Top 10 Cars for Teens

I like the Ford Focus because it's cheap, cute, and fun to drive, plus it offers the innovative SYNC system, which allows drivers to control their iPod and cell phones with voice commands -- meaning their eyes can stay on the road. The Focus comes with a full complement of airbags as standard; antilock brakes are a cheap ($385) must-have option. Teens will probably be drawn to the sporty two-door coupe which, unlike most compact coupes, offers just as much back seat and trunk space as the four-door version. All in all, it's a great first car.

I've always said that you can't go wrong with a Civic: It's easy to drive, extremely fuel efficient, will last forever if well cared for, and boasts an admirable commitment to safety: Antilock brakes, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags are standard on all models. The body shell is designed to withstand an impact with a heavier vehicle, with coupes receiving extra bracing for side impacts. Civic is available as a jazzy coupe or sensible sedan; budget-friendly LX model offers great value-for-money. (For young drivers, beware the hot-rod Civic Si -- it's a speeding ticket waiting to happen.)

Several excellent subcompacts have hit the market recently, and the Nissan Versa is one of my favorites for two reasons: Lots of space and lots of value. The former comes in handy for hauling a semester's worth of stuff away to college as well as for hauling friends to off-campus excursions. The latter comes in handy if the kids are paying for the car themselves (or if the parents are weighed down by tuition costs). One word of caution: Though the Versa comes with six airbags as standard, antilock brakes are not standard -- they're a cheap ($250) option, and I wouldn't buy a Versa (or any car) without them.

The G5 coupe is mechanically identical to the Chevrolet Cobalt, but its unique sheetmetal gives it a smidge more style. The G5 is inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to run, and is an easy car to drive thanks largely to its simple, distraction-free interior. Antilock brakes come standard and side airbags are available as an option; don't buy a G5 without them.

The Pontiac Vibe is a great car for people of all ages, but it's especially well suited to young drivers because of its commitment to safety, which is arguably better than any other car on this list. The Vibe comes standard with six airbags, antilock brakes, and electronic stability control, and it even offers an all-wheel-drive version, which offers better accident-avoidance behavior as well as superior traction in rain and snow. The Vibe is good looking, easy to drive, and it has plenty of room to bring along friends -- plus its hard-plastic-lined cargo bay makes it a great cargo hauler.

I like the Astra -- particularly the 3-door -- because it combines racy looks with modest hardware. The Astra's 1.8 liter engine has enough power to merge onto the freeway safely, though not enough for Saturday-night drag racing. The Astra's suspension is tuned for the rigors of curvy European roads, meaning it's nimble in accident-avoidance maneuvers, and it comes with six airbags and antilock brakes as standard equipment. All in all, it's a great compromise between what teens want and what parents feel comfortable with.

The Subaru Impreza 2.5i is the only car in its class to offer standard all-wheel-drive (AWD) -- an important and oft-overlooked safety feature that not only offers great foul-weather handling but also helps keep the car on course in a panic swerve when the roads are dry. AWD is a life-saver for inexperienced drivers. Warning: The Impreza 2.5i should not be confused with the Impreza WRX and STi, high-performance versions not well suited to young, inexperienced drivers.

As you've probably figured out by now, I'm a big proponent of all-wheel-drive -- and the SX4 Crossover (hatchback) is the least-expensive all-wheel-drive car sold in the US. Though the sedan verison, called the SX4 Sport, lacks all-wheel-drive, it does come with antilock brakes and airbags galore as standard. Neither SX4 is particularly fuel-efficient compared to similarly-sized cars, but both are easy to handle and a lot of fun to drive.

If conservative clothes are more your teen's style, the Corolla is a good choice; its grown-up image will serve its driver well through high school, college, the job hunt, and the beginnings of a career. Fuel economy is excellent and the new 2009 version comes with six airbags and antilock brakes as standard, while electronic stability control -- a life-saving technology if there ever was one -- is a bargain at $250.

Young folks will like the Rabbit because it's fun to drive and as hip as a MacBook; parents will like it because it's affordable and comes packed with safety features (six airbags and antilock brakes as standard, electronic stability control as a $450 option). The Rabbit wasn't the best performer in the government's frontal barrier crash test, but it aced the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's tests, which (I think) are more representative of real-world results.