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“Ideal Vehicle Awards” Winners by AutoPacific . . .

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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 07:28 AM
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Default “Ideal Vehicle Awards” Winners by AutoPacific . . .

TUSTIN, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- An "ideal" is defined as an
excellent or perfect example. In the first Ideal Vehicle Awards, announced
today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate
their new 2006 model year cars and trucks by how closely they come to their
ideal. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most
ideal.

Those carmakers that best understand their customers and create the
vehicle their core buyer group desires have come closest to the ideal.
The top-rated vehicle and top-rated car is the Mercury Montego in the
Large Car/Luxury Car category. In fact, Ford Motor Company sweeps the first
three positions overall with the Ford Crown Victoria and Ford Five Hundred
in second and third place. The top-rated truck is the Honda Odyssey
Minivan.

The top-rated brand overall is Hyundai out-pointing Mercury and Lincoln
for the most ideal vehicle honors.

Ford Motor Company and American Honda have three segment winners
apiece. BMW and Hyundai have two each.

Of the sixteen Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, Japanese brands
have seven segment winners, American brands have four, European brands have
three and Korean brands have two winners.

The top-rated product segment is Large Car/Luxury Car confirming that
Americans continue to value large, comfortable cars suitable for suburban
and highway cruising.


Top-rated 2006 Ideal Vehicle brand: Hyundai

Top-rated 2006 Ideal Product Segment: Large Car/Luxury Car

Top rated 2006 Ideal Vehicles by segment:
Code:
    PASSENGER CARS:
    Premium Luxury Car                           Lexus LS
    Entry Luxury Car                             BMW 3-Series
    Large Car/Luxury Car                         Mercury Montego
    Premium Mid-Size Car                         Hyundai Sonata
    Mid-Size Car                                 Mercury Milan
    Image Compact Car                            Toyota Prius
    Compact Car                                  Ford Focus
    Sports Car                                   Porsche 911
    Sporty Car                                   Acura RSX

    SUT, SUV, and MINIVAN:
    Sport Utility Truck                          Honda Ridgeline
    Luxury Sport Utility                         BMW X-5
    Large Sport Utility                          GMC Yukon
    Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility               Nissan Murano
    Mid-Size Sport Utility                       Hyundai Santa Fe
    Compact Sport Utility                        Subaru Forester
    Minivan                                      Honda Odyssey
In addition to identifying segment winners, IVA also establishes
numerical ideal vehicle ratings for virtually every passenger car and light
truck (except pickups) in the United States market. This results from
calculating owner input across 11 specific areas related to a vehicle's
exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver's seat comfort,
drivers seat visibility, interior technology, power, ease of getting in and
out, interior storage compartments and tires and wheels. The 2006 ratings
reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September
2005 through January 2006. Pickup trucks are not incorporated because of
numerous body styles included within each pickup line.

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and
product-consulting firm. Every year it publishes a wide variety of
syndicated studies for the automotive industry. The firm also conducts
extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers,
distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Company headquarters and
its state-of-the-art automotive research facility are in Tustin,
California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area.

Additional information can be found on AutoPacific's websites

Last edited by Gojirra99; Jun 14, 2006 at 07:33 AM.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 07:35 AM
  #2  
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Honestly not a bad list but the Nissan Murano is not a "premium" anything.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by LexArazzo
TUSTIN, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- An "ideal" is defined as an
excellent or perfect example. In the first Ideal Vehicle Awards, announced
today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate
their new 2006 model year cars and trucks by how closely they come to their
ideal. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most
ideal.

Those carmakers that best understand their customers and create the
vehicle their core buyer group desires have come closest to the ideal.
The top-rated vehicle and top-rated car is the Mercury Montego in the
Large Car/Luxury Car category. In fact, Ford Motor Company sweeps the first
three positions overall with the Ford Crown Victoria and Ford Five Hundred
in second and third place. The top-rated truck is the Honda Odyssey
Minivan.

The top-rated brand overall is Hyundai out-pointing Mercury and Lincoln
for the most ideal vehicle honors.

Ford Motor Company and American Honda have three segment winners
apiece. BMW and Hyundai have two each.

Of the sixteen Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, Japanese brands
have seven segment winners, American brands have four, European brands have
three and Korean brands have two winners.

The top-rated product segment is Large Car/Luxury Car confirming that
Americans continue to value large, comfortable cars suitable for suburban
and highway cruising.


Top-rated 2006 Ideal Vehicle brand: Hyundai

Top-rated 2006 Ideal Product Segment: Large Car/Luxury Car

Top rated 2006 Ideal Vehicles by segment:
Code:
    PASSENGER CARS:
    Premium Luxury Car                           Lexus LS
    Entry Luxury Car                             BMW 3-Series
    Large Car/Luxury Car                         Mercury Montego
    Premium Mid-Size Car                         Hyundai Sonata
    Mid-Size Car                                 Mercury Milan
    Image Compact Car                            Toyota Prius
    Compact Car                                  Ford Focus
    Sports Car                                   Porsche 911
    Sporty Car                                   Acura RSX

    SUT, SUV, and MINIVAN:
    Sport Utility Truck                          Honda Ridgeline
    Luxury Sport Utility                         BMW X-5
    Large Sport Utility                          GMC Yukon
    Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility               Nissan Murano
    Mid-Size Sport Utility                       Hyundai Santa Fe
    Compact Sport Utility                        Subaru Forester
    Minivan                                      Honda Odyssey
In addition to identifying segment winners, IVA also establishes
numerical ideal vehicle ratings for virtually every passenger car and light
truck (except pickups) in the United States market. This results from
calculating owner input across 11 specific areas related to a vehicle's
exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver's seat comfort,
drivers seat visibility, interior technology, power, ease of getting in and
out, interior storage compartments and tires and wheels. The 2006 ratings
reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September
2005 through January 2006. Pickup trucks are not incorporated because of
numerous body styles included within each pickup line.

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and
product-consulting firm. Every year it publishes a wide variety of
syndicated studies for the automotive industry. The firm also conducts
extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers,
distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Company headquarters and
its state-of-the-art automotive research facility are in Tustin,
California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area.

Additional information can be found on AutoPacific's websites
Hyundai Sonata? WTF? Have I been in a Coma the last 10 years?

CV
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by CVsGX470
Hyundai Sonata? WTF? Have I been in a Coma the last 10 years?

CV
well hyundai has come a long way, that's indeed a good car.

but i would still pick the camry / accord over it easily
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 09:04 AM
  #5  
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Originally Posted by LexArazzo
Top-rated 2006 Ideal Vehicle brand: Hyundai
Wow...times really have changed. Hyundai WINS as a brand!
Top-rated 2006 Ideal Product Segment: Large Car/Luxury Car
I don't understand what this award is about?
Top rated 2006 Ideal Vehicles by segment:
Image Compact Car Toyota Prius
Um..."Image" "Compact" Car?? WTH is that? A category that only the Prius qualifies? Why don't they have an "Image" "Mid-Size" Car award, an "Image" "Large" Car award, or heck, an "Image" [insert whatever segment yourself] award then?
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by rominl
well hyundai has come a long way, that's indeed a good car.

but i would still pick the camry / accord over it easily
nit that, i think he's asking wtf it's considered premium midsize car since it stickers closer to civic prices.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Mwmorph
nit that, i think he's asking wtf it's considered premium midsize car since it stickers closer to civic prices.
Apparantly AutoPacific likes categorize the market in some peculiar ways. Rather than just mainstream and luxury for 3 different car sizes, they have regular and premium for mainstream cars, entry and premium for luxury cars, and a large car that is also a luxury car. Somebody at AutoPacific obviously has a very confused mind.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 02:22 PM
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MMarshall has said for sometime now, their quality is for real.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 02:28 PM
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dang, i am starting to believe a little more that Hyundai is getting alot better than what they used to be.
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 03:02 PM
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mercury milan? rebadged fusion its not even funny
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 03:06 PM
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hyundai is good ,but in the end they're now closer to slightly aboe average imho than say good(toyota/bmw) ro exceptional(prosche/lexus)
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Old Jun 14, 2006 | 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Yoko
dang, i am starting to believe a little more that Hyundai is getting alot better than what they used to be.
Don't just take my word for it......or 1SICKLEX. Go see their cars for yourself.

Their fit-and finish overall is now about as good as Toyota's, but Hyundai lags noticeably behind Toyota and Honda in engine efficiency in all but their very newest models. Their engines are not the kings of HP....it takes some real estate to get them rolling.

Repair records have mostly improved as well. Where almost all Hyundais used to be real junk and extremely unreliable, today only the Tuscon and some older XG-300's, according to Consumer Reports, are below-par in reliability. Other Hyundais are average or above average, and one model, the Sonata, ranks as one of Consumer Reports' most reliable vehicles.

Last edited by mmarshall; Jun 14, 2006 at 06:05 PM.
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