I don't particularly care for the fuel economy of my Nissan. It certainly doesn't break any efficiency records, that’s for sure. I average about 19-21 mpg. That’s a nice mixture of highway/city driving and I'll admit I like to ride all 150 horses from time to time.
I have a manual, and get 28-33 mpg regardless of how I drive it. I'm currently driving mostly highway. I think this is pretty good, for a car with decent power. I have no experience with automatics.
The best part about my car - it's both dependable and reliable.
agreed.
Some things you're gonna strongly dislike: poor drink holder design (small and blocks radio controls - if you wanna visit the drive-thru don't supersize it and you might as well turn the radio off),
agreed. cup holders are off limits in my car, the lids spill directly into my cd player. This is a pretty common design flaw, though, unless you are looking at newer vehicles.
Add small glove compartment and non-fold down rear seats in my 96, and you've got my complaint list. All have been very minor inconveniences to me.
My bottom line: fun to drive compact 4-door with decent power and excellent reliability. small enough to feel sporty on back roads, large enough for 4 adults on longer trips. front wheel drive for winter weather. low resale value means used models are priced well below competition.
