U.S. News Cars released today its third annual Best Car for the Money awards, available online at http://usnews.com/cars-money.
These awards recognize 18 vehicles that earn the highest marks for overall value and appeal within their respective categories. To select the award winners, U.S. News has combined its newly released 2011 car rankings with total cost of ownership data provided by TrueCar.com.
The winners of the 2011 Best Car for the Money awards are listed below:
Sub compact Cars :
Ford Fiesta
Compact Cars :
Honda Civic
Hatchbacks:
Honda Fit
Midsize Cars:
Chevrolet Malibu
Family Sedans:
Ford Taurus
Upscale Compact Cars:
Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Sedans:
Buick Regal
Hybrid Cars:
Toyota Prius
Sports Cars :
Mazda MX - 5 Miata
Compact Crossover/SUVs:
Mitsubishi Outlander Spor t
Midsize Crossover/SUVs:
Chevrolet Traverse
Full Size SUVs:
Chevrolet Tahoe
Luxury Compact Crossover/SUVs:
Infiniti EX35
Luxury Midsize Crossover/SUVs:
Lexus RX 350
Minivans :
Kia Sedona
Wagons:
Hyundai Elantra Touring
Compact Pickup Trucks:
Suzuki Equator
Full Size Pickup Trucks:
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
"The most intriguing thing about the award winners is how diverse they are," said Jamie Page Deaton, Managing Editor for U.S. News Cars. "No single automaker has a lock on long-term value. In fact, there are a number of surprising winners that should be on the short list of any new car buyer."
The U.S. News car rankings provide an unbiased comparison of each vehicle to its competitors, helping shoppers identify the best cars in each category. Rankings are based primarily on the balanced, diverse opinions of hundreds of professional auto critics, which are blended together to create a consensus about each car.
TrueCar data is among the most timely and comprehensive in the industry, providing average transaction prices over the past 30 days and five-year total cost of ownership including depreciation, maintenance and insurance.
"Consumers should be aware that the purchase price is only one factor to consider when buying a vehicle," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com. "Knowing the five-year ownership cost can really help understand the long-term value of a vehicle."
Combining this data with U.S. News car rankings allows each model to be compared by its overall appeal for the money.
For complete information about this year's Best Car for the Money winners and the awards methodology, visit http://usnews.com/cars-money . For more information about the total cost of ownership and other related data, visit truecar.com.
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