Cars.com Recognizes Top Cars for Today's Lifestyles With 2009 Lifestyle Awards
February 03 2009 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The automotive experts at Cars.com
hit the streets in dozens of vehicles this year and can now
announce their top vehicle picks for a variety of lifestyle
segments as part of the 2009 Cars.com Lifestyle Awards. Winners
include Cars.com Green Car of the Year, 2009 Toyota Prius; Cars.com
Family Car of the Year, 2009 Ford Flex; Cars.com Work Car of the
Year, 2009 Dodge Ram 1500; and Cars.com Play Car of the Year, 2009
BMW M3. Developed to recognize the vehicles that are best suited
for the lifestyle needs of today's car buyers, the Cars.com
Lifestyle Awards highlight the top choices from Cars.com's
Lifestyle Buying Guide. This site feature helps shoppers identify
the right car for them based on their personal lifestyle needs,
whether they're looking to purchase a new car for a growing family,
a ride for weekend fun or a set of wheels that can withstand the
rigors of a long commute. The guide features expert picks from
Cars.com's editors, based on their unbiased experiences in dozens
of test drives and their evaluation of criteria most important to
shoppers in each lifestyle category. "Cars.com recognizes that
consumers need different things from their cars," said Patrick
Olsen, editor in chief at Cars.com. "With so many options in
today's market, finding a car can be very overwhelming for a
consumer. Our Lifestyle Buying Guide lets shoppers search for cars
across many different categories, allowing them to compare sedans
to trucks to SUVs to minivans. Our Lifestyle Awards select our
expert reviewers' favorites in these categories, helping consumers
confidently select a car that best suits them." About the 2009
Cars.com Lifestyle Award Winners -- Cars.com Green Car of the Year,
2009 Toyota Prius: Chances are, if you ask someone to name a hybrid
car they're going to mention the Toyota Prius. The hybrid hatchback
has become a phenomenon among regular folks and celebrities alike
thanks to its green credentials. With industry-best gas mileage of
48/45 mpg city/highway, a distinctive design and competitive
pricing, the Prius is the clear choice for someone looking to have
less of an impact on the environment, or just to save money at the
gas pump. The Prius isn't only about gas mileage, though, as
there's enough room for four people to ride in comfort, plus a
sizable 14.4-cubic-foot cargo area. It also comes with important
safety features, like standard side curtain airbags. One way to
gauge the success of a car is by its buyers' devotion to it. Using
this measuring stick, the Prius is a grand slam -- and that's a big
part of why it's our winner. -- Cars.com Family Car of the Year,
2009 Ford Flex: For years, the family car has been an unappealing
"must" rather than a "want." The Ford Flex changes this with a
crossover that delivers a desirable driving experience and a look
that surprised our editors. It's easy to fall for the Flex's direct
steering, comfortable ride and spacious seating for eight. The
design is slightly harder for everyone to fall in love with, but
judging by the stares and comments of passers-by, the Flex
definitely has an appealing look. Unlike most minivans, the Flex
offers an all-wheel-drive option and returns mileage that's on par
with the best minivan. -- Cars.com Work Car of the Year, 2009 Dodge
Ram 1500: While the redesigned Ram lacks the payload and towing
capacity that some of its competitors boast, it's the most broadly
appealing truck out there: Cabin quality equals GM's pickups and
generally leaves Ford, Toyota and Nissan behind, while ride quality
-- thanks to a coil-spring rear suspension -- beats all four.
Optional covered fender wells keep tools or muddy work clothes in
lockable storage areas that can be hosed out and drained afterward,
while the crew cab's interior sports spacious storage areas in both
rows. Engines range from Dodge's capable 3.7-liter V-6 to a
revamped and potent-as-ever Hemi V-8; the Hemi should see you
through any job that requires extra grunt, and its 20-mpg highway
rating with RWD is as good as most pickups these days can manage.
No doubt about it: The Ram is ready to take a beating Monday
through Friday, then take the kids camping over the weekend. --
Cars.com Play Car of the Year, 2009 BMW M3: We like driving with
the top down, being seen in a reborn icon and finding driving
satisfaction where it's unexpected, but Cars.com's Play Car of the
Year has to be one that delivers an exceptional driving experience.
That car is the BMW M3. Certainly some dedicated sports cars can
outdo this souped-up version of BMW's 3 Series sedan and coupe.
They can squeeze more G-force out of a turn and wring faster times
out of a hot lap, but not many can then drive home from the track
with a low profile and two or three passengers in comfort. The
current version brings a new level of completeness and
cohesiveness, with ride quality that has made more than just a
generational leap, without any great sacrifice in the V-8-powered,
rear-wheel-drive car's legendary handling. The M3 is the equivalent
of having your cake and driving it really fast through a hairpin
turn, too. Bravo. In addition to the overall award winners,
Cars.com recognizes winners in a number of sub-categories. Vehicles
with outstanding performance at a value price are also recognized
with a Cars.com Best Deal award in each category. Winners include:
Green Cars: Green cars considered include gas/electric hybrids,
diesel cars and even a few fuel-sipping gas-only cars. Cars.com
Best Deal for Green Drivers, 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt Family Cars:
Families come in all shapes and sizes. With that in mind, Cars.com
recognized the top new cars for a variety of family needs. Cars.com
Best New Car for Small Families, 2009 Subaru Forester Cars.com Best
Deal for Small Families, 2009 Mazda5 Cars.com Best New Car for
Large Families, 2009 Ford Flex Cars.com Best Deal for Large
Families, 2009 Toyota Sienna Cars.com Best New Car for First-Time
Drivers, 2009 Honda Civic Cars.com Best Deal for First-Time
Drivers, 2009 Nissan Versa Work Cars: For some drivers, a car just
gets them to the job, and for others it does the job. Cars.com
selected cars that can help everyone from commuters to haulers --
even the boss. Cars.com Best New Car for Commuters, 2009 Audi A4
Cars.com Best Deal for Commuters, 2009 Nissan Versa Cars.com Best
New Car for Hard Workers, 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Cars.com Best Deal
for Hard Workers, 2009 Toyota Tacoma Cars.com Best New Car for The
Boss, 2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cars.com Best Deal for The Boss,
2009 Hyundai Genesis Play Cars: Whether you're driving into the
sunset, hauling a boat to the bay or lugging a mountain bike to a
race, there's a car built for every adventure. Cars.com Best New
Car for Sun Lovers, 2009 Jaguar XK Cars.com Best Deal for Sun
Lovers, 2009 Jeep Wrangler Cars.com Best New Car for Off Roaders,
2009 Jeep Wrangler Cars.com Best Deal for Off Roaders, 2009 Nissan
Xterra Cars.com Best New Car for The Towing Crowd, 2008 Toyota
Tundra V-8 4x2 Cars.com Best Deal for The Towing Crowd, 2009 Nissan
Frontier Cars.com Best New Car for Weekend Athletes, 2009 Honda
Element Cars.com Best Deal for Weekend Athletes, 2009 Scion xB
Cars.com Best New Car for Driving Fun, 2009 BMW M3 Cars.com Best
Deal for Driving Fun, 2009 Mazda3 About the Cars.com Lifestyle
Awards: Launched to recognize new vehicles that best suit the
lifestyles of today's car shoppers, the Cars.com Lifestyle Awards
acknowledge the best cars across a number of categories that car
shoppers can identify with based on their personal vehicle needs.
Award winners were selected by Cars.com's expert reviewers and
unbiased editorial staff from the field of editors' picks in the
Cars.com Lifestyle Buying Guide. All vehicles in this guide first
had to be selected as Cars.com Best Bets, meaning they were among
the model year's best offerings in their vehicle segment. From
there, the team tapped into knowledge drawn from their time with
the cars to decide which vehicle best met the criteria and intent
of the lifestyle category at hand. For small families, for example,
safety was a paramount concern, along with seating. In choosing the
best deal for each lifestyle category, the reviewers looked at
which cars offered the best bang for the buck. To view
comprehensive awards criteria, visit Cars.com. Additionally,
behind-the-scenes insight into the award selection process and
inside debate can be found on Cars.com's blog, KickingTires,
blogs.cars.com/kickingtires. About Cars.com Cars.com is the leading
destination for online car shoppers, offering credible,
easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help
buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much
to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information,
side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased
editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car
inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their
shopping process with the information they need to make confident
buying decisions. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of
Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media
companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI),
The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Company and The
Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT:
Jackie Brennan, Associate Public Relations Manager,
+1-312-601-6229, mobile, +1-219-577-6106, , or Steve Nolan, Public
Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, mobile, +1-630-310-2468, , both
of Cars.com Web site: http://www.cars.com/
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