As if through some sort of weird retro-looking-glass, small cars are getting popular again, just as they did in the seventies when the first of two fuel crises hit the United States. Today, the price at the pump is pushing people into downsizing their expectations and creating renewed interest in more efficient vehicles. And, just like in the seventies, import automakers are ready with an answer, having invested significant time and resources in stylish world cars that maximize interior space, offer great fuel economy and are inexpensive to build. Once again, some of the domestic automakers are left wondering just how the imports – Toyota, Honda, Nissan – got so lucky, as they scramble to make a supreme marketing effort, selling a skeptical public on the efficiency of new, large SUVs.

Good luck with that endeavor.
Not that these new and small cars are the answer – just AN answer, and some are quite flawed. Shoppers, for example, should be aware of emissions ratings that are less than what they expect. The 2007 Honda Fit, for example, has an emissions rating of LEV (Low Emissions Vehicle), which some view as quite poor for a subcompact. Also ever present are the performance and safety tradeoffs inherent to small car design: no matter how many air bags, a subcompact will not fare too well against a large SUV, and performance-wise, small cars lack the punch and quiet ride we’ve grown accustomed to enjoying.

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