The rush to small cars and fuel-sipping motors may be over. With the U.S. economy recovering quickly and consumers acclimatized to current gas prices, the average shopper is looking for a larger ride.
Aside from the market for boutique small models like the Mini and Fiat 500, sales of sub-compacts — think Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit — are tanking. One exception: the Chevy Spark, which has sold well in recent months.
Instead, buyers are stepping up not just to compact cars such the Ford Focus and Honda Civic but to the rash of new or recently introduced midsize cars with familiar names like Honda Accord and Ford Fusion.
Several factors are at work here. Firstly, car shoppers are traditionally quick to forget the pain brought on by economic downturns. And unlike their European cousins, Americans have never really embraced sub-compacts, only buying them when under duress.
So now that the brakes are off the economy, the consumer’s focus is back on the midsize contenders, a trend helped by the fact that automakers’ efforts to improve fuel economy have made these cars even more attractive.
Herein lies a wrinkle in the picture, which may lead to another market shift going forward. Car companies have been downsizing not just the amount of sheet metal but engines as well. Overall, there has been a move toward smaller four-cylinder motors from the V6s that powered midsize sedans for years. To maintain decent power and performance, some automakers have added turbochargers to their four-cylinder engines while claiming superior fuel economy.
However, a combination of flawed testing procedures (in well-publicized cases involving certain Hyundai and Kia models) and questions raised by a Consumer Reports magazine investigation suggests that the fuel economy advantages of smaller, turbo engines may be exaggerated or misleading.
According to Consumer Reports, small engine size does not necessarily equal smaller bills at the gas station. In fact, the magazine’s tests found that not only were larger displacement engines generally more economical, but the much-hyped performance of pint-sized turbo motors also falls short of manufacturer claims. Ford, a big proponent of turbocharging with its EcoBoost engine series, contests the magazine’s findings.
Some Asian automakers, including Honda and Toyota, have hedged their bets on their mid-sized sedans, offering V6s alongside four-cylinder models, while others, notably Hyundai and Kia, have dropped V6s altogether.
It remains to be seen whether consumers will vote with their checkbooks on the small versus large engine debate. But the argument brings to mind the old saying that “There’s no replacement for displacement.”
Keep that in mind when deciding which engine is best suited to that larger car you’re eyeing in the showroom.