Four seasoned automotive editors—Jim Gorzelany, Kevin Kelly, Jim Mateja and Matt Nauman—work with the Consumers Digest staff to produce our Best Buy recommendations for cars, trucks, vans and SUVs. The editors combine for more than 70 years’ coverage of the automotive industry, its developments and trends, and the ins-and-outs of the auto marketplace. This includes the evaluation of thousands of cars and trucks on back roads, proving grounds and racetracks around the world. Jim Gorzelany has served CD’s readers for 22 years; beyond his participation in our publication’s annual assessment of new vehicles, he has reported on particular categories of automobiles, such as crossover SUVs and hybrids, as well as on how to negotiate with auto salespeople. Kevin Kelly is senior editor for industry publication Automotive Design and Production. Previously, he was Europe editor for Ward’s Communications and senior automotive correspondent for BridgeNews financial wire. American Society of Business Publication Editors recognized him in 2005 for his auto industry reporting. Jim Mateja writes a weekly auto column in the Chicago Tribune that is syndicated to over 150 newspapers. He has received numerous awards for his reporting, including National Automotive Journalism Association’s “Moto” award for best regularly published column and automotive feature writing and the Detroit Press Club Foundation Wheel Award for best car reviews. Mateja also authored the book “Best Buys in Used Cars.” As the San Jose Mercury News’ auto editor, Matt Nauman tests and reviews new vehicles. His stories reach millions through syndication, news wires and online (mercurynews.com). He is one of the jurors that picks the North American Car of the Year at the annual Detroit auto show, and he hosts auto chat sessions on the Web.

he 49 cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and hybrids we selected as 2008 Best Buys out of over 200 available models are those we feel simply offer the most value for the money in their respective vehicle classes. The concept of “value,” as we see it, is based on a vehicle’s purchase price and ownership costs relative to subjective factors like comfort, performance, styling and utility. By this measure, the least expensive cars are not necessarily Best Buys, nor are the best-performing and costliest models automatically given the nod.

How do we sort through all these models to arrive at our automotive Best Buys? We get behind the wheel and drive them. Our auto editors evaluate new vehicles on an ongoing basis, both under real-world conditions in their own test-drives and at manufacturers’ new-model introductions.

We consider each car, truck, van, SUV and hybrid based on a checklist of various design and performance characteristics.

Design factors include:

  • Styling
  • Interior Ergonomics
  • Seating
  • Accessories and Amenities
  • Cargo Space
  • Fit and Finish

The performance characteristics we consider are:

  • Starting and Acceleration
  • Shifting/Transmission
  • Steering and Handling
  • Braking
  • Ride Quality
  • Fuel Economy

Each vehicle is driven under a wide range of circumstances and conditions, and we try to drive these vehicles in the manner for which they are built, according to the standards of an ordinary car or truck buyer. While many buyers now cross-shop various types of vehicles, particularly SUVs, minivans and sedans, we feel it’s important that we compare each vehicle with others in its general size and price class. We compare models and choose Best Buys in each of ten separate vehicle categories: (1) Small Cars—relatively inexpensive compacts and subcompacts; (2) Family Cars—mainstream midsize and full-size sedans; (3) Luxury Cars—comfortable, well-equipped sedans, though not necessarily the most expensive cars available; (4) Sporty Cars—fast, agile and nimble coupes and sedans that are true “driver cars,” though usually at the expense of a rougher ride; (5) Trucks—the most utilitarian vehicles, though many now rival luxury cars in terms of available creature comforts; (6) Vans—models that represent efficient family transportation; (7) Compact SUVs and (8) Midsize SUVs—more rugged alternatives to traditional family transportation; (9) Full-Size/Luxury SUVs—although generally the most off-road-ready among SUVs, the largest and most posh models typically serve as burly luxury wagons; and (10) Hybrids—gas/electric passenger cars and SUVs.

What’s more, in determining our top picks each year, we consider a wide range of additional variables:

  • Warranties
  • Repair histories (as available)
  • Dealer reputations
  • Estimated repair/maintenance costs
  • Annual operating expenses
  • Insurance-industry ratings
  • Crash-test results
  • Corporate service and manufacturing reputations
  • Estimated resale values

In the process, we draw on information from sources such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Naturally, we give the most weight to our own evaluations, but it is the combination of all these analyses—in-house testing, purchase and ownership costs, and the findings of independent sources—that finally leads to our short list of Best Buys.

Unlike other Best Buys we present throughout the year, you’ll note we do not rate autos according to [P], [M] and [E] (for Premium, Midrange and Economy) designations. This rating system doesn’t apply as well to vehicles as it does to other products. Small cars tend to already be economy-rated, family cars are midrange-priced and luxury cars are, by their nature, premium products (though we limit picks to models somewhat moderately priced that offer genuine value). Pickups and vans are usually priced equivalently. Sporty cars offer a wider variance in price than most segments, and we’ve included both budget-priced and somewhat costlier models among our selections here (though, again, we’ve eschewed top-end models to focus only on those that deliver the most for the money).