Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Subcompact shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Subcompact offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Subcompact at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Subcompact? Wrong! If the Subcompact is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Subcompact then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Subcompact? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Subcompact and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Subcompact wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Subcompact then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Subcompact site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Subcompact, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Subcompact, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
/Jazz
A
subcompact car is an
automobile in a
vehicle size class smaller than a compact car but larger than a
city car. The subcompact class is also known as the
B-segment class and as supermini cars in Europe. Such cars usually have four or more seats and in North America, subcompacts are usually considered to be those cars that have a wheelbase of 2.54
metres (100
inches) or less or between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume (though popular usage of the term frequently ignores these boundaries). Subcompacts/superminis are most commonly sold in Europe and
Japan where they enjoy enormous popularity, and are reasonably popular in North America despite people often preferring American and Asian sedans.
Emergence of the subcompact in America
In North America, this type of car was first seen in the
1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan and a number of imported models notably the Volkswagen Beetle and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the 1970s with the introduction of such cars as the
Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega, which were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from
Volkswagen, Nissan, and
Toyota. Today numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Versa, the
Honda Fit, the
Scion xA, the Kia Rio, the Chevrolet Aveo, and the
Hyundai Accent.
In 1971, Ford and GM introduced their first subcompact models, with American Motors Corporation's AMC Gremlin having been the first introduced in April 1970. Notably, the Gremlin did not fit the mold of the typical subcompact, which was powered by a 4 cylinder engine, but was an abbreviated AMC Hornet, which was a
compact car. Of the four large American companies that were making cars at that point, only Chrysler did not develop a domestic subcompact car, electing instead to import models produced by its British and Japanese affiliates (the Plymouth Cricket and
Dodge Colt respectively). Chrysler would not have a domestic subcompact until the 1978 Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins.
Ford later added its European supermini, the
Ford Fiesta, to its North American lineup for the 1978 model year, but it was only available for three years until the subcompact Ford Escort replaced both the Pinto and Fiesta. Later Ford added an even smaller subcompact, the Ford Festiva. In 2007, the smallest Ford marketed in the United States is the
Ford Focus (North America) which is classified as a larger Compact car.
Although they were all strong sellers in their time, none of the early domestic subcompacts are well thought of today, with the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and
Chevrolet Vega placing 4th, 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in Car Talk's "Worst Car of the Millennium" contest. The 'winner' was another subcompact, the Yugo.
Notably, most luxurious subcompacts like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class are not sold in the US, but they are for example, sold in other parts of North America such as Mexico.
Popularity in other countries
Subcompacts are more popular in developing countries not because of their size, but of their cheaper price. For example, Volkswagen has always had a large presence in
Brazil, and is one of the mainstream manufacturers there. Brazil had developed its own Volkswagen cars, based on
Germany Volkswagen models. Examples of these are the Volkswagen Golf,
Volkswagen_Polo and Volkswagen_Fox.
The term "subcompact" has also changed in some countries as some
sedan versions of these are still called subcompacts.
Argentina designs and produces sedan versions of subcompacts like the Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio Sedán and the Opel Corsa. These subcompacts are exported to other countries for example Mexico. General Motors builds its Opel Corsa in Mexico as the Chevrolet Chevy C2. That means previous generation of Corsa (Chevy, with a facelift Chevy C2) and the Brazil version are sells in the same dealer.
See also
- List of recent automobile models by type#Superminis .2F Subcompact cars
- Car classification
- Mini SUV
- Supermini car
- Vehicle size class
External links
- Official US government car size class definitions
- Subcompactcars.com
- B-Segment.com
- Micro Mayhem
/Jazz
A
subcompact car is an automobile in a
vehicle size class smaller than a compact car but larger than a city car. The subcompact class is also known as the
B-segment class and as supermini cars in Europe. Such cars usually have four or more seats and in North America, subcompacts are usually considered to be those cars that have a wheelbase of 2.54
metres (100 inches) or less or between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume (though popular usage of the term frequently ignores these boundaries). Subcompacts/superminis are most commonly sold in Europe and Japan where they enjoy enormous popularity, and are reasonably popular in North America despite people often preferring American and Asian sedans.
Emergence of the subcompact in America
In North America, this type of car was first seen in the
1950s with the introduction of the
Nash Metropolitan and a number of imported models notably the
Volkswagen Beetle and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the
1970s with the introduction of such cars as the
Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega, which were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from
Volkswagen,
Nissan, and
Toyota. Today numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris, the
Nissan Versa, the
Honda Fit, the
Scion xA, the
Kia Rio, the Chevrolet Aveo, and the Hyundai Accent.
In 1971, Ford and GM introduced their first subcompact models, with
American Motors Corporation's
AMC Gremlin having been the first introduced in April 1970. Notably, the Gremlin did not fit the mold of the typical subcompact, which was powered by a 4 cylinder engine, but was an abbreviated AMC Hornet, which was a compact car. Of the four large American companies that were making cars at that point, only Chrysler did not develop a domestic subcompact car, electing instead to import models produced by its British and Japanese affiliates (the
Plymouth Cricket and
Dodge Colt respectively). Chrysler would not have a domestic subcompact until the 1978
Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins.
Ford later added its European supermini, the
Ford Fiesta, to its North American lineup for the 1978 model year, but it was only available for three years until the subcompact Ford Escort replaced both the Pinto and Fiesta. Later Ford added an even smaller subcompact, the Ford Festiva. In 2007, the smallest Ford marketed in the United States is the
Ford Focus (North America) which is classified as a larger
Compact car.
Although they were all strong sellers in their time, none of the early domestic subcompacts are well thought of today, with the
AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega placing 4th, 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in Car Talk's "Worst Car of the Millennium" contest. The 'winner' was another subcompact, the
Yugo.
Notably, most luxurious subcompacts like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class are not sold in the US, but they are for example, sold in other parts of North America such as Mexico.
Popularity in other countries
Subcompacts are more popular in developing countries not because of their size, but of their cheaper price. For example,
Volkswagen has always had a large presence in
Brazil, and is one of the mainstream manufacturers there. Brazil had developed its own Volkswagen cars, based on
Germany Volkswagen models. Examples of these are the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen_Polo and
Volkswagen_Fox.
The term "subcompact" has also changed in some countries as some sedan versions of these are still called subcompacts.
Argentina designs and produces sedan versions of subcompacts like the Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio Sedán and the Opel Corsa. These subcompacts are exported to other countries for example
Mexico. General Motors builds its Opel Corsa in Mexico as the Chevrolet Chevy C2. That means previous generation of Corsa (Chevy, with a facelift Chevy C2) and the Brazil version are sells in the same dealer.
See also
External links
- Official US government car size class definitions
- Subcompactcars.com
- B-Segment.com
- Micro Mayhem
