FYI - I personally do not have that much faith in C.R. as they seem, to me, to be biased.
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Yahoo! Autos - A sportscar might be a better deal in the long run than an economy model.
Most Bang for the Buck privided by ConsumerReports.org
By Consumer Reports
If you're trying to get the most for your money when buying a new family car, you might think that a $20,870 four-cylinder Chrysler Sebring would be a better buy than a $24,803 Toyota Prius Touring. But according to a new Consumer Reports analysis, the Prius is one of the best values you can buy, while the Sebring ranks near the bottom of its class.
For the first time, we've created a way to identify models that do the best job combining good performance and reliability with a low owner cost over the first five years. In other words, the most bang for your buck.
Rounding out the top five models in overall value are the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Rabbit, Honda Civic EX, and Honda Fit. Overall, our study highlights the best values in nine vehicle categories, from small cars to pickup trucks. Among SUVs, for instance, the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe earned the top spots among small and midsized SUVs, respectively. The Toyota Avalon proved to be the best value for upscale cars. And Honda's Odyssey and Ridgeline give you the most for your money among minivans and pickups.
A low price doesn't necessarily make a car a good value. Of the more than 30 small cars that we've recently tested, for example, the budget-priced $15,355 Smart ForTwo and the $16,470 Chevrolet Aveo5 were at the bottom of the value list, primarily because their low test scores mean they aren't very good cars. Even the $15,543 Toyota Yaris sedan, which has one of the lowest five-year owner costs, did not make the grade in value because of its mediocre road-test score.
-- Click on link for the rest of the story --
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Yahoo! Autos - A sportscar might be a better deal in the long run than an economy model.
Most Bang for the Buck privided by ConsumerReports.org
By Consumer Reports
If you're trying to get the most for your money when buying a new family car, you might think that a $20,870 four-cylinder Chrysler Sebring would be a better buy than a $24,803 Toyota Prius Touring. But according to a new Consumer Reports analysis, the Prius is one of the best values you can buy, while the Sebring ranks near the bottom of its class.
For the first time, we've created a way to identify models that do the best job combining good performance and reliability with a low owner cost over the first five years. In other words, the most bang for your buck.
Rounding out the top five models in overall value are the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Rabbit, Honda Civic EX, and Honda Fit. Overall, our study highlights the best values in nine vehicle categories, from small cars to pickup trucks. Among SUVs, for instance, the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe earned the top spots among small and midsized SUVs, respectively. The Toyota Avalon proved to be the best value for upscale cars. And Honda's Odyssey and Ridgeline give you the most for your money among minivans and pickups.
A low price doesn't necessarily make a car a good value. Of the more than 30 small cars that we've recently tested, for example, the budget-priced $15,355 Smart ForTwo and the $16,470 Chevrolet Aveo5 were at the bottom of the value list, primarily because their low test scores mean they aren't very good cars. Even the $15,543 Toyota Yaris sedan, which has one of the lowest five-year owner costs, did not make the grade in value because of its mediocre road-test score.
-- Click on link for the rest of the story --
