New or Old?

[Futurefesty90]

These new little cars, the Honda Fit, The Toyota Matrix, and the Chevrolet Aveo have been running the streets. Looks like another small car boom that was a decade in the making. Will these new cars ever match up to the reliability and the fuel effientcy of the Festiva? Personally, i think not.

[htchbck]

fuel efficiency, probably... more modern technology makes for more efficient engines. Reliability... we'll have to wait a few years and see if folks are still driving 200k aveos and priuses... uh... priusi?... priui?... anyway, I doubt any of them are set up to recieve power from a full line of motors (eg. the mazda B-series). And I'm pretty sure my little BP can walk all over any little scions and fits out there :twisted:

[oxbrain]

If ford decides to stop hating the US and bring us some of the european small cars then we will see some good stuff. The fiesta ST for example, or the sport ka.

[todd00]

you forgot the toyota yaris. i dont think the hatchback model bad. i like it better than the others, but i hate that centered speedo. yeah have to wait and see on reliability of all the new small cars.

[Hot_Wheels]

i hear the aveos have daewoo motors and drive train anyone else here that? and i never heard anything good about daewoos

[TheresGabe]

problems!

The aveo has the same genetic problem as the suzuki reno...it's a daewoo....And being that I used to sell the damn things, trust me for some reason Daewoo really suck on gas.....


However: I just went to www.fueleconomy.gov and did comparisons, and to my surprise the prius, and hybrid civic both are better on gas than a '93 Festiva. You can always state the fact that the hybrid battery is as toxic for the enivorment as a small nuclear waste dump...but I guess they are saving a little at the pump. I can't remember the last time I saw a hybrid civic for $50 though!

[htchbck]

^^ very true, it would take a while to save up enough at the pump to cover the price difference in vehicles... and you are talking civic hybrid vs. EFI festiva... imagine what a festy hybrid could pull off in terms of mileage!

[Gforcefd]

My sister has been driving her daewoo nubira for about 5 years, and its probably been the most reliable drivetrain I have seen on a car. Its a 5 speed too, and that thing is pretty zippy. Only problem she has had with that damn car is how cheaply the interior was put together, her door handles where replaced twice because the crome keeps peeling off. To bad she has a car that no longer really has the company backing it up since it left the US. I believe chrysler owns the parts contract for them now. Anyways ya its been a good little car for her.

Logan

[Deathshead]

Actully the Aveo is powered by a 103hp/107 torque E-TEC II dohc engine, its an Opel engine really., but built in korea.

[freshtiva]

Reliability and fuel efficiency aside. I like mine because its still simple enough that I understand it and can make most of my our repairs. I don't have to take it in to a dealership to have a warning light diagnosed. Simple equals big savings for me.

[Damkid]

my parents bought one of those smart cars, i think it's weird looking, but it is a really cool car. when they first got it i parked my festy beside it and the smart car only came to where the windshield meets the hood
The thing gets like 70 - 80 mpg, rear mounted 799cc 3 cyl. turbo diesel. it's got electric clutch, and the shifter is just a slap shift, plus shift paddles on the steering wheel, like i said it's really neat the more you learn about them
I'd load some pics, but not sure how

[HappyMom]

Damkid, you should post a pic fo the Festy besides the Smart car, so we can all see how big a Festiva really his.

To everyone else, it's kinda pointless comparing a 13+ year old car to a newer sub-compact or hybrid. I think only the hybrids and diesels can beat the Festy in fuel economy.

Only the Festy can get really close to those published fuel econ numbers. At least that's my experience with the Festy vs. Corolla, Then again I drive 90 on the highway with the Festy, 120 with the Corolla, no wonder

[Damkid]

ya i'll take some pics of my festy beside the smart car, and some extra pics for those who haven't seen one before, my dad has it at work right now so i'll have to wait for the next time we're both at home the same time probably on the weekend. as far as i know the smart cars are not available in the states yet

[Rich Norman]

you forgot the toyota yaris. i dont think the hatchback model bad. i like it better than the others, but i hate that centered speedo. yeah have to wait and see on reliability of all the new small cars.

I like the Yaris Liftback, for practicality only and for the fact that's it is good business impression to be seen in a late model car :lol: . I won't do nothing else to it than routine maintenance and filling it up with gas.

Close as a modern Festiva as you can come right now ( 3-door sub-compact FWD ).

Expensive to option out ( thank God A/C is standard ) though and I'm not keen on the warranty for those that think this is the answer for high mileage daily commutes.

They have a large forum: www.yarisworld.com

[festivareal]

Fuel efficiency? Nope. From what I see on the EPA ratings website none of them get over 40mpg. Reliability is yet to be seen. Perhaps but the more things that a car has on it the more things there is to go wrong. Even the old civic sedans got better gas mileage than these funky new things. I think they think consumers being the eternal suckers will think that just because the car is shaped as a vertical hatch then it should get awesome gas mileage. Not happening.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

The best a Honda Fit gets is 33-38. Compared to the Festiva's 38-43 (with personal reports of 48-50+)

The Aveo sucks and is ugly for nothing at 26city-35hw

The toyota Matrix and cousin Pontiac Vibe are good @ 30-36 because they are pretty big wagons almost SUVs.

The Yaris on the other hand does breach 40mpg highway with 34 city and personal reports of 43. Something tells me it is just the Echo reworked. Not bad but still not Festiva/metro/hybrid/biodiesel territory.