Comments on: Top Cars for City Dwellers

By: c4

c4 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:36:32 +0000

Long live the R50 and R53.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:53:08 +0000

I was waiting for someone to notice that. I hijacked DB’s post and threw that photo this morning out of respect for the Park Lane MC I saw with a ticket this morning at Fulton and W Lake in Chicago.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:04:23 +0000

Nice photo too. Those Park Lane R50s were pretty classy.

By: c4

c4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:36:56 +0000

The Fit is a good car, but it is ugly and looks flimsy

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:30:20 +0000

Guess it just wasn’t “Fit” for the list Dave ;)

By: dave

dave — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:25:46 +0000

how can the honda fit be left out of that?

By: c4

c4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:34:14 +0000

I agree. I am very, very pleased with the city mileage of our Clubman S auto. 28-29 MPG is pretty common. This is for a car with just 1,200 miles.

By: gokartride

gokartride — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:25:01 +0000

It seems to me more and more people are discovering MINIs. Once the initial hype/marketing subsided, I do think folks actually began discovering how good a car it really is. I find most folks are still surprised by the great mpg #s on the 2nd gen Coopers, though. In many ways this could bump it up on the list for many urbanites.

By: DB

DB — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:11:44 +0000

The subtlety of letting me know there is was a typo is greatly appreciated.

I'd give one of those Mazadas a go. Especially if it came with automatic transmission! ;)

By: zm

zm — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:06:14 +0000

i would assume the steering & suspension geometry’s of the 53 & 56 are very similar–which would keep the 56′s turning circle large, as well.

By: c4

c4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:00:24 +0000

I am not sure if the turning radius has been improved in the new MINIs.

By: zm

zm — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:59:14 +0000

i've noticed the same thing. the mini's turning radius isn't that great for a small city car. but, i assume that has to do w/ steering/suspension geometry & handling.

the longer wheelbase, rental 4-door sentra i had a few weeks back had a much tighter turning circle.

different beasts, but fsae & various formula cars also don't have tight turning circles for the geometry & handling reasons.

By: c4

c4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:35:09 +0000

Mazadas are great cars. Highly recommended for stick shift snobs.

By: VMMVMMM

VMMVMMM — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:23:12 +0000

@Aurel, maybe it is because you have a Mazda, and not a Mazada. Never heard of the Mazada3, but apparently it is a great city car. :)

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:35:40 +0000

Still kinda funny that the Mini turning radius is only surpassed on the list by the CRV. At a stated 37ft turning radius its a couple feet greater than most of the other cars.

Still no surprise, the Mini Cooper is a fantastic car and one that is a great city car. Having said that if I were honestly looking for a great city car I would go for a classic in a heartbeat.

By: Aurel

Aurel — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:08:03 +0000

as a current Mazda3 owner I am not sure I can reccomend it for “city” dwellers. fantastic car all around, trouble free and a great bang for the buck, but the gas consumption if you live in the city is horrendous. been getting on average 16-18mpg consistently. this is unaxceptable for a 4 cylinder car. bought it mostly because I needed something “bigger” than my old 03 MC, but will be back in a Clubman in a few months.