Sporty Coupe that will not break the bank

Thanks to All, for the well informed responses, this is Great!!! There were lots of great suggestions for smaller SUVs and Crossovers, I did some more research on frequency and cost of repairs, the Honda CR-V really jumped out at me for its low frequency / cost of repairs, Honda deserves a lot of credit for getting it right on all of their Cars / SUVs, although their styling tends to be a bit bland, but improving lately. The Nissan JUKE seems to fit the bill in many ways... but it seems to have a bit of an odd look to it? Maybe just because its a new concept and I don't see them very often. As the summer rolls around and the bad memories of driving in the winter diminish, I'll probably be thinking coupe again ;) One suggestion was the Genesis Coupe, I love the styling but I'm a bit shy about driving a RWD car in the winter, I still have white knuckle memories of driving a FireBird and then a 280-ZX in the winter ; / It was also suggested to me that a coupe equipped with good snow tires would be OK for the winter because their wheel base is the same as the equivalent Sedan, and their weight distribution is also similar... Somehow I had it in my mind that just because the car is a Coupe, it would be a much "snakier" ride in winter conditions... Perhaps not so? Thanks so much for the great information :)

Thanks mkaresh! For even more great info!

I will check into the new HR-V, a little less odd styling than the JUKE would be nice ;)

I'm sure that the stability control of the newer RWD drive cars helps a lot, but I have heard owner reports of them just sitting and spinning right in a parking spot?

I almost never see them (Gneiss Coupe) being driven in the winter around here?

I was surprised to see that the Mustang is listed as one of the ten best "snow-blasters"... Perhaps its because of its high birth/ground clearance, it doesn't plough snow, but its still RWD. I love the styling of the RWD coups out there, but I still have it in my mind that an RWD drive car would be a nightmare in the winter, I could be wrong though?


I'll look into the new HR-V, Honda sure knows how to put a good car together, they also know how to charge for it ;)

Thanks Again!

I checked out the URL for the 2015 HONDA HR-V, It looks quite cool and Coupe(ish) for an SUV, the hidden rear doors are clever, it makes it look all the more sleek and stylish. Good on Honda for breaking free of their bonds of frummpyness and makeing something stylish... even Cool!!!


I sure hope that 4WD or AWD is available (or whats the point) This looks like it might fit my needs quite well. It seems to have a nice blend of Practicallity and Cool :)


Their web site does not give any info on horsepower, 4WD, and price as yet. I'll do some more digging and see what I can find out about it. If anyone has more info on the 2015 HONDA HR-V, I'd be greatful to hear about it.


I hear that its considered a little unwise to buy a car in its first year of production, but I kinda trust Honda to get it right, right from the start, as they have an excelent track record for reliability and frequency/cost of repairs and have a good warranty?

I did some more digging on the HONDA HR-V

Honda is not giving up much information as yet, but there is some unconfirmed info from the New York Auto Show where it was recently unvailed. The scuttlebut is that it will be offered in North America with AWD (I hope the heck so) and a 1.5 litre and 1.5 litre with turbo will be offered.

I'm not used to the new age thing where they use a small 1.5 litre engine with turbo, would it not feel like your engine was lugging the car, until you tramp on it and engage the Turbo? I would also wonder if you would eventually blow your engine up, just by running it with such a small engine ?

I suppose I'm a bit of a primitive, and have always relyed on cubic displacement to give my car the get-up and go that I need and want.

Would a 1.5 litre engine (with a Turbo) give even a sub-compact SUV enough useable horsepower to boot it around the city, drive it to the golf course (with a couple of buddies in it) or take it on a highway trip with my girlfriend (she is tiny but packs [luggage] HEAVY ;)


As you can see I'm compleetly uninformed about this new "thing" of small engine combined with Turbo?


I just wonder if it would feel like you were driving a guttles car, until the odd time when you kick the Turbo into action?

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again mkaresh!

When you refer drivability complaints about the first-generation RDX, I'm not quite sure what you mean, would the issue be stability and controol or power to do what it claims to do or overall feel, or all of the above?

I looked up the Honda fit, which the Honda HR-V would be based on, it seems like a very small car to turn into a SRV or crossover. Then again, the CRV is built onto a Civic frame, and that seems to have worked out OK.


Just wondering ?

I have concidered another Coupe, the Scion TC (2011 and later model years). I really like what they have done with the Scion TC after the 2011 re-design, its sporty yet practical, but there is almost no reliability and ectera information on the new generation of TCs', probably because there are not that many around as yet, I only see stats on the earlier generation - 2008 and before. I wish I could get some Stats or opinions of people who know a bit about the 2011 and later Scion TCs' I would love to hear your opinions or where I can get some information on the new generation of TCs'

Thanks so much for the insightful advice! If the Scion TC has the underpinnings of the Camry, I would not be too worried about reliability, the Camry gets the best reliability ratings from the CS Reports for many years back. The new 2014Scion TC got a bit of an unfair review from one of the car mags this spring, they dwelt on noise in the cabin from the sport tuned exhaust and road noise (I like a bit of exhaust roar) and they would have liked more touchy feely materials used in the interior, the dash and such, they also said that it was a stiff ride as far as the suspension goes. They also said that Scion had reinforced the suspension substantially in the 2014 model year (I see that as a good thing ;) I think the "editors" who reviewed the car missed the point of what is important to someone who enjoys a sporty coupe ;) I would be happy to buy a late model or new Scion TC, but I think I'll have to dig around a bit more and see if I can get some opinions from enthusiasts who drive them, just incase there's a fly in the ointment ;) Surly, there must be some "hotdogs" on the Forum who drive them and would give us there opinion,, Good, Bad or Ugly ;)

Thanks for the advice:)

The "re-imagined" 2014 Forte Koupe caught my eye (in the looks department). The car now sits lower to the ground which looks cool, but not so much of a blessing in the winter on snow days, you could wind up ploughing snow, which is not a "good" thing ;) Its' impressive that they can press 175 hp from a 2 liter engine or 200-hp from a 1.6 liter engine with a turbo, but I have the idea in my mind that the engine would have a shorter life span, especially the1.6 liter engine with a turbo? I would expect that little 1.6 liter engine to explode before to long? I would be happier with a 2.5 with 180-hp for a Coupe of that size. I would also expect that the 1.6 liter engine to sound very buzzy when you step on it. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a "Primitive" and may be completely wrong on this. I would welcome any enlightenment on this subject, because I just don't get it ;)