US News Made Their Choices, But Who Really Makes The Best Car For The Money?

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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david999 - 1/25/2011 2:05:41 PM

+4 Boost

Funny how the VW GTI is considered upscale.

Willis - 1/25/2011 7:08:56 PM

-3 Boost

Funny how the Toyota Harrier, whoops, Lexus RX, is considered upscale!

mlamike - 1/25/2011 2:17:07 PM

-2 Boost

Why pick the Civic, when the only way to get VSC is on the top model. Not everyone looking for a compact car can afford the top model. VSC is second only to seat belts in saving lives.I think that cars sporty credentials are either over rated or over shadowed by the noise and harsh ride, tight back seat and twitchy steering. Kia, Hyundai, Ford and yes Toyota make a better value for the money in this class. Especially Toyota with free maintenance for two years. VW, Mazda, Scion and Subaru make sportier better handling cars for the same cost or less with VSC standard across the line.

Chark - 1/26/2011 8:19:19 AM

0 Boost

When miamike talks about Toyota's free maintenance for two years, does that include all of the recalls?

I think there are some better choices than what is on this list.

toolatetorace - 1/26/2011 10:24:55 AM

0 Boost

Now if toyota would offer free pick up and delivery for recall problems , that would be a plus

DallasTheo - 1/25/2011 2:58:15 PM

0 Boost

Interesting list--certainly not in synch with other "best of" list for this model year. I wonder, since US News doesn't test but just aggregates the opinions/tests of others, how they come up with their ratings and their list??? Anyone know the answer?

g2ok - 1/25/2011 3:30:02 PM

0 Boost

What's the difference between mid-size car and family sedan. Seems like the same segment.