Has downsizing your car changed how you drive?

Interesting point! I have actually gone the other way – had to upsize – but what used to really bug me about owning a smaller car was other road users treating you like a learner when driving totally normally. Maybe it was because our car was that classic learner car, the Nissan Micra, but we got sick of being tailgated and overtaken (Audi and BMW drivers were most guilty) when simply keeping up with traffic! In my experience, this seems to happen less when you have a bigger car, despite not actually driving any faster… So ‘small car syndrome’ might just be about giving as good as you get?

Riders of mopeds have the same problem as drivers of small cars and perhaps the biggest cause of tailgating is obeying the speed limit!

My solution to tailgating is to flash the rear foglights a couple of times. It might not be a permitted use of foglights but it is unlikely to create a hazard for other users and could avoid an accident. It also helps to remind following drivers to dip their lights.

I’m in a similar position Rob, I have to downsize the saab 9-3 2l turbo, but I really cannot pick a car that appeals to me other than a mini. As in, a Mini cooper should have enough power and enough economy.

I used to hire cars a lot in Germany and Holland and the frustration of driving a little car with no power certainly raises the stress levels. With the saab, to get up to speed just just have to lightly press your big toe, With any little hairdryer box, you have to rag the guts out of it, which defeats the object really. If you have to work harder in the car, thats not worth paying for.

I actually think under-powered little cars cause traffic jams. The engine is too under-powered to be able to make a quick manoeuvre, or pull out quickly. Its even worse when you are on the motorway, there is just nothing to accelerate.

In my opinion, any car that CANNOT accelerate in 5th gear on a hill on a motorway should NOT be allowed on the roads. Really dangerous, lorrys struggle enough without them having to sit behind the pencil sharpeners in the middle lane, getting slower and slower.

A bloke with small man syndrome in a car that gives you “small car syndrome”, a dangerous mix! Looking at the picture you’ve used I’d suggest you look normal size in the small car and all you’d see is some finger tips clinging to the steering wheel in the big one!

Interesting thoughts. I may have to downsize soon. I find it hard to justify my Focus ST170 when I only do 5000 miles a year, if that. I’ll miss if it if I do.

I’m beginning to agree about the need for more bhp. I had a Honda Jazz which was excellent for reliability and versatility, but uninspiring handling and just plain underpowered. So I thought I would treat myself and just for once get something fairly small but with a bit of oomph. We looked at Mini Coopers, small BMWs, Golf GTis etc, then common sense took over realising that we did very little mileage and most of it on narrow country lanes where you’re lucky to get up to 40 mph, so we ended up with the new model Fiesta – much better steering and handling than the Jazz, and the little Zetec engine will happily rev its socks off but it’s still terribly underpowered. It’s beginning to get tiresome anticipating every uphill gradient and dropping gears just to keep the revs and speed up, and the fuel economy suffers for it.
So maybe next time I will be looking for some more bhp.

I often drive my wife’s Aygo, which some might say is underpowered. However, I find it quite interesting to drive. To get the most out of it you have to drive properly, change gear at the right time and not slow down too much at corners. It is well capable of keeping up to legal speed limits but not of course the excessive speeds that Audi drivers think is their right.
My other car is a Mini Cooper S. Lots of power in any gear at any speed, which is very nice, but anyone can go fast in a car like this and the ride is awful.