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If you've seen my posts in the Pub lately, you'll know that I'm going through a major vehicle realignment (okay, I'm selling off a bunch of stuff) in an attempt to simplify. One thing I needed to do was swap out my daily driver (was a Honda Fit Sport with a manual) to something with an automatic so that my wife could drive it as well. I have officially lost the battle against her refusal to learn to shift.
As a musician with an upright bass in the arsenal I need a hatchback with reasonable space, which can conflict with my love of small efficient vehicles. Luckily there's a nice crop of small hatchbacks on the market now. We looked at six of them (in one night) and settled on the Kia. Here's the contenders and my thoughts in the order we looked at them:
<span style="font-weight: bold">Ford Fiesta:</span> Nice looking but a bit too small for what I need. Visibility out the back didn't look good. Didn't even drive this one.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Hyundai Accent:</span> Another nice design that's come a long way from its origins. I had a 2003 and it was a decent, if basic car. The new one is really quite nice inside, and a heck of a value. Visibility out the back was truly horrendous, though, so it was a no.
<span style="font-style: italic">As an aside, I HATE the current styling trend of tiny rear windows. Why is it fashionable to not be able to see out? Do the designers think that the folks who drive their cars will be embarrassed to be seen in them? Hyundai absolutely ruined an otherwise nice little car with this STUPID design.</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">Honda Fit Sport:</span> Still a great car, visibility is good, interior space is amazing, Tardis like. I just had one, though, and wanted a change.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Subaru Impreza:</span> Very nice car, lots of space, greatly improved fuel economy, AWD. Just wasn't wowed.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Suzuki SX4:</span> Good friend has one and loves it, but we looked and it's just too small for the gear I have to haul.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Kia Forte 5:</span> This car surprised us. We only added it to the list as the last dealer on the itinerary was a Kia/Subaru/Suzuki/Jeep dealer -- it's right there, might as well. We got in and it felt a notch nicer than the others. Nicely equipped, roomy, decent power (150hp or so), 6-speed auto with a manual mode. Sunroof. Rear seats can fold completely flat. Rated at 36mpg highway. Drove nicely, looks nice. 100K Warranty. Nice rebates going on now so it was a good price as well. Jenny and I both got out after the test drive surprised at how much we liked it.
So we dove in and picked the Kia. I got great service from my last Hyundai, no issues in the 80k miles I drove it over 4 years. I expect this one will do the same.
As a musician with an upright bass in the arsenal I need a hatchback with reasonable space, which can conflict with my love of small efficient vehicles. Luckily there's a nice crop of small hatchbacks on the market now. We looked at six of them (in one night) and settled on the Kia. Here's the contenders and my thoughts in the order we looked at them:
<span style="font-weight: bold">Ford Fiesta:</span> Nice looking but a bit too small for what I need. Visibility out the back didn't look good. Didn't even drive this one.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Hyundai Accent:</span> Another nice design that's come a long way from its origins. I had a 2003 and it was a decent, if basic car. The new one is really quite nice inside, and a heck of a value. Visibility out the back was truly horrendous, though, so it was a no.
<span style="font-style: italic">As an aside, I HATE the current styling trend of tiny rear windows. Why is it fashionable to not be able to see out? Do the designers think that the folks who drive their cars will be embarrassed to be seen in them? Hyundai absolutely ruined an otherwise nice little car with this STUPID design.</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">Honda Fit Sport:</span> Still a great car, visibility is good, interior space is amazing, Tardis like. I just had one, though, and wanted a change.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Subaru Impreza:</span> Very nice car, lots of space, greatly improved fuel economy, AWD. Just wasn't wowed.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Suzuki SX4:</span> Good friend has one and loves it, but we looked and it's just too small for the gear I have to haul.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Kia Forte 5:</span> This car surprised us. We only added it to the list as the last dealer on the itinerary was a Kia/Subaru/Suzuki/Jeep dealer -- it's right there, might as well. We got in and it felt a notch nicer than the others. Nicely equipped, roomy, decent power (150hp or so), 6-speed auto with a manual mode. Sunroof. Rear seats can fold completely flat. Rated at 36mpg highway. Drove nicely, looks nice. 100K Warranty. Nice rebates going on now so it was a good price as well. Jenny and I both got out after the test drive surprised at how much we liked it.
So we dove in and picked the Kia. I got great service from my last Hyundai, no issues in the 80k miles I drove it over 4 years. I expect this one will do the same.
