As someone who has test driven a Spark, they're going to have to redesign the entire powertrain before I'll stop telling everyone to avoid it. I can handle underpowered cars just fine, but there is not a single transmission option that can do anything with the little power that it does have. It made the Fiesta and the…

It has already been proven that the segment is immensely popular and seemingly profitable...

This. This all day. We test drove a Spark in the interest of thoroughness but thought that its horrendous'y crappy interior and inability to get to highway speeds with the automatic were pretty telling. Thankfully we were never actually considering it and got a more powerful AND more efficient FIAT 500 for less.

Thank god they put some headlights on this car that don't look like the outer cover has broken off. I've been fearful that the Sonic's might catch on.

What would your next new car purchase be if you had the money (keep it reasonable)?

I recall that when my boyfriend bought his Abarth, he needed gap insurance for some unknown reason and his policy with Geico was apparently not eligible. The dealership quoted him $650 which I insisted was too much for a car already two years into its depreciation curve and they managed to get him a one year shorter…

This has been my experience as well. The EPA says that my GSX is supposed to get 19/25 and I'm getting 26/31 this winter. And I am in no way an economical driver. And I've almost doubled the output of my engine. Granted, the newest car I've owned is a 97, and things seemed to be different then. Or maybe they haven't…

You know, I never thought about this. For cars, trim levels mean relatively little and the biggest variation you get is usually sedan vs hatchback, which I believe get their own separate tests anyway. Trucks have huge variations in weight and aero depending on the configuration. Huh. Learned something new.

I could mention Indianapolis, where the speed limits are 55 but traffic is anywhere from 70-85 any time but rush hour, or pretty much all of the midwest where speed limits are 65 or 70 and traffic is always at 75. Or Texas, where speed limits are imaginary and traffic is as well.

In my long, sad years of staying up late and searching CarMax inventory, I don't think I can recall seeing a vehicle that so desperately needed a warranty like the Jaguar S-Type R. I'm stunned they even offer this car, which is known primarily for two things: 400 horsepower, and constant breakdowns. I know there are…

I mean, I do go to auto shows for the porn, but I like my babes metallic and turbocharged.

Get that woman out of the way! You're blocking the car!

Damn. Apparently I need to catch up on my Top Gear then.

Story time.

I am running under the assumption that we are talking about stock engines that therefore have a torque curve that makes sense. For example, the B18C5, which makes no torque, but it makes that same no torque from 2k until the 8400 redline. If it had a transmission that took advantage of the torque line, it might be a…

For the sake of this discussion, does it really matter? I make fun of Honda all the time for making cars that make a lot of noise and not much else, but as long as you have a transmission designed for that power band, why does it matter. On the contrary, I would argue that it shows more technical advancement to make…

Waiting for that damn Fiesta RS. I want small NOW!

Don't forget how then-HP is not comparable to now-HP and how around the 60s is when the manufacturers started to really take advantage of the old way of measuring. I would not dispute the nomination at all, but I have learned to not pay any attention at all to the quoted HP figures of the time.

I was supposed to be D Stock. And you were the one to suggest it, not me.

Cable shifting! My dad has an Integra R and still refuses to believe that the shifter isn't directly connected to the transmission.