A Car for Every Lifestyle

Cars are diverse enough that when it comes to picking a vehicle, there is no clear “best.” For all the awards from major automotive sources that are handed out every year, nearly every car has strengths and weaknesses that make it suited for certain lifestyles and preferences. One driver may enjoy the off-roading capabilities of an SUV while another would rather have the crisper handling of a crossover. Another might worry about performance while parents will be more concerned with transporting their children comfortably and safely.

Whether shopping for a new or used car, what a driver ultimately wants out of a car will determine their purchase. But as subjective as buying a car can be, there are still some vehicles that are better than others at certain tasks. That’s why this year’s Motorist Choice Awards, compiled by auto analysts IntelliChoice, bucked the traditional categories like “sedan” or “crossover” and instead asked survey respondents about their favorite cars based on their lifestyle.

The awards, which have been handed out for five years, compile over 42,000 consumer surveys. This year is the first that the new categories have been introduced.

“From an emotional standpoint these awards are a reflection of how cars fit into people’s daily lives, the tasks they fulfill on a day-to-day basis and the image people have of their vehicles,” says Charlie Vogelheim, Executive Editor of IntelliChoice. “The cars in these categories not only represent tremendous value, they are also about the image you want to portray to other motorists as well.”

Fifteen categories were broken down into “popular” and “premium” choices to denote value and luxury. For example, the Hyundai Genesis was the popular choice for a “country club” car, while the Audi A6 was the premium winner.

Toyota was a big winner on the list, taking 10 of the 30 awards. According to the respondents, the Japanese automaker represented a good choice for fuel economic cars in the city. The company swept the city car category with the Toyota Yaris and Lexus LS taking honors, as well as the eco-friendly category for its Prius and Lexus RX Hybrid. In fact, the RX Hybrid won in multiple classes, also winning premium value and high tech vehicle awards.

Some drivers, however, want a bit more space with their vehicle, and this is where categories like “people mover” and “kid friendly” come into play. The Honda Odyssey was chosen as the best popular people mover, while Toyota’s Sequoia was deemed the most kid-friendly. The Mercedez-Benz GL was noted as the best premium car in both of these segments.

Consumers won’t find hard numbers on this list, but they will get some popular opinions on subjective categories like “sexy styling.” The winner in that category was the always-popular Chevy Corvette, while the Audi A5 turned heads in the luxury market.

Shopping for a deal is a smart way to buy a vehicle, but by heading to a used car dealership, drivers will likely be able to find a multitude of great prices on a range of vehicles. Once they’ve done that, they can pay a bit more attention to how that car will fit into their everyday lifestyle.