If you are paying cash instead of financing it, setting your budget to a vehicle that would have cost 10% of your take-home pay for a car payment is also a good idea. This way, you are not depleting your resources by buying a car that takes up too large of a portion of your total wealth.
Your vehicle can be a critical component for your job or side hustle. Therefore, it is essential to consider how far your commute is, and if you drive it during your work, this becomes even more important.
As a general rule, everything is more expensive with a larger car. Even the tires are more costly for a higher weight rating. So you will want to take into account how often you will be carrying multiple people or extra gear with you.
It would seem that fuel economy is often viewed with too much importance or not enough importance when purchasing a new vehicle. Usually, fuel economy is at the top of the list of important factors when buying a car or barely makes the radar.
With vehicles, there are tons of trade-offs. Getting more amenities within your budget will likely mean getting a smaller car. The practical advice would be to get the best platform you can afford and skip the amenities.