The ForFour’s been withdrawn from production: too much competition in that sector in Europe, really. You could pay less and get a small Fiat, Renault, Citröen, Nissan, Peugeot… even a Mini. Not to mention the small cars made by GM and Ford for the Euro market.

It’s too bad about GM. My father was a GM autoworker for more than 20 years, and it’s because of the union benefits that my sister and I were able to have a nice home and go to college.

Yep, been there too. Multiple generations of autoworkers in my family, and it was because of those good jobs that I had opportunities to do something else.

Oh, and yeah, the Tokyo Motor Show is HOT! I found them great to amble around at–I always loved the concept cars and the automobile industry Shibuya girls running around in moon boots and weird wigs posing among the clouds from the dry ice.

I’m not too excited about Subaru hybrids, even if they manage to solve some of the battery issues that are plaguing other models. The last couple of subs I’ve known have (aside from the drivetrain) been total piles of crap. If you’re going to get Big Three reliability (…aside from the drivetrain) you should at least get to pay a Big Three price.

Plus I have really long legs and similarly had tons of leg room. Actually the seating makes you sit more upright, almost like you are in an SUV, which I find more comfortable than the usual car seating arrangements where you are almost half-lying.

Also, we had no problems passing anymore, the little thing had a huge amount of pickup from being still, and I never felt unsafe in the thing … and, well, parking rocked

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(automobile)

I personally think I’ll get a Mini (Cooper-S of course!) … but I still would love a Saab hybrid as well …

As for more efficient cars being too tiny to fit in… I’m inconveniently tall, but I’ve had no problems fitting into my recently acquired Corolla. It’s not much comfier for me to ride in a full-sized truck; the size issue in a well-designed car is a non-issue.

My money’s on biodiesel. Unlike ethanol and other bio-fuels, there is no refining involved - you put the Mazola in the tank and drive off. The technology exists, it’s just as proven as current engines, and it doesn’t require us to build anything new (beyond diesel cars). Plus, America’s massive agricultural sector can produce vegetable oil in massive quantities without breaking a sweat. I’ve always thought a politician could score some major points by pushing for biodiesel, emphasizing American self-reliance and ingenuity. Something like “Fuel by Iowa - not Iraq.”

I drive 35 mi each way when working in the office rather than in the field (I’ve been in the field since mid-March). Less than 5 of those on arterial roads (so 30+ mi highway). I usually had an overall mpg in the mid-50s with my Prius. A little below in the coldest part of winter as the batteries are less efficient in cold and the heater requires more energy as well.

My husband comutes around 10 mi by car; my son about 3 mi by car or bus; and my daughter (until she graduated in June) a bit over 40 mi by car, train, bus and walking. The $300 for a multi-use monthly pass on for all parts of the MBTA is a bargain compaired to Boston rents.

The only issues I’ve had traction-wise with my Prius, in New England with its wonderful multi-foot snowstorms, has been with ice build up at the traffic light from the private street where my building is.

My 6′+ son and nearly 5′11″ daughter fit comfortably in the back seat. It is as comfortable for my husband (6′) to drive as it is for me (5′6″). It cost less than many compairable sedans. We need the size as well as economy, so researched.

All that said, many cars get nearly as good an mpg with conventional drives. Many of them are smaller and most are also made by Toyota, Honda, etc. No big 3s at the moment, as far as I know.