RSS RSS Twitter Twitter
Leftlane - news, reviews, and info for the auto-industry
 
 

“Ideal Vehicle Awards” winners announced

06/14/2006, 9:53 AM

By admin

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.

    Print This Post

New car price quote

Zero obligation price quote from a trusted local dealer.
 
 

06/14, 10:16 AM

posted by:

James

Honda Ridgeline, how is that even a truck, their is no frame

06/14, 10:44 AM

posted by:

Zan

This is a bogus list. The Categories do not make a whole lot of sense.

“Premium Luxury Car: Lexus LS” what size and price range? What other cars are in this category?

“Premium Mid-Size Car: Hyundai Sonata” Premimum? I really like the Sonata, but what do they mean by premium? Would you really compare this to an Audi A6? The Sonata’s competitors are Camry and Accord, not exactly what I call “Premium” cars

“Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan” Here is where I would think the Sonata would fit.

I could go on, but their would be no point

06/14, 11:00 AM

posted by:

Renton

They asked a lot of stupid people for their opinion. Many superior cars that should be here are not.

911, X5, Yukon, Forester, Lexus. All OK.

The rest ….. WTF? Were is the Mazda 3, the Mazda 6, the Toyota Avalon, BMW X3, GTI?

06/14, 11:12 AM

posted by:

Dallas

I hate these stupid lists. Seriously….why is Buick on there. And Hyundai???? Don’t get me started

06/14, 11:14 AM

posted by:

Dallas

haha, oops I meant mecury and lincoln. Same thing though

06/14, 1:21 PM

posted by:

Niels

The Prius IS the car you want to buy for an image – a very bad one.

06/14, 2:45 PM

posted by:

think?

It would be interesting to see how much FoMoCo owns in stock of AutoPacific. Since it choose the cars ford desperatly needs to sell as number 1’s 2’s and 3’s.

#1… Do you have GROG syndrome? Spaceframes are the future of trucks. Look at dodge’s new concept, production won’t be far off since chrysler actually builds what it shows…. it’s not stuck in the 50’s like ford and shows hot concepts then sells the some pile that looks nothing like it. And both the honda ridgeline and the dodge concept have FoMoCo scared as hell because it has no spaceframe trucks in the production future. Do you think Dinosaurs knew their time was coming?

Any anyone who can’t accept hyundia builds good cars now, probably still thinks ford/gm does. You’re a GROG, welcome to 2005. Auto magazines dont even compare hyundia to ford/gm/chyrsler anymore, they directly compare them to toyota and honda, thats for a reason, wake up.

i’m not saying i agree with this list…

06/14, 2:54 PM

posted by:

1c3d0g

#5: so true. Just *WTF*…

06/14, 3:02 PM

posted by:

Greg

I am NOT POSTING COMMENTS!!! :(

06/14, 4:17 PM

posted by:

Renton

I stand by the comment that the BMW X3 is a great car. I have an X5 4.4i, my father had an X5 4.4i. He got rid of it and got an M3 and an X3. I have extensive back to back experience with the X3 and X5 and a Toyota Highlander (which can cost more than an X3).

The X3 is a fantastic car. I did not like it all when it was introduced. It is still sort of odd looking when compared to an X5 (which is still one of the best looking SUVs out there). It has a very tight build and handles extremely well. The whole driveline works very well together. It actually has a decent amount of room in it. The X3 has a totally different feel to it than the X5. It is light and nimble. It blows away the much heavier X5 in the snow.

These cars are built in Austria now. The next generation will be built in South Carolina, and it will be version of the new X5 chassis. Someday the word will get out about how nice these little gems from Austria are.

My guess is that the bashers have not really driven an X3.

06/14, 6:23 PM

posted by:

Renton

Harvey -
I think the interior has a little to be desired, no doubt. The ride is firm, quite utilitarian. It may be the worst vehicle BMW makes. Come to think of it, I completely agree with you.

It is still a great car. It is the best small SUV. It has no competition here. The Japs make mushy elevated station wagons.

Even the worst BMW is better than most.

06/15, 7:08 AM

posted by:

JohnnyBlazE

Focus ideal compact makes sense :P

06/16, 6:47 PM

posted by:

Karxprt

These awards are interesting. If you read what it is all about, AutoPacific is getting opinions from people who own these cars and DO NOT want to change them. Where is the Mazda3? I agree it’s a great car, but I bet that folks who have it want it to be a bit bigger. Montego? Ford must have paid close attention to its customers to get rated at the top of this list. Montego owners like ‘em just like they are.

I found more detail on this at http://blog.vehiclevoice.com.

05/02, 3:55 PM

posted by:

Don

clubrsx crew holla

 
 
You need to log in with your user name and password before you can leave comments.

    

Forgot your Password?

Don't have a user name yet? Simply fill in the form below and click the link provided in the
confirmation email. You must supply a valid email address to complete the registration process.

  
 
 
 
 
  • Login
  • About
  • Contact
Please note that you need to log in with your user name and password before you can leave comments.
  

login
cancel
Forgot your Password?
Don't have a user name yet? Click here to register now.

Simply fill in the form below and click the link provided in the confirmation email. You must supply a valid email address to complete the registration process.

  
submit
cancel
Leftlane is the leading source for automotive industry and vehicle news, new car research, future vehicle information, and reviews. Read by car shoppers, driving enthusiasts, autoworkers, executives, and investors, the website is updated throughout the day with the very latest auto news - as it happens.

Leftlane also provides consumers with accurate and media-rich information on every car currently on the market. In-market shoppers can review specs, read overviews, view high-resolution images, watch videos, and estimate pricing. No other automotive publication brings together the same degree of timeliness, thoroughness and accuracy as Leftlane.
 
submit
cancel