SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Some cars offer great value while others excel in particular features such as cargo space or in-cabin technology. But which vehicle would consumers buy if money wasn’t an issue? Edmunds.com offered its opinion this week with its list of “The 17 Best Cars You Can Buy.”

“This list answers a question that we get all the time: If you could pick any car in a given segment, and money wasn’t an issue, what car would you choose?” says Edmunds.com Automotive Editor James Riswick. “Sure, many of the cars on this list cost a pretty penny, but guess what? It usually costs more to get the best.”

A total of 14 brands appear on the list, led by Toyota with three vehicles and Honda with two. Highlights of Edmunds.com’s “17 Best Cars You Can Buy” include: 

· Best Subcompact:2013 Mini Cooper – “The Mini Cooper is the far superior subcompact car. It's better to drive, better made and better to behold. The Mini is a car that is desired regardless of its size, and in some cases because of it.”

· Best Midsize Sedan:2013 Nissan Altima – “In total, the Altima is the nicest to drive, the easiest to use and cheapest to fuel. When it comes to a family sedan, those qualities make it the best.”

· Best Luxury Sedan:2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class – “Not only is the recently redesigned S-Class the best luxury sedan you can buy, one could certainly argue it's the best car in the world… The design is supremely elegant, the materials exquisite and the feature content truly staggering.”

· Best Convertible:2013 Bentley Continental GTC – “When [the roof is] lowered, the cabin remains notably serene with the wind deflector in place, so your driving companion's immaculately crafted coiffure will remain unfussed. The Bentley Continental represents top-down motoring at its absolute finest.”

· Best Sports Car:2014 Chevrolet Corvette – “The all-new C7 Corvette has been transformed into a 100-percent genuine, world-class sports car that looks great, goes like hell and is built to a standard that now warrants its price.”