SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com recently unveiled its 2010 New Car Buying Guides, where it named the Top Recommended Vehicles across a wide variety of segments.

The guide also features the "What You Should Know before Buying" section that offers segment-specific tips to shoppers.

"You're ready to buy a new vehicle, but how do you go about narrowing down the choices?" asked Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com.

"Consumers can really use a friend in this overwhelming process," he continued. "Our buying guides give them the benefit of our extensive experience testing and researching every car on the market."

The following are the Top Recommended Vehicles, broken down by segment:

—Sedans Under $15,000: 2010 Honda Fit and 2010 Hyundai Elantra.

—Sedans Under $20,000: 2010 Mazda MAZDA3, 2010 Suzuki Kizashi and 2010 Ford Fusion.

—Sedans Under $25,000: 2010 Honda Accord, 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and 2010 Toyota Prius.

—Sedans Under $30,000: 2010 Buick LaCrosse and 2010 Volkswagen CC.

—Sedans Under $35,000:  2010 Hyundai Genesis, 2010 BMW 3 Series and 2009 Infiniti G37.

—Sedans Under $50,000: 2010 Cadillac CTS and 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. 

—Sedans Under $60,000: 2010 Jaguar XF and 2010 BMW M3. 

—Sedans Over $60,000: 2010 Porsche Panamera, 2010 BMW 7 Series and 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

—Compact Trucks: 2010 Nissan Frontier and 2010 Toyota Tacoma.

—Large Trucks: 2010 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 and 2010 Toyota Tundra.

—SUVs Under $25,000: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, 2010 Honda CR-V and 2010 Toyota RAV4.

—SUVs Under $35,000: 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, 2010 Volvo XC60 and 2010 Mazda CX-9.

—SUVs Under $45,000: 2010 Audi Q5 and 2010 Toyota Sequoia.

—SUVs Over $45,000: 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2010 BMW X5.

—Wagons Under $20,000: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and 2010 Kia Soul.

—Wagons Under $30,000: 2010 Ford Flex and 2010 Subaru Outback.

—Wagons Under $40,000: 2010 Cadillac CTS and 2010 Audi A4.

—Wagons Over $40,000: 2010 BMW 5 Series and 2010 Audi A6.

—Minivans: 2010 Honda Odyssey, 2010 Toyota Sienna and 2010 Kia Sedona.

—Hybrids: 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Lexus HS 250h and 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid.

—Diesels: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, 2010 BMW 3 Series and 2010 Volkswagen Jetta.

—Convertibles Under $25,000: 2010 Mini Cooper and 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

—Convertibles Under $35,000: 2010 Ford Mustang and 2010 BMW 1 Series.

—Convertibles Under $45,000: 2010 BMW 3 Series and 2010 Nissan 370Z. 

—Convertibles Under $60,000: 2009 Porsche Boxster and 2010 Chevrolet Corvette. 

—Convertibles Over $60,000: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and 2009 Porsche 911.

—Coupes Under $20,000: 2010 Mini Cooper and 2010 Honda Civic. 

—Coupes Under $30,000: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe and 2010 Ford Mustang. 

—Coupes Under $40,000: 2010 BMW 3 Series and 2010 Audi A5. 

—Coupes Under $60,000: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and 2009 Porsche Cayman. 

—Coupes Over $60,000: 2010 Audi R8 and 2010 Porsche 911.

 Edmunds.com also included its Top Recommended Vehicles for Mobility Challenged Drivers in 2010, as follows:

—Sedans: 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Chevrolet Impala and 2010 Ford Taurus.

—Wagons and SUVs: 2010 Honda Element.

—Full-Size Vans and Minivans: 2010 Ford Transit Connect, 2010 Chrysler Town and Country and 2009 Dodge Sprinter.

Top Rides for College Students

In other news from the company, Edmunds.com took a look at the vehicles that are the most popular among the college crowd. Basically, it unveiled the results of its Consumers' Favorites survey of the best cars for college.

Taking the No. 1 spot was the Mazda3, which commanded a third of the votes.

"At the top of the class with 33 percent of the votes is the athletic and affordable Mazda3," Brauer shared. "Taking the Salutatorian honor is the Honda Fit, which is fun to drive and boasts an amazing amount of interior room within its small footprint.

"And finishing third is the new kid in the class, the Kia Soul, whose funky styling and enjoyable driving dynamics are as endearing as a professor who makes learning fun," he added.

The complete top ten Consumers' Favorite Cars for College, with Edmunds.com True Market Value price included, are as follows:  

1. Mazda3, $19,846.

2. Honda Fit, $16,870.

3. Kia Soul, $17,253.

4. Nissan Cube, $16,925.

5. Scion xD, $16,086.

6. Kia Forte, $18,134.

7. Toyota Yaris, $14,426.

8. Hyundai Elantra, $17,631.

9. Suzuki SX4, $17,207.

10. Nissan Versa, $15,993.