Speaking of Jeeps, is David Tracy ok?

I can report that it is an endearing buggy. Ours is a 2016 Latitude model with a manual and 4WD. Had to search high and low for it in southern California. Manuals could be had, but almost always in FWD, which is, to me, antithetical in a Jeep, even a small non Wrangler one. I very much wanted to find a manual after…

I leased a couple different MT Renegades, a FWD and a 4x4. “Little, chuckable, cheep” is a good description. I liked them. Good all-around utility and reasonably fun to drive. The 1.4L turbo/manual powertrain is pretty torquey and felt good in the Renegade. Find your 2018 while you can. . .

Actually, the manual COULD be had with 4WD. I know, because we have one! It was damn hard to find in southern California too. I was either about to order one or cast my net up into northern CA.

Nope, could get the manual as a 4x4.

What do you mean? An African or a European manhole cover?

You have to give props to VW for keeping the manual alive. I did my part and bought one two months ago. You all better do your part as well!

David Tracy took it... he needed it for the POStal jeep.

Has FCA fixed the ZF 9spd transmission? 

Well he can’t be going that fast on the track.

You forgot the WRX/STI, faster than all the cars you listed

It was a car show GTI, looked like mid or base model GTI. I didn’t get to drive it.

I was going to say, that same sentence didn’t sit well with me. And then I realized that I DO want the new Bronco. And then I felt... A little like I played into their hand. But, if the Bronco is as good as we’re hoping it’s going to be, I won’t really care.

To be fair those 2 things kind of go hand in hand. Maybe not the “beautiful” part but realistically speaking it’s a lot easier to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a seasonal prestige event when you don’t have to answer to the people you get that money from.

I think if you use the word “cocky” refering to Fords sedans, you should also shove a FiST/FoST in there too.

I mean, at least personally, she’s not wrong - well likely not wrong. My FoST is at 115k and I’m looking to replacing it next year. My major options are an SRT/Daytona Charger and a Mustang GT - my wife didn’t like the N+ and I wasn’t all that impressed with the GTI though I do need to try one and/or an R on the road.

Ha! FiST/FoST! I never heard that. Glad to have learned a thing today.

In North America, I expect we’ll see very little in the way of small cars for some time. Those will be supplanted by small body crossovers - and like the standard transmission, the hot hatch will die out because most drivers have exactly no idea how to handle them.

When the FiST/FoST came out they pretty much made up the hot hatch market, along with the GTI. Since then we’ve gotten the Veloster R-Spec/N, Civic Type R (kinda hatchy), 500 Abarth, and a seemingly new hot hatch version of the Soul coming out. The segment seems to be on the rise, it’s a shame we’re losing the ST…

“What about drivers of the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Ford Fusion? They’ll switch to other Ford products, LaNeve predicted.”

The only other Ford I may get into after my Fiesta ST, is the new Bronco, or a Ranger Raptor (if that happens). I do enjoy my hot hatches though and hope the future is bright for them. I will be…