Back in the 1990s and for a couple decades after, the three-cylinder engine was seen as a bit of a joke, particularly here in North America.
In Japan and other markets, there were some cool and interesting small cars that came with tiny three-cylinder engines like the tiny Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino sports cars. Here though, the vehicle most commonly associated with the three-cylinder engine was the Geo Metro a small, fuel-sipping subcompact that was one of the cheapest new cars one could buy at the time.
While the Metro served its purpose as a cheap fuel-sipper well, it often became the butt of jokes with some saying that it was the car you bought when a four-cylinder engine was just too large and powerful for you.