Whether needing a sedan for transporting the kids or a wagon for getting the surfboard to the shore, four-doors, hatchbacks and station wagons become a necessity at some point in most people’s lives. For 2006, automakers are offering everything from the Dodge Charger SRT-8 that can haul a quintet around faster than anyone needs to travel, to the Kia Rio5 which offers sporty styling and ample storage at a reasonable price, to the Buick Lucerne – a car most likely to be found parked outside the bingo club on Wednesday night. Whatever your needs may be, there are plenty of new choices for 2006.

The exciting news for hot rod aficionados has to be the introduction of the resurrected Charger nameplate, and in the SRT-8 model the installation of a 425-horsepower Hemi V8 motor.