mmarshall

Well...no surprises here. A cushy ride, especially with a relatively high center of gravity, usually DOES go with some body roll. With most suspension designs, the suppleness and low compression rates in the springs required for good bump absorbtion also allows the weight of the car to lean to the side in turns and be more likely for the suspension to bottom out over bumps.

Some higher-priced European-designed cars, like Audis, Mercedes, and BMW's, get around this natural compromise by sophisticated suspension engineering, multi-valve shocks, and well-designed steering systems. Others, like Cadillac, use electronically-variable shocks and struts that are soft when going in a straight line but gradually stiffen up as the steering wheel is turned. Obviously, however, this is state-of-the-art suspension technology, and you are not likely going to find systems like this on a $10,000-$15,000 entry-level subcompact

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I was thinking of one for my sister in law. It wasn't significantly cheaper but an awesome price for such a small car. However, with a couple more grand, a civic or a corolla is a better buy and feels safer to me.

mmarshall

The Civic has good safety ratings....but have your sis-in-law check out the interior carefully. The quirky two-tier dash with the digital speedometer turns a lot of people off.

Also see my recent review of the car if you want more info:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...iew+2006+civic

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Thanks for that awesome review as usual mmarshall.

The quirky dash doesn't bother either one of us. As a matter of fact, I like it
By far this is the best looking civic.

TRDRAV4

I think the Yaris is selling pretty well right now...don't see too many stay on the lot that long (the 3-door just got released). The same goes for the Fit (which I personally prefer) as well...the reason why we don't see the 5-door Yaris is because of the Scion xA- it would cannabilize the sales if Toyota sold them side by side. WIth the Fit out, the xA already has a bigger challenge now; before, it was just the other Scion models, as it sells the least quanitities because of its dimunitive size.

saleem

I thought of getting one too. Then I realized it lacks what I was looking for which is a bit quicker car. So I got the Mazdaspeed miata.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

You mean for the rear right? I think it has a front disc/rear drum setup.