I currently live in Germany, and I can concur. They almost list their swimming diplomas when they write you an email. It's insane.

Let me put it this way: the interior of my 2000 Peugeot 406 (smaller/cheaper/older than a 607) is miles ahead of the much newer and lower milage Dodge Magnum RT my father in law owns. To give you an example you can relate to in the US: the Peugeot is more comparable to a VW from an interior quality perspective. But…

The 407 has a hideous front end though, imho

You don’t buy a subcompact EV for highways. But even on the highway it’s enough. The onramp is the tricky part, but it should easily be sufficient if you know how to drive. I’ve driven ICE cars that were slower on paper and thus much slower in the real world, and they were fine too.

Probably true, but a part of the reason for that is that FCA decided to design their entire relevant current lineup (Giulia and Stelvio) with another continent in mind.

No one will ask them give up their ICE powered trucks. However, there will come a point when a *new* ICE truck will either be unavailable or impossibly expensive. So, they either keep their old truck or upgrade to something that is not an ICE truck. Eventually.

Exactly. I can see ICE dying out almost entirely among *new* cars in the EU in a relatively short time. Like, 10 years or so. China will follow. The US will too, they will have a lag, but they will follow eventually.

To continue with the battery example: you’d be moving hundreds of pounds of extra batteries from A to B, causing worse energy efficiency and worse driving dynamics. The ‘eco’ characteristics of the car are worse due to the extra raw materials and the extra weight.

Imagine what this will do to the depreciation of these cars.

That's an interesting choice. Can I ask why you picked the Polo over the competition? 

Nah. In Europe, the continent this article is about, the problem of hot hatches is that they use too much fuel. And are thus hit with high taxes and whatnot. So they are taxed out of the market.

I guess a 106 GTi (or Citroën Saxo equivalent), 106 Rallye or maybe a 306 GTi would be a better pick nowadays, mostly due to the lower price.

The 308 is fine. It’s just that this market segment is dying. Sadly. The pure joy at acceptable speeds that used to be common is dead. With all manufacturers. The limits are too high. The cars have become too competent for the public road.

Because if you need to add for example €5k to the price of a car, it is a much bigger chunk of the total price for a subcompact.

You do have a point about crossovers. But a crossover is not typically that much larger than a non-crossover in the same segment. And given that it’s mostly older people who buy new cars, taller is seen as better. But taller =/= bigger.

That is not how it works in Europe though. When you want a nicer car than a Golf, you won’t be looking at a tall Golf (Tiguan) or a Passat. You will be looking at a fancy Golf; the Audi A3. It’s not bigger, it’s only nicer.

The 306 GTi was probably the best attainable 90s hot hatch. Nothing terrible about that car. Lots of other chic, interesting and great 90s french cars. I have enough real world experience with them that I can make this statement.

Try the mobile.de and AutoScout24.com websites. Especially the latter one looks all over Europe if you configure it right. It'll show you where you can find these cars. Expensive they are not.

Exactly. Every single time the same mistake.

Dacia is way ahead of you, with the Sandero Stepway. Taller + extra cladding = ‘truck’