Be Smart, Buy a Car Similar to a Motorcycle

I saw the new Fiat 500 today. I saw it in my rearview mirror from the rear as I was backing up and I recognized it instantly. I had really enjoyed reading the review great automotive journalist P.J. O’Rourke wrote for his old mag, Car and Driver, a few months ago.  O’Rourke said something about it lacking in interior refinement or some such thing.

I can tell you this, it is smaller than a new Mini, but larger than the original Mini from the 1960’s. It is also smaller than a Mazda 2, which was voted Car of the World two years ago and is finally available in the USA.

It occurred to me that as gas is constantly flirting with $4 to $5 a gallon in this country we might want to wake up and smell the subcompacts.

Anyone that ever traveled outside the United States knows that drivers in pretty much all other countries embrace subcompacts. Our enormous egos and closed minds prevent us from enjoying sensible and fun transportation. A hatchback is convenient and smart and...hey, don’t you have one on your SUV?

What does this have to do with motorcycles?

Americans would be better off if they started buying cars that have more in common with motorcycles than Jabba the Hutt’s luxury barge in Return of the Jedi. Motorcyclists and pedestrians would certainly be a lot safer, as would bicycle riders.

Smaller cars get much better fuel economy. You can get almost 40 miles-per-gallon with a gas motor instead of trying to reinvent the wheel with hybrids and electric power plants on oversized vehicles.

Easy to park and sure is nice in urban environments. It’s a lot better than paying extra for sophisticated systems that park your car for you, beep with sonar, or give you cameras to see the rear end of your over sized barge as you crunch into a spot. Just buy a smaller car!

Subcompacts are fun to drive, just like a motorcycle. Get one with a stick shift and enjoy thrashing it. Between you and me, I know someone that had a high-powered luxury sedan and traded it in for a subcompact. They now drive faster, have more fun, and save lot’s of money on insurance, gas, and repairs.

Countries like India and China have long had roads mostly populated with bicycles and motorbikes. If that's good enough transportation for families that are, on average, larger than todays American families, than I fail to see how a well optioned, safe, comfortable, and fun subcompact is inadequate for an American family. The families of Europe, Asia, and South America can satisfy their transportation needs with refined little compacts. Why can’t we?