According to you, these cars are surprisingly fun to drive – Jalopnik

Earlier this week we asked you to share an unsuspecting car with the class that turned out to be surprisingly fun to drive, and I’m relieved to report that the responses were more playful than I expected. As a car nerd, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision that blocks out all the more mundane cars with less than 300 horsepower in a six-second 0-to-60 time frame or those commonly seen on public roads. It’s easy to get jaded and shrug off these cars that are unremarkable on paper, but one of the best things about these cars is that you get behind the wheel expecting to feel nothing, and as you drive away you realize that they’re actually quite fun.

I’m a big believer in the philosophy that it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slowly. Judging from most reactions, the public agrees. I said I was surprised by how fun it was to drive the 2026 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring, which I support. Yes, I might have had more fun driving down Angeles Crest Highway in something more purpose-built for driving pleasure, but I was really impressed with how well the Accord took a good beating. I love being impressed by everyday cars with a mysterious, wild side, and it sounds like you all do too. These are some of my favorite answers, but there were many more that weren’t included, so feel free to go back and read through the other answers. These are some of the cars that the Jalopnik audience says are surprisingly fun to drive.

A few years ago the wife and I rented a Fiat 500c convertible (with a standard plow, of course) during a stay in Sicily. As we walked through the rental car lot, we saw fellow travelers rejoicing over their Audi convertible rentals, which made us wonder if we would regret our choice of a Fiat.

We were convinced we had made the right choice as soon as we left the airport and reached an open road. The car was so much fun to drive that we had to take turns behind the wheel. Furthermore, motorists in Palermo are adept at turning a two-lane road into four lanes. Having a subcompact car allowed us to go with the flow.

Submitted by: Kidney grille

I had a 1988 Plymouth Horizon 4 door with 5 speed and not much else. That car actually drove quite well and was fun for what it was. My brother had the same car with an automatic and it was hard to believe that a manual transmission could make that much of a difference. That automatic car couldn’t get out of the way.

Submitted by: Bruno

Mazda Protege5 five-speed manual transmission from 2002. I have driven over 130,000 kilometers in 5 years on the way to work and school. 18k on the road; not fast, but it towed my jet ski (in 3rd gear up steep slopes). And with winter tires it could handle snow routes to ski slopes very well. It was a blast to drive this car around corners when it could drive around Home Depot without any complaints. Trule the most flexible and honest car I have ever owned.

Submitted by: Igor Getsin

The first Gen Scion xA and xB on paper were roller skates. A 1.5 liter 105bhp engine and no apparent reason to look at them again, but weighing barely over a tonne they could be tossed around on their skinny tyres.

They were really the fun of Slow Car, Fast.

The real champion of the time was the first Ford Focus ZX3, not even the SVT, which I think we all expected to be fun given the badge, but it was a lot more fun than the typical economy car of the time.

Submitted by: potbellyjoe

My sister drives a 2013 Scion xB that she bought new. Just over 80,000 miles and still going strong. That thing is actually a pleasure to drive: agile, handles well and feels very smooth on city streets. The Camry 4 cylinder they put in those things is a little gem of an engine…torque and has plenty of passing power. From the looks of it, you wouldn’t know it!

Submitted by: JonRob951

Dodge Neon from 1994 with manual. I got one in college and loved hitting the byways of southern Ohio. They moved on to an SRT version and an ACR club racer version.

Submitted by: trailbilly

I’m getting older here because I’m going back a while. My driver’s license was brand new and a friend of mine got one of those little Mazda MX-3 V6 coupes. And while the power numbers weren’t great, I remember that little ghost wanting to be tossed around with a smooth shifter and the V6 being buttery smooth, especially compared to the four-cylinder engines of the era. That was (to me) the fearless, perfection era of Mazda with the Miata, MX-3, MX-6, RX-7, and even their sedans had a bit of Japanese BMW DNA in them.

We look back now and wonder why they put a 1.8 liter V6 in a small sports coupe, but my answer is: why not? Bubble era Japan gave us some interesting cars

Submitted by: Xavier96

I was really surprised when I drove my mom’s Chevy Cruze. A small car with a small engine and yet a lot of spirit. It was actually a fun ride and was handled in a sporty manner.

Submitted by: MMOSB

My uncle bought a Base Mini in ’03. That was the most fun manual transmission car I’ve ever driven. You could push it into corners because it had great handling. Smiles from miles away

Submitted by: TA

I have a second generation Chevy Volt…the weight is light and the torque is instantly available when the battery is dead, making it a lot of fun on the winding roads behind my house. On the boring roads in front of my house I play the video game “how many miles can I get on this load”, which isn’t as fun, but still better than nothing.

Submitted by: dug_deep

I once owned a ’91 Saturn SL2. This thing was loaded for what it was: full leather interior, power windows, locks and sunroof, the optional sport steering wheel and a five-speed manual transmission. That DOHC engine was only good for about 120 horsepower, but between the manual transmission and the lightweight plastic body panels, that was really all you needed.

Submitted by: Maxis47@hotmail.com

A 1968 VW bus. I mean… sure it’s fun to cruise around in for the nostalgia/atmosphere/aesthetics, but it can also be fun to drive. Figuring out the weird long casts, hitting the apex on windy roads for maximum comfort/minimum life threat, etc. Dialing in the drive on that thing (really anything) is a really enjoyable experience.

Submitted by: SantaCruzin

Administrators. There’s nothing like driving one of those short wheelbase vehicles, top down and the doors off. They are in a class of their own in that regime. Everything else is a hard pass, though.

Submitted by: Lucky 13

My old 1991 Geo Metro 2-door 5-speed.

It would fry those little 12-inch tires in 1st and 2nd, and even squeal them in 3rd.

It could travel (estimated) at 160 km/h with 4 people in it.

It got 50+ mpg no matter how I drove it.

It was just a nice little bundle of 55 horsepower and 1,650 pounds.

Submitted by: Anonymous person

A long time ago my dad got a 1971 Caddy that needed some work. I borrowed it when it had vacuum leaks and faded paint. My normal car was a Fiero, which was a BIG change in how any car drove you could find.

That old Caddy was a lot of fun. The brakes were incredibly sensitive, so a gentle touch, and all I could see was the pavement while the old Caddy sat on the front bumper. The acceleration was shocking. Accelerate. Do a peg-leg burnout for 3-4 seconds. Teleport to 35. Do a 6 second shift to 2nd. Teleport to 70. Then start shifting even slower to 3rd. While you look at the sky from the soft suspension.

The handling was “interesting”. The steering wheel did not turn the car, but tilted it. Turn the steering wheel 20 degrees, the car tilts 20 degrees and a few turns later it starts turning. It felt like it had super slow steering, but the mention was immediate.

Cruising on the highway was insane. Nothing but a steady hiss of dozens of vacuum leaks and a whisper of frost. If you wanted to pass someone, you turned the wheel, waited for the car to turn and corrected while gently pressing the gas. The car sank a little and the sounds of the freezing cold increased in tempo. A few seconds later you heard a ticking sound from the dash, that was the speedometer hitting the pin. No sense of speed at all.

It was stupid, it was stupid and it was a lot of fun. It was a land yacht and showed why people bought it.

Submitted by: Hoser68