5 to Drive: Inexpensive Fun
It has been said that money can’t buy you happiness. But in the case of the five cars featured here, money can indeed buy more than happiness ─ it can buy a set of wheels guaranteed to put a smile on your face by being both inexpensive and fun to drive.
Most of the cars in this group feature a base price of less than $19,000, and they come in a wide variety of configurations: as a sedan or coupe (Chevrolet Cobalt SS), a compact SUV (Suzuki Grand Vitara), an all-wheel-drive sedan or 5-door (Subaru Impreza 2.5i) and a pair of attractive, sporty 5-doors (Honda Fit Sport and Hyundai Elantra Touring).
Click here to watch the 5 to Drive: Inexpensive Fun video.
2009 Honda Fit Sport (MSRP $16,260)
In the minds of many, a 5-door (once upon a time known as “a wagon”) can be efficient and/or practical…but not fun. But Honda’s roomy little Fit runabout turns this notion on its ear. And thanks to a recent restyling, the Fit looks even more sporting with its more aggressive and pointy proboscis.
Though its 4-cylinder engine makes only 117 horsepower, the Fit has a peppy, rev-happy nature, crisp steering and a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual transmission. Even the suspension is tuned to have a sporty feel. The Sport model has some welcome additional features, including a body kit (with a roofline spoiler), sharp-looking 16-in. alloy wheels and a USB audio interface. And on the safety front, there are front and side airbags, along with active front head restraints that help minimize whiplash for the driver and front passenger in the event of a rear-end collision.
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. Even more fun than it looks
2. Space efficiency
3. Thrifty fuel economy
4. Nice-looking 5-door
5. Clean interior
2009 Subaru Impreza 2.5i (MSRP $17,995)
With a starting price under $18,000, the Subaru Impreza 2.5i sport sedan (also available as a 5-door for only $500 more) is a very good deal on the surface. But delve a little deeper into its window sticker and factor in the standard all-wheel-drive and unique flat-4-cylinder engine and this Subie becomes an exceptional deal.
Subaru has been equipping its cars with full-time all-wheel-drive for years, and it is a strategy that has worked well for this Japanese manufacturer ─ not only has this helped differentiate the company from the likes of Toyota/Nissan/Honda but it has helped Subaru earn a near cult-like following in the snow country from Colorado to the Northeast.
As for the aforementioned “flat” engine, this means that the cylinders/pistons are horizontal, a design favored by Porsche for decades.
When the weather gets bad, the all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza starts to shine, capable of getting places that other cars can’t, and doing it at a bargain price.
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. All-wheel-drive versatility
2. All-wheel-drive fun
3. Low base price
4. Peppy engine
5. Reputation for reliability
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS (MSRP $24,095)
Don’t let the Chevrolet Cobalt SS’s buttoned-down, mild-mannered looks (in either 2- or 4-door guise) fool you ─ this exceptionally quick sports coupe is one of the best values on the market today.
In our test of an SS sedan, it hit 60 mph as quickly as a $130,000 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT sedan. And the Cobalt slithered through the slalom cones at 70 mph, nearly the same speed as a quarter-million-dollar Ferrari F430. Not bad for around $24,000, eh?
The Cobalt SS’s engine – a turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 260 horsepower ─ has plenty of power; what’s more, it gets an EPA-rated 30 mpg highway. The car’s handling is also superb ─ the harder you drive it, the better it seems to grip to the road. And unlike many cars with sport-tuned suspensions, the Cobalt SS’s ride quality is firm but not teeth-rattling. And using the Cobalt SS’s 5-speed manual gearbox is a treat, thanks to its tight, short throws.
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. Best bang-for-the-buck in America
2. High-end sports car performance
3. 2- or 4-door availability
4. Surprisingly good 30 mpg highway
5. Excellent agility
