The Most Satisfying Cars

© Ford

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.

© Ford

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.

© Honda

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.

© Honda

Honda Odyssey minivan

Honda 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.

© Honda

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.

© Honda

Honda Ridgeline pickup

Add 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.

© Chrysler

Infiniti M sedan

The 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.

© BMW

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?

© BMW

Mini Cooper two-door

Personalization 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.

© Scion

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.

© Scion

Scion tC coupe

Scion 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.