Best Practical Coupes

Honda Civic coupe still the best budget pick

The 2009 Honda Civic coupe (*Est. $15,305 to $21,905) might not be perfect for every driver -- the back seat is cramped, say critics -- but it certainly earns points for trying. The base-level Honda Civic DX coupe scores as low-cost, no-frills but high-quality, basic transportation. Honda Civics (coupes and sedans alike) have been lauded by critics as excellent picks for drivers interested in saving gas, but who aren't interested making the jump to a hybrid, which carries an additional financial outlay up front.

Budget coupe shoppers looking for more equipment than the bare-bones Honda Civic DX offers can step up to the Civic LX coupe or the top-level Honda Civic EX coupe, which share the DX's fuel-efficient, 140-horsepower standard engine (25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway with the five-speed automatic). For more excitement, there's the Civic Si coupe, with its powerful and high-revving 197-horsepower four-cylinder and sport-tuned suspension. This pocket rocket has long turned heads as a compact coupe with a sports car's personality. Still, the Honda Civic Si is entirely at home serving double duty as a daily driver. Unlike the standard Honda Civic coupe models, however, the Civic Si drinks premium unleaded.

Cars.com maintains that the Honda Civic remains one of the better small cars available, thanks to a rewarding driving experience and "a finely crafted interior that distances itself from much of the competition." Critics are just as vocal in their applause for the Honda Civic Si. Edmunds.com says "the Si is one of the few cars available in any price range that makes you want to drive it just for the sake of driving." Car and Driver praises the can-do attitude the Civic Si imparts, saying, "You get the feeling you can trust the 2,860-pound car to do exactly what you want." All Honda Civic coupes benefit from the nameplate's strong reputation for reliability and safety, with a full complement of airbags, active head restraints and antilock brakes standard on all trim lines. Stability control is included on the leather-equipped Civic EX-L and is standard equipment on the Si coupe.

After the Honda Civic coupe, the 2009 Scion tC (*Est. $17,670 to $18,470) gets its fair share of accolades for youthful style at an affordable price. It's got a more powerful engine than the standard Honda Civics and the Scion tC's back seat "has enough room for two adults, a rare luxury in the compact sport coupe segment," according to Edmunds.com.

The 2009 Ford Focus coupe (*Est. $16,875 to $18,485) is "a pretty logical car," writes Automobile magazine's Phil Floraday. His colleague Joe DeMatio reports it offers "decent" backseat space but "ingress/egress are compromised by the front seats, which do not easily slide forward and out of the way." Rusty Blackwell comments that, "import-level refinement still isn't quite here," noting that Automobile's Focus coupe had an annoying rattle in the dashboard. Clunky styling ("it looks like a joke," says Floraday) puts it solidly behind both the Civic coupe and Scion tC in the looks department, but highway mileage ratings in the mid 30s help keep the Ford Focus coupe on shoppers' radar.

The 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt coupe (*Est. $14,990 to $23,525) is popular among first-time car buyers, and its most fuel-efficient XFE trim level delivers an Environmental Protection Agency-rated 37 mpg highway, but it's still the Rodney Dangerfield of compact coupes: Auto reviewers don't give it much respect. Edmunds.com says, "Quite simply, the Cobalt cannot challenge the compact car segment leaders." Car and Driver says "the Honda Civic is nicer inside and more fun to drive." On the bright side, performance enthusiasts can opt for the pricier, turbocharged Cobalt SS coupe, which Car and Driver calls "shockingly good." The bad news? General Motors has announced that the 2009 model year is the last for the Chevy Cobalt SS, so you'd best move quickly if you want to put one in your driveway.

Honda Accord coupe: stylish and family-friendly

The 2009 Honda Accord coupe (*Est. $22,405 to $28,980), was introduced as an '08 model and carries forward unchanged for 2009. The Accord coupe shares its powertrains and chassis with the well-regarded Honda Accord sedan but wears bodywork all its own, projecting a unique sense of style and a sporty personality. Road & Track says, "With its blend of predictable road manners, tidy dimensions, stout yet refined powertrain and handsome styling inside and out, the Accord coupe stands on its own merits as a distinctive and desirable addition to the Honda line."

There are two engine choices with the Honda Accord coupe: a 190-horsepower four-cylinder or a 268-horsepower V-6. Both are available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Edmunds.com says you can't go wrong either way: "The wonderfully smooth and powerful 3.5-liter V-6 is an excellent engine, producing strong acceleration and fuel economy; however, the 190-horsepower four-cylinder provides more than enough motivation."

In a 2008 three-car comparison of similarly priced midsize, front-drive V-6 coupes, Motor Trend gives the win to the Honda Accord coupe over the second-place Nissan Altima coupe and Mitsubishi Eclipse. Editors report that the Honda coupe was the best performer in most cases, and its larger dimensions give it "a much more open and airy interior, and not just for the pilot and copilot; rear seat room is impressive in this five-seater." In a separate one-car review, Road & Track notes that the middle seat in back is best left to the kids, however. Regardless, Automobile.com editors comment, "Here's a car that despite only having two doors would be more than happy to do duty as the family hauler." The only real gripe critics register concerns the button-happy instrument panel adorning an otherwise well-executed and high-quality interior.

The 2009 Nissan Altima coupe (*Est. $21,750 to $26,390) is a runner-up to the Accord coupe in more than one comparison shootout. Like the Honda two-door, the Nissan Altima coupe cuts a stylish profile, handles well and offers a choice of spunky four-cylinder or muscular V-6 power. Unfortunately, it's got a cramped back seat (TheTruthAboutCars.com's Megan Benoit says the rear accommodations are for "the few and the damned") that can't match the Accord's roomy rear seat. The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse (*Est. $20,699 to $28,089) offers a punchy optional V-6 (the base four cylinder lacks pep, according to reviewers), and has gotten a sporty visual makeover for 2009. Its back seat "seems more for decoration than function" according to Edmunds.com editors, who maintain that "newer competitors offer better overall packages for the money."