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"These days you don&amp;#039;t have to be paranoid about rising fuel prices to opt for a smaller car. Forget the annoyance of having to make do with wind-up windows and tinny-sounding stereos (or no stereo at all). Those days are long gone. This new breed of small car has style and attitude to match frugal running costs and easy-to-park proportions.   We&amp;#039;ve chosen six of the best small cars here at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. They range from a sporty &amp;quot;3-door coupe&amp;quot; to an Italian city car that&amp;#039;s cuter than a basket of puppies. An American manufacturer also makes the cut, despite the long dominance of foreign automakers in this highly competitive segment.   Want to spend your money on things other than hefty fuel bills and sky-high insurance rates? Here are some of the smartest small cars on the market (or coming soon):   2012 Hyundai Veloster    The looks are unique and, to be honest, we&amp;#039;re not even sure what to call it. The 2012 Hyundai Veloster is hard to categorize and that&amp;#039;s why we think it could be a hit when it arrives this summer. It might look like a coupe, but the Veloster actually sports three doors: one on the driver&amp;#039;s side, and two on the passenger&amp;#039;s side. It&amp;#039;s much less strange than it sounds, and credit Hyundai for making the asymmetrical design look so cool.   There&amp;#039;s a lot going on in the shape, with perhaps a few too many air intakes and scoops (some of them fake) in the front. Yet we believe many people will love the Veloster simply because it takes a chance at being different. Hyundai says the direct-injected 138-bhp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine will offer &amp;quot;at least&amp;quot; 40 mpg during highway driving. With an estimated base price of $17,000, the Veloster should have plenty of buyers willing to take a chance on this funky 3-door.   2011 Ford Fiesta    Nimble, attractive and fun to drive. For years you might have automatically associated &amp;quot;foreign-built&amp;quot; to these fine attributes. The 2011 Ford Fiesta hatchback and sedan are bucking the long tradition of weak-willed domestic small cars. Designed with the global market in mind, the Fiesta has a handsome shape (especially in hatchback form) and driving manners that meet, or exceed, the competition.   With a starting price of just over $13,000, the base Fiesta is a bargain that doesn&amp;#039;t sacrifice its driving soul for economy. The 120-bhp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder is efficient (39 mpg on the highway) and offers enough power to keep you zipping along in traffic. Higher up the Fiesta food chain, you&amp;#039;ll find options like a power moonroof and Ford&amp;#039;s  Sync in-car connectivity system, which permits hands-free calling and voice controls for other vehicle functions.   2012 Fiat 500    Face it; nobody is going to buy a Fiat 500 because of its power. The 101-bhp 16-valve 1.4-liter four is fine, most of the time. But passing another vehicle on a two-lane road should only be done with plenty of patience and lots of room. So what does the Fiat 500 have more than the competition, or even cars costing double its price? The answer: style. Sure it can get cramped with four onboard, but this adorable little 2-door can&amp;#039;t help but make you smile when you see it.   A Mini Cooper has sharper steering, but the softer ride and handling combination of the Fiat 500 is still plenty fun. And like a Mini\u2014or Toyota&amp;#039;s youth-oriented Scion brand\u2014one of the keys to the Fiat 500 is its high degree of customization. You can add stripes, larger alloy wheels, Italian flag decals, and even an in-car perfume dispenser. Fuel economy in the mid-30s is also pretty good. Just be wary with the options since range-topping 500s can break the $20,000 barrier.   2011 Mazda2    With weight trimmed down to approximately 2300 lb. (for the 4-door Touring model), the Mazda2 is light and incredibly nimble. There is a lot of Miata DNA in this economy car&amp;#039;s genes. Even at parking lot speeds you can&amp;#039;t help flicking the steering wheel left and right, simply for the fun of it. The electric-assist power steering lets you know exactly what this front-wheel-drive hatchback is up to all the time. Our biggest complaint is that the 100-bhp 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine can feel breathless on the highway.   There is decent room in back for two adults\u2014although they might start complaining if the trip is of any considerable length. The cabin is simple to master with all major controls logically positioned. And with the most expensive model coming in at $17,230, the Mazda2 is quite the bargain.   2011 Honda Fit     Now in its second generation, the Honda Fit continues to be a benchmark when it comes to blending roominess and driving dynamics in one small package. The cab-forward design of the Fit gives it a modern look, while providing plenty of room onboard for people and all their stuff. The functionality of the rear &amp;quot;Magic Seat&amp;quot; continues to impress us. Fold the seat back down, or the rear cushions up...the Fit offers up to 57.3 cu. ft. of cargo room.   It&amp;#039;s also fun to drive, thanks to its sharp steering and a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder that (true to Honda tradition) simply loves to be revved. The zippy Fit Sport now comes with stability control as standard equipment. However, one technical demerit is Honda&amp;#039;s reliance on cheaper rear drum brakes for the entire Fit range.   2011 Nissan Versa           The Nissan Leaf electric car seems to be grabbing all the headlines and, we&amp;#039;ll admit, never having to fill up a gas tank by choosing an EV is an exciting prospect. Yet with the cheapest Leaf costing more than $33,000 (before federal and state incentives) it&amp;#039;s hard not to make a serious case for the budget-friendly Nissan Versa. Available as a sedan and 4-door hatchback, and with a choice of frugal 1.6 or 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engines, the Versa has features you&amp;#039;d never expect to find in a small car.   Navigation and a 6-disc CD player are some of the high-end options. Even better is the fact that six airbags are standard on all models\u2014while ABS is standard on all but the base sedan. Ironically, it&amp;#039;s the base model that has captured some headlines of its own. With a starting price that barely squeaks past $10,000, at certain times the Nissan Versa has been the least expensive new car for sale in the U.S. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/chicago-auto-show/news/a16915/small-cars-big-attitude/>