The bad news for today’s workforce? Some 42 million people face a morning commute of at least 30 minutes, while the trip to work takes at least a full hour for 7 million drivers. The good news? Toyota offers three products—including the top-ranked vehicle of them all, the Prius—on this year’s list of “Best Cars for Commuters,” as put together by the experts at Forbes magazine.
The list represents the 11 vehicles from among Consumer Reports’ “Recommended Picks” that best cater to the needs of commuters by having the optimum combination of highway fuel efficiency (as reported by CR testing), front legroom and front headroom.
Toyota’s winners included:
Prius—Praised by CR for its “firm, steady ride and roomy rear seat,” the Prius also remains one of the most fuel-efficient cars in America. It’s certified by the EPA as able to achieve up to 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway/50 mpg combined, while the publication reported an observed mark of 55 mpg in recent testing. It’s surprisingly spacious, too, with 38.6 inches of front headroom and 42.5 inches of front legroom.
Camry Hybrid—Offering all the features that made the standard Camry the best-selling car in America last year—including 38.7 inches of front headroom and 41.7 inches of front legroom—the Camry Hybrid also leverages an efficient powertrain, including a continuously variable transmission, to attain EPA ratings of 31 mpg city/35 mpg highway/33 mpg combined—and a CR observed rating of 41 mpg highway.
Corolla—Significantly refreshed for the 2011 model year, the Corolla provides a surprisingly high level of content despite its modest MSRP, as well as front head- and leg-room measurements of 38.8 inches and 41.7 inches, and EPA ratings of up to 28 mpg city/35 mpg highway/31 mpg combined. And that latter performance was notably improved on in CR testing, which delivered a mark of 40 mpg highway.
In other words, if you have to drive to work, it pays to drive to your local Toyota dealership to check out this top trio first.
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