No, you don’t have to spend $40,000 on a new car, but if you have the budget, it can get you quite the …
No, you don’t have to spend $40,000 on a new car, but if you have the budget, it can get you quite the vehicle. With this budget, you’re open to entry-level luxury cars, SUVs, sedans and more. And that can be a lot to shop, so we wanted to make sure to highlight the best cars under $40,000 on sale today. We’ve already highlighted cars under the $30K mark. With this price cap, the extra dough opens buyers up to several makes and models, including entry-level luxury cars, midsize SUVs, and even long-range electric cars. Here are our editors‘ favorites. (Note: Though all the vehicles listed here have a base manufacturer’s suggested retail price that’s under $40,000, some of them offer fully loaded trim levels that can exceed this price cap.) I’m going with a somewhat unusual choice for this roundup, because I’ve recently spent a fair bit of time in Kia’s Telluride and I’ve been really, really impressed. It’s remarkably good. I think it looks remarkably good, too, though it has definitely split opinion. The ride is on the leisurely side of comfortable, but it really is refined, lulling my passengers to sleep on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, the 3.8-liter V6 provides better-than-adequate power and the eight-speed transmission is responsive and unobtrusive, which is really all you can ask for in an automatic in a rig like this. You can get in a front-wheel-drive Kia Telluride for $33,060 including destination, which is affordable given all it offers. Working within our $40,000 cap, I’d step up to the feature-packed EX trim, which starts at $38,460 and includes Kia’s comprehensive Highway Driving Assist system. Another $2,000 gets you AWD, then you’re just slightly over the $40,000 mark for a big, comfortable SUV that’s as sophisticated to drive as it is to look at. — Tim Stevens Read our most recent Kia Telluride review. I tend to like small, sporty cars. The 2020 Toyota Avalon is neither of those things, so why am I recommending it? Because it’s a fabulously well-done large sedan that’s an epic long-distance cruiser. Its looks may not be for everyone, but there’s no denying its buttery-smooth powertrain and class-above cabin that are among its many strong points. A 3.5-liter gas V6 comes standard with 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, offering plenty of power. An optional hybrid model with an electrically augmented 2.5-liter four-cylinder is available for about $1,000 more, but unless gas prices spike enough to make its mid-40s fuel efficiency act as a salve for its power deficit (176 horsepower,163 pound-feet), I’d recommend sticking with the standard engine. Pricing starts at $36,830 (including destination) for a well-equipped base XLE, with top-shelf Limited models ringing up at just over $42K before options. At that end of the spectrum, you’re looking at an Avalon sufficiently luxurious enough to make you forget all about this car’s costlier Lexus ES twin. Oh, and if that’s not enough to keep you in the Toyota showroom, know this: The Avalon has an infinitely less annoying infotainment interface, plus you can fold the rear seats down.
