Does everyone have a "best car" list? It seems so sometimes. I just found that the Automobile Club of Southern California does and that the list is very interesting. One might think that the list was based on which cars Auto Club customers called to have towed, but that isn't the basis of this list. The equivalent of the Auto Club in Germany does offer such a list every year.
The list of top cars and trucks is based on acceleration, braking, cargo capacity, comfort, driver's environment (whatever that is), fuel economy, handling, ride, value, and "wow factor". Note that there are no comments about the cars at all in the list and there are no statistics to support the choices. There is another list following this one of Best Family Cars and I will comment on that later.
The best car under $15,000 is the Mazda 3. This is a great choice as it would be my choice in this category too. It is probably the least like a refrigerator a person could pick for less than $15k. From the first car on the list, it looks like the Auto Club thinks like we do! They didn't go for ultimate reliability here, because Hyundai with their very long warranty would have been attractive, and so would the Toyota Corolla.
The best car for $15,000 to $20,000 is the Honda Accord. I would dispute this choice for just one reason. The only Honda Accord that has a list price in this range is the stripped down DX four-cylinder model. All the other Accords are priced above $20k. I do like the Accord, but it seems like it doesn't fit here. Also it is pretty much of a refrigerator.
The best car for $20,000 to $25,000 is the Chrysler 300. Again, this is a price problem. The only Chrysler 300 for less than $25,000 is the "plain" 300 without options. The Touring model starts at $27,720 with no options. The Chrysler 300 is a great car, but not the base model. All the car magazines said that it is drastically underpowered. The V-8 powered 300C is priced above $30k without options. So I would question putting this car in this category. But given it is here, it is a rear-drive car in a mass of front-drivers. Congratulations to the Auto Club for recognizing the least-refrigerator car in the class.
The best car for $25,000 to $30,000 is the Infiniti G35. Okay, I'm not sure how the Auto Club picks the cars versus price. There is no G35 listed in the Kelley New Car Blue Book that has a list price with no options below $30k. Maybe the best thing here is to just ignore the prices, or just add $5000 to everything. The Infiniti is another rear-driver, so I will congratulate the Auto Club on a very good pick. It really is a good driver and a great value.
The best car for $30,000 to $35,000 is the Volvo S80. Hmmm. How did this one get here? Again, the price is too high, but here is a real refrigerator. Maybe the Auto Club needed a boring car that doesn't sell very well here in Southern California just to see if everyone was paying attention.
The best car for $35,000 to $40,000 is the Lexus GS300. I will argue with this choice because they had to make the selection based on the old GS300, not the new one. Yes, the price is just under the limit, but why choose a car that is only available as a lame duck. And how can you choose a car based on publicity and not on driving it? Also for just $200 more, you could buy a BMW 525, which is a much better driving car.
The best car for $40,000 to $50,000 is the Acura RL. This is one I will heartily disagree with, but at least the price is in the right category. It is interesting that reliability is not one of the criteria of selection, though I suspect that they just forgot to include it in the list. I cannot think of anything that the RL is really good at. Yes, it is a good compromise of a lot of things, but there are certainly a lot of cars from BMW, Audi, or even Lexus that are better than the RL in this price category. And all of them are less like a refrigerator.
The best car for $50,000 plus is the Jaguar XJ Long Wheelbase. This is a very perplexing selection. The Jaguar is really a good car, but in this classification there are an awful lot of other really good cars. Most people would choose the Audi A8 over the Jaguar without reservation. Another interesting choice is the stunningly gorgeous Maserati Quattroporte. It is almost like the Auto Club judges are sitting there thinking that they need to pick a different manufacturer for each selection.
The best SUV for under $30,000 is the Ford Escape Hybrid. This is the obviously trendy selection without considering the economics of the purchase. None of the studies I've seen can justify the extra price of a hybrid based on fuel saving dollars. And if you discount that, the Ford Escape really isn't all that great compared to the competition. In this class, give me the Hyundai or Kia instead with its long warranty and lots of "kit".
The best SUV for over $30,000 is the Volvo XK90. This is a popular selection with the public. It is a very good seller, in fact it is over half of Volvo's sales. But give me a break. This is a very versatile station wagon, not an SUV. To me, an SUV needs to be off-road capable, and the Volvo will venture down a muddy road and not much more. In this category, give me the Volkswagen Touareg. It is nicer inside than the Volvo and really can go off road if you need to or want to. It is just slightly more expensive than the Volvo, but doesn't offer a third row seat.
The best minivan is the Honda Odyssey. I would have disagreed with this only a few weeks ago, but after reading several comparison road tests, I will agree with the Auto Club pick. The Dodge Caravan has a much more versatile interior, but the quality is really awful. The Honda is simply the best package even if it does drive like a 1970 Buick.
The best truck is the Honda Ridgeline. This is an awful selection. The Ridgeline is not a truck. It is a car that wants to be sort of like a truck. If a buyer really needs a truck to tow things or carry things, the Honda is a poor selection. It does neither well. It does carry passengers very well, but is that why people select a truck? If you need a truck, pick something like a Ford F-150. Car and Driver just did a comparison and picked the Ridgeline over other "mid-size" trucks. Even they said they picked it because it drove better, but others really were better trucks.
The best cool car is the Ford Mustang. For the money, there is no other choice other than perhaps a MINI. I recently read an article that some rental car companies are paying near list price for Mustang convertibles because they are so desirable in their rental fleets. Ford really hit the bulls-eye with the update to the Mustang.
Now to the best of the family cars. This selection list was made with Parents magazine and had some different criteria. These were selected based on reliability, value, style, convenience, comfort, road performance, and safety.
Since I've written a lot already, I won't make a lot of comments about these other than to say that I find the selections both interesting and obvious.
The best economy cars are: Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Scion xB. All I will say here is that the list goes from the mundane to the ridiculous.
The best sedans are: Chrysler 300, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry. Did we miss the Ford Five Hundred? Not in Southern California!
The best station wagons are: Ford Freestyle, Mazda 6, and Subaru Legacy. Interesting classification since none of the manufacturers call them station wagons.
The best minivans are: Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna. This is obvious.
The best SUVs are: Dodge Durango, Volvo XC90, and Nissan Murano. Funny, I'd call the Murano a station wagon.
Okay that is the extended Auto Club list of highest-ranked cars and trucks. Isn't it an interesting list?
