Best Compact Sedans of March 2012

And now onto the sedan offerings in the compact class

The Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport comes in first place when it comes to compact sedans. While it's slightly more expensive than its rivals, it comes with a full size spare tyre and it has better fuel economy.

The Mazda 3 Neo comes in second place by being the cheapest of the lot ($21,990). Fuel economy isn't as good though and it has a space saver spare tyre.




The Mitsubishi Lancer Platinum is now at a decent price of $22,990 and is back in at number 3.

Best Compact Cars of March 2012

Not much has changed with the compacts, except the Toyota Corolla has now substituted the Mazda 3.

The Citroen C4 remains at #1. While it does use Premium Unleaded and it's slightly more expensive, it has great fuel economy. Comes with a full size tyre too!

The Hyundai i30 remains in second place. Comes with a full size spare as well.

The Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport comes in third place. It's the same price as the Hyundai i30, comes with a full size spare, but it has slightly worse fuel economy (although it's pretty negligible).

Best Light Sedans of March 2012

And now for the best light sedans of March 2012.

In first place we have the Ford Fiesta LX Diesel. While the car looks better as a hatchback than a sedan, both have a decent fuel economy thanks to its diesel engine, even for the $23,990 price tag. Only comes with a temporary mobility kit though (no spare tyre).

In second is the Hyundai Accent Elite sedan. At $19,990 it's cheaper than the diesel Ford Fiesta and comes with a full size spare tyre but its petrol engine can't beat it in terms of fuel economy.

In third place is probably the Hyundai Accent's cousin, the Kia Rio. While the fuel economy is slightly better than the Hyundai Accent the asking price of $22,488 is a bit more too.

Best Light Cars of March 2012

This month we're going to do things a little differently. Instead of just picking the best from each of the light and compact classes for under $25,000, we're also going to rate the best sedans from each class (for those of you who want a more conservative look and prefer a boot). First up though, here is the best from light cars in general (regardless of whether they're a sedan or hatchback).

In first place we still have the limited edition Honda Jazz GE Vibe. Comes with a full size spare.

The Hyundai i20 stays in second place due to slightly worse fuel efficiency when compared to the 1.3L Honda Jazz.

While the Suzuki Swift has the best fuel efficiency out of all the contenders, it has a higher up-front cost making it come in third place. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.

Best Compact Cars of February 2012

The Mitsubishi Lancer SX is no longer on sale with the more expensive Platinum taking its place. However, we've got a new contender with Citroen selling its C4 at a cut-throat price!

The Citroen C4 debuts at #1. While it does use Premium Unleaded and it's slightly more expensive, it has great fuel economy. Comes with a full size tyre too!

The Hyundai i30 remains in second place. Comes with a full size spare, which is more than can be said for the other two.

While the Mazda 3 is currently cheaper than the i30, fuel consumption is slightly worse and you only get a Space Saver spare tyre.

Best Light Cars of February 2012

This month we a slight shift in the leaderboard with the Honda Jazz taking the top spot thanks to the special edition GE Vibe.

In first place we have the limited edition Honda Jazz GE Vibe. Comes with a full size spare.

The Hyundai i20 gets pushed back to second place due to slightly worse fuel efficiency when compared to the 1.3L Honda Jazz.

While the Suzuki Swift has the best fuel efficiency out of all the contenders, it has a higher up-front cost making it come in third place. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.

Best Compact Cars of January 2012

The Mitsubishi Lancer is back in the running so it goes back to #1.

The Hyundai i30 gets pushed back into second place. Comes with a full size spare, which is more than can be said for the other two.

While currently cheaper than the i30, fuel consumption is slightly worse and you only get a Space Saver spare tyre.

Best Light Cars of January 2012

This month an extra $1,000 was added to the price of the Hyundai Accent Elite sedan, so now it's no longer at the top as even a $1,000 can make the difference in this segment.

The cheaper prices of petrol have also made diesel not as attractive as it normally is pushing the Ford Fiesta out of the running.

The Hyundai i20 goes from third to first thanks to being good overall when it comes to price and fuel consumption.

Even after the changes in 1st and 3rd, the Suzuki Swift still comes in second place. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.

The new Holden Barina makes it in third place. The fuel consumption is nothing to write home about but you can't argue with the $16,990 price tag.

Best Compact Cars of December 2011

With the Mitsubishi Lancer SX not seemingly available anymore, the Hyundai i30 goes to the number one slot.

While currently cheaper than the i30, fuel consumption is slightly worse and you only get a Space Saver spare tyre.



It's been a long time since the Subaru Impreza has been back on this list, mainly because of its price and fuel consumption being on the high end. However with so little competition in the under $25,000 bracket for safe compact cars, it's managed to slip back in.

Best Light Cars of December 2011

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is still at the top. Although it might be thirstier than its competitors with fuel, it's still cheaper overall and comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Suzuki Swift comes in second place as it sits in between the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta in terms of overall price. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.

Diesel has slightly gone up in price recently resulting in the Ford Fiesta being dropped from the list and being replaced by the Hyundai i20. Mind you, there's not much in it between any of the cars in this class.

Best Compact Cars of November 2011

As mentioned, I'm including hatchbacks again so the i30 is back in the mix.



$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place.

The Hyundai i30 is slightly more expensive than its competitors but fuel efficiency is also slightly better. Oh and it comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Mazda 3 comes in third place. Fuel consumption isn't bad but not as good as the other two.

Best Light Cars of November 2011

I actually put a requirement for sedans only last month but this month it doesn't matter if it's a hatchback or not.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is still at the top. Although it might be thirstier than its competitors with fuel, it's still cheaper overall and comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Suzuki Swift comes in second place as it sits in between the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta in terms of overall price. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan comes in third. This is the cheapest to fill up but overall is slightly more expensive than the other options (due to a $25,000 price tag). Comes with no spare tyre.

Best Compact Cars of October 2011

While the $25,000 cap on price did not affect the light car segment it's not the case with the compact cars. The cheap Mitsubishi Lancer is still in the mix but it now goes up against the Mazda 3 which is on sale and the Lancer's nemesis, the Subaru Impreza.

All contenders come with Space Saver spare tyres so they're on equal footing in that department.



$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place.

This is probably the first time the popular Mazda 3 makes the list. Usually the trim level I was after (the Maxx) was hovering around the $26-27,000 mark. Now the Mazda 3 is on sale so the Neo comes with goodies like alloys and extended warranty.

The Mazda 3 fits in between the Lancer and Impreza in terms of fuel economy and price and is consequently second.

The overall cost of running the Impreza is considerably more than the other contenders thanks to being fuel thirsty and the fact that you're recommended to use Premium Unleaded to run it.

Best Light Cars of October 2011

The change in the price limit to $25,000 does little to the light car segment and we once again have the same results as last month.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is a new contender but already shoots to the top.

While the Honda City has similar fuel consumption to the Hyundai Accent and it sports a full size spare tyre, it can't compete with its $2,000 price difference.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan is actually the most economical out all of the options here. It's just a pity that it uses goo to patch up tyres instead of offering you a spare wheel of some sort!

Change in criteria again

There has been a change in criteria again. Now only cars under $25,000 will be considered on the list which really cuts down the number of cars for consideration (and results in only two classes of cars being reviewed, the light and compact class).

This blog used to use similar criteria before (i.e. cars reviewed would be less than the price of a Honda Civic which was usually around $25,000). The difference this time is that the $25,000 will be a set amount and will not fluctuate as it would have inevitably if based on another car's price.

Best Medium Cars of September 2011

No changes to the medium car line-up as all offer manual transmission, full size spares and all are sedans.



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 September 2011

$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place. True you only get a space saver spare, but it's better than no spare.

While the Holden Cruze SRi is slightly more expensive, its 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine helps to give it a good fuel economy. It unfortunately comes with only tyre sealant though - however there is the option to purchase a full size spare.

The new Elantra is not what you'd usually expect to pay for a Hyundai, approaching the $30,000 mark for a compact sedan. The car is also automatic only which I'm not a big fan. One good thing about it though is full size spare is standard.

Best Light Cars of September 2011

This month, I'm going to be looking at sedans only - consequently it'll really only be Light Sedans, Compact Sedans and Medium Sedans being rated. I'm also taking into consideration whether a spare tyre is included or not since in my experience, I've had to do many a tyre change! Finally, prices are double-checked at corporate websites.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is a new contender but already shoots to the top.

While the Honda City has similar fuel consumption to the Hyundai Accent and it sports a full size spare tyre, it can't compete with its $2,000 price difference.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan is actually the most economical out all of the options here. It's just a pity that it uses goo to patch up tyres instead of offering you a spare wheel of some sort!