Top 5 Least Expensive Cars To Insure In 2011

We've been here before, both in 2009 and in 2010. Insure.com does a wonderful service for the American populace by tracking insurance rates across the United States, finding average figures for average drivers, and breaking this down by specific models and trim lines. (You'll notice The Good Car Guy broke through the trim line gobbledygook to find a more complete list free of multiple Toyota Siennas below.) It's important to remember, however, that as much as the vehicle matters when it comes time to get a new insurance quote, your automobile insurance policy will be affected most by you, not your vehicle. Don't be the guy with a bunch of speeding tickets who can't resist risky behaviour like tailgating on the Pennsylvania Turnpike or weaving on I-95.

Auto insurance providers consider three things when finding a price for your yearly policy: risk, risk, and risk. Sure, they delve deeper into your driving history and the rating of the vehicle than that, but it all translates as one thing.... risk. If this vehicle is in an accident, how probable is the chance of high cost of repairs? By living in this neighbourhood and commuting to this workplace, how likely is it that this driver will be in an accident, and if so, will his vehicle be expensive to repair? How much damage will his vehicle do to the opposing car? Naturally, your insurance representative doesn't stare into the abyss to figure out the answers to these questions. In fact, Insure.com possesses the type of information on typical drivers in these machines to answer those some questions, all things being considered equal. So says their website: "A vehicle’s premiums for collision and comprehensive coverage are largely determined by that vehicle’s 'loss history,’ meaning the frequency and severity of claims that are typically filed for that model by other drivers."

So why did three minivans crack the top five? The three biggest reasons relate to the on-road nature of the typical minivan driver (not aggressive), common safety features as standard equipment, and the environment in which they're driven. Not normally used for commuting, minivans can typically be found cavorting in suburban areas with parents who are conscious of their precious cargo. This doesn't mean that you, with your speeding tickets and three fender benders from 2010, won't pay way more than $1091/year for an automobile insurance policy on a new 2011 Mazda 5. 

One more thing to be mindful of: the daily cost difference between insuring the winner on this list and the most expensive vehicle to insure in America, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, is less than seven dollars. Chances are, if you have the money for an AMG-fettled SL-Class Benz, you can afford the $6.74 extra per day in insurance over the ex-Daimler minivan slotted in below at #1. Here then are the Top 5 Least Expensive Vehicles To Insure In 2011. 

#5 - Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: $1131.27
#4 - Nissan Murano: $1127.89
#3 - Honda Odyssey: $1114.62
#2 - Toyota Sienna: $1100.66
#1 - Chrysler Town & Country: $1091.80

How did Insure.com figure all this out? Quadrant Information Services sought out the average premiums for a single 40-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit. Rates from State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, Farmers and Nationwide were calculated in ten zip codes per state. Our male driver commutes 12 miles to work and has $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injures, and $50,000 for property damage along with a $500 deductible for collision and comprehensive. The rate also takes into account uninsured motorist coverage. Insure.com is very careful to point out, "Your rate will depend on your personal factors."

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 5 Cheapest Cars To Insure In 2009
Top 5 Cheapest To Insure In 2010
Minivan Sales In America - 2010 Year End

WATCH THE 2010 TOYOTA 4RUNNER GO OFF-ROADING

Suitably impressed with Toyota 4Runner visuals since last Friday, The Good Car Guy drew more attention to the merits of Toyota's hardcore midsizer earlier today when listing the occupants of the truck-based SUV market of 2009. In the short clip below, you can watch the 4Runner do what it's meant to do but will rarely do: off-road. Four-by-fouring, folks. Getting dirty.

GM SAYS "NO GO" FOR DENALI XT PRODUCTION - HONDA SAYS "GOOD THINKING"

News from Autoblog (via Automotive News, somehow via General Motors) that GMC will not build a unibody pickup truck like the Denali XT concept from the 2008 Chicago auto show is not surprising. Other than a handful of products from Ford Motor Company, almost every car, all crossovers and most SUVs on the market make use of a unibody. Trucks, however, are typically built using body-on-frame "technology".

Theories persist that using a monocoque structure for a truck could work. Despite necessary sacrifices in payload and towing, the gains in ride & handling and fuel economy would pay off, right? Right?

As Autoblog points out, the only truck out there with unibody construction is the Honda Ridgeline. Honda's truck will get'cha one measly extra mpg in the city over the a typical Chevrolet Silverado 4x4.

Perhaps a stronger argument against mass production of unibody pickups is the sales, up to this point, of the only unibody pickup truck. The Good Car Guy, aka Timothy Cain, wrote extensively on this subject at LemonFree.com just last week. The Dodge Ram, which is far and away not the best-selling truck in America, sells more than twelve times as often as the Honda Ridgeline in 2009.

Is there no place for monocoque architecture in the truck world of tomorrow? Certainly not as a major player from a major truck manufacturer. As a niche product catering to a different kind of truck buyer, the Ridgeline can continue and a company like Ford, GMC, Dodge, or Toyota could make a simple but not very profitable run at 25,000 units per year.

"MAY THE BEST CAR WIN" SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLAN FROM GM

The ad you see embedded as an image in the right side of this post came to my attention earlier today. To be honest, at the time I noticed the GMC Terrain ad it was beneath this morning's post on the Honda CR-V. Of course, I didn't click it (that would be illegal, or at least immoral, by Google's standards) but I grabbed a screenshot and headed over to GM.ca.

There are two reasons I find this kind of advertising to be perfect to be perfect for the "new" General Motors. We've all seen the tv commercials with Ed Whitaker talking about great new veehickles and the company's desire to stand behind their products. And I greatly respect GM's desire to express confidence by offering customers the option of returning their vehicle inside 60 days. (Am I allowed to do that more than once? Ha!) To my own internal advertising response meter, the brief tagline beneath the ad which appeared on GoodCarBadCar.net and surrounds numerous vehicles @ GM.ca sends an even stronger message.

No, it doesn't sell the veehickle. But it does make me think, "Hmm, I should go take that veehickle for a drive". For many of my friends, family members, and acquaintances - and readers - the last decade of GM veehickles haven't done a decent job of getting them to the dealer, let alone buying the car once there.

General Motors is now saying, "May The Best Car Win". Well, shouldn't we at least take them up on the offer of exploring the possibility that their veehickle may be the best. They do, after all, sound as though they're okay with customers buying a Honda or Toyota if the Honda or Toyota really is the best. GM just doesn't think you'll find the Honda or Toyota to be the best. And by expressing such confidence in their veehickles, I become tempted to take their products seriously.

Which is when the 60-day money back guarantee kicks in. "May The Best Truck Win" sells me on the idea. "If it hasn't won you over, we'll take it back" sells me on the reality.

Remember, GM isn't applying this incentive to Hummer (to be sold), Saturn (sold), Saab (sold), or Pontiac (dead and/or dying). Rather obviously, GM doesn't stand behind those products as firmly. Though not completely suggesting that the new Buick LaCrosse, GMC Terrain/Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac CTS, or Chevrolet Camaro are "the best cars", it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that GM's veehickle lineup is a whole lot better than it was just last year. Hyundai didn't become a huge automaker by backing away from its cars and saying, "They're cheap". Hyundai provided gigantic warranty coverage instead. GM won't sell enough cars if all their commercials ever tell you is "Get this Chevy for a whole lot less money than the foreign jobbie down the street".

GM has begun to walk the walk. Might as well talk the talk, as well.

BIG TICKET ITEMS THE NEWEST LABEL ON GOODCARBADCAR.NET

Encompassing posts on GoodCarBadCar.net all the way back to July 11th of 2007 when ultra-luxury websites were reviewed, the new Big Ticket Items section of GCBC groups together the articles directly related to super-expensive cars. Subjects typically include Ferrari, Bentley, Bugatti and their ilk. In this zone, vehicular subjects are very expensive and exclusive; the kinds of cars that form dreams.

Inspiration for this new section comes from the high number of Big Ticket Items being introduced in recent weeks. McLaren's MP4-12C and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG are two. Ferrari introduced the 458 Italia in late July and Rolls-Royce debuted their "cheaper" Ghost eight days ago. These cars, most especially, contributed to the need for a restricted area of GoodCarBadCar.net. As of today, 120 articles can be found therein.

SATURN IS DONE IN CANADA

From Autoblog comes news from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's French division, Radio-Canada, that Penske will cause Saturn to cease in Canada.

General Motors-owned Saturn, transferring into Roger Penske's hands, only sold through 60 dealerships in Canada before everything went kaboom this year. Apparently, half of those dealers had already decided to forego continuing as Saturn sellers. Near GoodCarBadCar Towers, one local Saturn dealership had only a handful of used vehicles on their lot just a few days ago. Now comes this news: Saturn appears to be done selling cars in Canada.

Just 20 years ago Saturn was telling Canadians that they'd "reinvented the automobile". Rather obviously, Saturn hadn't reinvented anything but the buying process - to a degree - and was forced to sell aging models.... for a very long time. Now that Saturn's lineup is starting to resemble something competitive, General Motors has severed its bond and Penske is saying, "U.S. Only".

CAMARO MUSTANG CHALLENGER COMPARISON VIDEOS

In the four videos you're about to watch, Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Consumer Reports, Edmunds' Inside Line, and AutoWeek each compare the Chevrolet Camaro with the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Although it's tempting to give away the outcome of each (they don't all agree), it's far more enjoyable for the viewer to wait for it and enjoy disagreeing with the editors. Just don't disagree with all five results. That makes you look.... bellicose.

WATCH NISSAN 370Z SYNCHRO REV MATCH TRANSMISSION EXPLANATION

Sometimes the most ingenious inventions are the most obvious, most simple, most I-probably-thought-of-that-myself-ten-years-agoesque ideas possible. Think of the Nissan 370Z's new transmission function, the Synchro Rev matching manual gearbox. Forget heel and toe: the 370Z does it for you. As your left leg depresses the clutch, Nissan's tranny is thinking ahead to the appropriate rev point for the insertion of the next gear. It never misses.

The videos below will help you better understand the wonders of Nissan's Synchro Rev transmission. On upshifts, downshifts, any kind of shift, the 370Z will make you look like Kunimitsu Takahashi.

WATCH TOYOTA VENZA VIDEO FROM EDMUNDS INSIDE LINE

Since Toyota introduced the Venza as an alternative to their flock of SUVs The Good Car Guy has been pleasantly surprised - both by Toyota's willingness to add some flair, and by the Venza's ability to make the Camry more forgettable. The Venza is quick and efficient; handsome and intriguing; Toyota-like in all the best ways.

This Edmunds.com Inside Line review is worth listening to and definitely worth watching. Getting a feel for the Venza's versatility will help anybody who's close to trading in a clunker on a new Camry. Check out the Venza too instead.

WATCH NEW GOLF GTI IN ACTION

Upon the introduction of the fifth generation of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the MKIV disappeared like off-off-white on light beige. The presence - and newly reincarnated reputation - of the GTI we've enjoyed the last few years was something to behold; especially given the base car's blaa profile.

Can generation six one-up the reinvigorated GTI? Can it reinvigorate the reinvigorated one? Engines remain the same. Much of the architecture goes unmodified. Watch the video below to see if the new Volkswagen Golf GTI has added presence on the road.

WATCH SMART FORTWO COMMERCIALS

Numerous times over the last few days I've had to describe the spaciousness of GoodCarBadCar.net's long-term smart fortwo. Its twelve cubic feet of cargo capacity is equal to the space inside a Honda Civic's trunk; more capacity than can be found inside the trunk of a new Mazda 3.

Up front where real people spend their time, the smart's legroom is only an inch shy of the Civic's total. Headroom in the fortwo is superior.

Looking back at the older, smaller first-generation smart fortwo (the 450) in this commercial, it's not hard to decipher the ad's meaning. The second advertisement may not be suitable for children, depending on their age and temperament - but it's a hilarious way for smart to establish the fortwo's safety cred.

LAPTIMES FROM evo ISSUE 133

The general feeling at GoodCarBadCar Towers leads to suggesting that the good folks at evo Towers in some Shire of England that the number of timed lapt performed in production cars around the Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit must increase. Far more telling than 0-60 stats provided by magazines around the world, laptimes show the true performance capability of a vehicle. Take the GTI and RenaultSport below, for example: not only is the little Renault quicker than the Golf; it's more than two seconds quicker than its predecessor, the Clio 197. Laptimes deliver this type of info. 0-60 numbers tell a short story. Check out previous evo laptime reports right here.

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Renault Clio 200: 0-60mph in 6.6 seconds

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds

Audi R8 V10: 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds

Porsche 911 GT3: 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds

Renault Clio 200: 1:32.0

Volkswagen Golf GTI MK6: 1:32.4

CHEVROLET EQUINOX WEBSITE FORBIDS THE GOOD CAR GUY FROM COMPARING EQUINOX WITH TERRAIN

Behind every post on GoodCarBadCar is a lot of Build Your Own time on automaker's websites. For some future pieces, this involved a trip to Chevrolet.com's Build Your Own Equinox section. This morning, clicking Build Your Own resulted in.... nothing. Instead, I figured Competitive Comparison might do the trick. Only Competitive Comparison instantly brought up the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Ford Escape.

One click on Compare to Similar Vehicles should allow for something more direct: the new Equinox with the 2010 GMC Terrain. Check out the screenshot of what followed when I clicked the aforementioned link this morning.

C'mon, a simple, "Not Acceptable Behaviour At This Time", would have been fine. Maybe a Yield sign with an arrow directing me to the Terrain's website. But Forbidden? "You don't have permission?" This is like a No Trespassing sign.

I'm hurt.

GOODCARBADCAR.net PHOTOGRAPHY IV

Every now and then The Good Car Guy supplants the normal manufacturer-supplied pictures normally seen on GoodCarBadCar.net with photography from The Good Car Guy and, more frequently, The Good Car Girl. Click here to look through previous posts with GoodCarBadCar.net photos.

Below, you can see a refreshing Esso-made drink perched accurately in front of the license plate of GoodCarBadCar's new long termer. The Ford F250 HD was seen parked at a famous kitesurfing locale in Prince Edward Island, Princetown Point. Finally you'll see the multitude of keys on The Good Car Guy's Monaco Grand Prix keychain. If you can't decide what to send me for Christmas, you've plenty of time to start saving for this Hasselblad H3DII-50.

NEXT NEW FONT: TOYOTA IQ

Naturally, the connection between driving and writing remains strong here at GoodCarBadCar.net. Driving, after all, is what The Good Car Guy does. Quite clearly, writing is also what The Good Car Guy does.

Strengthening the link between driving and writing is Toyota's iQ.... along with some intelligent and talented people. Check out the new iQ font in the clip below.

iQ font - When driving becomes writing / Full making of from wireless on Vimeo.

WATCH THE FIAT PANDA 4X4 IN ACTION OFF ROAD

Earlier today, The Good Car Guy sated your appetite for more knowledge of future Chrysler products with a look at the dimensions of the Fiat Panda 4x4; a vehicle that could become the Jeep Phoenix. Now it's time to see said vehicle in action. Pitted against one of the loveliest automobiles on the planet, Land Rover's Range Rover, the tidy Panda proved its mettle in an off-road comparo.

How many North Americans take their off-roaders off-roading? Few, hardly any, barely a handful. However, as a disingenuous Jeep, the Fiat must make up for its heritage with credibility. Check out this Fifth Gear clip to see how the Panda 4x4 makes out in a muddy quarry. For more extreme off-road footage of the Panda 4x4 and the Range Rover, have a look at the second clip. You may be unable to understand the spoken words.

1 KEN BLOCK + 1 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI + 1 ABANDONED AIRFIELD = 1 WICKED VIDEO

I've watched figure skaters who couldn't complete the kind of turns Ken Block hooks up in this Impreza STi. Ken Block is sick. This 530-horsepower '06 WRX STi is sick. The sound of the boxer four-cylinder in this video makes the viewer very glad that no music was added. Sure, Mr. Block touches one barrier, but we're gonna say he meant to do so. Some very impressive skills are displayed in the video below, and you will want to hang around for the full 4:27. Defying physics? The Good Car Guy isn't qualified to render that verdict. Simply put, this is the new best car video on the web. Watch it. Then watch it again. Then watch this other Subaru vid where Ken Block is playing around with snowboarders on the side of a mountain.

GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM TRIES TO HELP CNN READERS UNDERSTAND AUTOMOTIVE CRISIS

Shared background of the Governor of Michigan and The Good Car Guy: Canadian birth, Norwegian ancestry, childhood in America. Considering Gov. Jennifer Granholm's nation of birth, it is unfortunate that she's unaware of Canada's significance in the oil consumption of the United States. Apart from that and some straight-up exaggeration on the whole plug-in hybrid phenomenon (General Motors calls the Volt an electric car with a range extender), Gov. Granholm's op-ed piece on CNN.com is more than interesting. It's a must read.

Earlier today, CNN's media partner at Time offered up some Numbers on what the automotive bailout consists of.... potentially. Gov. Granholm offers up some more. The most-telling fact Granholm uses to make her position is that "U.S. automakers buy more U.S.-made steel, aluminum, iron, copper, plastics, rubber, electronics, and computer chips than almost any other company". 

KIA SOUL AD - TWO MORE CLIPS

The Good Car Guy just revealed, via YouTube, two of Kia's early Soul promo videos. Check them out here. Two more are below. Man, but don't it look good?

KIA SOUL AD - TWO CLIPS

Act surprised, if you like, that Kia's early promotion of the Soul isn't based more significantly on the vehicle. Apparently Kia wants to warm you up to the name. That's fine with The Good Car Guy. The Soul is just so good-looking, is going to be such good value, and apparently feels good and drives alright, too. What more want ye? More clips are coming, but for now, check out the first two found on YouTube. Remember, because the Soul won't be on sale until after January 1st, it won't be eligible for The Good 12.