This Is The Best Car Under $20,000

Sedans remain by far the most popular style of family car. It used to
be that you would have to go up to the mid-sized level of sedan, such
as Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, to get a respectable, well-equipped
ride.

But no more. The quality of the sedans buyers can find priced under
$20,000 has never been better. And just in the nick of time for car
buyers challenged by the wobbly economy.

Consumers in need or want of a new car can respectably trade down
from spending $25,000 or so to below $20,000 and not give up very much.

It is true that some true-mid-sized sedans, such as Kia Optima and
Volkswagen Passat actually start their sticker prices below $20,000. The
Passat, for example, starts at $19,995 if you price it on AOL Autos.
But, realistically, these cars wind up costing thousands more by the
time they are properly outfitted and destination charges are applied.

So, we are sticking to sedans priced legitimately under $20,000 by
the time you drive them away. And we have applied come up with a
Top-Five ranking based on our knowledge of the vehicle’s quality, diving
dynamics, aesthetics, value and track record.





5. Toyota Corolla



MSRP: $16,130 – $17,990
Invoice: $15,243 – $16,674

Fuel Economy: 27 mpg City, 34 mpg Highway

The Corolla virtually defines durability and consistency in the
compact sedan category. The current Corolla is well-equipped with disc
brakes on all four wheels, a robust offering of both a 1.8 liter,
132-horsepower engine or a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine. The more robust
XRS version will be an easier trade-down from the mid-sized class for
some people. Leather upholstery is available too.





4. Mazda3



MSRP: $15,200 – $23,400
Invoice: $14,543 – $21,910

Fuel Economy: 25 mpg City, 33 mpg Highway

We are big fans of the Mazda3′s handling and driving fun. It may feel a bit stiff for some drivers, but we like that.

The 2012 Mazda3 comes with a Skayctiv option, which is a 2.0 liter,
four-cylinder gas engine rated at 155 horsepower and 148 lbs. feet of
torque. It comes in both manual transmission and automatic. The 3 lacks a
USB jack for iPod/iPhone and similar devices, which is a bummer. But
you can at least pair a phone via Bluetooth hands-free link.





3. Ford Focus



MSRP: $16,500 – $22,700
Invoice: $15,635 – $21,112

Fuel Economy: 26 mpg City, 36 mpg Highway

The styling of the new Focus is light years better than the old
model, and now a category leader in our opinion. The sporty front
fascia, multiple wheel package combination, sleek, sculptured side
views. It’s all good with us.

Seating material aside, the Focus uses stylish, easy-to-read gauges
that are supplemented by a small LCD screen nestled between the
tachometer and the speedometer. The screen can be set up to display
everything from fuel economy to your trip meter, average speed and a
host of other information.



2. Chevrolet Cruze



MSRP: $16,800 – $23,190
Invoice: $16,212 – $22,146

Fuel Economy: 25 mpg City, 36 mpg Highway

Until the Chevy Cruze debuted in 2010, we wondered if Chevrolet was
ever going to take the compact-car category seriously. The last
offering, the Cobalt, was dreadful and seemed worthy of Chinese
highways, but not American.

The exterior of the Cruze is a little conservative, but we can
forgive that when we consider what a good package the whole car is
inside and out.

In LTZ trim, the dash is dominated by a tech-laden but well-sorted
center stack and accented with broad swaths of leather. We’re not
talking vinyl with real leather grain here, either. GM has also done a
great job of making sure that nearly anyone can fit behind the wheel –
and we do mean anyone. The driver’s seat can be positioned so far back
that someone of normal height will have no chance of reaching the pedals
or the steering wheel.





1. Hyundai Elantra



MSRP: $15,345 – $20,595
Invoice: $14,918 – $19,727

Fuel Economy: 29 mpg City, 40 mpg Highway

As much as we like the Chevy Cruze, and were tempted to call it a tie
between that car and the Hyundai Elantra, we opted to give it to
Elantra by a nose. We had support, too, as a jury of North American
journalists gave the Elantra its Car of the Year award for 2011.

Exterior styling is excellent, and, along with Ford Focus, has set a new standard in the compact sedan category.

For now, there are only two basic trim packages: GLS and Limited. In
GLS guise, the interior of the sedan is treated with attractive cloth
seats and a two-tone dash with soft-touch materials up top and
well-grained plastic down low. In Limited configuration, the center
stack is dominated by a massive seven-inch touch-screen that hosts
controls for navigation, audio and iPod integration. Thanks to XM
NavTraffic and NavWeather, buyers can check the status of everything
from traffic congestion to stock prices, weather advisories and sports
scores

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