Ok, so with my 120 mile a day commute and 100,000 miles on my 2001 SL1, I'm thinking I have about 5 more years and the car will have around 300,000 miles on it. So, I have been doing research on small cars to replace it. My brands are Ford and GM. The thing is, I want economy, but I want fun to drive handling as well. Gee, sound familiar?

So, I'm thinking Fiesta ST, Focus SE manual, or Cruze LS manual. Stick shift is a must. I like the thoughts of the turbo 6 speed Fiesta, but for 21 grand, you don't get much car. You do get 197 hp. I'm honestly leaning toward a Focus. 2.0L NA engine with 140 hp. It is a bit bigger and heavier than my SL1, but it has 40% more power. I have read reviews that say driving a Cruze is boring and that the handling sucks.

What are your ideas/ experiences?

Rob

 

If you're considering a Cruze, why not a Sonic? They're a couple hundred pounds lighter with the same powertrain, and basic chassis, and might be more fun to drive... The Cruze we had was decent, but underpowered... It handled reasonably well though...

If fuel mileage is key, why not the Fiesta SFE? It's rated at over 40mpg, and still has 120hp... It's also cheaper than the ST, and I imagine a tune would really wake it up...as a plus, it's only available in a manual...

 

Pontiac Vibe was made in America, available with a manual, and gets mid 30s for fuel economy. As an added bonus, you get Toyota engine reliability and hatchback utility.

 

Ive driven a sonic with the turbo motor, somewhat quick for what it is (automatic), handles nicely, but I am not going to lie, it feels smaller than the saturn and I did not feel that safe in it. Plus drum brakes on a brand new car. Gauges are cool though. Ive ridden in a new focus, back seat is comfy, although my sisters friend isnt much of a car guy so he couldnt give me any relavant info (it was a rental)

I would go with a ford, but ive had ford beaten into my head since I was a kid so Im alittle biased

 

The sonic I drove was non turbo but it felt safe enough on the freeway... I kinda like the RS hatch, but they're almost as much as a Fiesta ST, which I would absolutely have...

Seriously though, look up the Fiesta SFE... Supposedly pretty good for a 3 cyl...

 

If I'm going the fiesta route, it is going to be the ST. I just want the powa! The thing is, I have had a tuned up Dodge diesel since I was a 2 striper in the AF. Not bragging, but I haven't met a mustang GT or C-5 vetted that can hang with my current truck. Just something about when that big 66mm turbo lights and then it is like a JATO rocket is being fired off. I'm not looking for a drag car, but I would like not having to look a mile down the road, and turn my AC off to pass on a two lane. The only gas turbo car I have driven was a Cooper S. It was ok, but I'm not spending that kind of cash for what you get. As far as mileage goes, I would like high 30s, even though my SL1 has been averaging 39mpg back and forth to work with the ac off in the mornings and the windows down in the afternoon. I'm a believer that there is no replacement for displacement. The only thing you save with a small engine is the idle fuel, and the parasitic losses that comes with a bigger engine. Takes the same amount of HP to take the same car down the road at a set speed. I'm assuming that the friction differences in a 1.3L and a 2.0L are negeglable.

We have an old KW with a 14L Cummins on the farm that gets 10 mpg bob tailing and it weighs 23,000 lbs. My 05 dodge gets the same mpg towing the same weight.

I like the turn Ford has made in the past few years, and I don't think GM has made the same advancements.

 

I may be wrong, but when I hear 3 cylinder, I get nightmares of the GEO Metro.

 

I would be all over a VW diesel Jetta or Golf, but they are electrical nightmares, and with the emissions diesels have to go through, I'm out. Deleting the emissions on a Dodge is simple, but VW may be harder after the recent events.

 

I understand your skepticism... The engine is a 1.0 liter EcoBoost three cylinder... It's supposedly a really nice engine to drive...

Not that I could fault you for wanting the ST... the power is the whole reason I bought a RedLine instead of a regular ION...

 

So, I guess I'm torn between a SE Focus, or for the same money a Fiesta ST. Much smaller car, but everyone raves about the handling and the power it has. Plus 600 bucks spent on a programmer nets you another 30 hp. Why do they do this to us? Modding seemed never ending with my truck. Finally got to a point where anymore would make it unusable for trailer towing.