What Should Santa Drive on Christmas Eve 2011?

Rudolf and the reindeer are on strike – they want more work than just one day a year. Santa needs wheels to deliver millions of toys, games and electronics to little little boys and girls, and to grown-up kids around the world. So what should Santa drive?

Reliable is a necessity, because all those little and big kids are depending on Santa to deliver. According to Consumer Reports, the 2012 Lexus CT 200h hybrid hatchback is the most reliable new car, and gets top marks, as well, for being fuel efficient.

Lots of passenger and cargo space is a necessity. These wheels must be big enough to hold Santa’s family of Elves doing last-minute gift-wrapping and list-checking in the passenger compartment. Chrysler invented the minivan, so knows a thing or two about carrying a family of small people, whether they are elf-like kids or kid-like elves. The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country has wide, easy-open doors, roomy seating, and lots of built in cubbies for storage.

Santa’s wheels has to be easy to get the presents out of the vehicle easily. I recommend the 2012 Ford Escape SUV, with a new hands-free power liftgate that opens and closes with a simple kicking motion under the center of the rear bumper.

Without Rudolph with his nose so bright, Santa also needs a vehicle with bright headlights, even one with a night vision package. 2012 Mercedes-Benz models have an optional night vision package, to help him spot obstacles in the dark, like a deer on the side of the road. The 2012 Subaru Legacy has an all-weather package that adds heated exterior mirrors and a windshield wiper de-icer.

Four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive is another necessity, to help prevent Santa from slipping off a snowy roof while he slips down a chimney. The Audi Quattro system is available in most models, including the 2012 Audi Q5 SUV and 2012 Audi A8 luxury sedan.

Since Santa has many stops to make in a limited amount of time, a state-of-the-art navigation system is another necessity, with hand-free voice-activated controls, so he can let Mrs. Claus know what time to expect him home for breakfast. That would be the Ford MyTouch system, with so many features that it will take him until next Christmas Eve to use them all.

Affordable is another necessity, since Santa has spent so much on gifts this year that he doesn’t have extra income to waste. There are more than one dozen 2012 cars for less than $20,000, including the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, with an easy-to-read dashboard configuration, 2012 Ford Fiesta and 2012 VW Jetta.

And it must be a safe car, since Santa himself is just as precious as the cargo he carries. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety publishes ratings for every vehicle model. Vehicles must rate high in four different crash tests to earn the top safety rating.

Since Santa is hoping that Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer will be back for Christmas Eve 2012 and he won’t need to use the car again, he should drive one that has a high residual resale value. He should check out Lease Trader and Kelley Blue Book before buying, to find out which cars retain their value best.

Finally, Santa deserves to be pampered. I recommend the 2012 Hyundai Equus sedan, 2012 Infiniti G35 sport coupe, or the 2012 Cadillac CTS sport wagon, for lots of luxury and style for the price.

So what should Santa drive?  You can track Santa’s around-the-world trip on the special NORAD Santa site, or on Google Earth.

This article written by Evelyn Kanter was published originally on Yahoo Voices.