Family Friendly:
Consumer Guide
®
Best Buys
Chicago-based Consumer Guide
®
has been selecting annual automotive
best buys since its inception in 1967.
Our goal is, and always has been, to
help new-car customers identify the
vehicles that will serve them best
while providing the best value for
their money.
For 2017, our staff of editors selected 43 Best Buys
across 20 specific categories that run the gamut from
fuel-sipping subcompact cars to luxuriously trimmed
premium large SUVs.
One customer group with which we identify strongly is
the family with school-age children. Here, we’ll look at
several Consumer Guide Best Buys, each of which merits
strong consideration by shoppers looking for a vehicle
suitable for carrying four to five folks, and whatever else
they need to haul.
Note that for 2017, Consumer Guide awarded its
inaugural Family Vehicle Best Buy — the winner is
included among the vehicles discussed below.
You can see all of Consumer Guide’s 2017 Best Buy
picks at
CHEVROLET MALIBU – Midsize Car
Base Price: $21,680
Passenger capacity: 4 in comfort, 5 in a pinch.
The traditional sedan has fallen out of vogue somewhat
with American shoppers, and for a number of good
reasons. Crossovers tend to make better use of space,
generally offer better passenger
accommodations,
and the high
seating
position affords drivers a more commanding view of the
road.
But for shoppers who prefer the look and feel of
a conventional sedan, the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
is an excellent choice. Malibu’s cabin is roomy, the
powertrains strong and refined, and the infotainment
system refreshingly simple to use. It’s worth noting that
despite a mass movement away from midsize sedans in
2016, Chevrolet Malibu sales actually improved.
The sporty and fuel-efficient Mazda 6 was also
awarded a 2017 Consumer Guide Midsize Car Best buy.
NISSAN ROGUE – Compact Crossover
Base Price: $23,140
Passenger capacity: 4 in comfort, 5 in a pinch, up to 7
with available 3rd-row.
American new-vehicle shoppers are buying small
crossovers at an unprecedented rate. So much so
that 2016 became the first year that small crossovers
(subcompact and compact combined) outsold midsize
cars.
One vehicle those buyers are flocking to is the Nissan
Rogue, which recently surpassed the Altima to become
Nissan’s best-selling vehicle. We appreciate the Rogue
because it is roomy and fuel efficient, though shoppers
will also take note of the vehicle’s high quality interior
trim and cargo-hauling versatility. Rogue is also one of
the only vehicles in its class to offer an available 3rd-row
seat.
Note that for 2018, Nissan is introducing the Rogue
Sport, a slightly smaller and more affordable version of
By Tom Appel
Publisher, Consumer Guide
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW 2017
14
More Than100 , 000 Veh i c l es Jus t A Cl i ck Away…Dr i veCh i cago. com
