2012 Mazda3 4-Door iTouring AT
Price: $19,550.
Fuel economy: 28 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.
At 180.9 inches, the 2012 Mazda3 iTouring tops our list as the longest car, yet it gets the best highway gas mileage. Oddly, it has the smallest cargo space at 11.8 cubic feet.
The reason for the superb fuel economy is that the Mazda3 iTouring gets its all-new SkyActiv Technology in the 155-horsepower, 2-liter, four-cylinder engine and seven-speed automatic transmission. This boosts highway fuel economy by 21 percent.
Fun to drive, the Mazda3 iTouring quickly makes you forget you are saving money on gas.
Among the standard features are air conditioning, full power accessories, six air bags, cruise control, remote keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity, trip computer and a six-speaker audio system with CD player and auxiliary input jack.