IntelliChoice Announces its 'Best Bets' for the 2013 Model Year

IntelliChoice Announces its “Best Bets” for the 2013 Model Year

Fifteen 2013 Models Demonstrate Outstanding Estimated Value Over Time

CAMPBELL, CA--August 14, 2012: Source Interlink Media, LLC (SIM) announced today that IntelliChoice has released the results of its second annual mid-year “Cost of Ownership” analysis, known as IntelliChoice “Best Bets.” IntelliChoice, part of the Motor Trend Automotive Group of SIM, is the market leader in automotive ownership cost and car values analysis.

In advance of the annual “Best Overall Value of the Year” (BOVY) analysis and awards, announced each January, IntelliChoice identified vehicles from the forthcoming model year that demonstrate the highest potential for achieving outstanding value over time. Each vehicle chosen was designated as a “Best Bet” for the new model year.

“Best Bet” accolades were awarded to 15 models from 10 manufacturers. General Motors and Toyota led the selections with five models.

To determine the 2013 “Best Bets,” each new vehicle model was compared to the currently available same-model-year vehicles in its respective competitive set. The basis for expected ownership costs used to derive “Best Bets” includes current assumptions for depreciation, costs for fuel, financing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, as well as state fees for all applicable 2013 model year competitors. These estimates will be updated again at the end of the year for BOVY consideration when more than 1,800 vehicle makes, models and trims are analyzed.

When reviewing potential winners, IntelliChoice analyzes data from auto manufacturers, the U.S. government, and third-party data resources to estimate the actual costs of ownership for new vehicles over a five-year period. It then assigns a value rating to each vehicle and compares that rating to the competitive set in each class. This methodology is employed to determine accolades in the annual “Best Overall Value of the Year,” “Best Bets,” “Smart Choice,” and “Motorist Choice” award series.

IntelliChoice’s “Best Bets” for the 2013 model year are:

Brand Model Acura RDX Audi A3 TDI Buick LaCrosse eAssist Chevrolet Avalanche Chevrolet Tahoe GMC Yukon GMC Yukon XL 1500 Lexus GX 460 Lexus LX 570 Lexus RX 350 Lexus RX 450h Lincoln MKT Porsche 911 Subaru Outback 2.5i Toyota Land Cruiser

“At IntelliChoice, our tagline is ‘Choose Your Car Wisely’,” said Eric Anderson, Ownership Cost Database Supervisor at IntelliChoice. “As manufacturers continue to move up the release dates for some new model year vehicles, we feel it is important to provide consumers with a mid-year update of our cost of ownership analysis. Initial purchase price is an important factor, but there are many other data points to consider when evaluating total cost of ownership over several years. We constantly aggregate and analyze the data on more than 1,800 new vehicle models available in the U.S. empowering consumers to make educated purchasing decisions. With these ‘Best Bets,’ consumers can be confident that they are purchasing a vehicle with strong ownership cost characteristics that should translate into superior value.”