Conducted by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, the annual U.S. Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA) are designed to reveal the cars and trucks that most match the wants and needs of their owners, vehicles they’d be least likely to change or trade.
The IVA ratings are based on 15 key attributes of each vehicle, ranging from acceleration and performance, to interior room, ride comfort and equipment features. For the 2011 results, information was gathered from more than 72,000 individual vehicle owners and the results were quite interesting.
“Ford Motor Company leads the industry with wins in seven segments,” said AutoPacific President George Peterson. “Like last year, no other manufacturer came close.”
In the top rated individual segment – Premium Car – Porsche had the highest scores, marking the fourth year in a row the German performance vehicle manufacturer had achieved top honours in the category.
Other manufacturers that showed strongly in the 2011 IVA findings included Chrysler, for its minivans, Hyundai for its Azera and Elantra sedans and Volvo, which scored three category wins for its C30; S60 and V70 respectively. Overall, out of 24 individual IVA categories, Domestic brands scored the highest, with 11 segment wins, followed by European brands (seven) and Asian nameplates (six).
2011 AutoPacific IVA Vehicle Awards
Premium Brand Award: Porsche
Mainstream/Popular Brand Award:Chrysler
Overall Winner: Porsche 911
Overall Brand Winner: Porsche
Passenger Cars:
Premium Luxury Car
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Aspirational Luxury Car
Volvo S60
Large Car
Hyundai Azera
Luxury Mid-Size Car
Lincoln MKZ
Premium Mid-Size Car
Ford Fusion
Mid-Size Car
Subaru Legacy
Premium Compact Car
Volvo C30
Compact Car
Hyundai Elantra
Sports Car
Porsche 911
Sporty Car
Dodge Challenger
Hybrid Car
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Pickup, SUV & Minivans:
Large Light-Duty Pickup
Ford F-150
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup
Ford Super Duty
Compact Pickup
Honda Ridgeline
Luxury Sport Utility
Cadillac Escalade
Large Sport Utility
Toyota Sequoia
Mid-Size Sport Utility
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Premium Luxury Crossover SUV
Porsche Cayenne
Luxury Crossover SUV
Volvo XC70
Large Crossover SUV
Ford Flex
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV
Ford Explorer
Mid-Size Crossover SUV
Toyota RAV4
Compact Crossover SUV
Volkswagen Tiguan
Minivan
Chrysler Town & Country
