Cars by price -- coupes and hatchbacks

Coupes and hatchbacks under $15,000
Here's the category for the young and the young at heart. These are sporty little two-door cars that are long on style and, when it comes to interior room, short on practicality.

Honda Civic

Honda Civic EX Click image for larger view

In case you haven't noticed, the Honda Civic is the darling of the Fast & Furious crowd. For those who don't care to modify their cars, the Civic coupe remains a stylish, reliable platform. But don't expect to get the ultimate Si model for under $15,000.

Price: $13,900-$18,400
Engine: 1.7-liter inline four-cylinder
Horsepower: 127
Transmissions: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 26-30 mpg
Warranty: 3 year/36,000 miles

Toyota Scion
As it did with the luxury brand Lexus, Toyota is trying to open a distinct model range aimed at buyers under age 25.

Toyota Scion xA Click image for larger view

Called Scion, the brand will be available nationwide by mid 2004 with two cars, the too-ugly-for-words Xb, and the well-equipped Xa, which we think is a great value.

Price: $12,480-$13,280
Engine: 1.5-liter inline four cylinder
Horsepower: 108
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 32-38 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

Ford Focus
No. 3 among our picks is the Ford Focus, which has always been a great car except for nagging build-quality issues. At last, it appears Ford has it all fixed, making the Focus a worthy contender.

Price: $13,340-$17,405
Engine: 2-liter inline four
Horsepower: 130
Transmissions: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 22-28 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

Sport coupes $15,000-$30,000
Affordable performance is the standard for this category, cars that we want in our youth and are sorry we didn't get when we drive around in our minivan and 2.3 children.

Acura RSX
Measure a car by handling, acceleration, sophistication and style, and the Acura RSX zooms to the top of the list. In S-type form, it's a precision road machine at a reasonable price.

Price: $20,570-$23,865
Engines: 2-liter inline four; 2-liter S-type
Horsepower: 170, 200 (S-type)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual; 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 27-33; 24-31 (S-type)
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles

Ford Mustang
If you want a high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive coupe, there's no other choice than the Ford Mustang. It's outlived its biggest competitors, the Camaro and Firebird, and after 40 years is uniquely American. In GT form, it's unbeatable, though the V6 version also offers balanced performance.

Price: $18,490-$29,590
Engines: 3.8-liter V6; 4.6-liter V8; 4.6-liter DOHC V8; 4.6-liter DOHC supercharged V-8.
Horsepower: 190 (V6); 260-300-390 (V8 range)
Transmissions: 5-speed manual; 6-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 20-29 (V6); 16-20 (V8)
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

Mini Cooper
Our third choice is the trendy Mini Cooper, which is the vehicle-of-the-moment in this group. Want to impress your friends, show up in a Mini Cooper. Just try to find one that doesn't carry several thousand dollars in added dealer profit, particularly the Cooper S.

Price: $16,999-$19,999
Engines: 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder; 1.6-liter supercharged inline four- cylinder
Horsepower: 115, 163 (supercharged)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual; continuously variable automatic
Fuel consumption: 25-32 mpg
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles

One car that almost made this list is the new, rotary engine Mazda RX-8. It has unique four-door styling that essentially is a coupe with easy-access rear doors. But early questions about whether the speedster delivers all the horsepower Mazda promises kept it off our list. Maybe next year.

Sport coupes $30,000-$45,000
These are the adult toys, the sports cars that offer sparkling performance but don't demand the tradeoff of cramped seating or a rough ride.

Infinity G35
Like the G35 sedan, the coupe is a great all-around performer. It's comfortable, fast and sophisticated, with a long list of standard or available features. Bargain hard and you can get one for about $30,000 even.

Price: $29,795-$32,995
Engine: 3.5-liter V6
Horsepower: 280
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 20-27 mpg
Warranty: 4 years/60,000 miles

Nissan 350Z
If the four-seat G35 seems a little bit too responsible to satisfy the wild child within, go for the two-seat Nissan 350Z. Its underpinnings are similar to the G35, but with a more sporting attitude. In full Track Model mode, it's a 287-horsepower road burner. The only drawbacks: very limited rear visibility and less-than-great interior materials.

Price: $26,910-$34,720
Engine: 3.5-liter V6
Horsepower: 287
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 20-26 mpg
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

BMW 3 Series
Want something more traditional with great resale value, go with the BMW 3 series coupe.

Price: $30,795-$36,995
Engines: 2.5-liter inline 6-cylinder, 3-liter inline 6 cylinder; 3.2-liter inline 6 cylinder
Horsepower: 184 (2.5-liter); 225 (3-liter); 333 (3.2-liter)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic, 6-speed sequential manual/automatic
Fuel consumption: $30,000-$57,000
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles

Sports coupes above $45,000
If ultimate performance is your goal, these are three for the hall of fame.

Corvette
The Corvette offers performance that matches cars costing twice as much. The Z06 is the closest thing to a racecar for the street you can get. Critics may carp that it's bulky and not nearly as sophisticated as a Porsche, but there's no arguing with its awesome performance.

Price: $44,535-$52,385
Engines: 5.7-liter V8
Horsepower: 350; 405 (Z06)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 19-28; 18-25 (Z06)
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

Mercedes CLK
For those who want something with performance, yet more comfort and more seats than a Corvette, the choice is the redesigned Mercedes-Benz CLK, which offers a V6 option and two V8s. The V6 is very smooth, as is the 5-liter V8. The AMG hot rod version of the CLK pumps out 362 horsepower.

Price: $44,620-$70,470
Engines: 3.2-liter V6; 5-liter V8; 5.5-liter V8
Horsepower: 215, 302 (5-liter V8), 362 (5.5-liter V8)
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 19-27 (V6); 16-22 (V8)
Warranty: 4 years/50,000

Porsche
Traditionalists will want to check out the Porsche 911, which remains true to its performance roots over 40 years. It can be had in three levels: hot, really hot and scalding, the latter being the GT2. Of course the GT comes at a stiff price: $182,465.

Price: $69,365-$182,465
Engines: 3.6-liter flat 6-cylinder; 3.6-liter turbocharged flat 6-cylinder
Horsepower: 315 (Carrera); 415 (Turbo); 456 (GT2)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 18-26 (Carrera); 15-22 (Turbo, GT2)
Warranty: 4 years/50,000

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