Bargain Beauties: The 10 Best-Looking Cars Under $35,000 (2024)

Audi has been on a design roll pretty much ever since the first TT of 15 years ago, so it should be no surprise that the company’s entry-level A3 model makes this list.

The A3’s marriage of smooth curves and sharp creases is particularly well done and makes this small car look bigger—and pricier—than it actually is, particularly from its front- and rear-three-quarter angles. The occupants of the A3 also get to enjoy simple and functional beauty, another desirable and established Audi brand trait.

The 2-series’ dynamic, rewarding, and 10Best-winning chassis (in M235i form) is wrapped in sheetmetal that’s understated, elegant, and athletic, a taut missile waiting to be launched down your favorite back road. The classic short-deck, long-nose rear-wheel-drive proportions provide a great aesthetic foundation, and panache comes from details like the lower-flank sculpting and the sharp upper character line that runs rearward from the front wheel.

A modern Chevrolet Impala making any list of best-looking cars surprised even us, but there’s no doubt the car deserves inclusion. In one of the most dramatic generation-to-generation redesigns we’ve ever seen, this handsome, well-resolved, and dashing full-size sedan replaced a sad, sack-of-potatoes rental special for 2014, and the experience behind the wheel was improved nearly as much, too.

This is the 10th-generation Impala, but it’s the first one that could truly be called dashing since the 1960 model went out of production. Even basic Impalas are handsome, but if you prefer a glitzier look, the top LTZ trim level is available for just over our price cap for this list. We particularly like that version in dark colors like navy or black—the better to show off the extra chrome trim. Chevy’s on a bit of a design roll; if it were on sale, the redesigned 2016 Malibu might have made this list, too.

The Chrysler 200 isn’t particularly competitive in its segment, but that isn’t because it’s ugly. New for 2015, the current 200 looks nothing like its loser, seemingly committee-designed predecessor, having adopted a sultry shape; cool modern lighting signatures; and an actually cohesive aesthetic.

Chrysler offers 200 buyers several different visual flavors from which to choose, including ones with a bit of menace, like the 200S, and classier looks like the 200C.

The hugely popular mid-size-sedan class has received a welcome infusion of beauty in recent years. But while the Ford Fusion isn’t the only car in its segment that makes our list, it is the bestselling car on this entire list, making it particularly visible.

As seen on the last slide, there’s a distinctly Aston Martin–like flair to the Fusion’s face, but that’s not a bad thing (unless, perhaps, you own an Aston). A slinky side view and a smart interior bring together the package nicely.

Ford’s Mustang, with the exception of the slightly awkward Mustang II years, has generally been an attractive car. At times it’s even been a bad-ass-looking car. But beautiful? It could be argued that the European-ish first-generation car was pretty—it was certainly dainty—but the latest Ford pony car truly crosses over the beauty threshold.

The latest Mustang’s squat, low stance, flowing tail, and fastback roofline are simply stunning in person. Looks aren’t the only things that improved with this new Mustang, however, and a fully modern chassis ensures that no matter which engine is selected, every model drives as sweetly as it looks.

Don’t think that because the 10Best-awarded Mazda 3 wears the lowest base price on this list that somehow its looks fall near the bottom of this pretty pile. Not even close. With Mazda’s flowing, neatly detailed Kodo design language, which adorns everything from the CX-3 and CX-5 crossovers to the Mazda 6 and the new MX-5 Miata sports car, the 3 draws the eye from nose to tail.

We, of course, prefer the added practicality of the Mazda 3 hatchback, not to mention its aggressive, shooting-brake-style roofline, but when the only criticism of the sedan is that it looks like a mini-Mazda 6 (which also holds a place on this list), well, clearly it’s beautiful, too. Luckily for enthusiasts, the 3 also comes standard with Mazda’s excellent chassis tuning, a slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox, and a well-appointed interior.

Take what we said about the Mazda 3, and remove any mention of a hatchback, add some size, and you get the 10Best-winning Mazda 6. The automaker’s design language works even better on the longer 6, where the sinewy character lines are given more space to roam. Like free-range chickens, this just works better.

For 2016, Mazda updated the 6 with an improved interior that finally matches the exterior’s wow factor, but the sedan’s sharp handling thankfully was left intact.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA-class is what happens when you shrink a CLS-class, Benz’s ultra-hot (and ultra-expensive) four-door coupe, in both size and price. Riding on a new front-drive architecture, the mini-Benz offers a largely average driving experience and the interior could be nicer given the three-pointed star on the grille, but step back and soak in its gorgeous exterior lines.

The little CLA is a styling triumph, all curves and elegance in spite of its tiny wheelbase. That the CLA manages to largely hide its front-drive proportions is perhaps the real triumph, but either way, Benz needed this car to be a styling knockout. After all, how else do you convince buyers to forgo more practical options at this price point, such as a loaded Honda Accord or Toyota Camry?

In 2009, the VW CC became the first car to bring the fashionable “four-door coupe” body style popularized by the Mercedes-Benz CLS down to a widely attainable price. A look at the cars on this list shows how well that stylistic affectation has caught on—rear headroom be damned.