Big Reasons for Small Cars

If you’ve been following along with the business, you’ve seen that a growing number of drivers are embracing smaller cars.
As you know, Toyota is a full-line manufacturer, with a set of wheels for pretty much every driver, no matter his/her needs or tastes.
But as you also know, we made our reputation as a purveyor of small, economical cars, and we have kept the faith. So as car buyers trend toward sub- compacts, small crossovers and midsize cars with four-cylinder engines, they’ll find that we’ve probably got what they’re looking for.
One primary motivation to pilot a small car hasn’t changed, from my college days until today. It’s gas mileage. Whether gas cost 35 cents a gallon, as it did when I was in college, or climbing toward (and perhaps past) $4 per gallon, as it now is doing, a tank that holds just 10 or-so gallons of this precious elixir, and an engine that carefully sips it like the valuable volatile it is, gets my attention.
But there’s more to it than just a reluctance to spend money on fuel. Small cars often seem more nimble, more responsive, more fun to drive. A Matrix or a Corolla S, for instance, just seems lighter on its feet than some larger cars do.
Today’s small cars offer levels of comfort and convenience not even dreamed about in the minimalist days of, for instance, the first Corolla. You used to have to sacrifice comfort and convenience when you drove small. Now, you don’t.
Are there downsides to all this? A few, maybe. When you drive a small car, the number of people you can take with you is limited. The amount of luggage and gear you can haul also is limited.
These are two reasons why small cars are not for everyone, and it’s why we’re a full-line manufacturer that offers vehicles ranging from the micro Yaris all the way up to the macro Sequoia, which marries surprising efficiency with the ability to haul up to eight passengers.
It is, after all, part of the American way to drive what you want. And now it seems that a growing number of folks want small. Small wonder, when you think about it, and not at all a big surprise.
So here’s my question: Are you big on small? If so, please tell us about it – especially if you switched from big to small. And please don’t forget to have www.fivestartoyota.com tell us why.