CAR BOYS : 2013

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Nissan Sentra has been on the market for more than three decades, and is now on its seventh generation. Despite its long history in the U.S. (and the fact that my wife owned a '91 Sentra E, and I owned a '99 Sentra SE Limited), I've always viewed the Sentra as a vanilla vehicle (sans the SE-R versions). It was never at the ranks of the sophisticated Honda Civic, with its fully independent suspension and high-revving VTEC engines. It was generally more interesting than the Toyota Corolla, but didn't have the cred for running forever. I never found Sentras to be as enjoyable to drive as a Volkswagen Jetta or Mazda3/Protégé, again sans SE-R-spec models. They were better than most of the American compact sedans from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s (freezer-burnt vanilla?), but I always felt them to be decidedly middle-of-the road; ideal for rental car fleets and those looking for a less-expensive alternative to Honda and Toyota. Nissan is trying to change that with the latest Sentra, and the good news is the car has been thoroughly updated, modernized, and made more competitive against a rabidly competitive compact segment. So has the car gone from store-brand vanilla to gourmet ice cream?

SEMA 2013 Coverage

I am currently at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas! I'm getting some pics of the small cars as I can, such as this MINI. You can get more current updates by checking the Subcompact Culture Facebook, Twitter, and Instagramaccounts. I'll get some pics onto the blog as soon as possible. Until, check out the social media sites. Stay tuned!

Suzuki Concept Vehicles from the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show

Suzuki continues to march on in seemingly every single market other than the U.S. and Canada, and will be displaying a few cool concept vehicles at the 43rd Annual Tokyo Motor Show. Here are a few.

The vehicle above is the X-LANDER. This 4WD hybrid rides on the extremely capable and delightfully small Suzuki Jimny chassis. It's powered by a 1.3-liter engine mated to a new automatically controlled manual transmission. The lightweight hybrid systems has a high-efficiency motor built onto the 4WD system. Could this hint at the shape of the next-generation Jimny? Let's hope. It's neat. I'll take two.

Next up is the Crosshiker crossover. Looking like a 21st century X-90, the car features a lightweight design (1,786 lbs.) and a high-efficiency powertrain utilizing a new 1.3-liter engine. This car is based on the Suzuki Regina concept shown in 2011.

Despite the graphics on the side, this vehicle is called the HUSTLER Coupe. Please, no Larry Flynt jokes. Suzuki says this crossover concept displays what it calls a new generation of mini car. Suzuki also refers to this as a coupe with a beautiful silhouette. While I don't know if I'd go that far, I do think it's pretty sweet. They company describes this tiny crossover a stylish and practical design for those with an active lifestyle. I can buy that.

Will any of these make it into production? Likely not. I'd say the HUSTLER Coupe has the best chance, but it's all for nothing, at least here in the U.S. and Canada, as these and any other new Suzukis fall under the unobtainium label.

2013 Smart Electric Drive

In the driveway this week is a wee little thing: The Smart Electric Drive, or ED (note the clever logo on the car's pillar ... get it?). This "amped" up ForTwo is all electric, which means no more terrible transmission like on the gas version . Instead, it's a single speed. Initial impressions are that it's got good pickup from 0-40, but the thrust peters out after that. I've had it up to 55 mph thus far, but it will take a while to get there. Some interior bits seem flimsy, such as the turn signal stalk and some dash bits. However, this urban runabout is incredibly nimble and compact. The coiled-up charging cord is also an EV first for us. Luckily, it's long enough to reach our exterior outlet. And yes, it's small enough to be parked on our concrete patio slab.

The Ford Transit Connect as a Compact Camper

While on one of my personal favorite websites, Expedition Portal, I ran across this killer compact overlander build. The owner has taken a 2013 Ford Transit Connect and built it into a bona-fide travelin' van, albeit a small one, which of course makes it more awesome. This is not the kind of overland build that features big off-road tires and an up-armored chassis. Rather, this van is simply made to travel compactly and smartly.

The builder wanted a vehicle that could be slept in, one that could house a porta-potty inside the vehicle if need be, andone that could seat two inside the back. He also wanted to have a sink/holding tank, the ability to make coffee inside the vehicle, and finally a car with enough storage for gear. The Tranist Connect fit the bill.

This build reminds me of a modern Volkswagen Westfalia van—a vehicle that is iconic among travelers. And yes, there are companies offering pop-top conversions, at least in Europe. It's great to see people utilizing this platform for extended travel. In fact, there are others out there turning these vehicles into small RVs. Is it possible the Transit Connect could be the next VW Vanagon? While I'd prefer the vehicle with AWD for dirt roads and ski trips, this is still a neat platform, especially if you don't plan on venturing too far off the pavement.

This is an on-going build, but I love the direction it's going. Proof, yet again, that you don't need to have a huge vehicle to get out and see the world. Check it out in the link below.

The Fiat 500L Emergency Brake Is Different

You know what this is? This is the Fiat 500L emergency brake. It don't think I've ever seen one quite like it. It's kind of, well, different. It works just like any other hand brake, but it's wide and flat. It's just a unique detail that sets the 500L apart even further from other small cars (hell, any cars) out there. We'll have a full review of the 500L in November, so stay tuned.

Top 5 Small Car Sites

Subcompact Culture is the small car blog. However, you should also be following these other sites or pages if you're as big into small as I am.

Have a small car site you like? Post it up in the comments section. Just be sure to enclose the link in the HTML tag like this <a href="http://favoritesite.com/">Favorite Site Name</a> so it'll display.

Micro Image

Micro Image is a great forum site for all kinds of small cars. It's not model specific, although there are model subforums, and it has a great chat box on top. Subcompact Culture is actually fed to this forum, too. (Hi guys!)

Garm Beall, the owner, also sells a host of car parts through the store, so this isn't just another forum site, it's also a great place to buy parts. Garm built the car above: A 357 hp Toyota Yaris. Yeah, it's awesome.

MPH Specialties

Mark Hatten owns MPH Specialties, which is an auto repair shop in Portland, OR. While the shop works on all kinds of cars, they have a strong interest in vintage micro cars. The MPH Specialties Facebook Page posts all kinds of cool retro micros and minis. And yes, Mark owns the Subaru 360 above. He can even make his 360sshoot flames, too. In fact, his YouTube channel, 2stroketurbo, has 722 videos!

Bean Garage

Bean Garage is another retailer of parts, but they have a Facebook page with all kinds of sweet subcompact imagery. There are quite a few pics of custom Nissan Cubes, too. Whether you're into stance, JDM, Euro stuff, or whatever, Bean Garage has some great photos and neat parts.

OMG Pancakes

Marlon over at OMG Pancakes posts some very awesome pics of a variety of small vehicles. While not dedicated to the smallest of small cars, it does features a healthy dose of tiny vehicles, such as this badass Honda N600 from Japan.

Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni

Red Plymouth Horizon in Portland, Oregon

Plymouth Horizon seen in Portland, Oregon.

Subcompact Culture contributor, Ducati Scotty, found the above-pictured Plymouth Horizin in Portland earlier this week. Every now and then, you run across one of these cars, but rarely are they in this good of shape.

2014 Fiat 500L Easy

I've been looking forward to driving this "big" Fiat since I heard it was coming to our shores. It is quite a bit bigger than the Fiat 500, for sure. As a friend said, perhaps it might have been better called the Fiat 600, but so be it.

Initially, I think this is a homely little beast, but maybe it'll grow on me; I felt the same way about the Nissan Juke. Although those wheels look really small, they're actually 16s. The exterior proportions are odd. In fact, the whole thing is a bit odd looking. Plus, what's up with that color? Is it blue? Is it gray? Is it white? Technically, it's "Blu Chiaro," or light blue. I'm not feeling it.

The interior, however, is pretty awesome. The seats feel like they have a neoprene cover, but it works. This thing is cavernous on the inside, and it's super practical. I can't help but love it. And—woo hoo!—it's a six-speed manual. It is powered by the 1.4-liter turbo MultiAir engine. It's got notable turbo lag, and you do have to keep it in the powerband to make it scoot. The car does have decent thrust in the powerband. It handles better than you'd expect, too.

2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport AWC

2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport front shot

We last drove the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport back in the summer of 2011. We liked it size, its shape, the panoramic roof, and amazing Rockford Fosgate sound system. It lacked power and wasn’t the most exciting to drive. But man, that sound system was amazing.

Not a ton has changed for the 2013 model. It still looks good (I love the Laguna Blue paint), it still has the panoramic roof, and still has the amazing stereo. In fact, while the Outlander Sport is perfectly good transportation, I prefer to think of it as one of the best AWD mobile sound systems out there.