TheCarConnection To Name "Best Car to Buy 2011"

You've read our reviews, and we've heard your opinions. Now, High Gear Media is bringing it all together as we name our inaugural "Best Car to Buy" winners for the 2011 model year.

Our flagship site, TheCarConnection, will announce its Best Car to Buy 2011 award in conjunction with the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the press on November 17, 2010. On the same day, our MotorAuthority and GreenCarReports destination Web sites will name their winners as well. (To follow along via Twitter, use #BestCarToBuy and #LAAS.)

Why another "best" award? TheCarConnection has been rating vehicles according to style, performance, utility, safety and features, since 2008. This year, we've added a new green score to the overall rankings, too. With these ratings in hand and live on our pages, TheCarConnection is one of the easiest, most user-friendly car reviews sites for shoppers thinking about purchasing a new car.

The Best Car to Buy award takes those ratings one step further, pointing out all the great new vehicles introduced since you last stepped foot into a showroom. The sole winner is a car TheCarConnection believes every shopper should include on their test-drive list before making their own personal choice.

The rules

The selection process begins as editors evaluate all new vehicles introduced or significantly updated for the 2011 model year. To be eligible, vehicles also must be available for purchase by January 31, 2011, and must be made available to our editors for a full review prior to November 1, 2010. This eliminates very few contenders, while bringing you the best information as soon as possible.

We apply a $50,000 base-price cap on entries, because that focus on mass-market vehicles cuts through the clutter of ultra-luxury vehicles that should be winners on most levels, by virtue of price alone.

We rank the remaining vehicles by the numeric scores found on TheCarConnection's full vehicle reviews. Finally, we choose the most important new vehicle from the top of the rankings based primarily on its rating, with ties resolved by High Gear Media editors considering other factors such as availability and consumer significance.

A total of 40 new vehicles have made the list to earn TCC's first Best Car to Buy honors. They include vehicles of all stripes, from crossovers to economy cars, green machines to minivans. All have been rated by High Gear Media editors--a team that drives more than 200 new vehicles each year, and has driven each nominee making the final cut.

The nominees for TCC's Best Car to Buy 2011 are:

 

Sedans, Hatchbacks and Wagons

2011 Acura TSX Wagon

2011 BMW 5-Series

2011 Buick Regal

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chrysler 200

2011 Dodge Avenger

2011 Dodge Charger

2011 Ford Fiesta

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Sonata

2011 Infiniti G25

2011 Infiniti M37

2011 Kia Optima

2011 Mazda2

2011 Nissan Juke

2011 Scion tC

2011 Toyota Avalon

2011 Volkswagen Jetta

2011 Volvo S60

SUVs/Crossovers

2011 BMW X3

2011 Dodge Durango

2011 Dodge Journey

2011 Ford Edge

2011 Ford Explorer

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

2011 Kia Sorento

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Lincoln MKX

2011 MINI Cooper Countryman

2011 Volkswagen Touareg

 

Minivans

2011 Chrysler Town & Country

2011 Dodge Grand Caravan

2011 Honda Odyssey

2011 Nissan Quest

2011 Toyota Sienna

 

Green

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Honda CR-Z

2011 Lexus CT 200h

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

2011 Nissan Leaf