AutoPacific Announces 2010 Ideal Vehicle Awards

Survey of 42,000 Consumers Reveals Vehicles that Exceed Expectations, Ford and Porsche Score Third Straight Annual Wins

TUSTIN, CA - July 13, 2010: An "ideal" is defined as conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence. In the 2010 Ideal Vehicle Awards, announced today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate their new vehicles by how closely they come to their ideal. "After owning and operating a vehicle for some time, consumers often identity shortcomings and ideas about what they would like to change about their vehicle," says George Peterson, President of AutoPacific. "The IVAs are based on owners' ratings of their new 2010 model year cars and trucks across 15 key vehicle attributes ranging from power and acceleration to interior storage. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal."

"In today's vehicle market, quality is expected, and car buyers take many factors into consideration - styling, safety features, fuel economy and more," says Peterson. "IVA winners deliver the most of what consumers are really looking for in their vehicles. Shoppers can use the IVAs as a benchmark for vehicles that are designed and built with customers in mind."

For 2010, the top-rated vehicle overall is the Range Rover, which received a fresh look and improved powertrain for the 2010 model year and climbed from last in its class in 2009. The top rated car is the Suzuki Kizashi. The 2010 Kizashi was also the top rated vehicle overall in AutoPacific's recently announced 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.

The top-rated popular brand is Ford, outscoring GMC for top popular brand. The top-rated premium brand is Porsche, outscoring Lincoln and Land Rover for the most ideal premium vehicle brand honors. Porsche and Ford are three time brand winners, scoring top rankings in 2008, 2009 and 2010 IVA rankings.

"Ford Motor Company leads the industry with a total of eleven segment winners. No other manufacturer came even close," said Peterson. "In addition to these eleven segment wins, the Ford brand scored highest of any brand in the 2010 research, including all premium brands."

Of the twenty-seven Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, American brands have sixteen segment winners, European brands six and Japanese brands five. Surprisingly, no Korean brands scored segment wins.

The top-rated product segment is Large Crossover SUV, beating out last year's leading category, Large Car. American buyers continue to value large, comfortable vehicles suitable for suburban driving and longer distance highway cruising.

2010 Ideal Premium Brand: Porsche
2010 Ideal Popular Brand and Top Brand Overall: Ford
2010 Ideal Product Segment: Large Crossover SUV


  2010 Ideal Vehicle Award Winners:
  ---------------------------------

  Passenger Cars:
  Premium Luxury Car                   Volvo S80
  Aspirational Luxury Car              Volvo V70
  Large Car                            Ford Taurus SHO*
  Luxury Mid-Size Car                  Lincoln MKZ
  Premium Mid-Size Car                 Ford Fusion
  Mid-Size Car                         Suzuki Kizashi*
  Premium Compact Car                  Volkswagen GTI*
  Compact Car                          Volkswagen Golf
  Economy Car                          Honda Fit*
  Sports Car                           Porsche Cayman
  Sporty Car                           Chevrolet Camaro*
  Hybrid Car                           Ford Fusion Hybrid*

  Pickups, SUVs and Minivans
  Large Light Duty Pickup              Ford F-150*
  Heavy Duty Pickup                    Ford F-250
  Compact Pickup                       Honda Ridgeline*
  Luxury SUV                           Range Rover
  Large SUV                            Chevrolet Suburban
  Premium Mid-Size SUV                 Ford Explorer
  Mid-Size SUV                         Dodge Nitro*
  Premium Luxury Crossover SUV         Lincoln MKT EcoBoost*
  Luxury Crossover SUV                 Lexus RX*
  Large Crossover SUV                  Ford Flex EcoBoost
  Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV       Chevrolet Equinox
  Mid-Size Crossover SUV               Ford Escape*
  Compact Crossover SUV                Jeep Compass
  Minivan                              Honda Odyssey*
  Hybrid Truck                         Ford Escape Hybrid

  *Also winners of AutoPacific's 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

In addition to identifying segment winners, IVA also establishes numerical ideal vehicle ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck in the United States market. These results come from calculating owner input across 15 specific areas related to a vehicle's attributes, including: exterior styling, exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver's seat comfort, driver's seat visibility, interior technology, interior lighting, power and acceleration, ease of getting in and out, interior storage compartments, ride, handling, safety features and tires and wheels.