Cars
The Best New Cars
American cars make a comeback with exciting designs and competitive prices.
By Mark Solheim, Senior Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, March 2008
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The sweet spot for bargain hunters is the competitive $20,000-to-$25,000 category, packed with entry-level midsize sedans, premium compacts and hybrids. The Chevrolet Malibu earns both Best New Car and Best in Class plaudits. The fuel-thrifty, four-cylinder Malibu LT gets 30 mpg on the highway -- not far off the Malibu Hybrid's fuel economy. Also in this price range are the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius, which earns our Most Fuel-Efficient designation with 48 mpg for in-city driving. Notable newcomers to the category include the Mini Cooper Clubman, a wagon version of the Mini sedan with more rear legroom and cargo space, and the Volvo C30, which has an arresting design, zippy handling and a surprisingly comfy back seat. The Ford Taurus returns, although it's basically last year's Five Hundred with styling tweaks and much-needed extra power
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The redesigned Honda Accord tops the $25,000-to-$30,000 category. Honda upsized the model, so it graduates to the large-sedan class based on interior room. The V6 version has more horsepower but still gets a respectable 19 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. The Nissan Altima Hybrid wins our fuel-sipper award. The BMW 128i debuts in the U.S. this year -- a baby Bimmer already sold in Europe. Also look for the full-size, rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8 to be at dealers this spring.
Best New Car in the entry-level-luxury, $30,000-to-$45,000 price class is the reworked Cadillac CTS. The exterior is aggressive and the interior well-appointed. Plus, the optional 304-hp V6 makes it wicked fast. The Lexus ES 350, last year's Best New Car, is this year's Best in Class. The Infiniti G37, the new name for the G35 coupe, packs a 330-hp V6 and delivers superb handling.
In super luxury territory, we named the Audi S5 our Best New Car. This stunning four-wheel-drive coupe competes with the BMW 3-series coupe -- although it costs about $10,000 more, in part because its V8 powertrain packs more punch. Best in Class is the BMW 535xi, an elegant, understated luxury car with high resale values, competitive fuel economy and top-notch BMW handling. Also new is the Lexus IS F, a super-souped-up version of the IS 250/350. The Lexus LS 460 returns more or less unchanged -- and it still boasts a price tag $26,000 less than the Mercedes-Benz S550.
The redesigned Audi TT is Best New Sports Car. Starting price for the mild-mannered 2.0T version is an affordable $35,575. The Porsche Boxster ragtop unseats our longtime champ, the Chevrolet Corvette, as Best in Class. Coming this spring is the BMW M3, with a 414-hp V8. Its price starts at $55,000.
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BEST SELLERS: For 2007 model year, not including pickups 1. Toyota Camry 2. Honda Accord 3. Honda Civic 4. Toyota Corolla 5. Chevrolet Impala 6. Nissan Altima 7. Honda CR-V 8. Chevrolet Cobalt 9. Toyota Prius 10. Dodge Caravan HOTTEST SELLERS: Vehicles averaging fewest days on dealers' lots 1. Toyota Prius 2. Buick Enclave 3. Mercedes- Benz C-Class 4. BMW X5 5. Cadillac CTS 6. Lexus IS 250/350 7. Toyota Land Cruiser 8. Lexus GX 470 9. Toyota Highlander 10. BMW 3 Series | |||
SUVs and wagons
The Best New Crossover in the large/midsize category, with the best fuel economy, is the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It offers seating for seven (a $2,800 option, or standard in the Limited) and more interior room than its predecessor. Best in Class is the Mazda CX-9, a sleek and stylish crossover with third-row seating standard in all models. This category has so many first-rate vehicles, it's hard to pick favorites. The brand-new Buick Enclave has gotten rave reviews. And depending on your budget, your shopping list should include the Acura MDX, Ford Edge, Honda Pilot, Lexus RX 350 and Saturn Outlook.
We picked the Nissan Rogue for Best New Small Crossover. It's sporty and fuel-efficient and comes in an all-wheel-drive version. It was a close call, but the Honda CR-V, with an economical four-cylinder engine, edged out the Toyota RAV4 with a V6 for Best in Class. The Ford Escape Hybrid and its twins, the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute hybrids, tie for Most Fuel-Efficient honors. The Saturn Vue got an attractive makeover for 2008. Its hybrid gets 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.
The newly redesigned Toyota Sequoia scores highest among truck-based SUVs, so it gets both Best New SUV and Best in Class laurels. It's larger than last year's version with way more power. Our Most Fuel-Efficient award goes to the Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon hybrids, which combine an electric motor with a 6-liter V8 that has the ability to shut off four cylinders when you're cruising down the highway.
The minivan universe has been shrinking, but the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan franchise soldiers on. As the only redesigned van this year, it earns Best New Minivan honors by default. Second-row seats that swivel so you can face a removable table make this a family room on wheels. The Toyota Sienna, redesigned last year, is Best in Class. Best Resale and fuel-economy awards go to the venerable Honda Odyssey. Finally, in the world of wagons, Volvo introduced a redesigned Volvo V70, which earns Best New Wagon, plus a redone XC70. The affordable, peppy Volkswagen Passat Turbo gets Best in Class.
Reader Comments (9)
Posted by: Carl at 02/29/2008 11:57:51 AM
...your articles never or very seldom have any positive commnets about the Ford Motor Company or any of their vehicles.
Posted by: Mike at 04/03/2008 08:16:30 AM
I agree with Carl. I bought a Ford Focus at the end of the year for less than 10K. It is getting nearly 35mpg combined and it is peppy and fun to drive. It has plenty of room for my wife and kids even if it is my commuter car. It even holds 75 miles per hour with ease on the high altitude roads here in Colorado...Finally, for some reason, it feels good to give my money to an American company for a change.
Posted by: anna at 04/20/2008 10:00:45 AM
I recently had to make a 475 mile trip Rented a Chevy Cobalt and was very pleased. Handled great and got 35 mpg!
Posted by: Amy at 05/01/2008 07:57:53 PM
Nice to see the Ford Focus getting some love in the comments. I've had mine since 2002, and I'm not planning on buying a new car any time soon. Between the low price & the fuel efficiency, plus the nice handling, I can't imagine a better car.
Posted by: Bob at 05/02/2008 12:54:47 PM
What does it cost to replace the batteries in a Prius and how long is the warranty on them? This would need to be factored into the long term ownership cost of the vehicle.
Posted by: Leo at 08/22/2008 11:20:24 AM
For a 14th straight year, Lexus obtained the top ranking in vehicle dependability in the J.D. Power and Associates' Vehicle Dependability Study. I came across this in blog.buyingadvice and I thought was important to comment it here. Lexus (Toyota's high-end brand) had 120 problems per 100 vehicles, improving by 25 problems per 100 vehicles since 2007. Following in the top five rankings are Mercury, Cadillac, Toyota and Acura, respectively. SAAB is the most improved brand in the study however it continued to rank below the industry average....Land Rover came last with 344 problems. Subaru, Jeep and Scion showed the biggest drops in dependability...
Posted by: Sara at 10/13/2008 08:13:19 PM
I own a 2004 Ford Focus that currently has only 42,000 miles on it. Due to living in a hot climate year-round, the factory battery had to be replaced at the recommended 36 month mark. The fuel economy could be better on my vehicle and the rear hatch has never closed correctly since the day of purchase. The CD player had to be replaced two times and still doesn't work correctly! People, buy foreign. A huge percentage of foreign owned Toyota and Honda products (are) manufactured here domestically. Coming from a person who owns a roadside assistance company and three new Fords, I will NEVER purchase another new Ford, or a used one for that matter!...
Posted by: Erin at 10/25/2008 01:44:32 PM
As a young professional female, I was not looking forward to the process of car buying especially after purchasing a 2005 Nissan Xterra in 2007. After a year of problems past general maintenance (i.e. emissions system was bad but numerous mechanics weren't able to diagnosis the problem because the onboard computer was defective and reset every time vehicle started) which Nissan corporate and the dealership did not want to take responsibility for and informed me I was wrong about federal law and warranties(more amusing as I have a law degree), I was tired of fighting to simply have my car work and pass emissions in my state. Researching vehicles became my second job for the month, and I was focused on used cars as that was what I believed was the smartest investment. However, in the last week of my search, I noticed .9% financing for new BMWs (I had already decided on that brand because of the certified pre-owned maintenance, lowered insurance rates, safety features, and resale value)and asked the dealer I had been working with if he would run numbers. My credit rating qualified me for the low rate and, ultimately, saved over $4000 if I ended up using the full 5 yr period to pay off my vehicle (though I won't). In the end, I got the brand new vehicle I never planned on owning in my life, and a BMW (X3) I was embarassed to tell people I owned - but I paid less for my car (w/leather, satellite, tracking/roadside assist, and more options, plus a reduced insurance rate more than the used because of the safety and tracking features and no maintenance costs for 50000/4 yrs-only tires unless you opt for the tire insurance-which includes oil changes)than I would have for not only other "luxury" cars but also for many foreign comparables made by Toyota and Honda. Remember know ALL the numbers before you talk to a dealer or go to the lot. Obvious ones are MSRP and dealer invoice but there is another called TMV-true market value-which is what others in your area are paying for the same vehicle and specific features/options on that vehicle. Not only are you better prepared and know the best deal, but you have room to negotiate. Another tool I used after I narrowed down the vehicle and dealers is that I told each I was going to get a vehicle in the next week and it would be with them or someone else....
Posted by: Joe at 01/08/2009 06:11:28 AM
In defense of Ford and Ford Focus brand I own a 2002 with 154,000 miles and based on recommended maintenance it is running fine. I do wish Ford would offer however their international Focus version in the US though and soon.