KBB, the Kelley Blue Book people, have named the 2009 Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. They say that these cars are actually cooler than they ever have been before and are more affordable with more features.

This year’s list actually has an emphasis on personality, and many of the models features that we probably thought were outlandish..but now we’re accepting most of those features as being “cool”.

KBB says that “for 2009, three vehicles - Kia Soul, Nissan cube and smart fortwo - are all-new to the ‘Coolest Cars’ list, and two of this year’s repeat winners - Honda Fit and MAZDA3 - have undergone redesigns. The MAZDA3 is the only model that can boast about being named a Coolest New Car Under $18,000 by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com for six years in a row, which also is every year since the car’s inception. A worldly bunch, the 2009 Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 list includes vehicles from companies based in the United States, Japan, Korea and Germany.”

They go on to say that they chose cars using the same set of criteria that we do: safety, fuel economy, interior size, comfort, technology, the vehicle’s fun-to-drive-factor, as well as the decidedly subjective “cool” factor.

The editors compiled the list of qualifying vehicles using Kelley Blue Book’s New Car Blue Book Values, which reflect real-world transaction prices and provide a more useful comparison point than Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). Every vehicle on the list can be purchased for less than $18,000.

Here’s the list of the 2009 Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000:

2009 Ford Focus
2009 Honda Fit
2010 Kia Soul
2010 Mazda MAZDA3 i Sport
2009 Nissan Cube
2009 Scion xB
2009 Smart Fortwo
2009 Subaru Impreza 2.5i
2009 Suzuki SX4
2009 Volkswagen Rabbit S