Edmunds.com Names Top Automotive Sound Systems

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2003 -- In this age of potholes, traffic and road rage, a great car stereo can make a bad day better. Edmunds.com ( http://www.edmunds.com/ ), the premier online resource for automotive information, today released its reports on the best stereo systems in new vehicles priced over and under $30,000.

In "Top 10 Sound Systems in Cars Over $30,000 for 2004" and "Top 10 Sound Systems in Cars Under $30,000 for 2004" at http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10 , sound quality, user friendliness, and stereo features are detailed for each vehicle deemed worthy. Those vehicles, unranked out of respect for personal preference in audio tastes, are:

   Top 10 over $30,000:

   Acura TL (Panasonic)
   Cadillac SRX (Bose)
   Hummer H1 (Monsoon by Delphi)
   Infiniti Q45 (Bose)
   Land Rover Range Rover (Harman Kardon)
   Lexus LS 430 (Mark Levinson)
   Lincoln LS (THX)
   Mercedes S500 (Bose)
   Porsche 911 Cabriolet and Boxster (Bose)
   Volvo S80 (Dolby Pro Logic)

   Top 10 under $30,000:

   Audi A4 (Bose)
   Ford Focus (Visteon)
   Ford Mustang GT (Visteon)
   Mini Cooper (Harman Kardon)
   Mitsubishi Galant (Infinity)
   Nissan Altima (Bose)
   Nissan Pathfinder (Bose)
   Nissan Sentra SE-R (Rockford-Fosgate)
   Scion xA and xB (Pioneer with Bazooka subwoofer)
   Volkswagen Passat (Monsoon by Delphi)

"These lists will help consumers quickly identify the cars and trucks that offer high-quality sound systems within a given price range," explains Karl Brauer, Editor In Chief of Edmunds.com. "Every buyer interested in audio quality should give these vehicles careful consideration."