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NEW CAR PRICES AND RESEARCH
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Editors' Choice Awards
We pick the best of 2004
by Brian Chee
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Editors' Choice Awards
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So you want a car.
But you don't really know what kind of car you want, and are a little confused about the array of styles and vehicles being offered. Used to be that you chose between a car, a truck or a van. Now you have to choose between sedans, compacts, sports tourers, wagons, SUVs, entry-lux crossovers, fullsize trucks and compact SUVS.
It's enough to give you an SUV-sized headache.
Relax. We make it easier, by driving the cars you might buy and telling you about it. From finding roads with potholes to purposely driving in traffic and finding every application that a car may need to serve, we do it so you know how each car works and why you should buy brand X over brand Y. It's important to us that you get a good feel for why one vehicle is better than another; that our experience behind the wheel of a vehicle and our knowledge of the automotive industry translates into advice that you can use.
You have specific needs, and our goal is to write to those needs so that you can understand which car best fits your life. In essence, we work for the family man. The up-and-coming executive. The first-time car buyer who has little money and needs something that will last. As a result, we've come up with the 2004 Editors' Choice Awards, a selection of vehicles we think ideally fit certain significant lifestyle requirements. After all, you want the best car for your life and personality, not just the best car, and there are so many categories of vehicles today that it really offers no practical benefit. We've taken the traditional idea of awarding cars based on their price and category and turned it into something more useful - awards for cars that fit what you need out of your car. Below you'll find our picks for categories such as Editors' Choice for Fun under 50k, and Editors' Choice for Families, among others. It's our way of helping you pick what types of vehicles best fit your criteria, based on the measured opinions of experienced automotive journalists.
Vehicles of the Year
Click for more information about our favorite 2004 vehicles.
Car of the Year: 2004 Toyota Prius
Truck of the Year:
2004 Ford F-150
SUV of the Year: 2004 Lexus RX 330
Hybrid of the Year: 2004 Toyota Prius
Fun under 50k:2004 Mazda RX-8
Family Vehicle: 2004 Toyota Sienna
New Drivers: 2004 Mazda3
Dream Car: 2004 Porsche Carrera GT
Most Improved: 2004 Dodge Durango
Next New Star: 2006 Solstice/Kappa
Young Professionals: 2004 Acura TL
Choice for the Environment: 2004 Ford Focus PZEV
Editors' Choice Expert Panel
Brian Chee
Prior to joining Autobytel in the spring of 2000 as Editor, Brian Chee spent 15 years working as a writer in the southern California area. His work has appeared in a wide variety of regional newspapers and online publications, including the Orange County Register and OCnow.com. Brian's appreciation for automobiles began when he attended his first Long Beach Grand Prix in 1976. Later, his interest in new cars and racing was nurtured while working as a reporter for a chain of Los Angeles-area local city newspapers. Brian is a member of the Automotive Press Association, the Motor Press Guild, the International Motor Press Association and the California State University Advisory Board for Internet Writing. A graduate of California State University at Fullerton, Brian holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
Paul A. Eisenstein
Paul A. Eisenstein has been covering the auto industry since 1979. One of the world's most widely published automotive journalists, Paul's work routinely appears in such publications as The Economist, Investor's Business Daily, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, Popular Mechanics, Automotive Industries, Cigar Aficionado, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun, Japan's automotive daily. He's also a regular commentator on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and a frequent guest on a variety of other network broadcasts. Paul also serves as a member of the jury for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, and is a board member and past president of the Automotive Press Association. He has won a number of writing awards over the years, including a prestigious Wheels award, presented by The Detroit Press Club Foundation. Born in Chicago and raised in New Jersey (exit 117, to be precise), he received an associate's degree from Brookdale Community College, and then, feeling an urge to see more snow, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. Mr. Eisenstein currently resides in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, the smallest incorporated city in the state, with his wife, Christine Anderson, three talkative black cats, and too many computers to count.
Sue Mead
Sue Mead works as a photojournalist and features writer for more than two dozen publications. She has written for Parade, Popular Science, Open Road, the Road & Track Buyers Guide, Men's Journal, Popular Mechanics and Diversion and she has worked as an auto editor for CNN/fn. Sue has co-driven in two of the world's toughest off-road races, the Baja 1000 and the Paris-Dakar Raid. She attended four Camel Trophy adventures for Land Rover North America and has participated in several long-distance adventure drives. She recently completed her first book, "Monster Trucks and Tractors" published by Chelsea House. Sue lives in New England.
Christian Wardlaw
Christian Wardlaw joined the Automotive Information Center (AIC) in January 2003, managing content development for AIC and the Autosite consumer website. Previously, Mr. Wardlaw served as Editor-in-Chief and Director of Automotive Data for Edmunds.com. A writer, editor, and automobile aficionado, Mr. Wardlaw is a different sort of car enthusiast. His passion lies in the vehicles that people most often buy, rather than with high-performance sports cars or ultra-luxury sedans. "Given the choice to spend an hour with a Dodge Viper or a Honda Accord, I'll choose the Accord," he claims. Unless, of course, the driving venue is a racetrack. Mr. Wardlaw has been a car enthusiast all of his life, uttering "car" as his first word while growing up in Detroit. A graduate of Western Michigan University, Mr. Wardlaw holds a bachelor's degree in English.
---Story by Brian Chee
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Source: ABT
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