Best Cars of 2012: Page 2

The Best Cars of 2012 aren’t limited to traditional model categories. Here are some great cars that stand out in other important ways.

The Best Reliable Car of 2012 is the Ford Fusion. Tracking problems reported by owners of three-year-old vehicles is a great gauge of reliability. It’s used by J.D. Power and Associates, the automotive consumer-research leader.  Since midsize cars account for the lion’s share of U.S. car sales, J.D. Power’s midsize-class dependability winner, the Fusion, gets our nod.  2012 base price range: $20,645-$29,795.

The Best Luxury Car of 2012 is the Audi A8. Soon, all top-tier luxury cars will reflect the weight-saving construction, super-efficient packaging, all-wheel-drive security, and rational engine output of the 2012 A8.  And nowhere is cutting-edge infotainment made more user-friendly. V-8 models rate 21 mpg combined city/highway; 12-cylinder versions are superfluous. Base-price range:  $78,625-$135,675.

The Best City Car of 2012 is the Scion xB. Blanch at the shoebox-with-an-attitude styling, but nothing on wheels has more passenger or cargo space in an easier-to-maneuver, simpler-to-park package.  The xB’s surprisingly refined, too, and with 158 horsepower, good handling, and 24 mpg combined city/highway, quite rewarding to drive. Extreme competence is never ugly. Base-price range: $17,030-$19,970.

The Best Car of 2012 for Older Drivers is the Toyota Avalon. “Avalon evokes a time when travel was sophisticated, elegant and comfortable,” says Toyota. If you relate to that golden-age-of rail pitch, you’ll get the appeal of this spacious four-door-sedan.  Actually, its charms, including a responsive V-6 and 23 mpg combined city/highway, aren’t at all age-exclusive.  Estimated base price range: $33,600-$36,800.

The Best Inexpensive Car of 2012 is the Mazda 2. Low-priced shouldn’t mean boring and this little hatchback proves it. This hatchback is an elemental car, with just 100 horsepower, tight rear seating, and no excess cargo space.  But the light, nimble Mazda 2 has right-now reflexes, overachiever acceleration, and rates 30 mpg or more combined city/highway.  Base-price range: $15,165-$17,490.

The Best Fuel-Efficient Car of 2012 is the Toyota Prius. This “best” can’t suffer the range anxiety of a pure-electric like the Nissan Leaf or the $40,000 starting price and design compromises of the Chevy Volt extended-range electric.  Spacious and comfortable, familiar-but-futuristic, Prius has proven its mettle and rates an excellent 50-mpg combined city/highway. Estimated base price range: $24,000-$29,500.

The Best Car of 2012 for the Plus-Sized is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. A big SUV or pickup might provide a little more breathing space, but if you want to slide into your vehicle, not climb aboard, nothing will please more than the opulent S-Class. It has big doorways, broad seats, and Stetson-clearing headroom. Rear- or all-wheel drive, even a diesel and a hybrid are on tap. Base-price range: $92,725-$213,875.

The Best Car for New Drivers for 2012 is the Mazda 3. Subcompacts are less expensive. Some lower priced compacts have more gizmos. But new drivers are well served by a car with a bit of size, inside and out. And they’ll benefit in particular from road manners that teach them what a good automobile should feel like. The Mazda 3 compact sedans and hatchbacks fit the bill. Base price range: $15,995-$24,995.

The Best Fast Car for 2012 is the Porsche Cayman. Zero-60 mph in 5 seconds and a top speed over 160 mph certainly qualify as fast but don’t capture the excitement, balance, and accuracy of this two-seat six-cylinder midengine sports car. Build quality and cargo room are bonuses, as is 22 mpg combined city/highway.  The Boxster is Cayman’s convertible cousin. Base price range:  $52,580-$68,450.

The Best car of 2012 for Tall Drivers is the Hyundai Genesis sedan.  A pickup truck or full-size SUV is an obvious solution, but among cars, nothing beats this handsome sedan for combined front-seat headroom and legroom. That’s the ticket for tall-driver comfort, whether you carry your length in your legs or torso. Genesis’s upscale bearing won’t disappoint, either.  Base price range: $35,050-$47,350.

Click here to read about the top cars from each car category