Hybrids dominate the Intellichoice Best Overall Value of the Year Awards

Click above for a gallery of the Ford Escape Hybrid

IntelliChoice used the Chicago Auto Show to announce its Best Overall Value of the Year Awards, and, lo and behold, it's loaded up with hybrid and eco-friendly vehicles. Included in the list of winners for 2009 are:

Honda Civic Hybrid for Best Compact over $17,000
GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Hybrid for Best 1/2 ton Full-Size Pickup (2WD and 4WD)
Toyota Prius for Midsize over $21,000 (Touring trim) and under $21,000 (Standard trim)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD for Midsize Crossover
Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid for Compact Utility/Crossover
Volkswagen Jetta TDI for Small/Midsize Wagon
Lexus GS 450h for Sport Sedan/Wagon over $38,000

This list serves as another reminder that hybrid vehicles have really started making their mark on the automotive marketplace. There's hardly a segment or price range that doesn't include at least one hybrid vehicle, and if you can't find one to suit your needs, you can always choose the all-conquering Jetta TDI from Volkswagen.

Related GalleryABG Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited

[Source: IntelliChoice]

Add a Comment

Sign in »

7 Comments

Filter by:

SteveW

How do any of these cars come close to being a "Best Overall Value". They are all way more expensive to purchase than many other options. Maybe within their contrived classes - Best compact over $17K - thats only there to exclude all the real compacts that start at $12-$14K.

I havent seen any recent numbers now the cost of gas dropped, but even at $4 - $5 per gallon I recall seeing info that the Hybrids took 5-10 years to repay their price differential over their cheaper non hybrid siblings.

There was a great Edmonds report I recall reading on here that had a very different list of best overall value vehicles, and I recall there was a single hybrid crept in around Number 10, with the Toyota Yaris and similar cheap compacts beating everyone else by miles.

February 14 2009 at 1:25 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

BoomBoom

Yeah, yikes, you're right. There is no way that gas prices will go back up. I'm putting a down payment on a hummer.

February 13 2009 at 9:28 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

3 replies to BoomBoom's comment

Yikes

At current gas prices, I'm not so sure that list is an "Intelligent Choice"

February 13 2009 at 9:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Yikes's comment

GoodCheer

For how long do you generally keep a car? What do you think the price of a gallon will be 3-4 years from now?

February 13 2009 at 10:07 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

National Show Coverage

International Show Coverage

Hybrids dominate the Intellichoice Best Overall Value of the Year Awards

Related GalleryABG Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited

Add a Comment

7 Comments

All Makes

All Models

All Makes

All Models

More Automotive News

Autoblog

Engadget

AOL Autos

AOL Autos - Translogic