Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 18 classes based on size, price, and market position. The subcompact class is made up of the smallest hatchbacks, sedans, and wagons on the market. These are generally considered economy cars.

Our Best Buys include the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio. Our Recommended picks are the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

New or significantly redesigned models include the Hyundai Accent, Honda Fit and Suzuki SX4.

An SX4 sedan is set to bow this fall, pricing and equipment to be announced. It uses the same wheelbase as the hatchbacks, but stands 14 inches longer (at 176.8), 2.4 inches lower and an inch narrower. Powerteams are also shared, which will likely make this Suzuki the lowest priced all-wheel-drive sedan in North America. Taken together, the SX4 sedan and hatchback look like they're ousting the older Aerio sedan for 2008.

Meantime, Suzuki has cooked up a racing hatchback SX4 for the World Rally Championship, plus a more-practical street version. This "WRC" seems aimed at pocket-rockets like Subaru's Impreza WRX, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, and the MazdaSpeed 3. No word on whether Suzuki will sell it here. A lot depends on sales of the workaday hatchbacks, and they've been modest so far.