Compact cars make sense for many people because they offer so much for so little. Nearly all can carry four adults and a reasonable amount of luggage, yet don't cost much more to buy and operate than entry-level subcompacts. Trouble is, the sheer number of entries in the class--which include frugal hybrids, ferocious pocket rockets, and a wide assortment of body styles--makes choosing one a tough proposition.

Most compact cars are four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive, four-door sedans. There are a few two-door coupes and hatchbacks, some four-door hatchbacks and wagons, and even a "four-door coupe" and a convertible. Some models have high-performance turbocharged or supercharged versions. Two vehicles are available with all-wheel drive.

Cool Compact-Car Features
- Mazda 5 offers seating for six and an optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

- Performance fans can add the new turbocharged Volkswagen GTI and Mazda 3 MazdaSpeed to their list of possibilities, which should already include the Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged and the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza WRX.

- Dodge Caliber offers a chilled glove box to keep drinks cold and pop-down rear speakers for tail-gating.

- The Toyota Prius hybrid boasts the best fuel-economy ratings of any car sold in America.

- Chrysler's PT Cruiser comes in surprisingly practical and affordable convertible form.

Toyota Prius

Available Features
If you haven't studied the market for a while, you might be surprised at the features now offered in the compact class. Five years ago, many of these amenities were available only on more-expensive vehicles. Leather upholstery, heated front seats, navigation systems, satellite radio, antiskid systems, and more airbags than a political convention are all available on cars starting at less than $20,000.

The trick then is to narrow your choices based on preferences and desired features. To this end, Consumer Guide rates vehicles in 10 different categories, covering everything from performance to accommodations to overall value. An introductory paragraph for each vehicle highlights changes for the model year as well as available equipment, the latter of which can also be found in the Standard and Optional Equipment lists included near the end of each entry.

The bottom line is, purchase only the options and features you need. That will help keep the price down. Sometimes you might want to consider buying a less expensive model and adding an option or two, rather than stepping up in cost to the next trim level to get specific options.

One word of caution regarding ratings: Many people tend to look only at the totals to decide on one car over another. That's often a mistake. While cars with high totals tend to be good all-around choices and fine overall values, that doesn't mean they're the best at everything--or at what's most important to you.

For example, if you are 6'3" and often carry tall adult passengers in the rear seat, the highly rated Honda Civic might not be your best choice. Ditto if you often need to carry bulky loads. Other times, it's certain features that might hold an attraction. For instance, those who often travel to unfamiliar areas may decide that the availability of a navigation system trumps higher ratings in areas of performance or accommodations.

Since all of these cars are quite small, safety equipment and performance in crash tests are often high priorities. Safety features are mentioned in the Highlights and equipment lists, and the government's Five-Star crash-test ratings (if the car has been tested) can be found toward the end of each vehicle's report.

One other thing to consider: the warranty. Most cars in this class carry a 3 year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, but some offer longer coverage. Hyundai and Kia are known for their 5-year/60,000-mile bumper to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty (basically engine, transmission, and drive axles)--among the best in the business--but there are caveats. Anything over and above the 5/60 bumper-to-bumper warranty isn't transferable to a second owner, so only the original purchaser can make use of the powertrain warranty extending beyond that. But for buyers who plan to keep their car a long time, this extended coverage might be comforting. Click here for a chart listing all manufacturers and their respective warranties.

Probably the last thing a buyer needs at this point is more choices, but here are a few more to consider. If your picks are primarily dictated by price--and if you think you might want something a little outside the ordinary--there are vehicles in other classes that might be of interest. For instance, the highly rated Toyota Tacoma compact pickup truck starts at about $14,000. And several front-drive compact SUVs start in the $15,000 to $18,000 range, as do the fun-to-drive (and well equipped) Mini Cooper, Scion tC, and Volkswagen New Beetle, all considered Sporty/Performance Cars. None offer the overall versatility and value of compact cars, but excel in certain areas in which some buyers may place a high priority.

Best Buys

Honda Civic
Mazda 3

Recommended Picks

Chevrolet Cobalt
Ford Focus
Mazda 5

Honda Civic

Smart Shopping
With so many vehicles in the compact class, it may be difficult for shoppers to narrow their choices to a manageable number. Consumers might want to start with Consumer Guide'sŪ Best Buy and Recommended list. These vehicles are the top picks in the class and are sure to meet most consumer's needs and budgets. Some consumers may have special needs that prompt them to look elsewhere.

But whatever your finalists are, it's important to test drive the exact vehicle you're thinking of buying. For instance, a sport suspension and different tires can significantly affect the car's ride and handling, a navigation system might make audio or climate controls difficult to use, and the seats in one trim level can feel entirely different than those in another. Ditto for powertrains; don't test drive a manual transmission if you're going to buy an automatic. Don't assume you're going to want a sunroof without trying it first.

What can really jack up prices are the options or higher trim levels. A car on the lot may be equipped with an option package that includes one item you want and five you really don't. Sometimes that one item can be purchased separately. Or you can put an option on a lower trim level for a lot less than getting a higher trim level with lots of stuff you don't need. Scour our standard and optional equipment lists for the most economical combination. If a dealer doesn't have a car in stock equipped in that manner, it can often be brought in from another dealer.

The important thing for every consumer to remember is the compact-car class offers choices and competitive pricing. Don't get too hooked on one model. Consider your options, pick two or three that meet your needs, and bargain for the best possible price.

Chevrolet Cobalt
 Chevrolet CobaltBase Price Range: $13,125-$20,925
EPA MPG Range: 23-34
Body Styles: 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan
Rear-seat space is disappointing and it can't match the class leaders for refinement, but Cobalt is otherwise quite competitive. Sedans and coupes are offered, the latter available in potent SS Supercharged form.

Chevrolet HHR
 Chevrolet HHRBase Price Range: $15,960-$16,960
EPA MPG Range: 22-30
Body Style: 4-door wagon
Chevy's version of Chrysler's PT Cruiser formula--in which retro styling is applied to a versatile wagon body style--likewise offers midsize-car passenger space but adds more cargo room behind the rear seat.

Chrysler PT Cruiser
 Chrysler PT CruiserBase Price Range: $14,560-$29,185
EPA MPG Range: 19-29
Body Styles: 4-door wagon, 2-door convertible
Roomy interior rivals midsize cars for passenger space, and rear seats can be removed for SUV-sized cargo capacity. It even offers powerful turbocharged models and a (less practical) convertible version. Fuel economy isn't a strong point, but this retro-styled wagon is a great choice if you need the room.

Dodge Caliber
 Dodge CaliberBase Price Range: $13,575-$19,670
EPA MPG Range: 24-32
Body Styles: 4-door wagon
Caliber's wagon body style affords greater cargo versatility than a sedan, and there's a lot of nifty equipment available for a competitive price. It has a few shortcomings-most notably in the power department-but it's one of only two compact cars to offer all-wheel drive.

Ford Focus
Ford FocusBase Price Range: $13,480-$17,550
EPA MPG Range: 22-37
Body Styles: 2-door hatchback, 4-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 4-door wagon
Impressive European-like chassis feel and good interior room are let down by a modestly powered base engine fitted to all models except the top line sedan. A tidy two-door hatch. and spacious wagon are also available. Focus suffered quality woes when introduced for '00, but seems to be better now.

Honda Civic
Honda CivicBase Price Range: $14,810-$24,350
EPA MPG Range: 23-51
Body Styles: 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan
The longstanding class benchmark. Aside from a rather surprising amount of engine buzz under acceleration, the Civic has virtually no faults. It includes a host of safety and convenience features and does everything a compact car is expected to do. Coupes and sedans are offered, as are sporty Si models and an economy-minded hybrid.

Hyundai Elantra
 Hyundai ElantraBase Price Range: $13,395-$17,695
EPA MPG Range: 28-36
Body Styles: 4-door sedan
A 2007 redesign brought the Elantra in line with class leaders in terms of standard safety equipment--a much-needed update. It also brought the demise of the hatchback version, leaving only a sedan. To date, our exposure has been limited to a preview drive, but it left us impressed. Also impressive is Hyundai's warranty, which is among the best in the business.

Kia Spectra
 Kia SpectraBase Price Range: $12,895-$16,995
EPA MPG Range: 25-34
Body Styles: 4-door hatchback, 4-door sedan
The 2007 Spectra retained its basic 2006 design, which it had shared with the "old" Hyundai Elantra (Hyundai owns Kia). Kia also shares Hyundai's excellent warranty. But ABS is standard on the Elantra whereas it's optional only on the top-line Spectra, making the availability of a wagon body style Spectra's only real advantage over its Hyundai sibling.

Mazda 3
Mazda 3Base Price Range: $13,795-$23,995
EPA MPG Range: 20-35
Body Styles: 4-door hatchback, 4-door sedan
Challenges Civic for overall goodness while adding a dash of sportiness to the mix. The Mazda 3 is available as a four-door sedan or four-door hatchback. New for '07 are available antiskid control and MazdaSpeed versions with a powerful turbocharged engine.

Mazda 5
Mazda 5Base Price Range: $17,635-$21,300
EPA MPG Range: 21-27
Body Style: 4-door wagon
An unusual mixture of wagon and minivan, the Mazda 5 is a versatile vehicle with good driving dynamics and six-passenger seating at a very competitive price.

Nissan Sentra
 Nissan SentraBase Price Range: $14,750-$18,400
EPA MPG Range: 28-36
Body Style: 4-door sedan
Sentra's 2007 redesign gave it more power and safety features, but didn't propel it to the top of this class. As before, the most interesting versions are the SE-R and SE-R Spec V, both with a potent 2.5-liter engine.

Pontiac G5
 Pontiac G5Base Price Range: $14,650-$17,975
EPA MPG Range: 24-34
Body Style: 2-door coupe
This near-clone of the Chevrolet Cobalt arrived for 2007 only as a two-door coupe with slightly revised styling. Otherwise, it shares the Cobalt's strengths and weaknesses, but charges a bit more for them.

Pontiac Vibe
Pontiac VibeBase Price: $16,710
EPA MPG Range: 29-36
Body Styles: 4-door wagon
Vibe has a versatile small-wagon body style and offers a decent blend of performance and economy. But like the Toyota Matrix with which it shares its design, the appealing all-wheel-drive versions have been dropped for '07-a shame.

Saturn Ion
Saturn IonBase Price Range: $12,300-$19,900
EPA MPG Range: 23-35
Body Styles: 4-door coupe, 4-door sedan
Saturn's enviable dealer reputation can't overshadow the fact that these cars lack a competitive degree of refinement. They look good on paper: relatively lively engines, reasonably good fuel economy, decent room, fine selection of safety and convenience features, and-most notably-dent resistant plastic body panels. But annoying sounds emanate from sources you didn't even know made noise, keeping this otherwise fine value off our Recommended list.

Subaru Impreza
 Subaru ImprezaBase Price Range: $17,999-$33,495
EPA MPG Range 19-29
Body Styles: 4-door sedan, 4-door wagon
Standard all-wheel drive is the Impreza's claim to fame-that and the potent WRX versions favored by the sport-compact crowd. But while it might be a valuable asset to those who need it, all-wheel drive only serves to add cost and cut fuel economy for those who don't. Furthermore, rear-seat room is tight for adults, and Impreza doesn't quite show the polish expected for the price.

Suzuki Forenza
Suzuki ForenzaBase Price Range: $13,999-$16,649
EPA MPG Range: 22-31
Body Style: 4-door sedan
A high level of standard equipment, adequate interior room, appealing prices, and Suzuki's long warranty are attractions. But fuel economy isn't particularly impressive, and the Korean-built Forenza sedan doesn't enjoy the refinement, resale value, and brand recognition of the class leaders.

Suzuki Reno
Suzuki RenoBase Price Range: $13,499-$15,499
EPA MPG Range: 22-31
Body Style: 4-door hatchback
A high level of standard equipment, adequate interior room, appealing prices, and Suzuki's long warranty are attractions. But fuel economy isn't particularly impressive, and the Korean-built Reno four door hatchback doesn't enjoy the refinement, resale value, and brand recognition of the class leaders.

Toyota Corolla
 Toyota CorollaBase Price Range: $14,205-$16,215
EPA MPG Range: 30-41
Body Style: 4-door sedan
Corolla is a solid car with a good reputation but an increasingly dated design. Dropping the sporty XRS version for 2007 removed what little spice there was in this rather bland lineup.

Toyota Matrix
Toyota MatrixBase Price Range: $15,260-$17,570
EPA MPG: Range 28-36
Body Style: 4-door wagon
Essentially a Pontiac Vibe with slightly different styling and equipment packages. This little wagon has a lot of points in its favor, but the availability of all-wheel drive-dropped for '07-is no longer among them.

Toyota Prius
Toyota PriusBase Price Range: $22,175-$23,070
EPA MPG Range: 51-60
Body Style: 4-door hatchback
The darling of the Green crowd has made headlines with its hybrid powertrain and resulting low emissions and high fuel economy. None of that is bad. Neither is Prius's impressive interior room, which rivals that of midsize cars. But it's not very swift and has several quirks, which might be endearing or annoying, depending on your degree of tolerance. It's also rather pricey for a compact, and the extra expense would take years to recoup in fuel savings. There's still some mystery surrounding the long-term cost of ownership, and though Toyota covers the hybrid components with a long warranty, that might not help much once it expires and it's time to sell.

Volkswagen Jetta
2007 Volkswagen JettaBase Price Range: $16,490-$25,065
EPA MPG Range: 22-32
Body Style: 4-door sedan
Prices are high for a compact sedan, but so are the levels of equipment and overall refinement; in fact, Jettas are more luxuriously trimmed than many premium cars costing thousands more. The base 5-cylinder engine doesn't move the Jetta with much authority, but the available turbocharged 4 cylinder does. Now the bad news. Volkswagen's reputation for reliability has been tarnished of late, making these otherwise-impressive cars an iffy proposition. Demanding a written guarantee that you'll get a free loaner car if yours is brought in for warranty work wouldn't be a bad idea.

Volkswagen Rabbit and GTI
2007 Volkswagen RabbitBase Price Range: $14,900-$23,675
EPA MPG Range: 22-32
Body Styles: 2-door hatchback, 4-door hatchback
Volkswagen's redesigned compact hatchback goes back to the future for 2007 as it changes its name from Golf to Rabbit-a moniker it wore back in the 1970s and early '80s. It remains a "trunkless" version of the Jetta sedan, which got a similar redesign for 2006. The high-performance version of the Rabbit retains its GTI moniker. Both the Rabbit and GTI are refined, fun to drive (especially the GTI), and offer a lot of features for the money. Sadly, Volkswagen's subpar repair record keeps these fine cars off our Best Buy and Recommended lists.

2007 Compact-Car Specification Comparison
Vehicle Wheel-base, in. Length, in. Curb Weight, lb. Cargo Volume, cu. ft. Fuel Capacity, gal. Front Head Room, in. Front Leg Room, in. Rear Head Room, in. Rear Leg Room, in.
Chevrolet Cobalt 2-dr. cpe. 103.3 180.3 2730 13.2 13.2 38.7 42.0 35.7 32.2
Chevrolet Cobalt 4-dr. sdn. 103.3 180.5 2780 13.9 13.2 38.5 41.8 37.7 33.7
Chevrolet HHR 103.5 176.2 3155 63.1 16.2 39.5 40.6 39.6 39.5
Chrysler PT Cruiser 4-dr. wgn. 103.0 168.9 3076 62.7 15.0 39.2 40.6 39.5 40.9
Chrysler PT Cruiser 2-dr. conv. 103.0 168.9 3303 7.4 15.0 38.7 40.6 36.4 40.9
Dodge Caliber 103.7 173.8 2966 48.0 13.6 40.0 41.8 38.9 35.6
Ford Focus 2-dr. hatch. 102.9 168.5 2605 39.7 14.0 39.1 40.7 38.5 37.6
Ford Focus 4-dr. hatch. 102.9 168.5 2610 39.7 14.0 39.1 40.7 38.5 37.6
Ford Focus 4-dr. sdn. 102.9 175.2 2636 14.8 14.0 39.1 40.7 38.4 37.6
Ford Focus 4-dr. wgn. 102.9 178.4 2783 73.1 14.0 39.1 40.7 39.8 37.6
Honda Civic 2-dr. cpe. 104.3 174.8 2593 11.5 13.2 38.0 42.6 35.1 30.3
Honda Civic 4-dr. sdn. 106.3 176.7 2628 12.0 13.2 39.4 42.2 37.4 34.6
Hyundai Elantra 4-dr. sdn. 104.3 177.4 2723 14.2 14.0 40.0 43.5 37.6 35.0
Kia Spectra 102.8 177.2 2701 12.2 14.5 40.0 42.8 38.2 35.4
Kia Spectra5 102.8 171.3 2844 52.8 14.5 40.0 42.8 38.8 35.4
Mazda 3 4-dr hatch. 103.9 176.6 2930 43.8 14.5 39.1 41.1 38.4 36.3
Mazda 3 4-dr. sdn 103.9 177.4 2780 11.5 14.5 39.1 41.1 37.4 36.3
Mazda 5 108.3 181.5 3333 44.4 15.9 40.7 40.7 39.4 35.2
Nissan Sentra 105.7 179.8 2853 13.1 14.5 40.6 42.4 37.3 34.5
Pontiac G5 103.5 179.8 2991 13.9 13.2 38.1 42.0 35.7 32.2
Pontiac Vibe 102.4 171.9 2701 54.1 13.2 40.6 41.8 39.8 36.3
Saturn Ion 4-dr. cpe. 103.2 185.0 2784 14.2 13.0 38.9 42.2 36.5 32.7
Saturn Ion 4-dr. sdn. 103.2 184.5 2743 14.7 13.0 40.0 42.2 37.0 33.3
Subaru Impreza 4-dr. sdn. 99.4 175.8 3016 11.0 15.9 38.6 42.9 36.7 33.0
Subaru Impreza 4-dr. wgn. 99.4 175.8 3071 61.6 15.9 39.7 42.9 37.3 33.7
Suzuki Forenza 4-dr. sdn. 102.4 177.2 2701 12.4 14.5 39.1 42.0 37.8 36.7
Suzuki Forenza 4-dr. wgn. 102.4 179.7 2849 61.8 14.5 39.4 42.0 39.3 36.7
Suzuki Reno 102.4 169.1 2739 45.4 14.5 39.1 42.1 37.9 36.7
Toyota Corolla 102.4 178.3 2530 13.6 13.2 39.1 41.3 37.1 35.4
Toyota Matrix 102.4 171.3 2679 53.2 13.2 40.6 41.8 39.8 36.3
Toyota Prius 106.3 175.0 2890 16.1 11.9 39.1 41.9 37.1 38.6
Volkswagen Jetta 101.5 179.3 3230 16.0 14.5 38.5 41.2 37.2 35.4
Volkswagen Rabbit 2-dr hatch. 101.5 164.9 2975 41.8 14.5 39.3 41.2 38.5 35.3
Volkswagen Rabbit 4-dr hatch. 101.5 164.9 3072 41.8 14.5 39.3 41.2 38.5 35.3