Road Tripper

The complete list of Consumer Guide’s 2008 Best Buy and Recommended Awards has just been released by Consumer Guide Automotive. For 40 years, Consumer Guide Automotive had been the leading publisher of dependable, impartial judgments for new and used cars in their reviews. Annually, the publisher lists vehicles with the best value in 18 categories consisting of 87 vehicles. The 18 categories are based on the vehicle type, size and price comprising the entire segment in the automotive market.

To be included in the list that helps consumers to buy the best vehicle in the practical way, Consumer Guide Automotive uses objective criteria such as price, features, performance, accommodations fuel economy, reliability records and resale value for evaluation of each vehicle.

Below is the complete list of vehicles.

THE 2008 BEST BUY AND RECOMMENDED
AWARD WINNERS

CARS
Subcompact Car
Best Buy
Hyundai Accent
Kia Rio
Suzuki SX4
Recommended
Honda Fit

Compact Car
Best Buy
Honda Civic
Nissan Versa
Scion xB
Recommended
Hyundai Elantra
Mazda 3
Premium Compact Car
Audi A4
BMW 3-Series
Recommended
Audi A3
Saab 9-3

Midsize Car
Best Buy
Honda Accord
Kia Rondo
Recommended
Ford Fusion
Hyundai Sonata
Kia Optima
Mazda 5
Mercury Milan
Nissan Altima
Saturn Aura
Toyota Camry

Premium Midsize Car
Best Buy
Cadillac CTS
Infiniti G
Lexus ES 350
Recommended
Acura TL
Infiniti M
Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Large Car
Best Buy
Chrysler 300
Dodge Charger & Magnum
Toyota Avalon
Recommended
Ford Taurus
Mercury Sable

Premium Large Car
Best Buy
Lexus LS
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Recommended
Audi A8
Cadillac DTS

Sporty/Performance Car
Best Buy
Mazda MX-5
Scion tC
Recommended
Ford Mustang
Mini Cooper
Nissan 350Z

Premium Sporty/Performance Car
Best Buy
Chevrolet Corvette
BMW Z4
Recommended
Jaguar XK
Porsche Boxster & Cayman

SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES
Compact SUV
Best Buy
Honda CR-V
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Recommended
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sportage
Toyota RAV4
Saturn Vue

Premium Compact SUV
Recommended
Infiniti EX

Midsize SUV
Best Buy
GMC Acadia
Honda Pilot
Mazda CX-9
Saturn Outlook
Recommended
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Veracruz
Nissan Murano
Toyota Highlander

Premium Midsize SUV
Best Buy
Acura MDX
Buick Enclave
Lexus RX
Recommended
Volvo XC90 (with Volvo headlight wiper blade)

Large SUV
Best Buy
Chevrolet Tahoe & Suburban
Ford Expedition
GMC Yukon

Premium Large SUV
Best Buy
Cadillac Escalade
Recommended
Audi Q7
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

PICKUP TRUCKS & VANS
Compact Pickup
Best Buy
Toyota Tacoma
Recommended
Dodge Dakota
Honda Ridgeline
Nissan Frontier

Large Pickup
Recommended
Chevrolet Avalanche
Chevrolet Silverado
Ford F-150
GMC Sierra
Toyota Tundra

Minivan
Best Buy
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Grand Caravan
Honda Odyssey
Recommended
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Toyota Sienna

“Our editorial team drives nearly 200,000 miles a year evaluating what these vehicles do well, and what they don’t,” stated Consumer Guide Automotive Managing Editor, Tom Appel.

“Our process assures that our recommendations are based on experiences that best mimic the settings and conditions that the average car buyer encounters every day. Whether it is driving through the city, highways, rural areas, long trips or simply picking up the kids up at school, we test these vehicles in the same way the average car buyer will use theirs.”