2007 Motorist Choice Award

SEE ALSO: New Car Buyers Guide

The Motorist Choice Award is in its second year and is a collaboration between AutoPacific and IntelliChoice.com. AutoPacific, widely known for its industry expertise and research, and IntelliChoice, known for its comprehensive cost of ownership information, designed the Motorist Choice Award to help consumers identify the most satisfying cars and trucks that are also the least expensive to own.

Using data from AutoPacific's national Vehicle Satisfaction research and the IntelliChoice Best Overall Value information, we have developed a unique tool that can be used by consumers to help them sort through the myriad of choices in today's automotive marketplace.

Campbell, CA/Tustin, CA - July 27, 2007 – PRIMEDIA’s IntelliChoice.com, the online source for automotive ownership cost and value analysis, and AutoPacific, the industry source for owner satisfaction rankings, today announced the results of their second annual Motorist Choice Awards for model year 2007, with Toyota and GM coming in as the big winners. Toyota scored winners in eight segments, including the overall winner, Lexus LS, while GM followed in second with five segment winners, including the Cadillac DTS and GMC Yukon XL.

The Motorist Choice Awards were designed by AutoPacific and IntelliChoice.com to recognize the vehicles that delivered both the highest customer satisfaction and the lowest cost of ownership. The awards take AutoPacific’s owner satisfaction data from new car and truck buyers and combine those data with IntelliChoice.com’s rating methodology to create a new kind of award that speaks to both the hearts and wallets of car buyers.

“This year’s roster of winners earned their place by challenging vehicles often recognized for their quality and value,” said James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com. “While Japanese manufacturers garnered a majority of the 25 vehicle segments, the 2007 Cadillac DTS checked in as the top overall large luxury car. GM also showed well by scoring top honors in both the large light-duty and heavy-duty truck segments with the Chevrolet Silverado.”

“Those who monitor the industry closely are probably not surprised by the performance of the Cadillac DTS,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “Across all segments, the DTS came in a close second to the overall winner Lexus LS, and it was the top ranked vehicle overall in AutoPacific’s recently announced Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. It’s a car that can definitely challenge the other elite brands.”

Peterson added that any vehicle scoring 700 or higher in the Motorist Choice Awards can be considered in the top tier of highly desirable cars or trucks. “There were 25 outstanding vehicles scoring 700 or better,” said Peterson. “Some vehicles scored high but didn’t make the list because they lost out to other high-scoring vehicles in their segment. These include the Lexus GS, Lincoln Town Car, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Acura RL, BMW 5-Series, BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz GL450, Chevrolet Suburban, Lexus RX, Toyota 4Runner and Hyundai Azera.”

Here are the 2007 Winners of the 25 individual segment awards:

SEGMENT - Winner
Aspirational Luxury Car - Lexus IS
Compact Car - Mazda3
Compact Crossover SUV - Chevrolet HHR
Compact Pickup - Toyota Tacoma
Compact Sport Utility/ORV - Toyota Tacoma 
Economy Car - Honda Fit 
Image Compact Car - Volkswagen GTi 
Large Car - Toyota Avalon 
Large Heavy Duty Pickup - Chevrolet Silverado HD 
Large Light Duty Pickup - Chevrolet Silverado 1500 
Large Luxury Car - Cadillac DTS 
Large Sport Utility - GMC Yukon XL 
Luxury Crossover SUV - Acura MDX 
Luxury Mid-Size Car - Nissan Maxima 
Luxury Sport Utility - Land Rover Range Rover 
Sport Mid-Size Car - Volkswagen Jetta 
Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Honda CR-V 
Mid-Size Sport Utility - Toyota 4Runner 
Minivan - Honda Odyssey 
Premium Luxury Car - Lexus LS 
Premium Mid-Size Car - Nissan Altima 
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Nissan Murano 
Premium Sports Car - Lexus SC 
Sports Car - Porsche Boxster 
Sporty Car - Scion tC