U.s. News & World Report Best Cars for the Money and Car and Driver Editors Choices

Whether you are in the market for a new or used car it is always valuable to review what industry experts consider the best cars in each class. In this weak economy it is also a good idea to know what cars are considered to be the best buys.
Let’s look at two classes of cars and compare Car and Driver’s 2009 Editors Choices and U.S. News & World Reports Best Cars for the Money. We will look at small cars and pickups.
Car and Driver’s Editors Choice in the Small Car category are:
1) Honda Fit
2) Volkswagen Rabbit
3) Mazda 3
4) Honda Civic
5) Nissan Versa
U.S. News & World Report Best Cars for the Money in the Small Car category are:
1) Honda Fit
2) Honda Civic
3) Honda Civic Hybrid
4) Volkswagen Rabbit
5) Hyundai Elantra
Let’s take a closer look at the Honda Fit since it is considered the #1 editors choice and the #1 best car for the money. What sets the Honda Fit apart is its quality which makes it very reliable. It has great performance, looks great and is fun to drive. Great visibility from the front and rear and spaciousness make it seem much bigger - more like a compact car. It also has a lot of cargo space. The fuel efficiency is good and it is a very safe car. It is on the expensive side for a small car but this money is more than made up over the life of the car due to its quality and reliability.
Car and Driver’s Editors Choice in the Pickup category are:
1) Dodge Ram
2) Honda Ridgeline
3) Ford F-150
4) Chevrolet Silverado
5) Nissan Titan
U.S. News & World Report Best Cars for the Money in the Pickup category are:
1) Ford F-150
2) Chevrolet Silverado 1500
3) GMC Sierra 1500
4) Dodge Ram
5) Nissan Titan
Let’s look at the Ford-150 since it is considered the best pickup for the money. The ranking by U.S. News & World Report is based on six reviews and an analysis of safety and reliability data. It gets good gas mileage for a full size pickup, 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. There are many model and feature choices with a stylish interior. It has a nice ride and is quiet at all speeds.
It is interesting to note that all of the small cars are foreign cars while the majority of the pickups are American made vehicles. If you are in the market for a new or used car consider these highly rated 2009 vehicles. Even if you are reviewing a previous year model these top rankings don’t change significantly from year to year. What changes is where they are ranked in the top 5.