Best under $20K car with good enconomy

[amirm]

Hi guys. My youngest son is going to college and we need to get him a car. He needs something with good economy given the gas prices. And something small with good visibility.

Cars I am looking at are:

1. Ford Fiesta. Seems like a nice design but just read that first reliability has been poor so far.

2. Ford Fusion. Another European designed Ford. Reviews are positive with good interior build and performance. Reliability an issue per #1.

3. Hyundai Elantra. Very long warranty. Doesn't seem to have the performance of the above two but not sure my son cares.

4. Fiat 500. Nothing great in my book but the cute look has my son interested. Recent review against the mini showed it to lose in every performance category. Braking was really poor (25 feet or so longer than mini) which is a concern for me.

5. New Civic. Apparently the interior build quality is nowhere as good as #1 through #3.

So have any of you been in the market for such a car and if so, where did you end up?

 

[Old Listener]

Winding Road had good things to say about the Fiat 500

http://www.windingroad.com/articles/reviews/driven-2012-fiat-500-sport/

If your son likes good handling cars, I'd add the Mazda3 and Mazda2 to the list.

The Honda Fit has good handling, lots of useful space, very good mileage and a really low overall cost of operation. An automatic transmission version might be too slow though.

The Hyundai has been getting good reviews. In the Consumer reports April, the Elantra was the small car pick.

Bill

 

[JackD201]

Will he be doing a lot of freeway driving Amir or just in city stuff most of the time?

 

[flez007]

I am in the same decision point amir, with my son, I am considering the VW Jetta, an Audi A3 or A1 or a VW Polo.

 

[amirm]

Will he be doing a lot of freeway driving Amir or just in city stuff most of the time?

Yes, and hence his desire for good gas mileage (15 to 20 miles either way). He, for a change for a boy, is not a driver's type of person. His personality is the opposite of our other two, being very clam and quiet and wanting good basic transportation and nothing more.

My priorities for him is to have good braking, somewhat larger car just in case there is an accident, and good visibility all around. So I am worried about ultra small cars like Fiat and Honda Fit.

 

[amirm]

I am in the same decision point amir, with my son, I am considering the VW Jetta, an Audi A3 or A1 or a VW Polo.

My middle son got the Diesel Jetta and loves it. It was the last year's though before they cheapened it heavily to increase sales in US. It is still an option to look at.

The Audis would spoil him too much . And cost more than I like to spend on him, and happily, what he is asking.

The polo looks interesting: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/06/review-2011-vw-polo-1-2-tsi/

It is not listed on VW US site so looks like it is not shipping here yet.

 

[Old Listener]

So I am worried about ultra small cars like Fiat and Honda Fit.

A rather subjectivist approach.

Some links

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Honda_Fit/Safety/

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0d9de8

 

[amirm]

A rather subjectivist approach.

Not when you compare where an SUV bumper meets a smaller car .

Some links

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Honda_Fit/Safety/

I have read through all of US News reports. While I like the magazine a lot, I find their meta-reviews to be lacking. They don't review anything. They review other reviews and then rank things. Sometimes I find useful data and links. Other times I find them poorly done.

 

[Old Listener]

I have read through all of US News reports. While I like the magazine a lot, I find their meta-reviews to be lacking. They don't review anything. They review other reviews and then rank things. Sometimes I find useful data and links. Other times I find them poorly done.

You may have missed the link to the Insurance Institute for Highway safety site in the usnews article. . Here is a relevant page

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx

This site has results for a number of cars so you can see how various cars do on the tests.

> Not when you compare where an SUV bumper meets a smaller car

The other link I provided has posts from Fit owners about their experiences in crashes.

I thought that a link to tests and a link with anecdotal evidence might provide two ways to look at the problem.

Bill

 

[JackD201]

We Dads think alike. I'd like a larger car too. The ultra compacts are great for in city driving, especially when it comes to finding parking but Freeway? They definitely give me pause.

How are the Scions? The Tc in particular? I'm in Hawaii now and see quite a few young people driving them. They look good and being Toyotas should give good mileage.

I drove a Golf GL in college. That was a very good car although I suffered from GTI envy the whole time

 

[Jay_S]

IIHS frontal and crash ratings can only be compared against vehicles of similar weight Therefore, I find such ratings for cars such as the Fit less than useful.

This weekend I am out of town and renting a Kia Optima. It's a pretty impressive car in the 20K range, though probably not of interest to 21 year olds.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Subaru Impreza

 

[Old Listener]

IIHS frontal and crash ratings can only be compared against vehicles of similar weight Therefore, I find such ratings for cars such as the Fit less than useful.

I think the cars are similar enough to make the safety tests relevant.

Most of the cars that Amir mentioned are small and well under 3000 lbs. The Ford Fiesta hatchback is 1.5" shorter than a Honda Fit. The Hyundai is 18" longer and 200 lbs. heavier. The Ford Fusion is larger at 190". I didn't see a curb weight for the Fusion on the Ford web site.

Bill

 

[Jay_S]

Well, if researching safety I would be more interested in absolute rather than relative performance. An informative site on this topic is http://www.informedforlife.org.

 

[Rupunzell]

The Fiat 500 would be the best value for a new car in this price range. It is technologically the most advanced with Italian style and personality.. more than mundane transportation. Keep in mind the Fiat 500 has won numerous awards over VW's offering around the world. Both VW and Fiat sell cars in the worlds most competitive segment of the car market. For any car company to survive, their offerings must be very good or the market will simply refuse it. As for fuel consumption. The Multi-Air Fiat engine is the most significant development in gasoline engine technology in recent years. It's development began in the 1980's and it has taken this long for Fiat to make it produce-able. Part of the technology used in Fiat's multi-air was licensed to BMW for their electronic variable valve timing system to fund Fiat's development of Multi-air during the years Fiat was tied to GM... which never gave Fiat a dime to develop this technology. Regardless, the Fiat 500 delivers mid-40 Mpg at 70 Mph on open roads. This is based on owner reports, not EPA testing.

Fiat (and most every other car brand) has a very good diesel engine technology identical to VW. It is popular in the EU and else where, but American drivers continue to refuse acceptance of modern diesel technology for their own reasons. IMO, modern diesel engine technology delivers good fuel economy, mechanical durability and good performance with low emissions. The only real trade off is initial cost.

As for safety, larger vehicles are not safer. SUV and truck are not required to meet Federal requirements for roll over that is required for all passenger cars. I have seen too many SUV crashes where the roof has collapsed and the occupants cut out from these crushed vehicles with serious injuries or death. SUVs are unstable in evasive maneuvers due to their high center of gravity and high dynamic roll center and softly sprung and damped suspensions. These vehicles have little to no active safety or the ability to drive away from a potential crash. The typical passenger vehicle does.

One of the very best things any parent can do for their young adult driver is to send them to a performance driving school. No, this is NOT a school that teaches how to race a car, it is a school that teaches basic car control and how to drive your vehicle out of a potential crash or what to do when road conditions become poor. These skill can make the difference between life and death on the road.
These are the active safety aspects of driving any vehicle.

Yes, and hence his desire for good gas mileage (15 to 20 miles either way). He, for a change for a boy, is not a driver's type of person. His personality is the opposite of our other two, being very clam and quiet and wanting good basic transportation and nothing more.

My priorities for him is to have good braking, somewhat larger car just in case there is an accident, and good visibility all around. So I am worried about ultra small cars like Fiat and Honda Fit.

 

[Old Listener]

Well, if researching safety I would be more interested in absolute rather than relative performance. An informative site on this topic is http://www.informedforlife.org.

I reacted to Amir's post by providing a couple of links. You have provided another link that he might use.

Bill

 

[amirm]

Thanks Jay. This video linked from that web site is eye opening!

http://www.iihs.org/video.aspx/releases/pr041409

 

[ejusted]

Thanks Jay. This video linked from that web site is eye opening!

http://www.iihs.org/video.aspx/releases/pr041409

Wow.........remind me never to buy a smart car!!! "death on wheels"

 

[amirm]

Indeed. I can't get the imaging out of my head now. Anytime I see a small car, I think of that slow motion of a Toyota Camry tearing into it. What horrors it would have been with an SUV or a truck!

 

[RBFC]

Pretty pathetic performance from that Smart Car, the way it got "body-checked" in the clip near the end.....

Lee