Small cars make up a third of U.S. passenger car sales. The size, power, and convenience features of this size of car matches what Americans want.
Buyers will find some six-cylinder engines in this part of the market, along with space for a fifth passenger on short trips. When small car buyers turned to foreign brands to get the desired quality and power, the domestic producers responded -- Chrysler with the Cirrus, Stratus and Breeze; Ford with the Contour and Mystique; Chevrolet with a re-worked Cavalier and new Malibu; and Oldsmobile with a similar Cutlass and Alero. Pontiac provides sporty images with their Grand Am and Sunfire while Saturn has their unique stores and customer focus.
Chrysler's Breeze, Stratus and Cirrus look so smooth and sleek that the initial impression is that they are small sports coupes rather than compact sedans.
The Plymouth Breeze comes with the 2.0-liter Neon engineand a five-speed manual transmission, with the option of a four-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission. Chrysler's Cirrus comes standard with the V6, which is also available in the Stratus.
Ford's Contour and Mercury Mystique seem like longer and larger cars, yet they groove into corners like sports cars. The Japanese have no advantage in performance, ride or quality. The 200-horsepower Contour SVT version is the equal of European sports sedans at thousands of dollars less. Next year these cars will be coming from Ford's Mexico.
The Focus is not simply an update of the old Escort. If you can't make your vehicle longer, make it taller, adopt chair-like seating, and provide more interior space -- about as much as Mondeo/Contour/Mystique. The three- and five-door hatchbacks are sharp and angular, prime examples of Ford's "New Edge" design. Wheel wells are creased in a bulging way that gives Focus a muscular appearance. The dominant U.S. version will be a four-door sedan.
Chevrolet used existing components on the Cavalier, often from larger or more upscale cars. With talented engineers and designers, it looks as good as completely new cars, and there are fewer development costs to write off.
While the Sunfire and Cavalier share many components, they are not likely to be confused, nor are they likely to compete. Pontiac has a model for almost everyone. The Sunfire name is more than a marketing ploy, as the new car has a lot of the spirit of the Firebird built into it.
The Sunfire has the traditional split snout, and enough graceful curves to appeal to any young at heart buyer. There are interior and exterior colors to excite the dullest heart. Sunfire and its sister Cavalier offer the only convertibles in this price range.
The Malibu and Cutlass names bring to mind some great memories, and their platforms are scaled down now from larger cars. As a result, there is more room and bigger engines in these cars. A 3100 V6 engine is standard on the upscale Malibu LS and in the Cutlass.
When a company lasts 100 years in today's competitive environment, it has to have done something right. Oldsmobile's Alero follows the extremely successful Intrigue with sporty sophisticated design and driving control.
The Alero shares its underpinnings with the all-new 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. These cars offer a choice of two engines: a 2.4-liter inline-four and a 3.4-liter V6.
With the versatile three-door coupe Saturn shows they are still a leader. This year they have a mid-size car, the result of their Opel alliance and produced in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Saturn chassis has an inner steel space frame with the fenders and doors skinned with thermoplastic. The plastic is extremely hard to dent or scratch, which minimizes parking lot damage.
Daewoo's top-of-the-line model is the Leganza. Inside, the same attention to detail and tasteful use of materials also suggest the car is expensive. Since Daewoo also does electronics, the company saw fit to provide a premium 200-watt sound system. Leganza is a great car for the money.
Just as the rest of the world is catching up, Honda has redefined the sub-compact car with its pace-setting Civic series. The current Civics are longer, wider, roomier, more aerodynamically efficient. There is more power available for those who want it, especially with the Si model, and greater economy available for those who worship mpg.
They have simplified their variety of models, and from the windshield forward, all are essentially similar. There is now a continuously variable automatic that maximizes acceleration and economy at the same time. This feature allows it to be towed behind motorhomes without fear of damage.
Hyundai is out to prove it can be a solid player in the U.S., creating the Elantra as a move-up partner to the Accent. Elantra is larger than the Toyota Corolla, and is available as a 4-door sedan and wagon. Its outstanding virtue is its price and the gap between Japanese and Korean quality is closing.
Mazda has not been able to get their Miata performance image to apply to the Protege, but it should. It shares the same basic engine with the Miata, and has the same fun and passion for the road. Mazda has defined their interior modeling process as "OptiSpace." The result is thelargest interior of any car in the class, and that includes the Chrysler Neon and the Honda Civic.
Nissan hopes to recreate the magic of 25 years ago with the new Altima. None of the changes take away from the fun-to-drive aspects, and only enhance comfort and utility. Altima also features a selective unlocking system, which lets you unlock just the driver's door or all four.
Nissan went to their La Jolla design studio for the fresh look. Advertising slyly avoided comparing Altima to Camry, Taurus, and Accord -- instead they compared with BMW, Lexus and Mercedes.
Subaru expands its all-wheel-drive offerings in 1999 with the addition of the Legacy Outback SUS -- dubbed the world's first sport-utility sedan. Pumped with beefy air-intake hood scoop and jacked up in suspension for higher ground clearance, the SUS functions as a city machine, highway cruiser and rough-and-tumble sports-mobile.
The Legacy GT sedan and two unique SUV station wagons -- Outback and Outback Limited -- have established a reputation for sportiness and reliability.
Suzuki's Esteem Wagon establishes the car as a serious sub-compact contender, with quality, refinement, and many features standard that are optional on the competition. Most of a station wagon's value is in how it packages the interior, and with the rear seats folded, there is a respectable 61 sq.ft. of storage, enhanced by the roof rack.
In Japanese, the name "Corolla" refers to the outer envelope or crowning portion of a flower. The Toyota Corolla has bloomed from a 2-door sub-compact import to a 4-door sedan that's become a familiar sight on America's roadways. Though it looks like a sub-compact on the outside, based on passenger volume, the EPA calls the Corolla a compact car.
Most Corollas sold in the U.S. are assembled in Fremont, California, using Toyota's efficient production method. Chevy used to sell it as their Prizm, but is dropping the model this year, which means more Corollas for Toyota dealers.
Most of our VWs come from Puebla, Mexico. Nothing has revived their appeal more than the New Beetle, and now they are available in respectable numbers. A new fourth-generation issue of the sub-compact VW three-door Golf coupe and five-door Jetta sedan have followed with a new standard 2.0-liter four-inline engine rated at 115 horsepower. Delete the Golf hatchback lid and replace it with two more passenger doors and a trunk in sedan conformation to reach Jetta.
The S40 and V40 are products of a joint venture that includes Volvo, Mitsubishi and the Dutch government. The American small Volvos will be equipped with the brand new 2.0-liter, low-pressure turbocharged engine with 160 hp.
S40/V40 models have been ranked among the "top ten" best models in the Netherlands, where buyers are extra critical because of the higher car prices. Expect them to come in about the low 20s here.
Since station wagons are very popular in Europe, car manufacturers such as Ford and Volvo see a sales mix of 60/40 in favor of the station wagon versions there. The company expects to sell about 25,000 in North America.
