Really low...for sale
Really low...for sale
ProDarwin said:Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:Highlander/Camry
Rav4/Corolla
Mazda5/Mazda3
Transit/Focus
Flex/Taurus
1) No manual
2) There have been some rav4 manuals, but I don't recall when. Does corolla suspension swap over? I wonder the same about CRVs. I know the 1st gen ones can get pretty low, and I kinda dig them. Could be fun. Not the right age/mileage I would be interested in for a DD right now, but still an interesting answer to the original question.
3) Mazda 5 is a not a lifted 3, its an extremely tall 3. It will never be low enough. CX5 stands a chance though. Easier just to buy a hatback 3 in this case (which is not off the table).
4) No manual, too tall
5) No manual
My Mazda5 on coilovers had less than 3" of ground clearance at the rockers. I could have dropped it another 1.5", too. CX-5's can't get remotely close to Mazda5 low.
I retract my Mazda 5 statement. You might be able to get one low enough, by sacrificing all of your suspension travel to get there. You need to lower ~4" just to get track width vs. height parity. I'm not after a car riding on the frame with zero bump travel.
I don't know the details of the CX5, but as I mentioned earlier, there are cars you can drop by 4" and sacrifice zero suspension travel because you have effectively shortened the unused portion of the strut. Or shorter knuckle, etc.
C900 3-door? Maybe too old and weird, but I think it meets your requirements.
one option is Kia Sportage:
keep in mind: Don't limit yourself to looking at achieving W/H:1 via just lowering. After all, we have a whole thread about how awesome fender flares are.
Looks like 2nd Gen Jeep Compass' come with a stick... haven't looked for suspension stuff yet, though.
edit:
I wonder if you can manual swap an FX35?
edit #2:
apparently the Compass kinda shares a platform with the Ram Promaster City... so that might be an option for sourcing suspension?
also, the Sportage is only like 1.25" away from meeting the spec, and you could probably make that just by removing the faux-rack on the roof?
As the resident e36/5 apologist, look at this practicality!
Also very low, manual transmission, good aftermarket and factory support, wide, sexy...
I don't know what happens to the suspension geometry, but I have a thing for 1- and 2-gen CR-Vs riding at Civic heights.
X1 With a mild drop. These are probably the closest because they already have favorable dimensions in that they have a decent track and are not very tall to begin with. Plus RWD is nice.
Dropped CX5. Hard sell over just getting a Mazda 3 hatch, but its kinda cool. I wonder what happens with geometry.
Patriot (same as compass). They achieve drop through traditional means (short springs/coilovers), so probably ride like garbage. Plus I have never heard good things about them as vehicles anyway.
I like these and its a problem.
OMG Stanced Kona. No idea what is going on under the skin. Not sure how their struts & geometry differ from a Veloster, but I kinda dig it (I wouldn't go down that far)
Mild Forester for reference. If I could buy one of these without a subaru drivetrain I would be interested. Still not sure they meet WvsHeight requirements.
sleepyhead the buffalo said:
keep in mind: Don't limit yourself to looking at achieving W/H:1 via just lowering. After all, we have a whole thread about how awesome fender flares are.
For a potential DD I dont know that I would want to play with huge spacers, crazy low offsets, flares, messed up bumpsteer, wheel bearing wear, etc. But I try not to narrow the scope too much because this brainstorming is fun.
Caliber SRT4?
Chevy HHR SS is basically a Cobalt SS van right?
How much does a Vibe/Matrix share with Corollas?
What about infinity fx35s? Should be able to swap to g/350 stuff no?
ProDarwin said:X1 With a mild drop.
OMG Stanced Kona. No idea what is going on under the skin. Not sure how their struts & geometry differ from a Veloster, but I kinda dig it (I wouldn't go down that far)
I did not need to see that... hummina. Fortunately for you, all Kona's are auto's. I reckon your right, and X1 or CX5 are the best options.
this is only a single, anecdotal, reference point: but I've put 5000miles (inclusive of a OneLap) on a set of 1" spacers on my 180+kmi TL. Not that that's equivalent to 'DD Duty'... but, I would not rule out ARP studs and 1/2" spacers to get me 'the wide I need'.
Kia Souls are still available with a stick but only in stripper form I believe. Compass is also available with a stick..
sleepyhead the buffalo said:Fortunately for you, all Kona's are auto's
I just built a manual on their website.
Also there is this:https://carbuzz.com/news/hyundai-kona-n-will-be-the-ultimate-performance-crossover but its a shame that says it will still have the 1.6 and not the 2.0 from the Veloster N. A 275hp 6spd LSD Kona could be kinda fun.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Really? I'm on the website right now and there is no manual option I can find, and there are zero manual Konas for sale in the entire country (per Cars.com & AutoTrader at least). C&D has noted in reviews that the Kona would really benefit from a manual since there is one not available. Only US options are 6-speed auto and 7-speed DCT.
Also I don't know what you need the box vehicle for ultimately, but bear in mind the Kona is sub-Ford Focus sized. They are little cars.
Perhaps you are confusing the Kona with the Venue? Those are available with a manual and are much boxier (though also small).
It looks like the only manual Kona available in the world is with a 1.0L engine we don't get...probably not missing much there
In reply to pointofdeparture :
I'm pretty sure the Venue is smaller than the Kona... that the Kona is based on the Veloster (maybe Forte?), while the Venue is based on the Accent/Rio?
Also, whenever I hear/see about the Venue... I'm always reminded of:
"take me to the Venue"
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
Oh yes, they are both small cars. But from a purely "boxy" evaluation perspective the Venue is much more fitting.
The Kona does that thing that most modern hatchbacks do, where the roof is curved and tapers off instead of staying flat; the Venue has a flat roof until it meets the hatch.
STM317 said:How much does a Vibe/Matrix share with Corollas?
Basically a Corolla wagon, and they made the 2ZZ-GE an optiion on these before you could get it in a Corolla.
Also, the wagon that VW can't decide if they want to call it a Golf or a Jetta. Seems to have switched names on a regular basis. Available with a manual and the Dieselgate scandal has driven prices down.
pointofdeparture said:In reply to ProDarwin :
Really? I'm on the website right now and there is no manual option I can find, and there are zero manual Konas for sale in the entire country
My mistake. I thought I had selected that as an option on the Kona I was building, but really it just filtered the list of cars available.
The Venue is available with a manual, 1.6 with 120hp. Yikes.
RE: Size. I currently have a 2019 Veloster. A Kona is basically what would happen if I made the hatch door a reasonable size, flattened the roof a bit and gave it a 4th door. All good things. Of course there is always the Elantra hatch thingy that is similar.
All that said, I'm not pleased with my Hyundai Dealer or my Veloster right now, so I probably shouldn't consider those options!
buzzboy said:As the resident e36/5 apologist, look at this practicality!
Also very low, manual transmission, good aftermarket and factory support, wide, sexy...
He's ignoring us old BMW fanboys, so I'll quote you as a friendly reminder. 
Seriously though, out of the modern options listed above I did not realize how good a lowered CX5 looks. Despite my Bavarian drum, I'm not sure I'd go with an X1 after the reliability nightmare my friend went through. Plus subjectively exterior styling isn't my cup of tea.
Well I just realized that the X1 is not in fact available in manual, so that's off the list.
318tis are neat. Not something I am interested in for this, but I recognize that I didn't specify that in the original post. Should have added a 4 door requirement, maybe even a year/mileage range. But, as I mentioned earlier, I like to not narrow the scope too much because it ruins all the fun.
From BMW, I think the best options are E46 or E90 wagons.
Has anyone said Eagle Summit?
Because Eagle Summit really needs to be said
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