Best in class: Coupes
under $20,000
By Terry
Jackson • Bankrate.com
If you've seen either of the "Fast and Furious"
movies -- or paid attention to those customized cars you see on
almost every urban street -- then you know why this is one of the
most competitive segments in the industry. Small, sporty two-door
coupes are popular with young buyers, as well as not-so-young buyers
looking for a fun ride without needing to take out a second mortgage.
It's a segment ruled by imports, though the Dodge Neon, Ford Focus,
Saturn Ion and the new Chevy Cobalt coupe are gaining traction.
Here are the best three of the group:
Honda Civic
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Honda Civic: Once
again Honda's do-it-all Civic comes out on top, thanks to a wide range
of features, ultra smooth four-cylinder engines, excellent build quality
and bank-vault reliability. There are Honda coupes starting as low
as $14,000 for the VP model, rising through the HX, LX and EX models,
with each level adding equipment until topping out with the performance
Si Civic hatchback coupe at about $20,000. The base engine in all
models is a 1.7-liter four-cylinder. It starts with 115 horsepower
in DX and LX models and rises through refinements such as variable
valve timing and more valves per cylinder to either 117, 127 or 160
horsepower, depending on the model. Because they are popular, don't
expect your Honda dealer to shave much off the factory sticker.
Scion tC
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Scion tC: If you've
never heard of the Scion brand, perhaps it's because you don't live
in an urban area. Toyota began a slow nationwide rollout of its
youth-oriented brand two years ago and now it is available in most
big cities. It started with a bare-bones sedan, the xA, and a funky
box on wheels called the xB. For 2005, Toyota added the Scion tC
sports coupe. With clean and attractive styling, it looks more upscale
than its $16,000 sticker price would suggest. Power comes from a
2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 160 horsepower, coupled
to either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.
Because it weighs more than a comparable Honda Civic, performance
is not as sparkling, but there's a lot of standard equipment, including
anti-lock brakes, and the price is very attractive.
Golf GL
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Volkswagen Golf:
A year after its debut in Europe, VW will finally send an all-new
Golf to the United States later this year as a 2006 model. Until
then, dealers are eager to rid their lots of the current generation
Golf, which is a competent performer. Prices for Golf coupes --
it's also available as a sedan -- start at about $16,000 and rise
to more than $23,000 for the 174-horsepower VR6 performance model.
Power from the base two-liter, four-cylinder engine is only adequate
at 115 horsepower, but the Golf coupe is the only one on the market
that offers a turbo-diesel option rated at 42 to 49 miles per
gallon with a manual transmission.
-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005
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