Honda Fit tops in value
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Despite the influx of new vehicles into the small- and budget-car marketplace, the Honda Fit remains on top in Consumer Reports' list of best value small cars. The Fit also reemerged as the best overall value among about 200 different vehicles that were analyzed.
Scores were calculated based on the five-year owner cost for each vehicle along with CR's road-test score and the organization's own predicted reliability. The five-year owner cost estimates factor in depreciation, fuel costs, insurance premiums, financing interest, maintenance, repairs and sales tax. Depreciation is by far the largest owner-cost factor. The better a car performs in CR's road tests and reliability ratings, and the less it costs to own over time, the better its value.
The best values come from Japanese automakers. Of the 48 best values in CR's lists, 34 are from Japanese brands, six from European brands (mostly Volkswagen), five from American ones (mostly Ford), and three from South Korean automakers. Overall, the report finds that small cars and family sedans provide the best value. The Toyota Prius hybrid, diesel-powered Volkswagen Golf TDI (with manual transmission), Scion xD and Toyota Corolla also made CR's list of best values in the small car category.
The family-sedans category is led by the four-cylinder Nissan Altima, which scored 75 percent higher than average.
That's followed by the four-cylinder Kia Optima, the Subaru Legacy, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the four-cylinder Honda Accord.
Larger and luxury vehicles are among the worst values overall, usually scoring at only about 70 percent of the average.
The analysis also revealed that wagons and small SUVs tend to provide better value than larger SUVs or minivans. Among wagons, the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI with manual transmission is the top scorer, offering almost 70 percent more value than the average car. Other good choices are the Mazda5 microvan and Subaru Outback, with almost one and a half times the average value.
The top small SUVs are even better values than wagons. Leading that class are the four-cylinder Toyota RAV4 and the Subaru Forester, with scores that are 84 percent and 70 percent better than average, respectively. Midsized SUVs represent less of a bargain because of their higher purchase prices and fuel costs. Even the best midsized SUVs in the chart scored only a little better than average.
Minivans generally get better fuel economy than most midsized or larger SUVs, have more space than all but the largest SUVs and usually cost less.
But as a class, subpar reliability drags them down. Even the most reliable minivans, the front-wheel drive versions of the Toyota Sienna, have only average reliability.
First Published February 15, 2012 12:00 am
