If you're in the market for a small sedan for a daily commute through bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go traffic, the Nissan Sentra should be on your short list, along with three other little cars that are no strangers to rush hour.
These four models accounted for more than 40 percent of the nearly 2 million compact cars sold last year: the Ford Focus SE, with a suggested list price of $15,280; the Honda Civic EX, $17,600; the Nissan Sentra SE, $16,356; and the Toyota Corolla S, $15,728. (Prices listed are for four-door vehicles that are nicely outfitted as we think true urban assault vehicles must be.)
All four cars are big enough for a comfortable ride. Their four-cylinder engines all deliver solid mileage. The Corolla wins miles-per-gallon honors, running 32 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway. The Nissan is the thirstiest but still delivers 24 mpg and 31 mpg.
Manual transmission is our choice for commuting for two reasons: It provides slightly more oomph than automatics for getting on and off highways, and cars with manual transmission get about 6 percent better fuel economy.
When you think of all the time you spend stuck in traffic because of accidents, you appreciate how common crashes are during rush hour. So it's no surprise that safety is a critical consideration.
Of our four cars, the Civic ranks highest for safety by federal-government standards. The Nissan Sentra, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla follow closely behind.
The cars come standard with driver and passenger air bags, and the prices we cite above include optional side-impact bags, which add between $250 and $700 to the price. We also recommend — and our prices reflect — equipping your car with anti-lock brakes.
Commuting to work can add 5 percent or more to the cost of insurance if you drive 100 or more miles a week.
We asked State Farm what it would charge a 26- to 40-year-old commuter to New York City for collision and liability coverage on each of these cars. The premiums would run from $1,476 for the Focus to $1,643 for the Corolla, $1,669 for the Sentra and $1,873 for the Civic.
Although some manufacturers of small cars consider air conditioning an option, we don't. The prices above include the cost of AC, which can run as high as $1,000.