Best small cars under $20,000
The best, most fuel efficient compacts under $20,000
February 9, 2012 - Updated
When it comes to fuel economy, hybrid cars suck up a huge portion of the headlines, despite the fact that only 3 percent of new car buyers are choosing the hybrid option.
Still, there are many small cars that can also provide great value and fuel economy, if you don't mind downsizing to the compact or even subcompact segment.
Recently, Kipplingers and TrueCar analyzed the small car data and came up with a number of interesting options in the under $20,000 small cars segment.
Best in class, according to Kipplingers, was the Chevy Cruze Eco Manual. With a national average price of $19,889 and a resale value of 57% after 3 years, the 138 hp, 28/42 mpg city/highway Cruze offers the best highway fuel economy in the under $20,000 segment.
While the Cruze offers better overall fuel economy, we think the Ford Focus SE hatchback might be an even better option. Even though less efficient, the Focus SE costs about $1500 less on average than the Cruze, plus the Focus offers better resale value and more hp for greater performance.
A few other interesting manual options are the Mazda3 i Touring 4dr hatch w/SkyActiv and the Volkswagen Jetta SE. Both, unfortunatley, have higher than average maintenance costs in this segment, but both offer an interesting balance of price, fuel economy and performance.
And if up front costs are your primary concern, you can't go wrong with the Hyundai Elantra GLS manual, which costs on average just $15,800, although it proves less resale value and costs more to maintain than both the Cruze and the Focus. Sill, the Elantra offers better fuel economy than the Focus, and only slightly lower fuel economy than the Cruze.
Of course, those are all manuals, which aren't what most consumers are seeking, although all of these vehicles are also available in an automatic option, but at higher costs and decreased fuel economy.
Fortunately, Kipplinger also highlighted a few fuel efficient automatic offerings in this segment. For instance, the Honda Civic LX offers the best all around numbers in an automatic version of all the vehicles "worth a look" according to Kipplingers.
Closing out the best of the under $20,000 small cars is the Subaru Impreza 2.0i.
Based on this Kipplinger and TrueCar data, we'd name the Honda Civic LX king of the the best small cars under $20,000.
And if you don't mind a manual, our top pick would be the Focus SE, and the Elantra GLS if upfront costs are your priority.
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Still Looking? Check out the 10 Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles for 2010.
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