A big thank you to all of the Inside Line readers who voted in our annual poll.
We enhanced the categories this year by dropping the restrictive price ranges of "over" this and "under" that. Who cares? This is all subjective, right? Knowledgeably subjective, of course. We also narrowed down the selections to get to the real meat of each category. We hope you like the new format. We know you'll let us know if you don't.
This year we offered 12 awards and received thousands of votes in each category. As usual, some manufacturers came out on top in more than one category and several notable themes emerged:
1. You love Porsches. You really love Porsches.
2. You are proud of Ford for not taking any government money and for putting together a lineup of great cars and trucks.
3. You think Audis are sexy, beautiful cars without being too showy.
4. And like all good car enthusiasts, you want what you cannot have.
Read on to see if your favorites matched those of the overall voting public. We've listed the winners in each category and pulled out some of your comments.
Thanks again for voting. Enjoy the winners.
Most Wanted Fuel Sipper: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
TDI was green before "green was cool."
Diesel > Electric.
Despite the fact that I'm impressed by the hybrid/electrics here, the TDI still strikes me as the driver's choice.
It's affordable and available with a manual.
Torque, baby!!
Most fun to drive. Diesel. Manual transmission!
Diesel torque, good looks, not a hybrid.
DIESEL=POWER+EFFICIENCY!
Diesels, when done like the Jetta, can offer exceptional fuel economy without sacrificing power, handling, safety or comfort.
I like the fact that the TDI gets near hybrid fuel economy. Plus I love all that torque!
Because hybrids are not as good for the environment as people think. Auto companies don't state what it takes to produce the batteries and the detrimental effects of their production on the environment. Go diesel.
The TDI looks better than all the other cars because it doesn't look like an Ecocar; it just looks like a regular car which develops really good fuel economy.
Most Wanted Cheap Car: 2012 Ford Focus
Ford raises the bar.
Best looking and best handling; about time North America has what the rest of the world gets. Like the hatch the best.
Happy to see this version of the Focus in the U.S.
Ford really has done a great job with its finances as well as its new product lineup.... The recent improvements make imports a hard sell.
I respect Ford's accomplishment over the past three years, and the Focus has style and an element of fun.
Fun to drive, nice to look at, good value, American, safe and a nice list of features. All around the best car.
Ford is better than the imports now.
FORD FTW. Talk about coming back strong with no help from the government.
The Focus doesn't look cheap in any way.
Beautiful looks, refinement, Ford's new "world car" proves it's on the right road.
It's about damn time, Ford.
The Focus is the only car that blends good driving feel, comfort and technology in surprisingly good looks.
Ford has reinvented itself.
I LOVE this car. Finally bringing a little bit of European Ford to the U.S. The front end is so aggressive and the interior is gorgeous for a car of its price. It takes a lot for me to say I would buy an American car but this is one I would purchase.
The Focus combines good looks with agile handling and outstanding build quality and solidity.
Most Wanted Future Vehicle: 2014 Porsche 918
This car makes green cool.
It's the rebirth of the Carrera GT.
When Porsche develops a new car it puts its reputation, research and development and racing history behind that product. Porsches always perform above the norm.
Porsche 918 is a future classic and it pushes forward some technical frontiers in high-performance autos.
Are you kidding me? The Porsche is not only one of the best-looking cars ever shown but it will likely handle and sound like nothing else. It's not even close.
The Porsche is such a technological advancement. It gets great fuel economy and is such an excellent hypercar. I think it may be worth the price.
Who wouldn't want a Porsche that can do incredible speeds and get amazing fuel mileage? It doesn't hurt that it's as sexy as hell.
Come on! It's THE ultimate Porsche.
Hybrid or not, what's not to love about a 600-hp, midengine, rear-wheel-drive Porsche roadster? Does it get any better?
BADASS — speed and fuel efficiency with Porsche driving dynamics.
It's the most beautiful Porsche ever.
Insane Porsche performance and looks.
The beautiful design and benchmark engineering that have been put into this vehicle will define the future of the supercar.
Who would ever dream of electric and Porsche together? I would have to say that this could be the changing point of supercars of the future.
A planet-friendly Porsche.
Most Wanted American Car: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Best. Mustang. Ever.
BOSS IS BACK!!!
The Boss 302 is the current badass.
The Boss is boss.
The Boss offers serious track performance, great sound and heritage at a reasonable price.
Ford is on a roll.
A Mustang that looks badass and eats M3s for breakfast? This is the new American car I'd most want sitting in my driveway.
The Mustang is still the iconic American car — and Ford's never done it better.
A Mustang built for the track that I can drive on the road? Where do I sign up? That it will be worth more than all of these 25 years from now is just a plus.
Ford's done it all by itself. This is the greatest Mustang ever made.
I wasn't a Mustang fan 'til I read about the 302. I can't believe how affordable it is.
The Mustang rewrites the pony car notion especially in Boss 302 trim, proving that American cars can do more than just drive quickly in a straight line.
Mustang is America.
Most Wanted Exotic: 2012 Lamborghini Aventador
First time I've been excited about a Lamborghini since the Countach.
It's got a sexy name, a sexy behind and a sexy face.
I almost voted for the Ferrari, but the Lambo just looks so badass and competes with the Ferrari in almost every performance category. People will eye the Ferrari, but swoon over the Raging Bull.
Coolest Lambo in a long time and the best-looking car here.
Builds upon the madness that makes Lamborghini great. Has that extra flair without compromising performance, (I'm looking at you, Mercedes SLS).
The new Lamborghini has extraordinary looks and performance on par with the Pagani Huayra. It costs about $700,000 less.
I love the way this car looks. Its lines are sharp and innovative without straying from Lamborghini's recent styling traits. Oh, and it's fast, too.
If I won the lotto today, I would be ordering that car tomorrow.
A Lambo V12 is the mechanical equivalent of sex.
Beautiful, outrageous, everything a Lambo should be.
The sound, the looks, the sound, the heritage, the sound, the Lamborghininess, the sound... Did I mention the sound?
Lamborghini's maddest bull ever.
Most Wanted Sedan: 2011 Aston Martin Rapide
Timeless beauty. The other cars are faster but none of them "arrive" like the Rapide.
I've seen the Rapide in person, and it is unbelievably beautiful.
Any other time I would have picked the M3 but the Rapide is such a refreshing styling departure from the world of typically boring sedans.
If you've gotta have four doors, the Rapide is the easy call.
The Rapide wins for its exclusivity and unparalleled style. Its performance ain't bad either.
You could stretch the Rapide to a six-door version and it would still look sexier than all the others by a wide margin.
Take one of the sexiest cars in the world, the DB9, add two doors, make it a little sexier, and we have the Rapide.
Because it's an Aston Martin...and when James Bond grows up with a family...this is what he will drive to Monte Carlo. It is a timeless design.
Biggest win yet. The Rapide is an all-time classic.
While the others on the list are excellent cars in their own right, they shouldn't even be in the discussion with the Rapide. It is probably the most beautiful four-door ever made.
Best Rapide transit!
Most Wanted Coupe: 2011 Audi S5
Beauty, thy name is Audi.
I have a 335i coupe which is gorgeous, but every time I see an S5 on the road, my heart aches!
So rarely can a car garner as much praise for all-around quality as an S5. It has few critics, and so many fans. This is the only car I'd feel comfortable driving ANYWHERE in America.
The S5 is a sleeper beauty.
I still do a double-take when I see an S5, and it's not exactly an exotic. V8 power is the cherry on top.
S5 is so much more voluptuous and striking, and that's why you buy a coupe.
Audi S5 is simply beautiful and still a pretty impressive driver.
The S5 is beautiful inside and out. Plus it has the driving experience to match.
S5 has power, AWD handling, luxury and detailed design.
The S5 has the most timeless design of any sports car since the 911. It will always be a head-turner.
The S5 is so pretty it still makes my jaw drop, especially when I hear one at full whack.
The S5 has beautiful lines, a wonderful interior, and the highly enjoyable 4.2 engine with Quattro.
The S5 is by far THE sexiest-looking car alive!! When I first saw it on the street, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.
Who does a better body than Audi?
The Audi is beautiful to look at, touch and hear. That big V8 is amazing and the traction of the Quattro system is an added bonus.
Most Wanted Hatchback: 2011 Porsche Panamera
Porsche sold more Panameras than 911s last year.
Panamera's spaceship interior and super sports car performance is enough for me.
I can't afford it, but the Panamera would be an amazing family car that I can take to the track.
Panamera is a very high-performance hatchback and large enough to be useful.
The Panamera's performance is out of this world. I would love to see this beast hustle around a track.
I love the looks of the Panamera. It exudes luxury.
Panamera: It does everything right.
I can't believe I'm saying that the Panamera looks better than the FF but....it does!
Speaking from experience, my Panamera turbo is freakishly fast. Perhaps too fast. Did I write that?
Porsche's Panamera manages to be cool to look at even if it ain't that cute. Something is very Baroque about it. And it works.
I love hatchbacks, yet all the luxury cars in this segment just look wrong. The Panamera is finally starting to grow on me a little, though. Plus I like the idea of a 911 that can truly fit four people.
The Panamera isn't the prettiest of the pack, but what other sedan will get you from zero to 60 in under 4 seconds, while seating four comfortably and achieving 23 mpg on the highway? A true technical marvel.
A ridiculous engineering marvel. Sixty mph in 3.7 seconds! That's just not right.
Most Wanted Luxury Car: 2011 Audi A8
Refinement and top-of-the class interior make the A8 the king of luxury cars.
Drove an A8 recently. Good grief, a four-door R8?
Proof that a luxury car doesn't need to weigh nearly 5,000 pounds. A8 defines where this segment needs to go.
There are far too few A8s on the road.
No contest, the Audi A8 is the supreme mainstream luxury car in execution and development, while being more discreet than the Bentley.
The A8 oozes class with just a bit of menace. The interior is the be-all, end-all. Gorgeous.
The Audi A8 blends luxury, sportiness and exclusivity that are best in this class.
When I heard the mpg figures of the Audi A8 I was very surprised. That Audi can achieve 27 mpg from 4.2 liters with a 0-60 of less than 5.5 is shocking. And the interior is worlds apart from everything else in style and quality.
The A8 is a perfect mix of performance, power and sexiness without looking like it's pushing to be all three.
Audi represents contemporary luxury for me.
Audi is the only thing that feels fresh in this segment.
Audi gives you a car that is subtle but strong on every level.
Nobody does an interior like Audi.
The Audi seems more about driving and build quality than "look at me, I'm rich!"
Most Wanted Truck: 2011 Ford F-150
Ford has perfected the truck.
One word: EcoBoost.
Ford F-Series is king for a reason and the new 2011 engines are icing on an already very delicious cake....Go EcoBoost!
With EcoBoost the F-150 is a truck with as much brain as brawn. It's a trend of future trucks everywhere.
EcoBoost!
EcoBoost for fuel efficiency, 5.0 for more power. This is how a truck should be done.
The F-150 has a variety of engines and the F-150 also has the Raptor option.
Ford is the only truckmaker preparing for the future.
If you look up truck in the dictionary you should see a picture of the F-150.
All hail King EcoBoost! This truck looks great, tows a lot, hauls ace, and gets better gas mileage than the competition.
All great trucks, but the new powertrain choices in the Ford put in on top.
The new EcoBoost V6 is just what trucks needed. Bold move, Ford.
Most Wanted Hot Rod Division: M
Without M there is no M3.
M: They know what they are doing.
M has the best engineering around without going to an exotic.
Crazy enough to make an M SUV that outruns, well...you name it.
Everyone knows the most important letter in the alphabet when it comes to performance and hot rod is M.
Continues to make technological strides without insulting its fan base. (Thank you, M division.)
It's between M and AMG and M is better because all AMG does is bring a club to a sword fight. M brings a rifle.
The M division does a total package. Excellent handling, engine tuning and suspension tuning, along with tasteful interior upgrades.
M = Madness.
M = true motorsport.
M just means "move" to me...and these cars can not only make you move, they can take you around corners while doing it!
Mmmm MMMmmmm Good!
M. The most powerful letter in the world.
All others are M ripoffs.
Most Wanted Car We Can't Have: VW Scirocco (Europe)
The Scirocco is the most alluring hatchback I have ever seen. Period.
Best-looking VW in the lineup.
Scirocco on looks alone!
Does every single thing right. Why won't it sell well in America? Answer me, Volkswagen.
Great-looking, affordable, quick.
The Scirocco is another car that has a long history of continual improvement leading to excellence. I admire companies that stick with something and continually improve upon it.
Probably one of the best-looking cars VW has ever made.
Who doesn't want a better-looking GTI?
Cheap gorgeous hatchback? I hate VW for not giving us this one.
Easiest category yet. The Scirocco is not only wanted but needed.
The Scirocco is the best-looking small hatch in the last 10 years.
The Scirocco is a great example of a hot hatch. If you ever have the chance to see one of these in person, you may find it difficult to look away.
Come on, VW! Let us have it.
Add A Comment »
albook says:
06:50 AM, 06/28/2011
The Focus?! Over the Elantra? That's just that patriotic "Ford didn't take any bail-out money" bull ish thinking. And it's starting to fade as more people see that GM may actually have a more solid business plan (i.e. Cadillac vs. Lincoln).
patrickw says:
11:09 PM, 06/27/2011
I liked the creativity and common sense that went into the categories this year. My only criticism is the definitions of "hatchback" and "sedan" - the Rapide and Panamera are natural competitors, yet wound up in different categories. I suggest we adopt the styling term "fastback" (subdifferentiated into sedan and coupe) for all vehicles where the roof, rear window, and rear deck form a single smooth line or curve (irrespective of whether the rear window rises with the trunk lid), while limiting the term "hatchback" to vehicles where the rear hatch hinge is located at an angle between the roof and rear window. This way, the Panamera would have been (more properly, I think) a sedan, just with fastback styling.
mercedesfan says:
05:58 PM, 06/27/2011
@panamera4,
I feel like it's something you don't notice until you drive it. I went into my test drive of the new A8 with extremely high hopes. I wasn't sold on the exterior looks, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind the interior would be a knockout. I was wrong. Much of the switch gear feels like it came from an A4 and the metallic trim pieces (which I'm sure are real metal) feel like plastic. It's as if Audi said: "okay we only have money in our budget for visual drama OR the top notch quality of the previous-gen". They went with visual drama.
Also, totally jealous you have a Panamera. I drove an S and absolutely fell in love. Truly one of the finest performance cars (not just sedans) that I've ever driven. My wife has already vetoed it because the 4 bucket seats aren't very conducive for a family with 2 kids under 3, but if they were older that is probably what I would buy next. True, it isn't as luxurious or refined as my current S550, but it is close and boasts performance on another dimension. :)
storageman says:
05:47 PM, 06/27/2011
And what a beautiful CarVac it is!!!!!!!!!!!
panamera4 says:
04:05 PM, 06/27/2011
@mindspin
You should drive one before assuming such tasteless judgements... Although the styling is polarizing (in order to fit four full size adults and their luggage unlike the CLS and A7 with their extremely sloping, space compromising, rooflines), I happen to love it and love the fact that there is nothing else on the road that looks like it compared to the conventional sedan shape. If you really love Porsches you would love this car because it is the Porsche of sedans. Unlike the Cayenne there was no help from Volkswagon in designing this car, it is 100% a Porsche and it has proven itself vastly superior to anything with four doors performance wise, while still offering a true full size luxury car experience, and being the most green and effcient in doing so (only full size luxury sedan without a gas guzzler tax, first dual clutch transmission in the luxury segment, the first to introduce the engine start/stop system in the US, and focus on truely lightweight construction). Porsche has really moved the full size luxury segment into the 21st century with its focus on efficient performance, I never averaged 26mpg throughout the life of my previous German sedans...
jebjr says:
02:31 PM, 06/27/2011
What happened to Inside Line's criticism that the S5 looks like a half used bar of soap?
mindspin311 says:
01:30 PM, 06/27/2011
How did I not know about this vote??? I'm so out of the loop! But I love the choices and really enjoyed the comments! IL has intelligent readers with good taste. The Focus is awesome and I can't wait to see more Euro hatchbacks coming to the US (RenaultSport are you listening????) and same for VW where's my Scirocco and GTI 35???? The Scirocco is a GREAT choice for most wanted can't have, but mine would be the RenaultSport Clio 200 or Megane 250 only because I prefer a hardcore hot hatch.
I've never wanted a Mustang until now, same with the F150, not that I want a truck, but the EcoBoost V6 is a great idea as well as adapting the Coyote V8. So that's 3 Fords I like, unreal. I also REALLY like Porsche's I could rant for days, but I think they've gone a little nuts with all the different versions of the 911. I wouldn't ever want a Panamera and I'm surprised there's so much love for it AND that it outsold the 911 last year. Probably just because most who can afford them are pretentious pricks who need to have the new thing regardless of taste.
The S5 is gorgeous, Audi does rock the design world, plus they're just cooler than BMW's, but I love M cars too. I just think Audi's are getting too big and boring to drive, losing that edginess the older S cars had. They need to bring us the RS3 if they're going to bring the TTRS. Hopefully something great comes of that Quattro Coupe concept car.
And I totally agree that TDI is better in every way than hybrid electric. Those batteries have huge negative effects on the environment from what they're made of, how they're made, and how many times they have to be transported accross oceans. We can make biodiesel out of almost anything! But the Jetta TDI wagon is way cooler than the sedan, or just get the Golf it's got almost as much room and it's more nimble.
raylo993 says:
12:49 PM, 06/27/2011
No Japanese machines were chosen?? No GTR, LFA or whatever...those JDM fanboys must be aching badly.
The current Scirocco is ugly, a far cry from the original.
bassrockerx says:
12:35 PM, 06/27/2011
dont think any of my picks made the cut except the jetta tdi but that was no contest haha oh well
panamera4 says:
10:59 AM, 06/27/2011
Nice to see four of my comments in there...
@Mercedes fan: I agree on the interior of the new A8, the design might be a step up in visual drama from the last generation but after driving one the quality definately seems like a downgrade and stepping back into my Panamera I immediately noticed a clear difference between the A8 and the solidity of the Porsche.
Also Audi needs to update their engine lineup, introducing the new A8 with the 4.2 with origins that date two generations back instead of a FI smaller displacement V8 with 400+hp was a huge mistake and is a necessity in this segment to stay competitive, specially now that the Audi no longer represents the bargain of the German trio... To me Audi's aluminum body is a marketing gimmick considering the car still weighs a massive 4,400 lbs they need to practice some real weight saving techniques like Porsche which has managed to keep the base Panameras weight under 3,900 lbs.
Audi is trying to become what BMW use to be both dynamically and design wise and in turn has taken their proven conservative design theme of "one sausage three lengths."