2011 Toyota Avalon
2011 Chevrolet Cruze (Courtesy: GM)
This is the seventh year that Vincentric, which supplies cost-of-ownership data to a number of companies—including Toyota—has picked out top values that have the lowest projected ownership costs.
Vincentric measures the cost of ownership by looking at eight different aspects: depreciation, insurance, repairs, maintenance, fuel, finance, opportunity cost (the cost of having your money in a vehicle instead of an appreciating investment), and fees and taxes. The company makes these calculations for vehicles, typically on a five-year basis, for annual mileages of 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 miles.
According to Vincentric, Toyota continues to have lower-than-expected ownership costs in all eight of the firm's cost categories—and the brand maintains its especially low depreciation rate. Lexus was a close second-place in the luxury segment to Volvo, but low fuel and insurance costs boosted Volvo to the top spot. Among trucks, GMC ranked at the top; it has the lowest depreciation rate of any full-line truck brand, according to Vincentric.
Audi did particularly well, with three award winners in premium segments, as did Chevrolet, with the 2011 Cruze winning its Compact Sedan segment, and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt on top in the firm's new Eco segment.
Click through to the next page to see the complete list of winners.
Vincentric's Best Value In America Award winners
Passenger Car Brand: Toyota
Luxury Brand: Volvo
Truck Brand: GMC
Subcompact: Nissan cube
Compact, Coupe: Infiniti G37
Compact, Hatchback: Honda Element
Compact, Sedan: Chevrolet Cruze
Compact, Premium: Lexus IS 350
Compact, Hybrid: Toyota Prius
Eco: Chevrolet Volt
Mid-Size, Coupe: Audi A5 & S5
Mid-Size, Sedan: Honda Accord
Mid-Size, Sedan, Hybrid: Toyota Camry Hybrid
Mid-Size, Sedan, Premium: Volvo S60
Mid-Size, Sedan, Premium, Hybrid: Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Large: Toyota Avalon
Large, Premium: Audi A6 & S6
Prestige: BMW X6
Convertible: Mazda MX5 Miata
Convertible, Premium: Chevrolet Corvette
Sports Car: Ford Mustang
Wagon: Subaru Outback
Wagon, Premium: Audi A6
Crossover, Compact, EntryLevel: Hyundai Tucson
Crossover, Compact, Mid Level: Honda CR-V
Crossover, Compact, Premium: Volvo XC60
Crossover, Mid Size: Toyota Venza
Crossover, Mid-Size Premium: Volvo XC90
Crossover, Hybrid: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Crossover, Large: Buick Enclave
Crossover, Large, Premium: Lincoln MKT
SUV, Compact: Toyota FJ Cruiser
SUV, Mid-Size: Toyota 4Runner
SUV, Mid-Size Premium: Toyota Land Cruiser
SUV, Large: Chevrolet Tahoe
SUV, Large, Premium: Infiniti QX56
Minivan: Honda Odyssey
Compact Pickup: Toyota Tacoma
Full Size Pickup, 1/2 Ton: Ford F150
Full Size Pickup,Heavy Duty 3/4 Ton: GMC Sierra 2500 HD
Full Size Pickup, Heavy Duty 1 Ton: Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD
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