Words Phil Patton

How Small is Yours?

Forget the sleek Saab and geeky Subaru, today it’s the gasorexic Prius and the zippy Mini that get designing drivers all lubed up. Rising gas prices and the planet’s temperature are altering the laws of auto attraction. So, too, is the new cool of compact perfomance: the iPod, the iPhone, the MacBook Air. (Does Apple’s design guru Jonathan Ive merit applause for helping to resurrect the Small is Beautiful movement? Maybe.) What’s certain is that the longtime American conviction that bigger cars equal better cars is running out of gas. Last year, sales of small cars, most of them foreign, were up 18 percent in the United States. Once a European quirk, city cars may one day become the status quo stateside. Below, a look at some of the newest “fashion” cars to motor (or soon to) the globe.

Smart ForTwo
Gerhard Steinle

- 8′ 10″

- 37 mpg

- $11,500

- On the Road

The ForTwo was greeted with great excitement when it landed on U.S. shores this year, but in Europe it’s been part of the roadscape for a decade. Since its launch, it has become a design icon—on display at MoMA—as well as a movie star, appearing in Scoop and The Da Vinci Code. While it squeezes into tight spaces, its limits do have limitations. Dodging eighteen-wheelers in this two-seater on a busy Interstate is no thrill ride.

Toyota iQ
ED2

- 9′ 10″

- 32 mpg

- Populist

- Europe 2009

Okay, it is not quite as small as the ForTwo, but it’s far more capacious. With its cleverly configured 3+1 seating, the iQ accommodates three adults along with a child or luggage. Its stylish dashboard features in the driver’s vision a nifty stand-alone GPS route-finder, which disappears when not in use. It’s got Toyota durability and quality, to boot.

Tata Nano
Nikhil Jadhav

- 10′ 2″

- 47 mpg

- $2,500

- India

The price is astounding, especially for a four-door, with a trunk big enough for a duffel bag. Otherwise, though, it is barebones, with no standard AC, not even sun visors or side mirror. This “People’s Car” will likely motorize the globe, which is not so great for a fevered planet, though its emissions are impressively low.

Volkswagen Space Up!
Klaus Bischoff

- 11′ 4″

- 100mpg

- Populist

- On the Horizon

As a daring rethinking of the automobile, the Space Up! is real cause for excitement, even if it’s still a concept car. Like the beloved VW bug, its drive is in the rear, which makes for a roomier interior. Passenger seats feature a valve device for custom adjustments, and can fold back or be removed. Rumor has it that Apple is helping devise a proximity sensitive touch screen for the dashboard. Are we talking iCar?

Fiat 500
Frank Stephenson

- 11′ 8″

- 55 mpg

- $16,200

- Europe

In dire need of a hit, Fiat called in Frank Stephenson of Mini Cooper fame to revive its fabled micro car, the Topolino, and conceive a smorgasbord of customizing options, including vintage colors. Named European Car of the Year by Europe’s auto press, the Fiat 500 is already a sales phenomenon. But take a good look: it’s not nearly as cute or inventive as the original. However, its optional turbodiesel engine is powerful and clean.

Mini Cooper
Frank Stephenson

- 12′ 2″

- 36mpg

- $18,700

- On the Road

Its back seat is pretty useless, and its quality ratings are mediocre, but its endless customization possibilities—Union Jack on the roof, say—and cuteness combined with go-kart spunk have made the Mini the star among micro cars. The new 155–inch, three–door Clubman stretches the Mini to its “city” limits.