12 brands win awards across 23 categories; Ford, Chevrolet and Mazda have the most winners

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News Best Cars, one of the most influential and trusted sources for car rankings and reviews, today announced the 2012 Best Cars for the Money Awards, featured at http://usnews.com/cars-money.  The awards help everyday car buyers navigate a confusing automotive market by identifying vehicles that offer the biggest bang for the buck and that best incorporate the features today's car buyers want.

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The awards cover 23 automotive categories, including cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans.  Each category has a single winner. The awards, and the Best Cars website, are published by U.S. News & World Report, which has a long history of helping Americans make the best choices when it comes to higher education, hospitals and more. More than 20 million people have visited U.S. News Best Cars in the past year alone.

"You don't have to choose between a great car and a great value," said Jamie Page Deaton, Managing Editor of U.S. News Best Cars. "The award-winning vehicles are both easy to live with and easy to afford. With twelve brands winning at least one award, it's clear that a wide range of automakers are in tune with Americans' desire for a solid value," continued Page Deaton. "Additionally, 14 of the winners have been introduced or significantly redesigned in the last three years, demonstrating that newer models can offer good long-term value. And with the freshest technology and styling, they're more fun to own."

METHODOLOGY

The Best Cars for the Money Awards are geared towards helping everyday car buyers navigate a confusing new car market. The awards methodology combines quality and value data into a composite score. Within each of 23 categories, the vehicle with the highest score is named the Best Car for the Money in that category. Quality is measured by the overall score a vehicle receives in the U.S. News car rankings. The rankings, updated monthly at http://www.usnews.com/cars, compare cars on the basis of safety, reliability and a consensus of industry experts' opinions. Value is measured by a combination of a vehicle's five-year total cost of ownership and the average price paid for the vehicle at the time the awards are published, as calculated by TrueCar.com.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2012 AWARDS

• The diversity of the award winners illustrates that no single car company has a "lock" on value.  Overall, domestic brands edged out imports 13 to 10 with award-winning vehicles.
• Ford took home the most awards. Five of its models were selected as winners: Ford Taurus, Ford Fusion, Ford Fiesta, Ford Edge and Ford Fusion Hybrid.
• For 2012, three brands emerged as winners for the first time: Subaru for its Outback, Audi for its Q5, and Jeep for its Wrangler.
• 14 of the winners were introduced or significantly redesigned in the past three years, showing that newer models can offer good value while also providing the latest features that consumers want.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS BEST CARS

Since 2007, U.S. News Best Cars, part of U.S. News & World Report, has published rankings of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. on its website. Best Cars is one of the most influential and trusted sources of car advice, with more than 20 million people visiting in 2011. Each year, U.S. News publishes the Best Cars awards, including Best Cars for the Money and Best Cars for Families.

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Travel, Cars, and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News & World Report has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, cars, mutual funds, health plans and more.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

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