Today we went to test drive a few cars. Thanks to [info]queue for driving us to the dealers.


First up was the Honda Fit (called the 'Jazz' elsewhere). It was the most similar to my last car, being small, and I liked the steering feel which seemed quite firm and immediate. (All the cars I've driven here seem a bit less immediate on acceleration, but I guess that is the difference between manual and automatic.) The Fit has some innovative rear seats, which can fold down to make a flat cargo area, or fold up to give a tall load space. It still seemed a bit small compared to the other cars we tried, so I think it is too small for our needs, and [info]theora didn't like the 'cheap' finish.


Next we tried a Honda Civic. I'm not so keen on the sedan style (we call it 'saloon' where I come from), and the controls in this I thought were 'sloppy', so I was ready to remove it from the shortlist.


We moved on to a Toyota dealer, where we first tried a Matrix. I liked the control feel of this, and it also has a pretty big load space. It seemed like we would have to choose the upgraded model to get some of the features we'd like though.


Our last test was the Toyota Prius. This car is getting quite a reputation. I was pleased to find it the most comfortable to drive of any of these tests (given that I'm still quite nervous about driving over here). It was not quite as big as I thought, but still had a reasonable amount of cargo space, and the best legroom for passengers. It also has the best fuel economy of any car on the market, and high reliability and satisfaction ratings in Consumer Reports. We weren't sure how it would compare to the other cars in power, but it seemed to have plenty of go and stop when needed.


I guess we're pretty keen on the Prius. Shame it is the most expensive of our list, but it is a unique vehicle, so we can deal with it.