These days, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are nonetheless going robust, however there isn’t almost as a lot demand for compact sedans as there was again within the early 2000s. Heck, neither Dodge nor Ford sells a compact sedan within the U.S. anymore. That’s simply what occurs when prospects proceed to float towards crossovers, SUVs and vans.
But the yr 2000 noticed loads of compact sedans, and on the time, MotorWeek rounded up 5 of the preferred choices for a little bit comparability check. Or possibly “roundup” is a greater time period than “comparison test.” The staff examined the vehicles however didn’t find yourself selecting a particular winner. Instead, it’s offered extra as an inventory of execs and cons for every, with the viewer being anticipated to determine for themselves which automotive was the higher selection for them.
The excellent news is, the vehicles they selected have been all of the sportier variations, which meant barely extra highly effective engines, higher dealing with and generally barely higher styling. Thanks to its poor construct high quality, you don’t see many Dodge Neon R/Ts on the highway anymore, however this almost 23-year-old evaluate is a superb reminder that Dodge actually had one thing with Neon again within the day. 150 hp and 135 lb-ft of torque isn’t loads by right this moment’s requirements, and its 8.3-second zero-to-60 mph time is fairly sluggish, however the Neon R/T additionally stood out for its wonderful steering and braking efficiency.
It was additionally attention-grabbing to look again on the 2001 Toyota Corolla S and take heed to John Davis mainly say the one cause to purchase it’s Toyota’s construct high quality. It hit 60 mph in 9.2 seconds, making it the slowest of the group and “while the S may look sporty, handling is strictly economy car.” Even with elective ABS, the brakes weren’t precisely sporty both, stopping the Corolla S from 60 mph in 143 ft in comparison with the Neon R/T’s 105 ft.
As for the remainder of the vehicles that MotorWeek examined, you’ll have to observe the video beneath to seek out out what they thought.
Source: jalopnik.com