Thanks,Newby. But the Scion is not available here or my kind of car and the Matrix does not come with side curtain airbags - otherwise it would be a serious contender for me.

It's not about fuel economy; that's just shorthand for CO2 emissions for me. I want to know, when the last polar drowns, that I at least made an effort.

So, the Corolla gets good fuel economy, and therefore is ok. It's not as good in a crash. The Camry is better in a crash, but the CE uses more fossil fuels. The Hybrid contributes less Co2 and has the higher safety...but it's large for the city, and I am uncertain about the trunk, and am wondering about performance, having read those Consumer report tester comments. But not as much, thanks to the above contributions.

WS