Annually, AutoWeek magazine publishes the results of its reader poll for the best vehicle in various categories. I thought we should take a look at the winners and whether or not we would have picked the same winners for the LA's Best.

AutoWeek is published by Crain Communications. Crain is headquartered in Detroit and publishes dozens of trade publications both in and outside the automotive industry. Its Automotive News weekly publication is the mainstay must-read for most automotive executives. While AutoWeek is Detroit-centric, it has a broad readership as evidenced by the letters to the editor. Here are the results of the poll:

Exotic Car:

1. Ford GT
2. Porsche Carrera GT
3. Ferrari F430

Sports Car:

Chevrolet Corvette

Lotus Elise

Porsche Boxster

Luxury Car:

1. Audi A8
2. Maybach 57/62
3. Cadillac STS

Best Sedan:

1. BMW 3 Series
2. Chrysler 300
3. Infiniti M Series

Best Coupe/Convertible:

1. Ford Mustang
2. BMW 6 Series
3. Infiniti G35 Coupe

Best People Mover:

1. Honda Odyssey
2. Dodge Magnum
3. Cadillac SRX

Best SUV:

1. Porsche Cayenne
2. Volkswagen Touareg
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee
   

Best Economy Car:

Mazda 3

Honda Civic

Audi A4

If you look at this list, I think some of the choices are just readers' favorite vehicles rather than ones that belong in certain categories. For example, the Dodge Magnum is no great "people mover". It seats four comfortably and can squeeze in five people -- if absolutely necessary. I love the Dodge Magnum too, but since there was no category for Best Sports Wagon (as there should be), it landed under "People Mover". Readers simply wanted to vote for the Magnum because it is a cool wagon with a Hemi V8.

In LA, the Toyota Sienna would be either number one or two on that list. I don't like the new Honda Odyssey. The production model lacks overall design cohesiveness. I'm not impressed with the interior fit and finish either. However, that doesn't negate the fact that it's selling very well for Honda and seems to have the Honda "Mojo" with it. [Honda Mojo is defined as a Honda vehicle that loyal Honda customers will buy without even a test drive.] For third place, there may be a tie. I have seen just as many Kia Sedona minivans as I see the Chrysler Town & Countries. While I do see the quite a few copies of the Cadillac SRX running around, it too may belong in the SUV or Sports Wagon category. It doesn't carry any most other mid-sized sedans -- four comfortably, five in a squeeze.

Let's go back to the top of the list -- Exotic Cars. I think the Ford GT is a car that everyone wants to love. But Ford had to stop production and recall all GTs on the road to fix a critical link in the suspension that could break and cause sever damage to the car, driver and others. It was fixed, but there are so few of these cars in the hands of private owners that they are indeed a rare sight, even here in LA. The current favorite exotic around here has to be the Lamborghini Gallardo. Last year, it was the Lamborghini Murcielago. So The Gallardo would be first, the Ferrari F430 second and Porsche Carrera GT third.

It seems that every year, the Corvette has to be the Best Sports Car. You know, the GM noise machine certainly has done everything in its power to showcase the Corvette in every automotive magazine in the world. However, I find it's more of a novelty for old men rather than a serious sports car. The Lotus Elise is also a fun novelty car. It's an expensive tuned-up Toyota Celica. I like it; but, there are other more serious choices for sports cars. The new Porsche 911 Carrera would be at the top of my list. Porsche's engineering depth is second to none. The boys in Weissach needed to make sure that the new 911 was the most accomplished 911 to date in order to atone for the perceived sin of the Cayenne. The new Carrera really shines in just about every category -- and sales have jumped to a much healthier level. I see them everywhere here.

Second, I'd go with the BMW M3. Even as it's being replaced by the New 3, this car is BMW at its best. We love them here. In third place, I'd select the new Porsche Boxster. As with the 911, the Boxster's interior is vastly improved, both in ergonomics and quality of plastics. The exterior styling changes are almost imperceptible to all but the Porsche devotee. It's good, but very subtle. I guess we are supposed to accept this as a slow evolution of the mid-engine Porsche. All is forgiven because the Boxster is a joy to drive.

The Luxury Car segment has some interesting choices. I agree with the choice of the A8 as the best large luxury sedan. Audi's interior is the benchmark for all others. While the Audi A8 doesn't sell nearly as well as its Mercedes or BMW rivals, it is at or near the top of the class in performance, luxury and quality. In LA, the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series would be number two and three. I have no idea how the Maybach got any votes in this category. It's ugly and while the reviews rave about the rear seats, it's barely a player in this segment. It's a rare sight here in LA, let alone anywhere else in the country.

The GM noise machine and the Detroit folks must have had enough votes to push the Cadillac STS to third place. Around here, the STS is almost non-existent. It's priced too high and at that price level, the Germans and Japanese offer much more attractive candidates.

Since I have always disliked the current generation S-Class, I'm going to toss it out of my top 3 pick. It doesn't live up to the promise of the best Mercedes has to offer. The Maserati Quattroporte is one of the most stunning 4-door cars ever to come out of Italy. With help from both Ferrari and Audi, the Quattroporte is moving art -- inside and out and even under the hood. What else could someone want?

The Best Sedan category has some interesting choices. I like all three entries. I don't know if the new BMW 3 has earned its spot at the top, but hey, I can go with that. Although in LA, when looking at the top three sedans, I'd expect to see the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-Series and Lexus LS or GS as top picks.

The BMW 3 is all new in 2005 as a 2006 model. It wears sheet metal that shows a clear evolution of the Chris Bangle styling cues introduced a few years ago with the 7 Series. I haven't driven it; however, it's visually appealing and instantly recognizable as a BMW. It's larger in all dimensions and I see no reason why it won't be as popular as the last 3. I see the Germans winning first, second and third place in LA: BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Audi A4 are the most popular choices.

It must have been a foregone conclusion that the Ford Mustang would top the Best Coupe/Convertible category. Yes, Ford's new Mustang is a genuine hit with very strong, profitable sales. But is it really the best in this category? No. BMW's new 6-Series is the hands-down winner here. It was beautifully conceived and executed and screams "expensive, powerful and comfortable". You can practically hear a German engineer commanding you to like this car.

Mercedes has two great coupes/convertibles with the SL and the all-new SLK. Both of these retractable hardtop two-seat coupes are very popular and common sights around there. The new SLK is such a dramatic improvement over the last coarse entry, that there is a lot to like about it. On the other end of the spectrum, the MINI Cooper convertible is more of an LA thing than the Mustang. Even with a poor record for repairs and initial quality, we love the MINI here. I've seen so many cute MINI convertibles with great color combinations that each seems to be unique. So for 2005, my winners are the BMW 6-Series, the Mercedes SLK and the MINI Cooper convertible.

I'm not a fan of SUVs. [Just full disclosure here] However, there is no escaping the segment's popularity. I was surprised, but pleased, to see the Porsche Cayenne at the top of this list. If I had to have an SUV, I wouldn't mind sitting in the Cayenne Turbo's cockpit surrounded by $100,000 of German engineering. I hated the Cayenne when it came out. I, along with many others, thought it would be a bad move for Porsche. Over time, I've come to accept and even like it. It has presence not seen in any other SUV save the Range Rover. It also has the best-sounding exhaust notes of any SUV.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn't belong on this list. It simply isn't a strong enough entry to warrant residual praise. However, the new Land Rover LR3 (the replacement for the Discovery), is a stand out entry for 2005. There are so many improvements and innovations that it screams notice me. I give it second place. For third place, Mercedes came back strong with the second generation ML. If you park the old one next to the new one, it's easy to see that the new one is completely different. And of equal, if not higher importance, the ML's interior is the most improved feature. Mercedes needed a really good SUV this time around and the new ML certainly fits the bill.

The Best Truck category isn't very controversial, unless you happen to be GM. I agree that Ford's F-150 is the best entry in the full-size truck category. And the Nissan Titan in third place isn't surprising for 2005 because the initial quality and fit/finish problems Nissan experienced at their new truck plant in Tennessee were swiftly corrected by management. However, the Dodge Ram seems stale and the interior is no better than a Chevy or a GMC truck. I think that here in LA, we'd substitute the Toyota Tundra as second place. The Toyota is a good choice for its strong V-8 engine, solid build, decent interior, slightly smaller size and great resale value.

Next year, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Honda Ridgeline on this list. I drive by the Honda dealer in Hollywood several times a week and Ridgelines are moving quickly. The Ridgeline pushed the hot-selling Odyssey right off the top corner sales ramp and hasn't changed given up that spot since it went on sale two months ago.

Finally we get to the Best Economy Car. The AutoWeek winners are very interesting. I am a huge fan of the Mazda 3. It offers tons of upmarket features for a very reasonable price and the styling sets apart from its competitors. By contrast, the aged Civic is a compact rolling refrigerator. I think people voted for it just because you are supposed to love the Civic. The Honda Civic has lost its Honda Mojo. Gone are the days of avant-guard styling and quirky, but lovable Honda features. The Civic is due to be replaced this year and it doesn't belong on this list.

So how did the Audi A3 make it on to this list? I doubt Audi is pitching it as an economy car, although, for its size and weight, it gets pretty decent EPA gas mileage. Perhaps the A3, which I like very much, belongs in the aforementioned Sports Wagon category. I'll leave first place with the Mazda 3 because it is that good and it deserves recognition. However, much as I hate to say it, in LA, the Toyota Prius is hands-down the most popular "got-to-have-it" economy car for people of all income levels. It has that futuristic look that captured the hearts of genuine environmentalists and the Hollywood part-timers who want to make a statement.

Third place goes to the new Scion tC. Underneath the sleek skin and "Lexized" interior, lies a humble, economical, Toyota Echo platform and drivetrain. It has loads of standard features and its combination of style, features and economy are hard to beat for its very reasonable price. Perhaps Scion isn't as visible in other parts of the country, but Scion was first introduced in the California market and we are comfortable with it here.