Category: Awards

AutoPacific: Ridgeline proves that having a unitized body may be advantageous – it scored higher with owners than any other compact pickup to win the 2008 Motorist Choice Award®. With full-time all-wheel drive, the Ridgeline hauled in the highest ratings for traction in all weather conditions and garnered high marks for feeling safe while driving. Owners also rated the Ridgeline highest in its class for cargo capacity, having a flexible interior and brand quality.
IntelliChoice: The Ridgeline is second in both overall ownership costs and retained value. In addition, the Ridgeline has much better than expected insurance costs.

AutoPacific: In a segment that’s growing in popularity, the Corolla takes home the 2008 Motorist Choice Award®. The Corolla pulled past 18 competitors with high marks for both brand and vehicle reputation. Owner’s touted the car’s overall quality; Corolla had the highest ratings in its segment for interior quietness, easy-to-handle controls and driver’s seat visibility.
IntelliChoice: The Corolla has a class-leading retained value and is second in both overall ownership costs and fuel costs.

AutoPacific: Call it ‘entry-level luxury’, ‘compact executive’, or ‘aspirational luxury,’ but owners are simply calling it a winner. They rate Lexus’ brand reputation and Lexus dealerships as significant contributors toward the brand’s 2008 Motorist Choice Award® win. With segment-leading overall satisfaction, the Lexus IS scored extremely well with owners in durability, reliability and overall quality. Owners also gave the IS high marks for quality materials, instrumentation, controls and comfy seats.
IntelliChoice: The Lexus IS has the Best in Class ownership costs, best retained value and strong fuel and repair costs.

2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award top brand honors went to Cadillac, while other luxury brands such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche also had strong showings. But what does it mean to have a top brand? Though calculations single out one brand as having the highest overall score, each individual attribute also has its own top scorer. Sometimes the detail underneath it all can have just as much, if not more, meaning than the final outcome.

Pulling double duty – it essentially replaces both the Rendezvous and Rainier — the Buick Enclave has not only caught the attention of a much larger and much younger demographic, it has earned a reputation as 2008’s Ideal Vehicle in the Luxury Crossover SUV category. Owners reported that the interior is spacious, with generous passenger room and interior storage. Its interior lighting, safety and ample technology compliment the exterior styling, wheels and tires and ride.

Already a success, the Ford Escape received a redesign for 2008. The Ford Escape is the 2008 Ideal Vehicle in the Mid-Size Crossover SUV segment, winning for exterior size, visibility, interior lighting, seat firmness, ride and handling. Owners find the Escape is the right package at the right price in a segment that has ballooned over the past decade.

The Toyota Sienna has been declared a 2008 Ideal Vehicle Award winner by owners in the Minivan category. Owners complemented Sienna’s exterior size, ride and handling. Also scoring top points for the Sienna were its V6 power (266hp), which made for swift acceleration, and an excellent ingress/egress.

Owners in the Minivan segment have given the Hyundai top marks and the 2008 Ideal Vehicle Award. Owners gave Entourage kudos for its safety features, which already had garnered the vehicle a five-star safety rating. Exterior styling and wheels and tires were noted as excellent, and Entourage also received high ratings for passenger room, seat firmness and interior lighting.

Owners rated the Subaru Forester as tops in the 2008 Ideal Vehicle Awards for Compact Crossover SUV, with a seamless AWD system and solid build quality. Performance in terms of exceptionally sure-footed handling and plenty of power and acceleration were balanced with practicality – owners especially appreciated the interior storage and visibility.

Beating out strong competition in the Large Crossover SUV segment the Ford Taurus X claims victory as the category’s Ideal Vehicle for 2008. Owners give it the highest ratings for visibility, interior lighting, seat firmness, level of technology, handling, wheels and tires and ingress/egress.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer wins a 2008 Ideal Vehicle Award in the Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility segment. Owners reported the vehicle performs particularly well in cargo space, visibility and ingress/egress.

GMC’s Envoy wins in the Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility segment with owners’ strong ratings for seat firmness, level of technology and ride. Handling, power and acceleration also were all listed as strong points for the Envoy.

Even in its sixth model year, the Toyota 4Runner is an Ideal Vehicle Award winner. Few buyers would change interior storage space, exterior size or passenger room. Owners also noted the 4Runner’s level of safety.