the anti-sportscar thread

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 5:02 pm

Not that I'm against sporty cars and such, but the daily driver WRX is going to be leaving the house in the next 12-18 months and I would like helpful advice on narrowing the list of car ideas for its replacement. Sadly, I think I have to find a car that is nearly everything the WRX is not:

quiet interior
comfortable ride
nice stereo
mpg >35 combined
price under $35k

The list of possibilities is disheartening at best, but may have some interesting choices:
Lexus CT200h
Acura ILX hybrid
Ford Fusion hybrid
Mazda3 (SkyActiv)
Camry hybrid
{shudder} Prius
Audi A3 diesel
Altima hybrid

added:
BMW 335d
BMW 320i
Mazda 6 SkyActivD and SkyActivG
Lexus HS250
Lexus 300h
Merc Eclass w211 or w212 (CDI or BlueTec)

other ideas? I don't need to buy now, and given the price premium of hybrid over base variants of each model some choices make better sense than others if bought new, but may depreciate at rates that mitigate the price differential if purchased as a CPO vehicle. Has anyone had any exposure to these cars, or other possibilities?

JamesMilko · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 5:13 pm

This isn't an awe inspiring list.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSea ... &tabView=0

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

2014 Mazda6
2014 Mazda6 Skyactiv Diesel (I think it's coming out this year)
CPO BMW 335d

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 6:12 pm

ummmm, keep the Subaru?

BTW, how the hell can you start planning this far out. You're a car guy and as such you follow your heart and buy crap on the spot, no thinking, no rationalizing, just do it....

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 6:14 pm

older bmw 5 series .that is what we have,vw passat tdi twin cam. we have a bmw 528i sedan.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 6:28 pm

RodneyWright wrote:

ummmm, keep the Subaru?

BTW, how the hell can you start planning this far out. You're a car guy and as such you follow your heart and buy crap on the spot, no thinking, no rationalizing, just do it....

Keep the Subaru is still an option but the stereo sucks rocks, the interior is hard plastic and the seat bolster is constructed in such a way that it starts to feel uncomfortable after 40-45 minutes or so. Plus, mileage is meh at 22/26 and it looks like my annual mileage is going up from about 9k/yr to more like 12k. I was fine with all that when it was a DD/autocross car, but now that the S2000 is firmly entrenched in the autocross slot I can get all soft on the DD.

As far as planning goes...I am not a huge fan of buying new, and by checking out 2013 models now I don't have to do quite as much legwork when they come back as CPO models a year or two from now. And since some technology is new and relatively unproven (SkyActiv tech this year and SkyActivD next year) I can watch and see what, if any, problems occur (eg, Hyundai overstating mileage claims as a recent prime example).

In re:335d. That car is amazing. A friend of mine just bought one and loves it. I think he pulls stumps out of the ground with it, or pulled his Chevy Avalanche out of a ditch once. Or something like that. They are holding price pretty well at mid-upper 30s, so I'd have to do the math on diesel fuel cost delta and such to see if it fits. It'd have to be CPO though--no brainer there. I think maybe a year-old 320i might fit the bill also, but we'll have to see. Added both to the list (along with diesel Mazda6.)

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

I'd like to point out that conventional sedans that are converted to hybrids lose a lot of their utility. For an example, a 2013 gas Fusion sedan has a 16 cu ft trunk, but the hybrid only has 12 cu ft. If you're just commuting, no problem. On a trip with several passengers, problem.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:49 pm

Arthur McDonald wrote:

I'd like to point out that conventional sedans that are converted to hybrids lose a lot of their utility. For an example, a 2013 gas Fusion sedan has a 16 cu ft trunk, but the hybrid only has 12 cu ft. If you're just commuting, no problem. On a trip with several passengers, problem.

Good point...had no idea it was that significant, but makes sense that it would given the volume of the battery pack. The car would have to pass the "can it fit a bag of golf clubs?" test (Surprisingly, the S2000 does!) so trunk volume is not off the priority list.

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:05 pm

Ford Fiesta ST? It's a bit small but the fiesta is a decent driving little car. The ST gets 35mpg highway.

JohnByers · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:30 pm

Mazda2!

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:18 pm

I have been in both of those, and they are louder and less comfortable than the WRX. i think the combo of narrow track and short wheelbase make NVH very difficult to manage. Given the pricepoint ergonomics and NVH engineering were obviously sacrificed. On top of that, hatches tend to be louder than sedans.

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:38 am

After 19 months, we still like our 2012 Skyactiv 3. It won't be confused for a luxury car or a race car, but has just enough poise to be fun, just enough comfort to be reasonable for moderate drives, just good enough fuel economy to be appealing (32+ MPG avg since new @ 32 Mph avg and tanks pushing close to 40 highway), great utility with the hatch, decent interior space and cupholders, good base options including Bluetooth, and a 6 spd auto with a very responsive manual mode if you decide you want control, and new for <2/3 of your budget, leaving plenty of room for track car ;-)

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:06 am

Thanks Dustin--that's good to hear the SkyActiv technology delivers close to what was promised by Mazda marketing. I remember the fun of the 135/335 fuel pump failures and when I read about how the SkyActiv tech worked I figured I'd take a wait-and-see approach. Looks like they figured it out, even with 87 octane gas!

JamesShort · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:13 am

A mazda 6 diesel with a manual tranny is they way I'd go in this situation.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:21 am

Alternately forget the high gas mileage requirement, get a dd car you will like for the long term, and make up for the higher fuel cost with depreciation and property tax savings over a 10 year or more ownership. Been there, doing that. Of course this requires cars that will still look "good" (to you) and that don't require high dollar repairs after a few years.

We still daily drive our 97 Mustang. My 2012 Mustang replaced a 2001 Mustang. Our 84 Nissan 200 SX was a daily driver until about 2001 (now it is close to "LKQ" time). Our camper van is an 88 (with lots of refurbishing and repairs over the decades).

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