Best SUVs of August 2011

As there is only one contender in the large car segment, I decided to go back to SUVs or at least crossover SUVs... or are they wagons?

In first place we have the Mitsubishi ASX. While not the cheapest in the class, it does boast good fuel economy.

In second place we have the Nissan Dualis which is perhaps the cheapest 5-star ANCAP Crossover SUV in the market.

In third place we have the Kia Sportage which is more expensive and fuel thirsty than its rivals, but keep in mind that it's probably closer to an SUV too...

Best Medium Cars of August 2011

Hyundai i45 is good value for money. While Hyundai's offerings are now comparable in price to their Japanese counterparts, they still come with a bunch of extras and the fuel consumption isn't bad either.



The Suzuki Kizashi came a very close second. Its specs are quite similar to the Hyundai i45 except it loses out by being a few hundred dollars more than the i45.



Once again, the Mazda 6 Classic is third because its slightly more expensive and having worse fuel consumption.

Best Compact Cars of August 2011

No changes in top place, with the Hyundai i30 the best value compact car you can buy.



No changes in second place either with the very cheap Mitsubishi Lancer.

With a new Ford Focus coming out from Europe, the price has increased. While the Holden Cruze SRi is slightly more expensive, its 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine helps to give it a good fuel economy.

Best Light Cars of August 2011

Once again, the Ford Fiesta is best value for money, especially the diesel version.



Coming (a very close) second place is the new Suzuki Swift which is the best value petrol light car you can get.

The Mazda 2 Maxx has the same fuel consumption as the Honda Jazz but pushes ahead thanks to a slightly cheaper price.

Honda Insight reduced in price

Apparently the Honda Insight hybrid is now only $29,990. Initially, I thought this meant the car would give other compact cars (like the Mitsubishi Lancer and Hyundai i30 for example) a run for their money. It's only when I investigated the Insight a bit more that I discovered it uses a similar chassis to the Honda Jazz and consequently it's width is the same - meaning it is in fact a smaller car than you'd expect. When you take this into consideration, the value of an Insight isn't as good as initially thought, even if it does have lower fuel consumption levels (under ideal conditions I might add).