The car to rule them all

(In Malaysia, anyhow.)

The Perodua Myvi is the most popular car in Malaysia. It seems that every third car is a Myvi. And for good reason – a 2009 study by J.D. Power & Associates saw the MyVi ranked highest for its initial quality in terms of new-vehicle ownership in the compact car segment. (Thanks for that fact, Wikipedia.)

Not fast. Not big. But I like it. I want one. Great fuel economy, easy to park and very versatile. (Fold the rear seats down and you can haul a lot of stuff).

It’s a rebadged Daihatsu Sirion, but assembled in Malaysia. This “supermini” segment of cars (as they call them in the UK) is largely absent from the American market. The new Ford Fiesta is starting to change that, hopefully. And the wonderful Honda Fit (Jazz in the rest of the world) is an excellent member of this class.

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More bookstore findings

insignia-mondeo

Another magazine I looked at was Car. Or maybe it was Top Gear. Anyway, there was a comparison text of Honda Accord-sized sedans.

I was greatly saddened.

Ford makes a fabulous car for Europe in that class called the Mondeo. GM has an equally brilliant offering called the Insignia. These cars go 130-135 mph and yet get about 49 mpg! (In US gallons, that’s about 41 mpg.)

The reason for the big car manufacturer bailouts is simply this… they believed America wasn’t sophisticated enough to buy such cars that they build elsewhere. And now that fuel prices are lower, Ford has considered not bringing the wonderful Fiesta* to America. Sigh. There is no hope.

* The current Fiesta is not anything like the one from about twenty years ago!

Update: Ford is definitely bringing the Fiesta to the States. There is hope!

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