xargos

Knowing that you're pretty much right about the B-segment cars being the lowest practical size from a business sense sickens me. I just don't get why it has to be that way. If enough of the people who only have one or two people in a car at a time would realize that they don't need a big honkin' SUV and that something like this would work the sales volume would probably be high enough to make it more practical. It would also make the odds of a more affordable A-segment car increase rather than leave them at a premium like the Fiat 500 gets. (Can you tell I want an A-segment car?)

You're probably right, but we can always dream, right? I really wish more of the smaller engines available in other countries would hit the US market. One of the problems is that car companies are used to Americans wanting larger, more powerful engines rather than smaller, more fuel efficient engines. Some of us don't crave all the power and prefer fuel efficiency, but not enough to convince the companies.

I had a friend whose Metro ended up running on two cylinders shortly after getting it! Even worse was the fact that the dealer didn't want to help him... until threatened with legal action. But back on topic, the three cylinder Ford offering is something I'd like to see put into the Ford Ka, and then I'd like to see the Ka brought stateside! I figure if the Fiat 500 that is on the same platform as the Ka can sell in the US, the Ka should have a chance.

Close, yes, but I've actually heard of a company that would actually pay a shipping company just to move as little as a small package across the street from one facility to another!

The problem is that there are different versions of the window sticker depending on the model. The Fiesta, for example, doesn't seem to show a build date on the sticker. I've looked for the information both on the window sticker for a Fiesta already on a dealer's lot and on the sticker for the one I ordered, and neither seems to have a build date. Given how pretty much everything shipped can be tracked these days, you would think that Ford would at least have an official consumer facing site to show when their vehicle is completed, put on a train, gets off a train, etc...

That's what gets me. It isn't like other companies haven't already been doing this. Toyota is also introducing this type of feature on the 2012 Vitz from what I've read, but it doesn't sound like the stateside 2012 Yaris is going to get it. Perhaps at least some manufacturers don't think Americans want this?

Hello everyone. I'm a soon-to-be owner of a new Ford Fiesta SE sedan in Monterey Grey Metallic after a few years of driving imports. My first car was a 1987 Ford Tempo sedan in Spinnaker Blue. Getting it as a teenager, a lot of friends seemed to think I was crazy to actually have chosen the car intentionally, but I l knew it was what I wanted. The body was in rough shape, but with some Bondo, paintwork, and a little elbow grease it came out looking pretty good. I still miss that car sometimes. My second car was a 1994 Ford Tempo sedan in Vermilion with a dealer installed carriage roof. It was a car that I had my eyes on while the owner before me still was driving it, and fortunately for me they traded it in at a local dealer. My mother had known that I was looking for a car in better shape than the 1987, and she also knew that this car was one I had my eyes on. Imagine my surprise when she called me at work and told me she saw it for sale! The next car for me was a 1999 Mercury Cougar V6 in Melina Blue. It was a nice looking car and fun to drive, but compared to the Tempos that I had been driving it did not handle well in the winter. Living in Massachusetts, I consider good winter handling a must. Of course there was the option of changing the tires, but since it had a proprietary tire size options were very limited. Buying all new wheels was a possibility too, but I decided not to. The fourth car is where I made my mistake. I decided to get a 2000 Saab 9-5 SE sedan in Frost Gray Metallic. It drove well in any weather, but it was still a nightmare! Repair after repair was needed, and the cost of parts was high. To make matters worse, the gas mileage was starting to degrade to the point where it was inferior to any of my previous vehicles. Next came my first new car. It was (is) a 2008 Toyota Yaris Liftback in Meteorite Metallic. I can't really say that I have any issues with the car, but it wasn't available with all the options I wanted. Still, it was a good choice for me since it gets great gas mileage and drives pretty well. Well enough, in fact, that I don't miss the handling of the Saab. The Yaris is what I am still driving now while I wait for my new 2011 Fiesta. I can't wait for the Fiesta to arrive!