Subcompact class (vehicle, 2013, air bag, SUV)

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by duster1979

I'd go for a Plymouth Horizon, myself.

I had one. It was trouble, trouble, trouble.

[victimofGM]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

I have a Fiesta ST.

I also have 2 cars that are smaller, but 2 seater cars have their own unique EPA class.

I tried the Fiesta and it felt too narrow for us.

[theedgeoflight]

Originally Posted by duster1979

I'd go for a Plymouth Horizon, myself.

I had one. Drove it ninety thousand trouble free miles.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Rio, Soul, Forte, Forte5, Accent, Elantra, Elantra GT (wagon/hatch).

Elantra, Elantra GT, Forte, Forte5 and Soul are compact cars.
Rio and Accent are actually subcompacts.

[GeoffD]

I’m 6’2” with broad shoulders. The only small car I’ve ever driven where I fit was a Mini. A bit cramped for my left arm but adequate room otherwise. I don’t have enough data points to know if there are other options. I owned VW GTIs for 18 years but that’s not a subcompact. European small cars have always seemed to be designed for 6-footers. Asian small cars for Hobbits, Dwarves, and Elves.

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by theedgeoflight

I had one. Drove it ninety thousand trouble free miles.

We had one when I was a kid. It was a little bit of a shock, given that my parent had driven Chrysler Newports most of my life to that point then suddenly switched to a subcompact with no air and no power steering. I remember it being a pretty good car for them for the most part, although once something let loose and blew a hole through the transmission.

[rstevens62]

The Honda Fit actually is pretty comfortable for a tall, larger guy. These kinds of cars seem like they are made taller nowadays, compared to subcompacts of the past, I remember I could barely even get into a 1999 Chevy Prism/ Toyota Corolla.

[JONOV]

They are infinitely better than some of the cars of yesterday in their size class.

But, that size will never overcome three issues that are partially related to its size, and partially to its market segment:

They are bumpy: On a wheelbase that short, no amount of suspension tuning or design will ameliorate the ride.

They are too low for my tastes: While they often have sufficient room, I don't want to be sitting on the ground, and that's what it feels like.

They are loud: Built to a pricepoint, one of the first things to go is noise insulation.

That said, they do a good job of being functional, decent cars, and some of them are plenty roomy inside.

[otterhere]

I drive one of the cars listed and absolutely love it. If you want to "outsize" the other vehicles on the road, better get yourself an 18-wheeler.

[Icy Tea]

I drive a Kia Soul, base. Its got very comfortable seats if you like a straight up kind of high seat like a chair. Its also been completely reliable for going on four years with no issues other than some recall items for the steering wheel and accelerator which they fixed free of charge. Its well designed, roomy, and well made and for the price was a bargain. And its got good safety ratings which was a big factor.
I thought seriously about a Hyundai Elantra which was only a little smaller than the car it was going to replace( a mid size). It had a nice big trunk which I liked. It drove fine. The interior was on the cheap side, the Soul is better. But other cars I looked at were more expensive and had cheapish interiors( Chevy Impala, Malibu). Maybe a higher trim would have been more plush.
I could have gotten a larger car and spent more, I am a big sedan guy. But driving 8K miles a year, that didn't make too much sense.