Detroit's not missing anything, though. They're building exactly what they need to. My civic gets 44mpg, and while that IS an impressive statistic, it's the least exciting car I've ever driven. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun to drive, and the practicality is overwhelming, but it just has TOO MANY limitations FOR ME to be happy with it as an only car.

I re-read what I posted, and while I still feel what I posted, I think too much tone can be read into it. Calling a car an economy car is not an insult, but economy and performance don't go together because economy limits performance. If Honda made a 8-banger sports car, almost nobody could afford it, and there are tons of cars that would destroy it that cost a lot less.

I have nothing but respect for people that take a Honda or Acura chassis and make it fast... or any other car for that matter. That's a testament to that person's intelligence and skill. It almost always results in a turbocharger being added to achieve it... and if you asked me... if Honda actually cared about who Detroit is catering to... or what their enthusiasts want... Maybe they'd build a turbocharged production car, but they never have! They're too concerned with economy to worry about what our domestic buyers are looking for.

I think both need to keep doing exactly what they're doing. Sort of like the right and left wing political parties of our government driving everything into the middle. Everyone with a weekend gas guzzler needs an economical daily driver. And all of us are going to eventually make our cars what we want them to be with aftermarket parts.