Research firm AutoPacific has released a list of what it calls the most “ideal” vehicles. Rankings were based on feedback from owners of 2006 model year cars. They were asked to rate how closely the cars came to their ideal. Of the sixteen Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, Japanese brands have seven segment winners, American brands have four, European brands have three and Korean brands have two winners. The top-rated brand overall is Hyundai out-pointing Mercury and Lincoln for the most ideal vehicle honors. Read on for the full list…
- Premium Luxury Car: Lexus LS
- Entry Luxury Car: BMW 3-Series
- Large Car/Luxury Car: Mercury Montego
- Premium Mid-Size Car: Hyundai Sonata
- Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan
- Image Compact Car: Toyota Prius
- Compact Car: Ford Focus
- Sports Car: Porsche 911
- Sporty Car: Acura RSX
- Sport Utility Truck: Honda Ridgeline
- Luxury Sport Utility: BMW X-5
- Large Sport Utility: GMC Yukon
- Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Nissan Murano
- Mid-Size Sport Utility: Hyundai Santa Fe
- Compact Sport Utility: Subaru Forester
- Minivan: Honda Odyssey
The top-rated vehicle and top-rated car is the Mercury Montego in the
Large Car/Luxury Car category. In fact, Ford Motor Company sweeps the first three positions overall with the Ford Crown Victoria and Ford Five Hundred in second and third place. The top-rated “truck” is the Honda Odyssey Minivan.
