Fun fact.

"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada) 07/26/2016 at 22:46 • Filed to: RANDOM CANADIAN CAR FACTS

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In Canada, A/C is optional in the most barebones cars (Think Micra, Mirage, Spark, that sorta thing). Even if it gets up to 35 degrees (95 for ze Americans) in the summer in places like the Prairies. In fact, I grew up almost exclusively in cars without A/C.

Why do they do this? Well, because we’re cheap. We buy cheap cars. Hyundai was one of the best selling car makers here almost immediately after they came to Canada. We flocked to dealers to buy Ladas and Skodas. That’s also why we get the bare bones Civic DX, when in America the most basic Civic you can get is the LX.

I also partially think this is because a lot of automakers simply think we’re a frozen hellhole. Which, let’s be honest, is completely true for about two thirds of the year in most of the country.

dogisbadob > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:49

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hehehe frozen hellhole, like when hell freezes over :p

Cheaper cars might be making a comeback now down here, since we are in a depression, stagnating and falling wages, no benefits anymore, Uber, etc.

The Micra is a handsome-looking car, easily the best-looking new car below 20k

pjhusa > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:52

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The DX seems to be the same as the American LX, minus air conditioning.

wiffleballtony > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:52

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35 isn’t bad.

not for canada - australian in disguise > pjhusa 07/26/2016 at 22:54

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Huh. That’s weird. It used to be more basic with the last generation, guess they’ve changed it.

S65 > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:54

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I want a Civic DX

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:54

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I don’t have A/C on my barebones 2009 Hyundai Accent...don’t have power windows, power door locks, remote keyless, power mirrors, cruise control, ABS, an Auto Trans, or ESC either... :P

It can be 35 degrees Celcius here in Nova Scotia on some days during the summer too with high humidity as we’re the coast, but it’s honestly never bothered me. Not once have I REALLY thought “I regret not having aircon...”

I just use these windy things on my doors that bring the windows down and this spinny fan-shaped thing in mah dash. :P

Matt Nichelson > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:55

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Iirc, I remember reading that this also used to be the case for cars sold in the northern parts of the US as well. I’m from the south, though, so I could be completely wrong on that.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > dogisbadob 07/26/2016 at 22:56

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I agree on the Micra, great-looking little car. But, being a FIAT fan, I am partial to the looks of the 500 as well! :)

wafflesnfalafel > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:56

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we used to get the DX down here, (I had a 2001 DX coupe.) No AC, no power windows, no power locks, all the plastic was black instead of painted body color, no interval wipers, basic radio w/ 2 speakers, etc...

not for canada - australian in disguise > Matt Nichelson 07/26/2016 at 22:57

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Wouldn’t really surprise me. It also is standard practice in markets like the UK.

pjhusa > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 22:59

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It even has the 7" screen which doesn't come standard in the US. Priorities.

Matt Nichelson > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 23:06

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Indeed. That and power windows and locks and all that other stuff we sorta take for granted over here in the states these days.

mazda616 > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/26/2016 at 23:11

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I have hyperhydrosis (fancy way of saying I sweat a lot), so no A/C would mean I’d be disgusting after one commute to or from work. :( Kentucky summers are brutal, though. We usually have 80-90% humidity with heat indexes of 105 F.

Wacko > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/27/2016 at 00:27

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The Quebec special.

All my cars I had from 95 to 2003 where all barebone cars. All had manual windows.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Quebec+bu…

CodyVella > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/27/2016 at 02:20

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When I used to work for Honda I noticed small differences between the Canadian and US cars. I worked for them from 2010-2012 building the Civic and they had some parts that differed by country. Canadian models got a larger washer fluid reservoir, and a different windshield wiper motor. Also the Canadian models had totally different chassis harnesses, so I’d imagine if you dug deeper you’d find a lot of differences.

Apparently, according to Honda, the manual Civic was more popular in Canada than in the US. Which is why in 2012 (Not sure about any years since) you could only get an EX w/manual in Canada. In the US, only the LX cam with a manual. Oddly enough though, in Canada if you checked the option box for leather interior on the EX, you could no longer have a manual.

not for canada - australian in disguise > CodyVella 07/27/2016 at 02:30

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In general there are way more manual drivers in Canada. Most people I know, not even car people, know how to drive manual. If the US and Canadian markets weren’t so intertwined we’d probably have even more. Cars like the Legacy are also available wth manual in Canada, but not the States.

Milky > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/27/2016 at 09:16

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I saw a Micra just like that in Windsor last night! I always like seeing forbidden fruit when I hop across to Canada’s Florida. But then I remember they’re all probably shit cars.

Probenja > not for canada - australian in disguise 07/27/2016 at 10:42

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I know in some places in the world you can get a car with A/C but without heating, so it’s just cold or colder.

not for canada - australian in disguise > Probenja 07/27/2016 at 14:15

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Yeah, I can’t imagine ever needing a heater in a market like Southeast Asia.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Probenja 08/02/2016 at 22:43

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My mind is blown. Completely. I have never seen such a thing.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > not for canada - australian in disguise 08/02/2016 at 22:55

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Curiously, you don’t have the market cornered in North America. Aside from Mexico (where almost all cars are manuals), the PNW and parts of the northeast in the US also have unusually-high concentrations of manuals.

I know more young people that drive manual cars around here than ones that don’t. Having an automatic car is something young people are embarrassed to admit. A handful I know have never daily driven or owned an automatic in their lives (including a 25-year-old girl and her boyfriend).