Car sales are way up. But getting a good deal doesn’t mean you’re getting good value. Consumer Reports crunched the numbers on hundreds of cars to come up with the best and worst value cars.
This year’s best value car is the Toyota Camry Hybrid. It gets 38 miles per gallon overall, is extremely reliable and performs very well. The four-cylinder Honda Accord LX and the Toyota Camry LE are next on the list, followed by the Subaru Legacy 2.5 Premium and Subaru Forester 2.5 Premium.
Among the worst car values is the Mercedes-Benz S550. And it’s not just because of the $114,000 price tag. Although it performed well in Consumer Reports’ tests, it is expensive to maintain, and reliability is well below average.
The Fiat 500L is an even worse value. It does cost just $24,000, but it isn’t reliable and has a stiff ride, uncomfortable seats and a jerky transmission.
The worst value vehicle of all goes to the Jeep Wrangler. Consumer Reports says it doesn’t perform well in its tests, is very uncomfortable for everyday driving, handling is clumsy and reliability is well below average.
Despite what Consumer Reports reports, a spokeswoman for Wrangler said it's one of the best vehicles of any type when it comes to holding its value. The vehicle has been named one of the Top 10 vehicles in the industry for Best Resale Value since 2011 and won before that in 2003 and 2009.
We reached out to Chrysler, the maker of Jeep and Fiat, who issued the following statement about the Jeep Wrangler:
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Jeep® Wrangler is one of the industry’s perennial leaders for maintaining value, being named to Kelly Blue Book’s Top 10 List of Best Resale Value Awards each year since 2011. Wrangler also is a Polk Automotive Loyalty Award winner for having the highest number of repeat owners within its segment.
As for the Fiat 500L, they said:
The Fiat 500L offers fun-to-drive efficient performance and best-in-class interior volume in a contemporary Italian design. For 2015, the Fiat 500L adds a new 6-speed automatic transmission as well as suspension and seat comfort improvements to further refine the driving experience.
Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars & trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports’ website. Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org.
