Just in time for the opening of classes throughout the country, CNN Money recently released its selection of the seven best college cars. Choosing the best from today’s crop of new, low-priced car models is not an easy task. The team at CNN Money found that there is a surprising number of options available for the college student or the recent college grad even though they restricted their choices to cars with a starting base sticker price of below $16,000. CNN Money’s criteria for choosing the best college cars include great fuel economy, functionality and safety and size. Based on these, here are the seven best college cars according to CNN Money, ranked from the lowest to highest base price:

Nissan Versa - $12, 450

Scion xA - $12, 780

Dodge Caliber - $13,425

Ford Focus - $13,450

Mazda3 -$13, 710

Honda Fit - $13,850

Kia Sportage - $15,900

Source

Scion has already successfully established a name for itself by introducing hip and cool vehicle models that are geared towards the young mainstream buyer. Currently, Scion has three unique models in its vehicle lineup – the xA, xB and the tC. All three vehicles share the same appealing, youthful, and forward-looking design as well as renowned Toyota quality and high performance. At the recently concluded 2006 New York International Auto Show, Scion once again showcased its leadership when it comes to funky styling and cool youth-oriented features with the launch of what is billed as its newest sports coupe icon, the Scion FUSE Concept.

The Scion FUSE was developed jointly by Toyota and Five Axis, the creators of most of Scion’s avant-garde concepts. It is inspired by the Hako Super GT racecars that compete in the JGTC series in Japan. It features a sweeping wraparound windshield inspired by a race helmet, funky styling akin to other Scion vehicles, sensor-activated Lambo doors, dual exhaust outlets that include reverse lamps and fog lights, programmable headlamps and fog lamps, two 10.5 inch LCD screens on the dash that conveniently turns off and stays off while the car is in motion and many more high-tech thingamajigs.

Yup, the Scion FUSE is definitely one cool concept. However, there is such as a thing as too much technology and this concept is a blatant example. It is simply not practical. Also, it is unlikely that most of the FUSE concept will be seen in future production vehicles. Well, the concept did succeed in its primary objective which is to be, to quote from Scion, “a styling exercise that presents a discussion starting point for Scion owners and other Gen Y consumers with an eye towards a versatile sports coupe”.

Kelley Blue Book recently named the top ten coolest new vehicles priced under $18,000. With the average price of a new vehicle at over $25,000, this list is an excellent guide especially for new car buyers who think that there aren’t any cool cars, trucks, and SUVs below the $18,000 price mark. The editors of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com first put together a list of all the new vehicles available at $18,000 then picked the top ten coolest from the list. Coolness refers to a wide range of characteristics and values such as performance, reliability, styling, versatility, economy, comfort or any combination of these. The vehicles on the list definitely offer quite a good mix of these values.

Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelly Blue Book’s kbb.com remarked that “While everyone bemoans the fact that new cars are so expensive these days, we found a wide variety of cool, fun-to-drive vehicles that are still affordable. We settled on the $18,000 price point, because it offers most buyers a monthly payment of less than $350 over the course of a five-year loan.” The 2006 Yaris, Toyota’s best seller in Europe and the least expensive vehicle in Toyota’s current line up, was the least expensive cool car on the list with an MSRP of $14,630. Meanwhile, the 2006 Toyota Scion tC was the most expensive at $17,640. So if you are planning to buy a car, these choices are definitely worth considering.

Here are the top ten coolest new cars priced under $18,000: