aneekr Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 LINK Best of the year: Cadillac ATS Best Subcompact Car: Hyundai Accent & Kia RioBest Compact Car: Dodge DartBest Family Sedan: Ford FusionBest Convertible: Volkswagen BeetleBest Luxury Sedan: Lexus ESBest Sport Sedan: Cadillac ATSBest Sport Coupe: Fiat 500 AbarthBest Performance Car: Ford Shelby GT500Best Small Utility: Toyota RAV4Best Large Utility: Nissan Pathfinder & Infiniti JXBest Pickup Truck: Ram 1500Best Eco-Friendly: Volkswagen Jetta HybridBest Dream Machine: SRT Viper & Range Rover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Glad to see Ford make an appearence. Now, I prefer the F-150 but the Ram isn't that bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Can't understand the love for the ATS. Sure it's competent, but basically it's doing the same thing BMW's been doing for years, except with a 10 years old design language. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 BMW's look isn't exactly bleeding-edge fresh, and there's still a lot of residual Cult of Bob Lutz love for the ATS. Jetta Hybrid just has me shaking my head. I do not understand how but VW manged to make the Jetta into something that tickles reviewers in some magical way that is completely lost on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Dodge Dart puzzles me. If it is so well-liked, why is it selling at such a snail's pace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Dodge Dart puzzles me. If it is so well-liked, why is it selling at such a snail's pace? A few theories... Because the bigger-is-better mentality of the Dodge intender draws them to the equally priced and larger Avenger? Because they people who sing its praise are the same people who won't buy a Dodge branded vehicle in the first place? Because people remember the Caliber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Or because all the one in dealer's inventories are either lime green, hunt season orange or easter blue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Or because all the one in dealer's inventories are either lime green, hunt season orange or easter blue? Funny you mention that, but I just noticed all the Darts at the local Dodge dealership I drive past where in funky colors LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Only Dart I've seen in person (or noticed anyway) was black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Funny you mention that, but I just noticed all the Darts at the local Dodge dealership I drive past where in funky colors LOL Well there's funky colors like Mopar's 'High Impact' colors who looks good... Then there's the Dart color selection... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Can't understand the love for the ATS. Dodge Dart puzzles me. Jetta Hybrid just has me shaking my head. Bear in mind that MotorWeek's "Driver's Choice" picks are often contrarian. The show's producers assert that MotorWeek Driver's Choice Awards are more "consumer-oriented" than other annual automotive industry plaudits, but relatively few of this year's MW winners are top ranked by other reviewers (including those with a "consumer" focus). In fact, based on such non-MotorWeek reviews, only ATS and Ram 1500 seem to be consistently acclaimed. Accent/Rio, Pathfinder/JX and Shelby GT500 are also highly rated, but the remaining vehicles on MW's list (other than the two "Dream Machines") are decent efforts at best, also-rans in their respective segments at worst. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed watching MotorWeek since it debuted in 1981, particularly John Davis' role as host and Pat Goss' maintenance and repair advice. Kudos to Maryland Public Television for a continuing 30+ year run of this program! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Bear in mind that MotorWeek's "Driver's Choice" picks are often contrarian. The show's producers assert that MotorWeek Driver's Choice Awards are more "consumer-oriented" than other annual automotive industry plaudits, but relatively few of this year's MW winners are top ranked by other reviewers (including those with a "consumer" focus). In fact, based on such non-MotorWeek reviews, only ATS and Ram 1500 seem to be consistently acclaimed. Accent/Rio, Pathfinder/JX and Shelby GT500 are also highly rated, but the remaining vehicles on MW's list (other than the two "Dream Machines") are decent efforts at best, also-rans in their respective segments at worst. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed watching MotorWeek since it debuted in 1981, particularly John Davis' role as host and Pat Goss' maintenance and repair advice. Kudos to Maryland Public Television for a continuing 30+ year run of this program! Oh I don't know. Most Dart reviews I've seen have been relatively positive. Certainly better reviewed than better selling vehicles like the Cruze. The car just simply isn't gaining any traction in the market for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveTaurus Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I got a Nissan Pathfinder flyer in the mail today. Why do they claim best in class mpg with fwd only 26, but Explorer gets better mpg at 28 rating ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I got a Nissan Pathfinder flyer in the mail today. Why do they claim best in class mpg with fwd only 26, but Explorer gets better mpg at 28 rating ? Does Pathfinder offer an 8 passenger version, 3 across 3rd row? They could be defining "class" as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveTaurus Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 (edited) Does Pathfinder offer an 8 passenger version, 3 across 3rd row? They could be defining "class" as such. On the flyer: Definition * Ward's Large Cross/Utility Market segmentation. MY13 Pathfinder vs. 2013 Large Cross/Utility class. 13 Pathfinder 2WD EPA fuel economy estimates 20 city and 26 highway MPG. Actual mileage may vary with driving conditions-use for comparison only. On the web site: 2013 fuel economy estimate 20 city and 26 highway MPG. Actual mileage may vary with driving conditions-use for comparison only. 7 passengers, and dimensions, cargo volume are within fractions in compared to the Explorer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathfinder only have 1 engine choice, 260 hp, same across the trims. fwd 26/20, 4x4 25/19. Edited February 14, 2013 by LoveTaurus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 On the flyer: Definition * Ward's Large Cross/Utility Market segmentation. MY13 Pathfinder vs. 2013 Large Cross/Utility class. 13 Pathfinder 2WD EPA fuel economy estimates 20 city and 26 highway MPG. Actual mileage may vary with driving conditions-use for comparison only. On the web site: 2013 fuel economy estimate 20 city and 26 highway MPG. Actual mileage may vary with driving conditions-use for comparison only. 7 passengers, and dimensions, cargo volume are within fractions in compared to the Explorer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathfinder only have 1 engine choice, 260 hp, same across the trims. fwd 26/20, 4x4 25/19. Thanks for the details, LoveTaurus. Ward's Auto plays games with semantics related to its vehicle classifications and the models within each classification: Pathfinder is categorized as a "Large Cross/Utility Vehicle", as you noted. The other entries in this segment are Enclave, Traverse, Flex, Acadia, and CX-9. Explorer is categorized as a "Middle Sport/Utility Vehicle", along with Durango, Grand Cherokee, Xterra, 4Runner, and FJ Cruiser. Attached is a document with complete details from Ward's Auto. Page 6 attempts to explain the methodology, but placing 2013 Explorer in the same category as 2013 FJ Cruiser seems to me a . UsaSa08_2013.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveTaurus Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Oh! Thanks, interesting! The only reason Ward's Auto categorized Pathfinder to "Large" I could think of, is the Pathfinder's passenger volume. Nissan claimed class leading. Auto Manufactures like to claim "jack sh*t". 47/47/47, 115mpge, best in class 26mpg,etc, often miss-leading. Clearly Ward's messed up with classifications. No way CX-9, Pathfinder in the large category, even Flex is kind of in the small side. Enclave, Traverse, Acadia are actually large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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