"Both models will be equipped with a manual transmission and be mid engined in a 2+2 configuration."

My 2002 Jetta hit 60 in about 13 seconds. It had 115hp. If having the ability to adjust to diff vehicles is not your strong point, then this car isnt for you. I'm sure those buying it will enjoy the efficiency that is more than 3x that of a Honda Civic.

 

A well modded Honda Insight will get over 100mpg too...remove the ugly ass wheel pants and you've got a decent looking car. The new CR-Z will be able to do that too, once some tuning geniuses get their hands on it.

 

A well modded what?!?!? When was the last time u saw one of those Insights? Lets place some bets Nate...lol Honda's new CRZ is rumored to have 66mpg. Tuning genuises arent usually BIG on efficiency if you know what I mean. I'm really thinking of picking one of these up in the future if it continues to impress.

**Plus, didnt Honda say the CR-Z will come here as a hybrid first? I dont know if I want some wiz tuning my hybrid.

 

I missed that last sentence, mainly because the pictures all show only two seats, not four. The article also mentions the rear seats as follows:

Great - now your kids can get killed when you're rearended because you tried to merge at 45 mph.

I'll wait to see what it does in real world testing before I kneel at its feet. 0-60 in 16 seconds is, quite frankly, dangerous. That means you don't have enough power to properly pass quickly at highways speeds and you'll have some difficulty merging with high-speed traffic (like in Houston, where everyone is pretty much doing 70-75 mph on the freeways, regardless of the speed limit).

Having the ability to adjust to a vehicle doesn't make it go any faster. There are many times where you're stopped at a traffic light on a feeder road, then have to merge onto a freeway within a couple hundred feet. Traffic on the freeway is moving at 70+ mph. How does my ability to "adjust" to a differently style of car make my merge any safer? It doesn't, if the car can't get up to speed quickly enough... I'll just be "adjusted" to getting hit or narrowly missed on a regular basis, I guess.

My wife's Accord does 0-60 in about 9.5 seconds (autotragic tranny) and that's about as slow as I care to go...

 

Ehh man up Jonboy. 16 seconds is a great trade off for 150mpg...I mean come on. I doubt ur Texas drivers are as bad as the ones down here in South Florida. I believe we ranked 2nd in the nation last year. You make sound like its impossible to drive a car this slow. I definitely wouldn't have it as an only car. To each his own.

 

Finally a goal to get excited about! 50 MPG hybrids are just politically correct nonsense. 100+ MPG is serious, as long as it doesn't feel like a death-trap in So Cal traffic.

 

Not all tuning shops focus on performance...the insight is a wonderfully tossable, albeit slow car...with some performance AND fuel saving mods, uber mileage is capable in them http://www.insightman.com/spring/tourdesol-6-8-00.htm

There's other sites as well, but I'm feeling too lazy to look them up right now

 

I don't think the 0-60 is that huge of a problem. I have been behind cars that get to sixty quite quickly, but the damn DRIVER thinks that they only need to reach 35 by the end of the on ramp in a 65 zone with everybody doing 70+.

Even if the structure hold up well in a crash, that car would probably go airborne if hit hard by most trucks and suvs. Better have good head protection when it flips over a few times.

But neat idea, and I actually think it looks good from the side view. Geekified 911ish.

 

I think you can actually call this one a 'smart' car without being ambiguous.

 

Hence why I said (if you read my prior posts) that it makes sense for HIGHWAY DRIVING or long commutes. Daily driving in traffic and merging and passing just isn't this car's forte. Get it up to speed and then just let it cruise - that's what it will do best.

It isn't a family car by any stretch of the imagination - look how tight the cockpit is - and the back seats are a joke! Way tighter than an S2000 in terms of shoulder room, and that's saying something!

So, long distance commuter, yes, but otherwise pretty useless. No interior room, funky ergonomics, low to the ground, and probably has poor visibility to boot.

Texas drivers (in the cities) are as bad as anywhere. They drive fast or else sit in the left lane, they don't use turn indicators, and they talk on phones a lot.

To get onto the outer loop in my town, I have a short ramp that merges onto a 55 mph road. You wouldn't believe how many people STOP or slow WAY down to try and merge and nearly get killed (it's right after a crest in the road). I don't think this rolling blob can even get to 55 mph in the distance I have on that ramp...