BEST CARS for 2009
See Kiplinger's picks for the Best in Class, Best New Car, Best Resale and Most Fuel-Efficient in 11 car categories.
By Mark Solheim, Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Jessica L. Anderson, Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
March 2009
We evaluated more than a thousand new models and picked winners across 11 categories, from small economy cars to crossovers, large SUVs and luxury sedans. The slide shows below offer our top picks in each category for Best in Class, Best New Car, Best Resale, and Most Fuel-Efficient. Which one is right for you?
The Porsche 906 or Carrera 6 was the last street-legal racing car from Porsche. A total of 65 were produced in 1966, allowing the model to be homologated for FIA’s new Group 4 Sports Car category although the 906 would also compete in modified form in the Group 6 Sports Prototype class.
A successor to the Porsche 904, and designed under Ferdinand Piëch’s new regime at Porsche R&D, the 906 replaced the boxed steel structure of the 904 which used the fiberglass body for extra structural strength with a tubular space frame and unstressed fiberglass body. The fiberglass itself was laid up by hand, producing consistent results, instead of the uneven spraying technique used on the 904.
The result was a car that weighed 1,300 lb, approximately 250 lb lighter than the 904/6. The engine regularly fitted was the 901/20 6-cylinder lightweight racing engine with 220 hp and carburetors, although some examples that were raced by the factory team received fuel injected 8-cylinder engines, especially in hillclimbing events where Porsche competed with Ferrari Dinos for the European championship
SUBZERO CARS
Alfa 156 Facelift
Aston Martin DB9
Caterham R400
Fiat Punto
Ford GT
Ford Street Ka
Land Rover Defender
Mini Cooper S
COOL CARS
Alfa 147 & GTA
Alfa GTV
Audi A2
Audi A3
Audi A6
Bentley Continental GT
Citroën Berlingo
Citroën C2 GTR
Citroën C3
Daihatsu Copen
Ferrari Enzo
Fiat Multipla
Ford Focus RS
Ford KA
Holden Monaro
Honda Civic type R
Honda Jazz
Hyundai Coupé
Jaguar XJ
Jaguar XJR
Koenigsegg
Land Rover
Maserati 4200GT
Mazda MX5
Mazda RX8
Mitsubishi Shogun
Peugeot 206 GTI 180
Renault Clio
Renault Laguna
Renault Megane
Renault Vel Satis
Rolls Royce Phantom
Saab 93
Saab 95
Subaru Forester
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Liana
VW Golf Mk4
VW Golf R32
VW Phaeton
UNCOOL CARS
BMW 3 SERIES
BMW M3
BMW X5
Bugatti Veyron
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler Voyager
Citroën C2 Pluriel
Citroën C5
Daihatsu Charade
Fiat Stilo
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Ford Fusion
Ford Galaxy
Hummer
Hyundai Trajet
Kia Sedona
Lamborghini Gallardo
Lexus LX200
Mercedes CLK
Mercedes SL
Mercedes SLK 32 AMG
Mitsubishi Evo 8
Nissan 350Z
Peugeot 807
Porsche 911 Convertible
Porsche 911 Turbo
Porsche Carrera 4
Renault Scenic
Seat Ibiza
Subaru Imprezza STI
Toyota Avensis
Toyota Previa
Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Corsa
Vauxhall Signum
Vauxhall Vectra
Volvo S80
Volvo V70
VW Beetle Cabriolet
VW Golf Diesel
SERIOUSLY UNCOOL CARS
Audi TT
BMW 5 Series
BMW M3 CSL
Megane CC
Peugeot 307 CC
Porsche Carrera 2 Cabriolet
Richard Hammond's Porsche 911 left-hand
