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Ford Mustang two-door with V-8 engine Base price: $25,275
Ford's Mustang has die-hard fans who have loved the car since the 1960s, and some consider the current Mustang--which Ford overhauled for 2005--the best edition ever. While the new Mustang was a smash hit last year, things have cooled a bit. American Mustang sales are down 9% this year. As of July 1, Ford had a bloated, 80-day, 47,000-unit supply of Mustangs, according to Automotive News.
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Ford Mustang two-door with V-8 engine
While the entry-level Mustang's engine is a 4.0-liter, 210-horsepower, V-6 boat anchor, the Mustang GT uses a 300-hp V-8. This engine makes for a fast, fast car--zero to 60 in around five seconds--and for $25,000 the Mustang GT has perhaps the best power-for-dollars ratio in the business.
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Honda Odyssey minivan Base price: $25,345
We have driven Ferraris, Aston Martins, Maybachs and Bentleys, and still cite Honda's Odyssey minivan as one of our favorite cars. The highest-end model, the $39,000 Odyssey Touring, is practically a luxury car, featuring great leather seats and our favorite navigation system, which has the Zagat Survey's restaurant guide programmed in.
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Honda Odyssey minivanHonda captured J.D. Power's top ranking for minivans because it has raised the bar so high that other minivans find it nearly impossible to compete. In the first half of 2006, Honda sold 88,000 Odysseys in the U.S. In the same period, Mercury sold 2,000 Monterey minivans, and Saturn sold 3,000 Relay minivans.
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Honda Ridgeline pickup Base price: $27,800
The Ridgeline is expensive, has limited cargo utility and is not pretty, but it's frequently called the smartest pickup. While other trucks have their bodies mounted on their frames, the Ridgeline uses car-like, unitized construction--something you don't see on pickups. The result is a carlike driving experience--smooth, linear and not cumbersome, as pickups tend to be.
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Honda Ridgeline pickupAdd in Honda's good build quality and fuel economy--plus the Ridgeline's sharp interior--and you have a dependable, user-friendly truck.
© Chrysler
Infiniti M sedan Base price: $41,450
Infiniti's M is a great "insider's" car. After years of being uncompetitive, it recently received a stylish overhaul. The car still has minimal buzz surrounding it, but its owners love it, and we were delighted with its sharp design, sporty driving dynamics and luxurious cockpit when we tested it.
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Infiniti M sedanThe M has a hip interior aimed at people who love new technology. The cabin features such innovations as speakers mounted below the headrests on the seats.
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Mini Cooper two-door Base price: $18,000
Buy a Mini and you purchase a lifestyle, not just a car. In The Book of Motoring, which Mini put out five years ago, the company sought to "define a new culture of driving." The book referred to "personalization" as "you-ification," and encouraged owners to adopt such affectations as saying "motoring" instead of "driving." Feeling as if they are in some sort of special club, how could Mini owners be unhappy?
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Mini Cooper two-doorPersonalization is, in fact, one of the chief attractions of the Mini Cooper. More than 60% of Cooper buyers wait about three months each to get the exact vehicles they want, using Mini's Web site to configure them. Getting the Cooper with exactly the right roof color, for instance, or having such things as the Union Jack plastered on the roof are priorities worth waiting for.
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Scion tC coupe Base price: $16,940
We are not surprised at the tC's owner satisfaction scores. Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand was a hit from the start, and the tC, Scion's newest model, has become its best seller--a car we see everywhere, frequently piloted by teenagers, a hard-to-please and hard-to-attract segment of automotive consumers.
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Scion tC coupeScion sold 74,000 tC models in the U.S. in 2005, and the tC, with its clean, handsome design, accounted for 44% of Scion sales in the first half of 2006.
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