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INTELLICHOICE.COM AND AUTOPACIFIC TEAM UP TO ANNOUNCE FIRST ANNUAL MOTORIST’S CHOICE AWARDS
– Awards Recognize Vehicles with Highest Driver Satisfaction and Lowest Cost of Ownership –
– Infiniti QX56 Wins Highest Rating Among All Classes/Vehicle Models –
AutoPacific, the industry source for automotive owner satisfaction ratings and IntelliChoice.com, the online source for automotive ownership cost and value analysis, today announced the results of the newly established Motorist’s Choice Awards for the 2006 vehicle model year.
IntelliChoice.com and AutoPacific created the Motorist’s Choice Awards to determine the vehicles that delivered both the highest satisfaction and lowest cost of ownership. The collaboration between the two respected firms, who have each been authorities on the U.S. car market for the last 20 years, takes selected owner satisfaction data from AutoPacific’s surveys of new car and light truck buyers and combines it with IntelliChoice.com’s rating methodology to create a new measurement that speaks to both the hearts and minds of car buyers.
“While the economic analysis of car ownership remains very important—it can save or cost you thousands of dollars over the life of the vehicle—it is also important to recognize owner satisfaction as another significant influencer in vehicle purchases,” said James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com. “These are the two key benchmarks we think car buyers should be most attuned to.”
“Ratings of owners’ satisfaction with their new car and truck illustrates how well the vehicle is satisfying the emotional and practical needs of the driver. Satisfaction is more than simply how well a product is screwed together and there are many more dimensions to the equation. Combining AutoPacific’s satisfaction results with the value analysis from IntelliChoice provides the car buyer with an outstanding benchmark to use when selecting a new vehicle,” said George Peterson, President of AutoPacific.
WINNERS
For the inaugural awards, IntelliChoice.com and AutoPacific identified 29 winning models by segment and class. The top-ranked vehicles in their respective categories are:
o Cars: Lexus LS430
o Trucks: Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 (2WD)
o SUV/Crossover: Infiniti QX56
o Minivans/Wagons: Audi A6 4.2 Quattro
In terms of overall rankings, the Infiniti QX56 SUV scored highest in both driver satisfaction and lowest cost of ownership, followed closely by the Lexus LS430 sedan.

METHODOLOGY
The Motorist’s Choice Awards were calculated by combining IntelliChoice.com cost of ownership

MOTORIST’S CHOICE AWARDS – MODEL YEAR 2006 RANKINGS
CARS:
Index Model/Class
o 729 Lexus LS 430, Luxury
o 707 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro, Sports Sedan/Wagon
o 700 Toyota Avalon, Large
o 682 Chevrolet Corvette, Sport
o 674 Lexus SC 430, Luxury Convertible
o 673 Honda Accord Sedan V6, Midsize
o 656 Honda Accord Coupe , Compact
o 653 MINI Cooper Convertible, Convertible
o 647 MINI Cooper, Subcompact
o 637 Honda Civic Si, Base Sport
o 620 Subaru Legacy Wagon, Midsize/Large Wagon
o 609 Scion xB, Small Wagon
SPORT UTILITY:
Index Model/Class
o 737 Infiniti QX56, Luxury Utility
o 704 Nissan Armada, Utility
o 700 Lexus RX 330, Luxury Crossover
o 684 Lexus ES 330, Near Luxury
o 664 Nissan Murano, Midsize Crossover
o 660 Toyota 4Runner, Intermediate Utility
o 638 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Small Crossover/Utility
o 625 Kia Sportage, Compact Utility
TRUCKS:
Index Model/Class
o 697 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 2WD, Full-Size Pickup 2WD 1/2 Ton
o 695 Honda Ridgeline, Compact Pickup 4WD
o 694 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Extended Cab 2WD, Full-Size Pickup 2WD 3/4 Ton
o 686 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab 4WD, Full-Size Pickup 4WD 1/2 Ton
o 645 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 4WD, Full-Size Pickup 4WD 3/4 Ton
o 638 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 2WD, Full-Size Pickup 2WD One Ton
o 638 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4WD, Full-Size Pickup 4WD One Ton
o 617 Toyota Tacoma 2WD, Compact Pickup 2WD
VANS:
Index Model/Class
o 664 Honda Odyssey, Minivan