Sub Compact Cars

The current N18, third-generation Nissan Versa was released in 2019 among falling sales in a dying segment. Featuring Nissan’s latest design language, revised technology, and better materials, but it’s still one of the last few remaining subcompact sedans on the market, and the lack of interest is so obvious it hurts. In 2019, Nissan sold 66,596 Versas in the U.S., 2,369 in Canada, and 88,707 in Mexico, while the 2020 model year saw those numbers drop to 48,273, 125, and 68,013, respectively. That leaves us to wonder: Is there something inheritantly wrong with the Nissan Versa’s recipe, or are falling sales just the result of the COVID pandemic and a general lack of public interest in small sedans? We spent a week with the Nissan Versa to find out.

Engine swaps, we’ve see quite a few. Burly V-8s replacing puny flat-fours or screaming V-10 engines giving new life to Japanese sports cars and muscle cars alike. A motorcycle engine powering a Mini, however, is not something you see every day.

The 2020 Citroen Ami is an all-electric vehicle based on the Ami One concept that the French company unveiled in 2019. Only 95 inches long and 55 inches wide, the Ami is in fact an elecric quadricycle rather than a full-blown car and it can be driven without a driver’s license.

This makes it accessible to people as young as 16 in most European countries (and 14 in France). Developed as a solution for city commuting over relatively short distances, the Ami is named after the original Citroen Ami, an economy car that the French firm produced from 1961 to 1978. What’s it all about and should you buy one? Find out in our review below.

The 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon, the year’s first major car event, is just around the corner and Honda just previewed a couple of really cool concept cars for the show. But they’re not what you’d usually expect from the Japanese carmaker. Instead of beefed-up Civics and funky kei cars, Honda created a couple of race cars based on the tiny E and N-One. To make things that much more ridiculous, the Honda E in question is a drag racer.

The partnership between Toyota and Mazda might spawn a new car, one that’s going to replace the current Mazda2 sold in Europe. If the rumors are true, then the new Mazda2 could be based on the Yaris Hybrid supermini.

Kei cars are probably the coolest niche car segment in the entire industry. Kei cars have become a culture unto its own, and that’s been the case for the better part of 70 years. In all that time, Japanese automakers have produced a litany of unforgettable kei cars, including these 10 models that prove that small doesn’t always have to be terrible.

Lego’s most recent bombshell is the stunning Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 Technic set that left us drooling for a couple of days in the row but if this Lego Ideas BMW Isetta proposal gets the green light, it will definitely sit on the cuter end of the Lego set spectrum.

When it comes to Japanese Kei cars, they can be split into three types: boxy, cute, and downright weird. Deciding which is which obviously depends on personal taste, but the Nissan Figaro is definitely of the cute variety. On top of looking like its made from candy thanks to its vintage color palette, the Figaro also looks as if it was designed in the 1960s. And I say "looks" because the Figaro was actually produced in 1991.

The Hyundai Kona is a strong competitor in the subcompact SUV market, and it’s made itself known in the two short years it’s been on the market. The Toyota C-HR and Honda HR-V both claim their own fame as being top contenders, so we decided to see just how well the Kona can hold up now that it has actually established itself on the market. So, we decided to ask for a test car, and next thing we knew, the Kona was rolling up to Topspeed HQ with its gray paint finish and silver highlights. This is our experience and thoughts after spending a whole week with the Hyundai Kona.

As you all know, the first Mini Coopers weren’t built with performance in mind. These cars had to be compact, offer decent storage options, and first and foremost, refrain from blowing a hole in the buyer’s budget.

At some point in time, BMW took over and the Mini got fatter, even more fun to drive, and nicer on the inside. Heck, some Minis even received feistier versions badged John Cooper Works. But not even those can compare to the sheer madness that hides inside this little rocket tuned by California-based Gildred Racing.

The 2021 Fiat 500 is the second-generation version of the modern 500. The 2021 model will replace a car that has been around since 2007, so it’s already 13 years old as of 2020. With the 500 discontinued in the United States and on its way out in Europe, a new-generation models will arrive in 2020.

Fiat has already confirmed that a new 500 is underway, but details remain scarce. We also know that on top of the usual hatchback and convertible models, Fiat will launch a five-door wagon that will revive the Giardiniera name. Let’s find out more about the upcoming 2021 Fiat 500 in the speculative review below.

We don’t have to tell you that Europe’s supermini segment is one of the toughest, cutthroat arenas in the car world, despite the fact that crossovers based the said superminis are poaching clients at a fast rate, just like they did with the sedan segment. In this context, Peugeot launched the new 208. No, it didn’t change its name to 209 as we would have expected, and that’s because Peugeot thinks the previous 208 had so much success that the same nameplate should stay for the new generation, too.

The French carmaker is adamant that the 208 is primarily a city car and, in accordance to that creed, Sochaux took all the measures it saw fit to make its new hatchback as appealing as possible. The fact that it will have to do battle against the likes of VW Polo, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, and Dacia Sandero counted a lot in the general direction Peugeot led the new 208. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the sleek-looking hatch during a first-contact test drive, so here’s what we can report.

The reborn, retro-chic, Fiat 500 first graced North American shores back in 2011 and now, eight years down the line, we got behind the wheel of the peppy Abarth version to get one final sting from the scorpion as the entire 500 range is being discontinued by Fiat-Chrysler. Prepare for some top-down driving as we assess whether we’ll miss the 500 for what it is or for its vibe akin to an endless summer holiday in the rolling hills of Tuscany.

Go-karting is super fun with those tiny, low-slung, low-power karts ripping the specifically-designed tracks. But what happens when you bring around a mainstream hatchback and drive it there? Just think about it. It sounds so much fun. Obviously, you’ll need precision and impeccable driving skills to actually have fun; or else it could get really frustrating when you have to reverse your car on a sharp turn. Well, here’s a video uploaded by LeMans Karting where you can see a 1972 Honda Z600 being ripped around an indoor go-kart track. Guess it’s time to move on from those big, bulky builds from SEMA and enjoy this cargasmic video in the shrunken reality.

The first-generation Ford Fiesta was of paramount importance for the Blue Oval. But with all the optimism in the world, nobody at Ford would have imagined that their globally-sold, fuel-efficient subcompact car would live to hide a Subaru engine where its trunk was originally supposed to be or bang mid-nine-second quarter-mile runs. Case in point: Chris Todd’s Mk1 Ford Fiesta.