CHICAGO, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used cars, has named the 2013 Nissan Sentra the most affordable compact sedan. Taking into account compact sedans equipped with features like automatic transmission, cruise control, USB input, remote entry, tilting/telescoping steering and steering wheel audio controls, and then adding five years of fuel costs, the experts at Cars.com compiled a list of 11 compact sedans, ranked from most to least affordable.

"The redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra topped the list with its affordable price tag, generous feature offerings, and low fuel costs," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com's Editor-in-Chief. "With an estimated $8,000 in fuel costs for five years, the Sentra topped out at just $27,180, which is about $2,000 less than the average compact sedan over the same period of time."

The Cars.com experts found the following results in their compact sedan affordability research:



       Model & Trim
           Level                  Options            Tested Price      Fuel Cost       Total
       ------------               -------            ------------      ---------       -----

        2013 Nissan
         Sentra SV           Driver's Package                  $19,180          $8,000       $27,180
        -----------          ----------------                  -------          ------       -------

       2013 Hyundai
        Elantra GLS          Preferred Package                 $19,410          $8,500       $27,910
       ------------          -----------------                 -------          ------       -------

        2013 Toyota
         Carolla LE        No additional package               $18,975          $9,250       $28,255
        -----------        ---------------------               -------          ------       -------

     2013 Honda Civic
             LX            No additional package               $19,755          $8,500       $28,225
     ----------------      ---------------------               -------          ------       -------

     2014 Kia Forte LX        Popular Package                  $19,100          $9,250       $28,350
     -----------------        ---------------                  -------          ------       -------

      2013 Ford Focus
             SE            No additional package               $20,090          $8,750       $28,840
      ---------------      ---------------------               -------          ------       -------

        2013 Mazda3
           iSport          No additional package               $20,020          $9,000       $29,020
        -----------        ---------------------               -------          ------       -------

        2013 Subaru
        Impreza 2.0i
          Premium          No additional package               $21,065          $9,000       $30,065
        ------------       ---------------------               -------          ------       -------

     2013 Chevy Cruze
            1LT            No additional package               $20,456         $10,000       $30,465
     ----------------      ---------------------               -------         -------       -------

      2013 Dodge Dart   Bluetooth, Popular Equipment
          SXT 2.0                  Group                       $20,830         $10,000       $30,830
      ---------------  -----------------------------           -------         -------       -------

      2013 Volkswagen
          Jetta SE          Convenience Package                $22,225         $10,500       $32,725
      ---------------       -------------------                -------         -------       -------

"When shopping for a compact sedan, the number $20,000 stands out as the price shoppers in this class should remember," said Olsen. "There are five compact sedans on our list that are both well-equipped and well-reviewed for less than that price. So if you've got your heart set on a car that costs more than $20,000, make sure there is a valid reason to pick it over the more affordable options."

To read expert and consumer reviews of compact sedans and other cars, visit www.Cars.com/research. To learn more about the most affordable compact sedans visit blogs.cars.com.

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SOURCE Cars.com