Recently the experts at Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com announced their picks for the Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. The vehicles that made Kelley Blue Book’s 2008 list are more fun, more practical and more amenity-laden than ever before, today’s entry-level vehicles deliver more than simply affordable and efficient transportation.

“The vehicles on our Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 list are very fun to drive and feature-filled; first-time buyers and frugal down-sizers have never had it so good,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “Manufacturers are finding ways to nicely equip their entry-level vehicles while still keeping the price reasonably low, and consumers are reaping the benefits more and more each year.”
In choosing the 2008 list of Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000, the kbb.com editors used the same set of criteria that consumers in this category would use: safety, fuel economy, interior size, comfort, technology, the vehicle’s fun-to-drive-factor, as well as the decidedly subjective “cool” factor.

Here’s what they came up with:

2008 Ford Focus- $14,942
2008 Honda Fit-$14,585
2008 Jeep Patriot-$15,894
2008 Mazda3-$16,799
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer-$14,396
2009 Pontiac Vibe-$15,895
2008 Scion xB-$16,351
2008 Subaru Impreza-$17,375
2008 Suzuki SX4-$15,164
2008 Volkswagen Rabbit-$16,088

All vehicle’s on the list can be purchased for less than $18,000.