With the economy in the dumpster, people are starting to look for cars that are cheap, not only to buy, but to run as well. Detroit, Germany and especially Japan offer efficient cars, though, for the most part, the best of these come from Japan.
Ford Focus
From Ford, we have the Focus. While the previous generation offered a 3-door hatch, a 4-door sedan, a 5-door hatch and a 5-door station wagon, the current generation has been pared down to a 2-door coupe or a 4-door sedan. Likewise, there is now only the 2.0 L 4 cylinder engine available, rather than several slightly different 2.0 L engines and a 2.3. Power is unremarkable at 140 horsepower, but more than enough to drive around the city comfortably. One of the main selling features of this car is the new Ford Sync system that allows Bluetooth connectivity and MP3 player integration.
Honda Fit
With a 1.5 L 4 cylinder engine, the Fit is not going to be breaking any land-speed records in the near future, but with the tiny engine come big efficiency. 27 MPG in the city, 35 on the highway. The 117 horsepower is respectable for the engine size and it is a Honda, which means it is going to be very reliable and low maintenance.
Toyota Yaris
Compared to the Fit, the Yaris offers a slightly less powerful 1.5 litre engine, clocking in at 106 horsepower. However, in my opinion, the Yaris is the best looking car on this list. It is available in 3-door hatch, 4-door sedan and 5-door hatch varieties and I think that the 3-door variants are quite stylish for an econobox. Like Honda and Nissan below, Toyota has a reputation for trouble free operation.
Nissan Cube
New to North American Markets, but old news to Japan, 2009 marks the first introduction of the Nissan Cube to the west. The car (van? box on wheels?) features what I consider downright odd styling with an asymmetrical rear window. It has a 1.8 litre engine making 122 horsepower. A unique option on the cube is Nissan’s continuously variable transmission. A device that works like a regular transmission, but doesn’t shift gears and is said to aid efficiency. Other companies make CVTs as well, but nobody makes them quite so well as Nissan. If the styling is a turn off for you, the same engine, transmission and general platform are available in the Nissan Versa.
Bugatti Veyron
Just kidding. The Veyron is the least economical car ever made. It costs more than the yearly GDP of most of the countries in the world. On top of the astronomical cost of purchase, the Veyron gets a measly 10 miles to the gallon out of it’s quad-turbocharged, 16 (yes, sixteen, meaning it has as many cylinders as all of the other cars on this list combined) cylinder engine. It has a top speed of 260 miles per hour.
