Intellichoice Best Overall Value of The Year for 2007

The Toyota Prius, one of four hybrids on the list, is the Best Car Value Under $23,000 for the second consecutive year. It is joined by the Toyota Tacoma 2WD, named Best Overall Truck Value Under $27,000. Overall, Toyota Motor Company comes away with a total of 11 awards, the most of any auto manufacturer.

Chevrolet was well represented on the list, winning a total of ten awards followed closely by Lexus, which earned seven awards, including the ES sedan for Best Car Value Over $23,000 and the RX 350 for Best SUV Value Over $28,000.

Now in its 21st year, IntelliChoice.com’s “Best Overall Value of the Year” awards recognize vehicles whose cost of ownership is significantly lower than that of peer models. The awards provide a quick reference to finding vehicles that promise the best return on investment. A listing of this year’s winners and additional information on the awards can be found online at http://www.intellichoice.com/.

“Toyota continues to prove that value is a critical ingredient for Toyota’s success with the American consumer,” said James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com. “Toyota also went back to their roots with the subcompact Yaris, which wins in a category that saw a lot of strong entries for 2007.”

Winners for 2007

This year, IntelliChoice.com identified thirty-three winning models by segment and class, plus eight overall category winners. The eight overall category winners are:

• Best Car Value Under $23,000 – Toyota Prius
• Best Car Value Over $23,000 – Lexus ES
• Best SUV Value Under $28,000 – Ford Escape Hybrid (Pictured is the standard model.)
• Best SUV Value Over $28,000 – Lexus RX 350
• Best Truck Value Under $27,000 – Toyota Tacoma 2WD
• Best Truck Value Over $27,000 – Chevrolet Silverado Classic 3500 Extended Cab 2WD
• Best Van Value Under $25,000 – Honda Odyssey Passenger Van
• Best Van Value Over $25,000 – Honda Odyssey Passenger Van

Similar to last year’s awards, hybrid vehicles continue to score well, with the Prius, Ford Escape, Toyota Highlander and Honda Civic winning awards within their respective classes. Rather than focusing solely on sticker price, IntelliChoice.com uses multiple criteria such as depreciation, maintenance, repairs, fuel costs and state fees to analyze the value of hybrids. Against these criteria, buyers can expect a lower cost of ownership in relation to the price of that vehicle.

Bell added that some observers might wonder about the inclusion of hybrid vehicles on the same list as the Hummer H3, which makes IntelliChoice.com’s Best Overall Value list for the first time.

“Looking at the Hummer H3 tells consumers a great deal about how the Sports Utility/Crossover market has changed in the past year,” Bell said. “We re-segmented our class designations to reflect what we feel is a true sports-utility vehicle. The H3 is constructed on a truck-based platform and has real off-road capabilities. In terms of its overall value, the H3 gets good gas mileage within its class, and Hummer has kept inventory volume close to demand, which helps the H3 retain its value.”

Further highlights from the list include the Honda Odyssey sweeping the minivan category for the third consecutive year.

Additional categories and their winners can be found here.

Press release via Intellichoice