Gojirra99

DEERFIELD, Ill., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-six vehicles and 13
companion models received Best Buy ratings from Consumers Digest out of
some-240 total 2008 models. The ratings, published in CD's December issue
(on sale November 1), span 10 categories: Small Cars, Family Cars, Luxury
Cars, Sporty Cars, Trucks, Vans, Compact SUVs, Midsize SUVs,
Full-Size/Luxury SUVs and Hybrids. The Best Buys -- based on
behind-the-wheel testing, safety ratings, ownership costs, warranty, price,
comfort, ergonomics, styling and amenities -- reflect CD's assessment of
which 2008 vehicles offer the most value for the money.

Six "Small Cars" received Best Buys: Dodge Caliber, Honda Civic, Honda
Fit, Jeep Compass, Nissan Versa and Scion xB.

Eight "Family Car" Best Buys are: Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus, Honda
Accord, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, Mercury Sable, Saturn Aura and Toyota
Camry/Camry Solara.

Four "Luxury Cars" received Best Buys: Acura TL, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti
G35 and Lexus LS 460.

Six "Sporty Cars" Best Buys are: BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford
Mustang, MINI Cooper, Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.

Four "Trucks" and five "Vans" earned Best Buys. Chevrolet Silverado,
Ford F-150, GMC Sierra and Toyota Tundra are the top pickups, and
Chrysler's Town & Country, Dodge's Grand Caravan, Honda's Odyssey,
Hyundai's Entourage and Kia's Sedona are the best van values.

Three compact SUV Best Buys include: Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler and
Toyota RAV4. Five midsize SUV Best Buys include: Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia,
Mazda CX-7, Saturn Outlook and Saturn VUE. Full-size/luxury SUV Best Buys
include: Acura MDX, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Mercedes-Benz M-Class.

Four hybrid vehicles rose to the top to earn CD Best Buys: Ford Escape
Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid and Toyota Prius.

"'Value,' as we see it, is based on purchase price and ownership costs
relative to quality, performance and subjective factors like comfort and
design," says Randy Weber, CD's publisher.

Performance characteristics evaluated comprise starting and
acceleration, shifting, steering, handling, braking, ride quality and fuel
economy.

In contrast to the magazine's tradition of combining compact and
midsize SUV segments, this year the two categories were split. Rich
Dzierwa, CD's editor, explains that the decision was based on expansion of
crossover SUVs. "Consumers gravitated toward the combination of car-like
ride and SUV utility that crossovers bring to the table. Not surprisingly,
manufacturers reacted quickly to grow this component of their vehicle line
up."

The Consumers Digest Best Buy rating was also applied to hybrid autos
for the first time. "In the past, we didn't rate hybrids due to a minimal
number of entries," Dzierwa says. "But today there are 13 true hybrids
coming off auto makers' production lines. We still would remind consumers
that a hybrid carries a price of some $2,000 more than a conventional
version of the same vehicle and that it could take six or seven years or
more to recoup the difference in sticker prices based on gas savings."

The Auto Best Buys section includes photos, invoice pricing, standard
features and performance traits that support the models' Best Buy selection
in the collective opinion of CD's veteran automotive editors: Jim Gorzelany
has served Consumers Digest readers for 20 years, including reporting on
automotive categories such as crossover SUVs and hybrids; Kevin Kelly is
senior editor of Automotive Design & Production magazine; Jim Mateja writes
a weekly Chicago Tribune auto column and has received numerous awards for
his auto coverage; Matt Nauman served as San Jose Mercury News' auto editor
and is one of the jurors that picks the North American Car of the Year at
the annual Detroit auto show.

"Few purchases are more important, or require more research, than
buying a new vehicle," says Weber. "Our analyses underscore our commitment
to ensure consumers are as satisfied with their auto purchase years after
making it as they were on the day they drove off the lot."

Consumers Digest, launched in 1960, is designed to inform and educate
readers so they can buy with confidence, no matter the product or service.
The magazine is committed to providing practical advice, factual
evaluations and specific recommendations, leading consumers to exceptional
values in today's complex marketplace.


SOURCE Consumers Digest

tex2670

Chrysler's Town & Country, Dodge's Grand Caravan, Honda's Odyssey,
Hyundai's Entourage and Kia's Sedona are the best van values.

Did they miss any minivans other than the Siena?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Very interesting

What are 'companion models'?

Anyway, who got how many awards...

13 Saturn/Cadillac/Chevy/Pontiac/GMC/Buick f l sp sp sp t t suv suv suv suv luv luv
9 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury f f f f f sp t h h
7 Honda/Acura sm sm f l v cuv luv
6 Toyota/Scion/Lexus sm f l t cuv h
5 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep sm sm v v cuv
2 Nissan/Infiniti sm l
2 Mazda suv h
2 BMW/Mini sp sp
2 Hyundai/Kia v v
1 Mercedes luv

speedflex

When it comes to consumer mags I tend to regard Consumer Digest the same as I do Yellow Book. Consumer Reports is the real Yellow Pages. That said, I just find CR more credible than CG.

mmarshall

Correct....I'm with you there. IMO, neither Consumer Guide nor Consumer Digest is the equal of Consumer Reports, though not everyone agrees...we may get some feedback.

On C.D.'s Best Buy pick, I have to disagree with several of them. I don't have time, in one post, to go into all the ones I disagree with and why, but two of the most glaring ones are the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass. Both of these vehicles, done on the same platform and drivetrain, exhibit some of the poorest fit-and-finish, material/hardware quality, and general overall solidness that I have seen in the American market. The Compass is, furthermore, not a real Jeep...it is just a redone Caliber, an ordinary compact car, with a different body and grille, and, of course, is not Trail Rated. Older guys in the military, who drove real Jeeps for decades, and even the Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler crowd, are probably laughing at it.

mmarshall

You've pretty much answered your own question. They are referring to corporate twins and multiple-nameplate vehicles built off the same general platforms and drivetrains....two of which I have just described in my last post.