Budget cars: the Honda Fit leads a new generation of thrifty little cars.(Buyers guide)

Cars such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla began as small and frugal vehicles. But with subsequent redesigns, their dimensions and prices grew until they began to rival those of previous-generation midsized cars.

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The gap is now being filled by a new crop of tiny cars such as the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris (the Echo's successor), which are about 20 inches shorter than the Civic and Corolla. As a group, these cars provide fuel economy that's second to only a few diesels and hybrids.

We tested the 2007 Fit, Yaris, and Nissan Versa, along with the redesigns of the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio.

For this test, we bought two versions of each car: a less-expensive manual hatchback and a better-equipped automatic sedan. Prices ranged from $12,569 for the Yaris hatchback to $16,675 for the Versa with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

We also tested a Ford Focus ZX3 (see CloseUp on facing page). Recent incentives have lowered the price of this bigger hatchback to near that of the cheaper ones here.

All of the cars had standard side-curtain air bags, except for the Yaris, which has them as an option, and the Focus, which doesn't offer them.