Toyota, Honda Dominate Vincentric’s Best Value in America™ Awards; Hybrids and Diesels also Perform Well

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan – May 4, 2005 –Vincentric’s Best Value in America™ awards were announced today, with vehicles from Toyota and Honda capturing 50% of the top honors. Although Toyota led the way with ten winners, the awards were well distributed among twelve different nameplates. Detroit showed strength in two traditionally strong areas; Ford swept all four awards in the Heavy Duty Pickup category, and Chevrolet’s Corvette was a winner in both a sports car and a convertible segment.

Two hybrids - the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid - used their low overall fuel costs to help win their respective categories. In addition, the diesel powered Dodge Sprinter captured two awards, and the Mercedes-Benz E320W CDI was tops in the luxury car segment. Both vehicles benefited from reduced costs due to the high fuel economy of their diesel engines. 

To determine Vincentric’s Best Value in America™, Vincentric reviewed approximately 7,000 different vehicle configurations. Vincentric narrowed the field to the final 34 winners using in-depth analysis of eight different ownership cost factors including depreciation, fuel, insurance, opportunity cost, financing, maintenance, state fees & taxes, and repairs. 

“The final step in our process was to examine multiple scenarios in which various economic conditions were simulated”, stated David Wurster, President of Vincentric. “We developed value ratings based on each of the different economic conditions to ensure that the value leadership exhibited by our winners was consistent. Even with high volatility in fuel prices, interest rates, and consumer incentives, all of our winners met the test.”

The categories and the winners of Vincentric’s Best Value in America™ are:

SUVs
- Compact SUV, over $22,000: Honda CR-V
- Compact SUV, under $22,000: Honda CR-V
- Large SUV, over $40,000: Lexus GX 470
- Large SUV, under $40,000: Toyota Sequoia SR5
- Mid-Size SUV, over $30,000: Honda Pilot EX, EX-L
- Mid-Size SUV, under $30,000: Honda Pilot LX

Passenger Cars
- Compact, over $17,000: Honda Civic Hybrid
- Compact, under $17,000: Honda Civic (non-hybrid)
- Convertible, over $30,000: Chevrolet Corvette
- Convertible, under $30,000: MINI Cooper
- Large: Toyota Avalon XL
- Luxury: Mercedes-Benz E-320W CDI
- Mid-Size, over $22,000: Honda Accord EX 4 Dr. Sedan
- Mid-Size, under $22,000: Toyota Prius
- Near Luxury: Infiniti G35 Base Coupe
- Sport-Wagon, over $26,000: Nissan Murano SE
- Sport-Wagon, under $26,000: Toyota Matrix XR 2WD
- Sports Car, $33 - $80,000: Chevrolet Corvette
- Sports Car, under $33,000: Nissan 350Z Touring
- Subcompact: MINI Cooper
- Wagon, over $27,000: Volvo 70 Series
- Wagon, under $27,000: Scion xB

Trucks
- Compact Pickup, 2WD: Toyota Tacoma
- Compact Pickup, 4WD: Toyota Tacoma
- Full Size Pickup, 2WD: Toyota Tundra
- Full Size Pickup, 4WD: Toyota Tundra
- Heavy Duty ¾ Ton Pickup, 2WD: Ford F-250
- Heavy Duty ¾ Ton Pickup, 4WD: Ford F-250
- Heavy Duty 1 Ton Pickup, 2WD: Ford F-350 XL
- Heavy Duty 1 Ton Pickup, 4WD: Ford F-350 XL

Vans
- Cargo Van: Dodge Sprinter Cargo Van
- Full Size Passenger Van: Dodge Sprinter Wagon
- Minivan, over $27,000: Toyota Sienna XLE FWD
- Minivan, under $27,000: Toyota Sienna LE

Contact:

Dave Freed
Vincentric, LLC
952-891-1054

dave.freed@vincentric.com
www.vincentric.com