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2009 Acura TSX

Here we have a very sporty and fuel-efficient near-luxury sedan. The TSX, based on the European Honda Accord, is a nimble and quick four-door powered by a 201-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with excellent fuel economy (10.5 litres/100 km city and 7.0 highway). Later this summer Acura will introduce a V-6 version.

The TSX is also safe. It is a Top Safety Pick by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Best of all, though, it has become more and more affordable. In 2008, the TSX had a base price of $36,200. In 2009, the base car is down to $32,900. And there's more. Acura also has a $2,000 factory-to-dealer rebate on the TSX and a lease rate as low as 2.9 per cent.

Down the road, owners will like Acura's resale or residual values. According to Automotive Lease Guide (ALG), a three-year-old Acura holds 45 per cent of its original value, which is the second-best residual of any brand in Canada and No. 2 among luxury brands, too (Infiniti at 46.4 per cent is No. 1).

2009 BWM 128i Coupe

What a great-looking little coupe ($33,900). Long nose, short rear deck, minuscule overhangs front and rear. And the 128i drives beautifully. It's like a 230-hp go-cart. We very much like the handling, the braking, the steering; all are spot-on tight. Given so much power is available, the inline-six-cylinder gets pretty decent fuel economy, too: (10.5 city/7.0 highway).

As for safety, the 1-Series has not been crash-tested by the IIHS, but the 3-Series on which it is largely based is a Top Safety Pick. We would expect the 1 to perform as well when and if it is tested.

As for affordability, a couple of points. If you can find any leftover 2008s around, BMW did have a $5,000 incentive called "Alternate Cash Back." The 2009 version has a $2,000 incentive on it, making this sexy little pocket rocket a very affordable buy — relatively speaking.

Leasing might not be a bad option, either. The monthly price should be very good and this route gives the residual issue to BMW Canada. Here's the key point: ALG says the 1-Series leads its segment in terms of three-year residual, at a whopping 53.8 per cent. Such a big number will cut the monthly payment down to size.

2009 Honda Fit

What a brilliant little grocery-getter with a starting price of $14,980. The Fit is a five-door hatchback, which by definition makes it a flexible little family runabout. But Honda's engineering types went a long way to making cabin space as useful as possible. The rear seats flip and fold in all sorts of way, the better to make loading easier. The 117-horsepower four-banger is strong enough and gets brilliant fuel economy (7.2 city/5.7 highway).

There is also good news from the IIHS. The Fit is a Top Safety Pick, with a good rating even for headrest protection in a rear impact.

Obviously the sticker price makes the Fit affordable, but a check with pricing service carcostcanada.com shows there is more to the story. Honda owners, or anyone living in the same household with a current Honda owner, are eligible for a $1,000 loyalty bonus on a lease or purchase. That offer can be combined or "stacked" with a $500 factory-to-dealer incentive.

Oh, and ALG says the Fit has the best 48-month resale value of any vehicle in entry compact segment — 42.5 per cent.

2009 Subaru Impreza

At $20,995, the '09 Impreza's list price is down from the '08 at $21,595. That's a very good price for an all-wheel-drive hatchback known to be very reliable and very safe. The Impreza is a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS and a Recommended Buy from Consumer Reports.

The 170-horsepower four-cylinder is powerful enough for almost any normal job, and fuel economy at (10.6 city/7.5 highway) is pretty good for a car that can send power to all four wheels — all the better for winter driving or a trip to the cottage.

Given all the left-brain, rational reasons in favour of the Impreza, it's no surprise that resale values are good — 45 per cent of retained value after four years, according to ALG. And Subaru has an $1,800 cash incentive on the car in some parts of Canada, as well as lease rates as low as 0.9 per cent. Very affordable.

2009 Dodge Grand Caravan

The list price of the base Grand Caravan is $27,195, but that's not the transaction price. And it's the transaction price that makes this minivan so incredibly affordable — really an outstanding value if you need space to carry kids and cargo.

Chronicling the discounts is tricky; they change constantly based on market conditions. And make no mistake; market conditions for the Grand Caravan are very much in flux. That is, aside from the obvious economic issues, minivans are declining in popularity as baby boomers have aged and moved to the end of their child-rearing days.

But as recently as this week, Chrysler was offering as much as $6,700 in incentives, plus another $1,500 in free options or cash back, plus zero-per-cent financing. The Chrysler Canada website, chryslercanada.ca, is very helpful as a source of pricing info, as is carcostcanada.com.

In any event, the Grand Caravan is a completely functional, totally serviceable and quite nice to look at. On the affordability index, it's a 10 out of 10.

2009 Pontiac G8

The G8 ($32,450 base price) may be on the list of least-appreciated good cars of all time. This is a very good, very responsive, very pleasing-to-drive rear-wheel-drive sedan with some real performance to it. Unfortunately, rear-drive sedans just aren't so popular now and Pontiac is a fairly weak brand. So buyers are being cautious.

Nonetheless, the 256-hp V-6 in even the base car is a fine engine. Modern, responsive and given the performance, quite fuel-efficient: 12.2 city/8.0 highway.

The point is, the G8 is the most affordable rear-drive sedan, period. GM Canada has a $6,500 rebate on the car and it can be combined with certain other offers. Add in the Total Package Option — XM satellite radio, zero-per-cent financing and a bunch of other odds and ends — and buyers should be able to walk away with a loaded-up G8 in the $25,000 range. Outstanding affordability.

2009 Volkswagen Rabbit

The Rabbit is not cheap for a five-door hatchback at $20,975, but it's highly affordable for such a sophisticated, well-finished compact. The Rabbit will hold its value well, too. Volkswagens in Canada, according to ALG, will hold 37.2 per cent of their value after four years.

VW Canada is sweetening the deal with a finance rate of 1.9 per cent over three years, and a 2.9 per cent lease rate for three years. New graduates can also claim a $750 cash rebate.

Really, the Rabbit is an eight- or 10-year purchase, though. This is a very solid, responsive car with a 170-horsepower, five-cylinder gas engine. The cabin is beautifully finished and the seats are comfortable for hours. And the IIHS has given the Rabbit a Top Safety Pick

2009 Nissan Murano

The Murano ($37,648)is a very elegant fuel-efficient four-door crossover. Power comes from a V-6 rated at 265 hp, yet fuel economy is quite respectable at 11.8 city/8.7 highway — given this is a tall wagon with a 1,588-kg towing capacity.

Nissan is careful with the wheeling and dealing, but to boost affordability, there is up to $2,000 in cash incentives out there. Now, when you see that ALG predicts a four-year residual of 40.7 per cent and the IIHS says the Murano is a Top Safety Pick, the appeal grows substantially.

2009 Toyota Rav4

So far this year the RAV is Canada's eighth-best-selling light truck. With a base sticker price of $26,555 for the four-wheel-drive crossover SUV, it is reasonably positioned, price-wise. But what really sells the RAV is an excellent quality history, safety features and a design that has earned the RAV an IIHS Top Safety Pick and, of course, Toyota's residual values. As a brand, ALG says, Toyota's residuals are second only to Honda's among mainstream brands (40.4 per cent for Honda, 39.4 per cent for Toyota).

The base engine in the RAV is a strong, 179-hp, four-cylinder. It's all the power you'll need unless you are towing something large. Fuel economy (9.7 city/7.2 highway) is very good and the RAV uses regular gas.

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer

The Lancer ($16,598 base price), a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, may be the most stylish compact sedan available today. It's a pleasure to wheel about in this car. The 152-hp four-cylinder engine is strong and responsive, the steering, braking and handling quite sporty. Fuel economy (9.4 city/6.7 highway) fits a strict budget nicely, also.

And from the view of affordability, it's a buy. Mitsubishi has an $800 incentive on the car, which brings the starting number down below $16,000. Finance rates of zero per cent for up to four years sweeten the affordability story, too. A lease rate of 2.8 per cent for three years is good, too.