Cars.com Names Best Car For City Drivers

Anthony Fontanelle
October 4, 2007

City dwellers looking for a new car to buy now receives a helping hand from Cars.com as the online source for auto information recently named the best cars for city driving. When it comes to purchasing a vehicle, city dwellers have a lot more to consider compared to those who do most of their driving on open wide high speed highways. Automotive experts at Cars.com considered several attributes of new cars in order to come up with the best car for city dwellers. These areas which they have studied carefully are size, performance, ride quality, and cabin comfort. Certain features like parking sensors and backup cameras were also checked by Cars.com. Fuel efficiency, as can be expected, played a major role in the selection.

"There is a reason why insurance premiums are higher for city dwellers," said Cars.com’s managing director Patrick Olsen. "Parking on city streets, driving on less-than-perfect roads and navigating through traffic can be a risky proposition. However, with the right car, city driving can be a little more enjoyable."

After considering several automobiles, Cars.com decided that the best car for urban dwellers is the 2007 MINI Cooper. In terms of size, the Cooper is a little more than 12 feet long thus making it an agile car on parking lots. Since it does not need a huge space to turn, it can squeeze between parked cars better than any car tested by Cars.com. Although the car is smaller than your usual car, it can seat four grownups and it boasts of a surprisingly large cargo bay. The combination of these attributes makes the MINI Cooper the best car for many city dwellers. Another selling point for the said car is the reliability of its auto parts which are as durable as Volvo S70 radiators. The MINI Cooper also has an ideal gas mileage rating of 26 mpg.

Other vehicles which city dwellers can consider according to Cars.com include the 2008 BMW 328i wagon. According to experts, this latest version of the BMW 3 Series is also the best. Performance is high as can be expected from a vehicle engineered by the German automaker. Another vehicle recommended by Cars.com to city car buyers is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Being a hybrid, the small SUV can save you a lot on fuel especially on those grueling traffic jams. It also offers adequate space for cargo and passengers. According to the EPA, the Ford Escape Hybrid is the most efficient SUV in the market making this FoMoCo vehicle a good choice for those looking to buy an SUV.

The 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid is also recommended by Cars.com. The Civic is already known for its exemplary fuel efficiency thus you can expect that its hybrid version is even more frugal when it comes to fuel consumption. It also is an agile car thus making it easier to maneuver in tight parking lots. High crash test ratings are also a good selling point for the Civic Hybrid. Other vehicles recommended by Cars.com to city dwellers are the 2008 Honda CR-V, the 2008 Honda Fit, 2008 Land Rover LR2, 2008 MX-5 Miata, and the 2008 Scion xB.

Source:  Amazines.com