From Bare Bones to Feature Packed: Compact Sedans Step It Up in Cars.com Compact Sedan Challenge

Experts from Cars.com put the current crop of affordable compact cars to the ultimate test in their most recent Compact Sedan Challenge. The 2017 Honda Civic walked away with the highly sought-after title of “Best Compact Sedan of 2017.” 

“If you think the compact sedan class is full of cheaply made economy cars, think again,” said Cars.com executive editor Joe Wiesenfelder. “Many of the latest choices in this segment offer heaps of style and technology for a lot less than you’d think. These one time bare-bones sedans now come chock-full of safety and technology features like the latest crash-avoidance tech, smartphone integration and even all-wheel drive in some.”

Testing was conducted to determine how the current class of vehicles has evolved over recent years. The following 2017 models were ranked based on extensive evaluation: Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Jetta.  

Each sedan tested in the Challenge was required to cost less than $23,000 with a destination fee, have an EPA combined rating of 31 mpg with an automatic transmission and measure over 91 cubic feet of interior volume. Evaluation resulted in the following ranking.

1.     2017 Honda Civic

2.     2017 Kia Forte

3.     2017 Subaru Impreza

4.     2017 Volkswagen Jetta

5.     2017 Toyota Corolla

6.     2017 Hyundai Elantra

7.     2017 Mazda3

8.     2017 Chevrolet Cruze

“The Honda Civic looks and feels a size class above the rest of the competitors in this Challenge, and impressive attention to detail and quality make it feel more expensive, too,” said Wiesenfelder. “Beyond quality, drivability and features, value is where the Civic really stands out. The sedan comes packed with high-end features at an impressively competitive price.”

For full details, photos, videos and results from the Cars.com Compact Sedan Challenge, visit www.cars.com/news.