NEWS
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we take a look at our friends to the south to see what interesting and unusual cars are for sale in Mexico. Have a look at some of the stranger things you can buy down in Mexico, many from brands you thought you were familiar with.
Related: Ten Cars You Can Buy in North America, But Not the U.S.
The last-generation Chevrolet Spark was actually the Daewoo Matiz before GM acquired the South Korean company and developed the new version. While the Chevy Spark we know in the states is the latest and greatest version of that vehicle, in Mexico you can still buy the last generation, dubbed the Chevrolet Matiz, as a lower-cost option to the newer Spark. Powered by a tiny 65-horsepower, 1.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission, it seats four passengers at a low, low price of just less than $6,500 (in U.S. dollars), not including air conditioning or a radio.
“What the heck is that?” I wondered, surfing the Dodge de Mexico website. Turns out that this is the Dodge Attitude, which until this year was a rebadged Hyundai Accent, but for 2015 becomes a rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage sedan. Powered by a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine cranking out 76 hp, it can be had with a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic transmission. Featuring modern amenities like a USB port, Bluetooth connectivity and push-button start, the least expensive Dodge in Mexico is still considerably pricier than the Chevy Matiz, ringing in at the U.S. equivalent of about $10,200.
Check your Attitude at the door if you want something a bit nicer, and step into the Dodge Vision. Whereas the Attitude started in production as a Mitsubishi Mirage, the Vision was originally a Fiat Grand Siena sedan before getting “Dodge-ified.” For just less than $13,000 U.S., you get a novel “Dualogic” automated manual transmission, which can be operated as a sequential manual or fully automatic gearbox, attached to a 115-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (a conventional five-speed automatic is optional). Made in Brazil, it’s actually sold as a Fiat throughout the rest of South America.
How does a front-wheel-drive, Brazilian-built, Italian-brand, Mexican-market Subaru XV Crosstrek knockoff sound to you? Check out the Fiat Palio Adventure, a more butch-looking version of the company’s Palio Weekend wagon that features tacked-on rubberized fender trim, roof rails and “off-road” front and rear bumpers. It features the same powertrain as the Dodge Vision/Fiat Grand Siena, a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making 113 hp in this application. It comes surprisingly well equipped for the U.S. equivalent of about $15,230.
The Fiesta is the smallest Ford you can buy in the U.S., but you can go one size smaller in Mexico: the Ikon is an Indian-built hatchback based on the last-generation Fiesta, sold in India as the Ford Figo. Unlike some other entry-level Mexican offerings, the Ikon Hatch is a veritable sports model. It features a 98-hp, 1.6-liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission, Bluetooth connectivity, airbags and electric trunk release all for the U.S. equivalent of about $8,500.
Do you like the Honda Fit but don’t want all that pesky useful cargo room that its hatchback body style provides? Well, Honda will be happy to sell you the City, a sedan version of the Fit. It’s a quirky little four-door, but it’s definitely appealing. With all of the upscale design and quality of the Fit, it’s also an attractive shape — not an easy accomplishment for a subcompact sedan. A 118-hp, 1.5-liter version with a manual transmission starts at about $14,250 U.S.
The majority of the world gets all kinds of neat small cars, and Mexico is no exception – have a look at the ironically named Hyundai Grand i10. It’s a diminutive little city micro-car, equipped with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine cranking out 88 hp, mated to a five-speed manual transmission, but it’s larger than the normal i10, which is nearly 4 inches shorter in the wheelbase. It’s also better equipped, featuring stylish two-tone interiors, antilock brakes, keyless entry and auto-folding mirrors. It starts at just about $8,800 in U.S. dollars.
The rest of the world gets all kinds of cool little pickup trucks, and Mexico gets its share as well – like the Nissan NP300, essentially a 1997 model year Nissan D22 pickup that we used to know in the U.S. as the second-generation Frontier. A versatile work truck, it’s available in a surprising 19 variants ranging from a chassis-cab truck to a luxurious crew-cab diesel 4×4. Engine choices are a 143-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder (gasoline) or a 2.5-liter diesel that pumps out a respectable 224 pounds-feet of torque. U.S. equivalent prices range from around $11,650 at the low end to $19,500 at the higher end for what is essentially a brand-new 18-year-old pickup.
Here’s perhaps the oddest duck on the whole list: How’d you like to buy a brand-new 23-year-old Nissan Sentra? They’re still being made and sold in Mexico – the Nissan Tsuru (Japanese for “crane”) has only received some mild mechanical and electrical updates since its introduction in 1992, such as a new Renault-sourced transmission. Beyond that it’s largely unchanged from the original version, and used primarily by taxi companies throughout Mexico. Propelled by a 105-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission, the Tsuru doesn’t have much in the way of safety equipment, but parts are plentiful, it weighs almost nothing (just 2,175 pounds, less than a Mazda Miata) and it’s cheap: about $8,700 U.S.
The Volkswagen Jetta always has been popular in Mexico, having been assembled in a plant in Puebla for years now. But like the Nissan Tsuru, older versions continue to find life – like the VW Clasico, which is a mildly updated fourth-generation (1999) Jetta. It’s only available with one powertrain, a 115-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, 15-inch wheels and air conditioning; it starts at the U.S. equivalent of $11,380. For many people, this was their favorite model of Jetta, and the idea of buying a brand-new one is oddly appealing.
