Originally Posted by
msp3
I've been told that Nissan Juke-sized tiny SUVs (?) are all the rage and are the reason why American manufacturers killed off all of their small cars (because they don't make enough money, unlike SUVs) but have never driven one myself until the other day in a Ford EcoSport. Yes the driving position is high, but the car is trapezoid-shaped (gets narrower towards the top), feels uncomfortably cramped, and doesn't feel "planted" on the road... this is compared to a regular small car!
If this is the type of car selling by the boatloads nowadays, what exactly are people buying into? I feel like I got nothing of what makes a SUV "SUV", and they've ruined most of the things that makes a small car practical. It makes me feel like an episode out of Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson would talk about how small SUVs are the worst of both worlds (which I didn't agree with until now)...
Sub-compact and compact car market is being killed by rise of "cute" and other small SUVs. People want the versatility that comes with a SUV type vehicle, but don't want to drive a small wagon.
It is almost useless reserving small cars from National or many other places, they just don't have the inventory like days of old. On the good side you're almost certainly going to get an upgrade to something a bit or more larger.
With between cheap fuel prices and smaller SUVs upping their game in that area there went another reason many had for wanting something compact.
Odd thing is National (for reasons known only to themselves) consider Mini Cooper a premium car.