Kunal D’Souza
First choice: Toyota Corolla Hybrid
2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid at Neil’s Harbour, N.S.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The venerable Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time with more than 50 million copies sold since 1966. It’s a car that just works no matter where it is in the world and especially in the tight confines of a congested city with endless construction, terrible roads and limited parking.
Corollas are considered the affordable car benchmark, starting at around $28,000 before taxes. They are easy to drive, easy to park and very efficient. Unlike some other so-called subcompact cars, the Corolla is actually small, about seven centimetres shorter than a Honda Civic.
The $31,000 hybrid version is rated to consume just 4.4 litres of fuel every 100 kilometres in the city, and it’s at its most efficient in slow moving stop-and-go traffic where the electric motor is of most use. It’s also one of the most reliable cars you can buy with a hybrid system that has a reputation for being nearly bullet-proof. You’d be hard pressed to find a better car for driving in any city, no matter where you are.
Second choice: Subaru Crosstrek
The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek has a more athletic look than the previous generation, but essentially the same engine.Jason Tchir/The Globe and Mail
Cities are notorious for bad roads, especially in places such as Toronto and Montreal where harsh winters wreak havoc on asphalt. The $33,400 (plus taxes) Crosstrek has a long-travel suspension, 22 centimetres of ground clearance and an all-wheel-drive system that was specifically designed for rough roads. It’s also a vehicle that has great outward visibility and is easy to manoeuvre and park.
Miranda Lightstone
First choice: Mini Cooper
The new Mini Cooper S has a new look and feels like a small car.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
If you want to actually enjoy your commute – and fit in a parking spot no larger than a postage stamp – the Mini Cooper, starting at $34,990 before taxes, is your only logical choice.
The latest generation even offers a Parking Assistant Plus option that will steer the car into the tightest of spots for you. It’s not just a car; it’s a lifestyle upgrade. Nothing matches the Mini’s “go-kart” handling, either, or the TwinPower turbocharged engine that produces 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. It’s plucky, precise and lets you hit apexes on your way to the office like you’re at Le Mans.
In a city where space is at a premium, the Mini’s compact footprint is a superpower. You can zip through traffic while those behemoth SUVs struggle to fit anywhere. Plus, that cheeky, bespectacled grille always manages to conjure up smiles.
Second choice: Volvo EC40
Volvo EC40Jonas Ingman @ Bruksbild/Courtesy of manufacturer
If the Mini is the “go-kart” of the city, the $59,950 Volvo EC40 is its sophisticated, electric sibling that graduated with honours from design school.
At just 4,440 centimetres long, it’s actually shorter than a standard hatchback, making it a dream for navigating tight underground parking or squeezing into a spot on any downtown street. But don’t let the compact footprint fool you: it packs a punch. The dual-motor version serves up a massive 402 horsepower, giving you more than enough zip around town.
Mark Richardson
First choice: Hyundai Kona / Kona EV
The 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric has a range of 420 kilometres.Jason Tchir/The Globe and Mail
The sub-compact Kona is not the smallest Hyundai – that would be the Venue that’s $5,000 cheaper – but it’s the most well-rounded of the two. Hyundai calls it an SUV but it’s really more of a hatchback and that makes it surprisingly spacious inside. City cars need to carry groceries and bags of mulch and sometimes bicycles, and the Kona has room for them and also for at least two large people inside the cabin.
It’s been around for eight years and is now on its second generation. The latest edition was designed as an all-electric car that can also be powered by gas or hybrid engines, though there’s no hybrid model sold in Canada – it’s small enough already that it really doesn’t save much gas.
The basic car is well equipped at just under $30,000 before taxes and you can bling it out for an extra $10,000 with a peppier turbocharged engine or, if you can charge at home, spend $47,000 on the all-electric edition with a range of more than 400 kilometres.
Second choice: Mazda3 Sport
2024 Mazda3 SportCourtesy of manufacturer
The Sport version of the Mazda3 is the hatchback, but it lives up to its name and is great fun to drive. The 250-horsepower 2.5-litre turbo is the engine to get for the curving roads outside of the city, but the regular 191-horsepower engine does just fine for getting you around; it’s almost $9,000 cheaper, coming in around $26,000 plus tax. Fold those back seats down and you can carry extra stuff, but leave them in place and the Sport feels like a more expensive car than it really is. Most important, it drives like one, too.
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