Cars are evil. However, I am and will probably continue to be unwilling to sacrifice the convenience of owning one. Now that I have out of the way, let's talk about cars.
The form factor of the old Dodge Colt / Mitsubishi Expo 3-door (one sliding door) hatchback always made sense to me. According to some, they were not particularly reliable and parts were expensive and hard to find. It was a short (in length) and tall (in height) car. It was small on the outside and enormous inside. The driver and front passenger sit upright with a commanding view much like in a minivan. It may not have been a great car, but it was a great form factor.
Until recently, this form factor was only available in the 10-year old Dodge. It looks like some of the major auto companies are revisiting the form.
The following models are all new or about to be released (the Audi, which I have previously praised, is only available in Europe). Their various stylings are sure to appeal to some and offend others, but they are at least distinctive.
All feature four doors, a hatchback, loads of interior room, a relatively small exterior, versatile seating. They are all around 170" long and between 57" and 63" tall (except for the Audi which is smaller). To put that in perspective, they are all small than a Neon. These (pictured below) are smart designs: Audi A2, Mazda Protegé5, Toyota Matrix, Chrysler PT Cruiser.
There are a many more cars of this form factor in the works for release in the next few years as well (see a few Chrysler concepts: Java, Pronto). Regardless, I still drive that big old sedan.
Comments
Daniel Burka - October 26, 2001 9:01 pm
Not only are those interesting cars Steve, that's some sweet presentation you did.
Steven Garrity - October 26, 2001 9:13 pm
I'm glad you noticed because I was secretly embarrassed about how long it too me to put that graphic together.
All the small things.