Quick—what's the best car you can buy for under $40,000? OK, that's an easy one—the BMW 3-series, which is the top-ranked upscale sedan in the U.S. News Car Rankings for the second year in a row. But other winners in our just-published 2008 list are more surprising. The top luxury SUV isn't a wood-paneled Mercedes or a silky Lexus but the in-your-face Cadillac Escalade. The Toyota Prius hybrid, beloved by environmentalists, has fallen behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic hybrids. And pickup loyalists will either embrace or denounce this definitive outcome: The Chevy Silverado has trounced both the Ford F-150 and the Dodge Ram.
Interesting, but their city mpg rating for the 2008 Escape/Mariner Hybrid is WAY OFF. They say 17 when it should be 34 mpg! Hopefully the editor will correct this error since I pointed it out to them I'd also give some of the cars on the list lower or higher ratings (Honda Element much lower, Escape much higher.)
I got the distinct impression that there was a certain amount of 'marketing' spin in the report. But I have no commitment to US News and World Report and this article pretty well confirms why I don't.
The Cars That Rate in 2008
I'd also give some of the cars on the list lower or higher ratings (Honda Element much lower, Escape much higher.)
