Yes, this is important stuff to remember; Porsche also has an easier time with thermal management power delivery thanks to its 800-volt system, and it also has a trick two-speed transmission that supposedly improves efficiency by up to 5% (and also increases top speed).

In the case of the Porsche, they’ve also done more work to make the battery charge more quickly and at a higher rate than Tesla, even after hard driving.

In 2012, the domestic compacts actually started to look attractive to buyers. Japan had lost its way a bit, and Kia/Hyundai were better but not there yet. It’s not a surprise people opted for the Focus around that time. It was really good and pretty much the only game in town unless your heart was set on a diesel over…

Yeah, I’d even consider an Explorer—esp. if it’s a 5-speed—over anything with the truck 3VZE.

Depends on the SUV/CUV, for sure. From driving some of the newer options, from the Tiguan to the Macan, I can say that the handling, ride, and seating argument doesn’t wash as well as it used to. Most of the options aren’t going to handle like a Mustang GT, obviously, but some are quite good to drive hard if you can…

Ingress/egress is a legit reason people want tall cars, but it’s a distant second to seating position. Since everything else on the road is also high, people want to feel confident, safe, and be able to see around traffic. And there’s a lot of traffic these days...

Haha, that’s what I thought of, too.

Murray got the idea from Chapparal, but sure...

Was it a 2.5 car?

It’s probably just as well Saab didn’t get to produce it, considering how much of a flop the B9 was in the marketplace. Even Saab couldn’t make this CUV look good, and the sole drivetrain was a fuel hog.

Saturn’s sort of a different beast. That’s one thing GM got right at the very start! Unfortunately, it was launched at the dawn of the age of the SUV. And frankly GM already had too many car brands. Eventually, GM just lost interest in Saturn’s declining sales and let it wither away.

Yes, exactly. Toyota sold over 30K MR2s in 1985 and 1986 but never got close to those numbers again. I think part of the initial sales rush was pent-up demand for interesting cars after the Malaise Era, as well as excitement over mid-engined cars in general. Once people realized how impractical they can be the sales…

Plenty cheap enough. Usually $10-15K. It’s a really good option for this buyer. The trick will be finding one with low miles.

This is all completely correct. ...but rally car!

I think this car is an anachronism (and too pricey for me), but the S209 really doesn’t need to be marginally more expensive or a giant killer. It just needs to exist as an STI-made model, clearing a path through the red tape for future STI products in the U.S.

I agree. The excuse has been that GM kept Buick because the brand sells well in China, which is very true. But here, Buicks are now just sort-of-nicer versions of Chevys. The only ones that aren’t also Chevys sell poorly, and the only really nice Buicks, the Avenir trim versions, are too expensive for what they are.

Same is true of manual Saab 9-3 Aero Sportcombis, preferably with AWD. Add to the list the non-CC V90, the short-lived 2.0T Jetta Sportwagen, and the various flavors of V60 Polestars.

I think this is the main issue. You nailed it. When you want to know if you can get around traffic, you need a clear line of sight. Nobody likes being stuck behind a string of SUVs all. the. time. Unless you’re in one.

As for the money up front question, there are no inexpensive EVs. What if I just want a practical commuter? I can’t get it from Tesla because a Honda Civic would save me a big chunk of money.

I occasionally return as time warrants!