing cars, and that they know how to cater to American tastes. They had a great first effort, and are following it up by an even better second shot.

I was over at Autoblog this morning and read their quick spin of the new Ford Fiesta ST. From their notes, it sounds like it's going to be a total kick in the pants to drive. It's not news that compact performance cars are a ton of fun. They're not that expensive and offer up a ton of fun factor. Fiat's got the 500 Abarth, Ford's got the Focus ST and the above-mentioned Fiesta ST, Chevy offers its turbo Sonic RS, Honda's got the Civic Si; there's the Nissan Juke, the MAZDASPEED3, and of course, the Subaru WRX, and the granddaddy of the hot hatch movement, the Volkswagen GTI. There are others out there, not to mention older models. (The Colt GT, Suzuki Swift GT, and Chevrolet Sprint Turbo are still on my short list.)

However, other than the 2013+ Veloster Turbo, neither Hyundai or Kia offer a performance version of their compacts. I suppose you could count the Genesis Coupe, which is a lot of fun, but it's more along the lines of a true sports car versus a scrappy, high-strung performance compact. Where's the turbo version of the Accent? Where's the Kia Rio with a 1.6-liter turbo engine and a six-speed? How about a hopped-up Kia Soul to compete against the Juke?

There are more and more enthusiasts souping up their Hyundais and Kias, such as the great-looking Forte above. But it's all aftermarket stuff. Short of the Veloster Turbo, the Koreans aren't offering a good platform for compact car tuners and enthusiasts to build off of. Heck, you can't even get a new Forte or Rio with a manual transmission unless you get the base LX model.

Seeing how well both Kia and Hyundai are doing in the U.S., it wouldn't surprise me if at some point (and some point soon) we start seeing more performance-oriented compacts and subcompacts from the Koreans. Remember: competition is good, and frankly, I'm all for more sporty compact/subcompact cars.

Question: What's the Smallest Vehicle You Could Drive Around the World?

Mercedes and I just returned from our second-annual trip to the Overland Rallies & Workshops in Leavenworth, WA. Of course we took the Teal Terror (project '95 Suzuki Sidekick). Being that this is the second time we've done this trip, we've come to learn how to pack for it and other subsequent multi-day camping excursions.

The regional Overland Rallies and Workshops, as well as the big daddy, Overland Expo in Arizona, bring together people who love to travel in their vehicles. Some people may like to camp out for a weekend, others might overland across the country. There are even those who quit their day jobs and travel the world in a motorized vehicle. One couple, Pablo and Anna, have been on the road for 13 years in a four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Delica, which is a four-wheel drive minivan with some Montero/Pajero components and a diesel engine. Some people even live on their motorcycles—talk about living the subcompact culture.

Question: What's the Biggest Item You've Carried in (or on) Your Small Car?

Our old propane grill had bitten the dust, so it was time for a new one. We found the grill we wanted, and were going to pick it up after our off-road trip. We figured we'd come home, drop off the "Teal Terror" (pictured above), and pick up our Subaru WRX, which has more room inside. Well, on a whim we decided to see if we could get the grill on the Sidekick's roof rack. Wouldn't you know it, the grill fit in the BajaRack roof basket. Granted, it took four of us to get it up there. We tied it down, took the side streets home, and unloaded it. Granted, it took three of us to get it down. Nonetheless, it was small car success!

What's the biggest thing you've carried in (or on) your subcompact vehicle?

Question: What Subcompact Car Would You Build Into a Rally Car?

Tonight we're headed to Portland International Raceway for the first day of the 2013 Oregon Trail Rally. While I'm really looking forward to the high-horsepower AWD rally beasts, I'm equally looking forward to the small cars, such as the Tag Rally Sport Yaris, the Scion xD rally car, and others.

While I'd love to rally our WRX or turn our Yaris into a rally racer, I've always wanted to build a Subaru Justy rally car. No, it wouldn't be very fast at all. However, it might be a good foray into the world of rally. It certainly would be low-buck, or at least the initial purchase would be.

People have built Justy rally cars all over the world, so it certainly wouldn't be the first. Take the car above, which came from NASIOC.com (North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club). And while I really can't think of one advantage it'd have over other cars, other than it's a tiny, inexpensive 4WD vehicle, I've always thought about getting one and using it as a rally car. Maybe start out with some rallycross, then some stage rallies. 

So what subcompact car would you like to build into a rally car?

Hot hatches: Where are the Japanese?

This week's buzz about the upcoming turbocharged Ford Fiesta ST and the new variants of the Fiat 500, including a 500C Abarth, give me faith that more subcompact hot hatchbacks are coming. The MINI Cooper S is already here, as is the the Chevrolet Sonic with the 1.4-liter turbo powerplant (and I'll bet a "hotter" version will be coming to meet the Fiesta ST, too). Also, don't forget about the Hyundai Veloster, turbo.

This is all great news for us small car fans who enjoy performance, too. But one question remains: Where are the Japanese hot hatches?

Toyota has the Yaris SE, but that's just a handling/trim package; it still has just a touch over 100 horsepower. Honda offers the Fit Sport, but again, it's just a handling/trim package and only makes 117 ponies. Wheres our MAZDASPEED2? Where's the Fit Si? How about the Yaris T-Sport?

In talking with my friend Ron last night (he runs Focaljet.com and FiestaFaction.com), we were remembering some of the 1980s and 1990s Japanese hot hatchbacks that whetted our subcompact performance pallets. Mitsubishi Mirage/Dodge Colt Turbo, Chevrolet Sprint Turbo (built by Suzuki), the Mazda 323 GTX, Nissan NX2000, Swift GT, and so on. We were reminiscing about how the Japanese took a chance on some of these cars—much like Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler/Fiat are doing nowadays.

You've got to wonder if the Japanese automakers will return to their '80s/'90s hot hatch roots, or if nowadays they're content selling reliable fuel misers. A Fit is still a good car and is super practical; a Yaris still gets great mileage and handles well. But add 50 to 100 horsepower  and now we're talking some serious fun with that practicality and fuel efficiency. The ball is in your court, Japan.

What's your favorite 2012 model subcompact?

There are more subcompact models on the U.S. market than possibly ever before. It's a segment historically dominated by the Japanese and European makes, but now buyers can choose from world-class American and

Korean models. What's your favorite 2012 subcompact model?

What car have you seen with the lowest miles in relation to its age?

People often talk about high-mileage vehicles—cars with 300,000+ miles on them. What makes theses stories even more impressive is when the car isn't that old, such as the driver who racked up 354,000+ miles on his 2007 Yaris (likely many more by now). However, every now and then you run into the opposite: A car with amazingly low miles on the odometer.

Case in point, I took my elderly neighbor's car in for an oil change then washed it. It's a 2007 Hyundai Accent with 6,379 miles on it. No, I didn't forget a digit. That's basically what the guy at the oil change place asked. My neighbor is in her 70s and rarely ever drives. In fact, she probably wouldn't have this car if her '86 Chevrolet Sprint hadn't been totaled in a fender bender. That car, she says, only had 45,000 miles on it in 2007!

In the same vein, my co-worker inherited his mother's '78 Ford Fairmont with just 27,000 miles on it. I've racked up those miles in as little as nine months! The car is, of course, in mint condition, and looks as if it rolled off the assembly line last year.  

What car have you seen with amazingly low miles for its age?
 

Question: What's the higest-mileage vehicle you've owned?

My friend Scott's 1996 Honda Civic CX hatchback rolled 200,000 miles yesterday. His trusty hatch has been continually maintained, and will likely go another 200,000 without too much hassle. There's something to be said about crossing certain mileage thresholds, especially when you're the vehicle's original owner.

The highest mileage car I've owned is actually my 1995 Suzuki Sidekick, which has 143,000+ miles on it. Granted, I've only put on 3,000 of them. My 1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV racked up 118,000 miles before being traded in. Our 1998 Civic Sedan also had around 112,000 miles, if I remember correctly..
With regular maintenance, most modern vehicles should easily reach 200K and higher on the original engine. Which leads me to a question:
What's the highest mileage car you've owned?

What's the ultimate subcompact race car?

Whenever I think of a subcompact race car, the Renault Turbo 5 is the first thing that comes to mind. Designed for rally racing, the Turbo 5 wasn't necessarily the fastest car out there, but it was a small hatchback that did pretty well for itself. It featured a mid-mounted turbocharged engine making as much as 345 hp (in race form) to the rear wheels. I've always dug those fat rear fenders, wide rear tires, and '80s rally car style.

So what do you think the ultimate subcompact race car is (or was)?

What's the smallest car you've taken on a long road trip?

I just got done reading a thread on Yarisworld about a person who drove from New Jersey to Alaska and back in a Toyota Yaris. Yes, a Yaris. According to the poster, it was 16 days, 10,400 miles, $3,100 in gas and hotels. That's pretty impressive, especially since the journey was done in a car as small as a Yaris.

Personally, the smallest road-trip vehicle for me was a 2009 Suzuki SX4 that my wife and I drove from Oregon to Wisconsin and back. But that pales in comparison to the 10,000+ roadtrip done by the Yaris driver.

What's smallest car you've taken on a long road trip?