What are the things, one should consider whereas selecting the proper vehicle. No vehicle does everything perfectly, however many do a lot of issues well. For instance, you’ll discover many cars with good reliability that are additionally comfortable, quiet, and enjoyable to drive. But you continue to may have to compromise somewhere. For example, there might be a trade-off between a good ride and good handling. Or you may wind up sacrificing fuel economy in exchange for engine energy or cargo space.
Key Questions to Ask Yourself
If you’re unsure what type of vehicle will suit your wants best, start by asking your self some basic questions. Your goal is to discover fashions that excel within the areas that matter most to you.
How many individuals will you carry? Most vehicles can maintain 5 people, though the center-rear place could additionally be so uncomfortable that it barely qualifies as a seat. That’s one thing to check out when you’re taking test drives.
If you want to maintain extra people, consider a minivan or a three-row SUV. In small and mid-sized SUVs, however, that rear seat could additionally be extra steerage class than coach, appropriate just for children.
Something to remember: When occupied, these seats eat up nearly all available cargo space. Check the dimensions for third-row head, shoulder, and legroom.
Two-door cars may have sporty looks, however consider how often you’ll want to make use of the rear seat. Passengers have to twist and stoop to get in, and folding the entrance seat to load gear or safe a child security seat again there will get old fast.
How a lot cargo do you carry? If outdoor actions or hauling provides and equipment is a big a half of your life, then an SUV, minivan, or wagon is your best bet. A pickup truck is useful if you carry heavy loads, materials that would soiled up the interior, or cargo too tall to suit inside an enclosed vehicle.
In fact, four-door crew-cab pickups are the hottest choice. But be aware: Most have a brief bed. If your pickup isn’t a household car and you’re within the trades, consider shopping for a regular-cab pickup with an extended bed.
Automatic or manual shift? Though the death of the manual transmission could additionally be exaggerated, the overwhelming majority of modern cars come solely with automatic transmissions. Many automatics now present a manual-shift mode that works a lot like a manual transmission however with out a clutch.
Manual-shift mode is additionally handy when driving in mountainous areas, since it provides extra management on lengthy descents. Still, in some cars a stick could make the driving expertise extra fun.
But within the end, as enjoyable and sensible as stick shifts may be, they could be a chore in stop-and-go traffic. In addition, today’s six-, seven-, and eight-speed automatics can assist cars return fuel economy as good—and often better—than the identical car with a manual.
What’s your driving style? Are you a workaholic commuter or a harried parent with daily carpool duty? Perhaps you want practicality however crave a modicum of enjoyable for the commute home or on weekends.
Taking a tough look at your driving style and wants is key in selecting a vehicle. If you’re an precise driving fanatic who desires to savor each aspect of the driving experience, you’ll want to focus on cars that emphasize quickness and dealing with prowess. But lots of cars these days serve up agile dealing with with out sacrificing ride, comfort, and cargo space the way many sporty cars do.
If you’re actually into consolation greater than driving on the edge, you’ll probably want to consider a sedan. Many fashions match the comfy-cruising mode, from midsized and large sedans to midsized and bigger SUVs.
Power, fuel economy … or both? Most vehicles can be found with a number of engine and transmission combinations. Usually one is a small, economical choice whereas the opposite delivers extra energy however on the sacrifice of fuel economy.
Often a producer will make the small engine available solely on base fashions or lower-level trims, saving the stronger engine(s) for extra expensive, uplevel versions. Smaller cars and SUVs primarily use four-cylinder engines. These often ship the best fuel economy however lack the energy and smoothness of a V6.
But for many people, four-cylinders present the best mixture of fuel economy and performance. Turbocharging is becoming a lot extra prevalent since it can boost energy with out hurting fuel economy much. Many fashions that as soon as used a V6 now have a turbocharged four-cylinder instead, and turbo V6s have begun to replace V8 engines in bigger cars and trucks.
Ford even makes use of small turbo V6s, which ship V8-like performance, within the F-150 pickup truck. Other fuel-savers include hybrids and diesels. Hybrids usually return excellent fuel economy in metropolis or stop-and-go traffic, and diesels excel at delivering freeway fuel economy.
You’ll additionally discover a ton of useful and detailed car information on-line and in printed sources, such as magazines and newspapers. The difficulty is that the standard of available information varies widely.
If you have already got some candidate cars in mind, you may want to learn what different car reviewers and owners are saying about them. You may additionally want to discover mannequin specs and pricing information outside the scope of this book.
Here is a brief recap of different information sources you’ll find:
Manufacturer websites. Automaker websites are a good place to discover particular person models, their accent packages, retail price information, and pictures from each angle. Bear in mind, though, that these websites are essentially promoting vehicles and each car will be described in nothing however glowing terms.
Online pricing. There are many on-line sources for brief car reviews and pricing information, two of the most-used are Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com). Another is TrueCar.com and Pakwheels.com.
All give retail and “invoice” costs for cars and their options, in addition to an idea of what different customers have paid recently.
Online car info. For general details about cars and car-related content, together with reviews and tips, you may want to take a look at MSNAutos.
Enthusiast magazines. So-called buff books and their on-line equivalents crank out a regular stream of reviews on the latest cars. Though they present loads of good, detailed information, it sometimes appears that they by no means met a brand new car they didn’t like. Also be conscious that auto advertisers cast a lengthy shadow over such publications.
Newspapers. Many newspapers print auto reviews geared towards the on a regular basis driver rather than the enthusiast. Few, however, are based on head-to-head testing or instrumented tests.
Meanwhile, newspaper auto sections often exist solely to attract promoting from automakers and native dealerships.
Personal experiences. Hearing about the experiences of precise owners can give you perception into what it’s like to live with a model. Plenty of on-line proprietor boards let owners voice their opinions and learn these of others.
Keep in mind, though, that particular person owners usually haven’t skilled a number of vehicles for comparison, and the memberships are made up of followers of the brand.
www.ConsumerReports.org