Top Automotive Awards of 2009
December 30, 2009 by Colin Bird
As we wind down the year, every major consumer and trade publication has had their say about the year that’s come to pass. Here is the summation of the most important awards doled out.
Notables include the IIHS “Top Safety Picks.” Did you notice that not one Toyota made the “Top Safety Picks” for 2010? That’s due to a new rollover crash test criteria added this year by the IIHS (last year 7 Toyota models made the list). Automaker’s who did well include Subaru. Every model Subaru makes was a “Top Safety Pick.”
In Consumer Reports’ most satisfying car to own survey, the Dodge Challenger beat out the long standing Toyota Prius to become the most satisfying car to own. 92% of owners said they would definitely buy another new Challenger if given the opportunity.
In J.D. Power’s vehicle dependability study, Mercury and Jaguar surpassed long standing Lexus as the most dependable makes on the market. Lexus had held the title since 1995.
An award that still hasn’t been decided is the North American Car and Truck of the Year. This will be announced during the Detroit Auto Show. Finalists for that include the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI on the car side; and the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback on the truck.
The list of prominent awards for the year are as follows.
Cars.com 2010 Platinum Awards
- Best New SUV of 2010: Chevrolet Equinox
- Best New Compact of 2010: Mazda3
- Best New Hatchback of 2010: Kia Soul
- Best New Hybrid Hatchback of 2010: Toyota Prius
- Best New Hybrid Sedan of 2010: Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Best New Wagon of 2010: Subaru Outback
2010 Ward’s Best Engines Choices
- 2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A4)
- 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S4)
- 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
- 2.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
- 3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
- 2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
- 4.6L Tau DOHC V-8 (Hyundai Genesis)
- 2.5L Turbocharged DOHC H-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
- 1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
- 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)
Car and Driver “10BEST” CARS FOR 2010
- 2010 Audi S4
- 2010 BMW 3 Series / M3
- 2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V
- 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
- 2010 Honda Accord
- 2010 Honda Fit
- 2010 Mazda Miata MX-5
- 2010 Mazda3 / MazdaSpeed3
- 2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman
- 2010 Volkswagen GTI
2010 Motor Trend Truck, Car and SUV of the Year
- 2010 Ram Heavy Duty (truck)
- 2010 Ford Fusion (car)
- 2010 Subaru Outback (suv)
Kelley Blue Book 2010 Best Resale Value
- Mid-sized Pickup: Toyota Tacoma
- High-Performance Car: Chevrolet Camaro SS
- Full-sized Pickup: Ford F-Series Super Duty
- Hybrid Car: Toyota Prius
- Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
- Compact Car: MINI Cooper Clubman
- Mid-sized SUV: Toyota Highlander
- Mid-sized Car: Honda Accord
- Full-sized SUV: Honda Pilot
- Full-sized Car: Ford Taurus
- Luxury SUV: Lexus RX 350
- Near-luxury car: Lexus IS
- Hybrid SUV: BMW X5 Turbo Diesel
- Luxury Car: Audi A5
- Minivan: Toyota Sienna
- Sports Car: Nissan 370Z
2010 Edmunds Most Wanted Awards
- 2010 Porsche Panamera
- 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro
- 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
- 2010 Mazda 3
- 2010 Ford Flex Ecoboost
- 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
2010 North American Car of the Year finalists:
- Buick LaCrosse
- Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI
2010 North American Truck of the Year finalists:
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Ford Transit Connect
- Subaru Outback
2010 All-Stars by Automobile Magazine:
- 2010 Ford Flex
- 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
2010 IIHS Top Safety Picks:
Large Cars:
- Buick LaCrosse
- Ford Taurus
- Lincoln MKS
- Volvo S80
Midsize Cars:
- Audi A3
- Chevrolet Malibu (built after Oct. 2009)
- Chrysler Sebring 4-door (w/ optional ESC)
- Dodge Avenger (w/ optional ESC)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Subaru Legacy
- Subaru Outback
- Volkswagen Jetta sedan
- Volkswagen Passat sedan
- Volvo C30
Small Cars:
- Honda Civic 4-door
- Kia Soul
- Nissan Cube
- Subaru Impreza (except WRX)
- Volkswagen Golf 4-door
Midsize SUVs:
- Dodge Journey
- Subaru Tribeca
- Volvo XC60
- Volvo XC90
Small SUVs:
- Honda Element
- Jeep Patriot (w/ optional side air bags)
- Subaru Forester
- Volkswagen Tiguan
Consumer Reports Most Satisfying Cars:
Sporty Cars:
- Dodge Challenger (V8)
- Porsche 911 Carrera S
- BMW 135i
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06
- BMW M3
- Ford Mustang GT (V8)
- Mini Cooper (hatchback)
- Porsche Cayman
- Mazdaspeed3
Roadster:
- Chevrolet Corvette (base)
- Porsche Boxster
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
Coupes & Convertibles:
- BMW 335i
Small Cars:
- Mini Cooper Clubman
- Honda Fit
Family Cars:
- Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Toyota Prius
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Ford Fusion (V6)
- Mercury Milan (V6)
Upscale Cars:
- Acura TL (AWD)
- Hyundai Genesis
- BMW 335i (sedan, AWD)
- Pontiac G8 (V8)
- BMW 335i (sedan, RWD)
Luxury Cars:
- Lexus LS 460
- Mercedes-Benz S550
Wagon:
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- Toyota Venza (V6)
Small SUVs:
- Ford Escape Hybrid (FWD)
- Mercury Mariner Hybrid (FWD)
Midsized SUV:
- Ford Flex
Luxury SUV:
- Lexus RX
Upscale Compact SUV
- Volkswagen Tiguan
Minivans:
- Honda Odyssey
Compact Pickups:
- Honda Ridgeline
J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability
*Major problems per 100 vehicles over 3 years.
- Buick (122)
- Jaguar (122)
- Lexus (125)
- Toyota (129)
- Mercury (134)
- Infiniti (142)
- Acura (146)
- Lincoln (147)
- Cadillac (148)
- Honda (148)
- Porsche (150)
- Audi (159)
- Ford (159)
- Hyundai (161)
- Subaru (162)
- Chrysler (165)
- BMW (166)
- Industry Average (170)
- GMC (172)
- Mercedes (184)
- Chevrolet (185)
- Mitsubishi (185)
- Volvo (186)
- Nissan (199)
- Dodge (202)
- Mini (205)
- Saturn (211)
- Kia (218)
- Jeep (220)
- Pontiac (220)
- Hummer (221)
- Scion (222)
- Saab (226)
- Mazda (227)
- Isuzu (234)
- Land Rover (238)
- Volkswagen (260)
- Suzuki (263)
Images by: Andrew Walensa
