Seems just about everyone is publishing a “Top 10” or “10 Best” list of automobiles here lately. One that caught my eye this week is from USAA – the United Services Automobile Association – who provides insurance and financial services to our servicemen and women.
USAA just published its second annual Best Value vehicles list giving their choices for the top 2012 model in each of 16 categories weighing consumers ability to get the most bang for the buck.
The group also published a new Top 10 for Teens list this year focusing on traits parents stated they cared the most about including reliability, safety, and affordable insurance costs.
USAA chose its 2012 Best Value list of 16 from among nearly 80 cars, trucks, CUVs, SUVs, and minivans that the group had already branded as “USAA Preferred.”
“Thirty percent of members who added a new model year vehicle to their USAA auto insurance policy in 2011 chose a USAA Preferred or Best Value vehicle,” says Steve Thompson, an assistant vice president with USAA. “The goal of the list is to help members identify vehicles that offer better safety ratings, lower insurance premium costs, higher fuel economy, better overall reliability, and lower MSRP compared to other vehicles in the same category.”
2012 Best Value List:
Large Sedan: Dodge Charger
Midsize Sedan: Toyota Camry Hybrid
Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra
Large Luxury Sedan: Hyundai Genesis
Midsize Luxury Sedan: Volvo S60
Large SUV: Chevrolet Traverse
Midsize SUV: Dodge Journey
Small SUV: Kia Sportage
Large Luxury SUV: Audi Q7
Midsize Luxury SUV: Lexus RX 450h (hybrid)
Large Pickup: Toyota Tundra 2WD
Small Pickup: Nissan Frontier
Sports: Ford Mustang
Coupe: Honda CR-Z (hybrid)
Wagon: Nissan Juke
Minivan: Dodge Caravan
Top 10 for Teens List:
1. Scion tC
2. Nissan Cube
3. Honda Fit
4. Scion xD
5. Scion xB
6. Toyota Yaris
7. Honda Civic
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda CR-Z (hybrid)
10. Kia Forte
What is perhaps most surprising by both lists is that USAA has not overloaded them with American vehicles as one might expect from an organization aiding U.S. Armed Forces employees and their families. And while it was not a surprise to see the North American Car of the Year (Elantra) make both lists it did raise an eyebrow to see the CR-Z on both.
