The Best Six New Vehicles for Model Year 2010

Every year new car models are unveiled and each time they seem to get more and more refined. This is evident in the detail work which is being done both inside and outside the cars, trucks and vans that we see.

Most consumers are aware that base model pricing is usually just a leader to get us into the showroom where the more advanced models live. This is method is also good for the consumer since you can wheel and deal better at most dealerships on most models knowing what these models are selling for. Having more information in hand will always help you to negotiate a great deal on a new vehicle.

For the year 2010 there are a handful of new models that can be purchased for under $25,000 and many of them are American made! As a comparison I decided to look across the lines and chose one outstanding vehicle from each major vehicle category. As a result of this plan I have come up with the following list of my top six picks for best new cars of 2010.

My first choice would be the Volvo C30

This model is technically a compact car, but the fact it is built by a luxury car company speaks volumes to its fine automotive heritage. This sporty three door car offers an in-line five cylinder engine with a turbocharger that helps the 2.5 Liter engine develop an impressive 227 HP @ 5000 rpm!

This amount of power is incongruous with a vehicle that gets 30 mpg on the highway and 21 in the city. The five or six speed manual transmission can be replaced with an automatic but that option would put the base price over $25K. I would be driving one of these right now if there were a sufficiently positive cash flow in my accounts.

Second choice is the Honda Civic Hybrid

For the less than $25 thousand dollar class of Hybrids you will find that it is dominated by Honda at this time with Toyota falling in at second place. The next model year 2011 these two will find competition creeping in from all corners but the toughest just may be the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid speculated to cost around $ 24,900.

The Honda Civic Hybrid is simplicity in motion. These cars have long been a driver favorite and when you combine classic Toyota Quality with a Hybrid platform then you will be riding with a winner! These cars are the perfect size for most families that need a second car, and are great for college kids and many other groups of people as well.

The performance and mileage are impressive and should be taken as a wake up call to the other auto companies out there who should be making moves toward building their own Hybrid vehicles. For the low cost of $23,800 you can be getting the mileage of your life!

Rated for 40 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway you will not see much better than this in a four door package that really does have room for four adults! Hybrids are getting to be a much larger part of the automotive market and even more growth is guaranteed in that market sector!

My next big pick is the Dodge Journey a 2010 Crossover Wagon-SUV

This car packs a lot of gear and still gets down the road at a decent pace. There is plenty of leg and headroom, and the cargo area is more than acceptable. A Journey SE model will set you back about $21,240 MSRP and you get a lot of vehicle for your money!

The potent yet fuel sipping 2.4 Liter 4 cylinder World Engine moves this car along at a fine pace. This power plant yields 173 HP and gets 19 in the city and 25 on the highway. All pretty good specs for a crossover that is way less than $25K. Many consumers will quickly discount any "Wagon" as something that a salesman or your dad drove and they want something different.

When your really study them you will find that these wagons offer some comforts in legroom plus headroom that many other models cannot compare to.

At least one Convertible has to make in onto every top six list!

The best convertible I can see on the market right now for less than $25 thousand dollars has to be the 2010 Mazda Miata Convertible. Coming in at $22,960 it would be hard to find a new car with the same jazz to it as this vehicle offers! It is a nimble little thing with amazing handling and road hugging steering. The engine is a powerful 2.0 Liter in-line four cylinder engine making 167 HP. If you are interested in a fun and fast little convertible with a moderate price tag then this is definitely one car that you should definitely check out.

My next pick is a personal favorite, 2010 Dodge Ram Crew Cab Pickup Truck

This luxurious truck can be purchased for around $24,665 MSRP. They come with a potent V-6 engine which delivers 215 HP which not bad for a 3.7 Liter engine. Mileage is what you would expect in a truck that can tow twice its own weight at 10,200 pounds, and has a payload capacity of 1780 pounds in a six foot bed. The Dodge Ram is built to be reliable and I personally know that they last a long time if you do not crash and total it.

Dodge Ram trucks have been a part of my family for a very long time now and I guarantee that we will always have at least one Dodge or Chrysler or JEEP in our driveway! You do not have to run a farm in order to get some serious use out of a pickup truck.

My sixth pick for this list is a sedan that rocks the road the 2010 Dodge Charger

I will be the first to say that once upon a time a charger was a two door and never a four, but times do change. Once back in the eighties they even had a charger that was about half the length of the original, so at least they are trying this badge out on a number of different platforms. The modern charger is a well built large sedan with a decent 2.7 Liter V-6 Engine which delivers 178 HP in this rear wheel drive car. This sedan has a very large cargo space, plus decent head and leg room. For about $24,390 MSRP you will be getting a lot of vehicle for not a lot of money!

So the point of this exercise is to show that there are some really decent vehicles available for less than $25,000.
This is good for the consumers and should be helping to get more sales which boosts our economy! So if you are in the market for any model I have written about please let me know what you think once there is a test drive!

Research for this article was gleaned from many visits to local dealerships and the following manufacturers websites.

www.Volvo.com

www.Honda.com

www.Dodge.com

www.Mazdausa.com

Current pricing was found on the Edmunds website:

www.edmunds.com