Category: Awards

In the Premium Sports Car segment, owners proved Porsche really know their target buyers and understands how to build their ideal vehicle. Owners gave top scores to all three of Porsche’s Premium Sports Cars, dominating the segment and creating an in-house three-way tie. The 911, Cayman and Boxster share in the glory of first place.

For the second year in a row, the Porsche Cayman won top marks as an ideal vehicle in the Premium Sports Car segment. The 911 had the edge when it came to visibility, ride, and ingress/egress but the Cayman was touted for its safety features, cargo space and exterior styling.

The owner ratings found that the only substitute for a Porsche is… well… another Porsche. Boxster took home a 2008 Ideal [...]

Package considerations placed the Volkswagen Rabbit at the top of the Compact Car segment. Winning the 2008 Ideal Vehicle award for its exterior size, passenger room and interior lighting, it also garnered top marks for seat firmness and ride.

A sports car with a timeless, traditional layout, the Mazda MX-5 Miata scored at the top of the Sports Car class in the 2008 Ideal Vehicle Awards. With high ratings for cargo space, visibility, handling, power and acceleration and interior storage, the MX-5 Miata blew the competition away.

For the second year in a row, the Ford Mustang comes in for a win in the Sporty Car category. Owners gave top marks for the pony car’s exterior size, cargo space, visibility, ride and interior storage. In this segment, the Mustang still reigns supreme.

Image Compact Cars are products where style typically trumps absolute function. The Volvo C30 seems to appeal to owners on both emotional and rational levels. Owners’ preferences for the C30’s exterior styling, ride and safety blended well with the interior lighting, seat firmness and level of technology.

Already known as an affordable, well-styled vehicle with good road manners, the Ford Fusion won over owners in the Mid-Size Car category. High ratings for passenger room, cargo space, seat firmness, ride and handling helped Fusion come out on top.

With high scores in ride, power and acceleration, the Buick LaCrosse wins the 2008 Ideal Vehicle Award in the Luxury Mid-Size Car segment. Refined chassis tuning and its Stabilitrac system helped the LaCrosse came out on top.

Owners’ preference for Chevrolet Malibu’s exterior styling, exterior size and passenger room helped the car bring home a 2008 IVA award in the Premium Mid-Size Car category. High marks for the level of technology, seat firmness, and interior lighting augment the victory.

The Volvo S40 was the clear winner in the Luxury Mid-Size Car category. With high ratings for exterior size, visibility, ride, handling and safety, it’s easy to see why the S40 is an Ideal Vehicle. Top marks also were given for seat firmness, interior lighting, wheels and tires and exterior styling.

The Large Car category featured competition between the Sable, Taurus and Avalon. In the end, owners’ scores ranked the Sable as the ideal Large Car. It was the Sable’s scores for visibility, interior storage and handling that really helped outpace the competition.

A perennial favorite for Mercury, the large, spacious and comfortable Grand Marquis won the 2008 Ideal Vehicle Award in the Large Luxury Car segment. With large cargo space, appropriate exterior styling, V8 power and acceleration and easy ingress/egress it’s no wonder owners rated the Grand Marquis an Ideal Vehicle.