The Best Automobile Picks for 2011
When choosing a car to purchase, one must not simply look at its aesthetic features. Car accident prevention and the assurance of safe and comfortable ride start with choosing the right vehicle. The organization Consumer Reports checked the reliability, safety, and overall road test score of new sedan and SUV models to come up with their top car picks for 2011. Here are some of their choices:
- Hyundai Elantra: The small but whole-rounded sedan is redesigned for 2011 to make it more stylish and engaging to drive. Its best features include simple handling, smooth and responsive powertrain, well-finished interior, and spacious rear seat. It consumes a meager 39 mpg of gas when driven on highway.
- Honda Fit: Budget car Fit has been upgraded to include electronic stability control, making it agile to handle. The interior is rather spacious considering the car’s small size thanks to a flexible rear-seat design. It also has excellent fuel economy, consuming 30 mpg of gas in automatic transmission and 33 mpg with manual.
- Nissan Altima: Drivers can expect favorable performance and enjoyable driving with this family sedan thanks to its secured handling, forceful acceleration, and favorable fuel economy. The four-cylinder model burns up to 26 mpg of gas, the V6 consume 24 mpg, and 32 mpg for the Hybrid version. Altima’s interior is well-finished and spacious as well.
- Toyota RAV4: Responsiveness, large interior and good fuel economy makes RAV4 the best choice for small SUV. The four-cylinder version is the best automatic, non-hybrid SUV tested when it comes to gas mileage, while the V6 provides decent acceleration, consuming one mpg less gas than the four-cylinder model.
- Toyota Prius: Last year, Toyota’s green car was haunted by antilock brake problems and cases of automobile crashes. These have now been fixed, making Prius a pleasant car to drive thanks to its roomy interior, hatchback flexibility, and excellent crash-test results. It also remained as the best among all vehicles tested when it comes to fuel economy with 44 mpg.
- Kia Sorento: This family SUV is redesigned, making the interior more spacious, the seats comfortable, and the controls user-friendly. Its V6 engine remains smooth with good fuel economy at 20 mpg.
- Toyota Sienna: The Sienna set a high standard for family hauler minivans last year, buts its redesigned 2011 model was not able to live up to that standard. It however remained to be comfortable, versatile, and reliable. The interior is big enough for eight people, while its engine delivers good fuel economy. The Sienna remains to be the only minivan available with all-wheel drive.