U.S. News Announces the 2013 Best Cars for the Money

             U.S. News Announces the 2013 Best Cars for the Money

12 brands win awards across 21 categories; Ford and Toyota brands have the
most winners

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2013

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report today
announced the 2013 Best Cars for the Money award winners, featured at
http://usnews.com/cars-money. The awards cover 21 automotive categories, from
compact cars to three-row SUVs. Within each class, the U.S. News methodology
identified a single vehicle that provides the best combination of quality and
value.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100603/PH13717LOGO )

The awards, and the U.S. News Best Cars website, are published by U.S. News &
World Report, which has a long history of helping Americans make the best
choices when it comes to higher education, healthcare, and other important
consumer decisions. More than 27 million people researched vehicles on the
website in 2012.

"The award winners show that when it comes to cars, you can have your cake and
eat it too," said Jamie Page Deaton, Managing Editor of U.S. News Best Cars.
"There's a misconception that a car that offers a good value is boring. Our
awards show that a car can have good performance, the latest features, plenty
of comfort and still be a smart financial choice for the long haul."

2013 BEST CARS FOR THE MONEY

CATEGORY                 WINNER
Subcompact Car           2013 Honda Fit
Compact Car              2013 Ford Focus
Hatchback                2013 Honda Fit
Sports Car               2013 Scion FR-S
Upscale Small Car        2013 Buick Verano
Midsize Car              2013 Ford Fusion
Upscale Midsize Car      2013 Buick Regal
Hybrid Car               2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Large Car                2013 Ford Taurus
Wagon                    2013 Subaru Outback
Compact SUV              2013 Ford Escape
2-Row Midsize SUV        2013 Ford Edge
3-Row Midsize SUV        2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
Hybrid SUV               2013 Lexus RX Hybrid
Luxury Compact SUV       2013 BMW X1
Luxury 2-Row Midsize SUV 2013 Lexus RX 350
Luxury 3-Row Midsize SUV 2013 Acura MDX
Large SUV                2013 Chevrolet Tahoe
Minivan                  2013 Mazda Mazda5
Compact Pickup Truck     2013 Toyota Tacoma
Full Size Pickup Truck   2013 Toyota Tundra

METHODOLOGY

The Best Cars for the Money methodology combines quality and value data into a
composite score. Within each of the 21 categories, the vehicle with the
highest score is named the Best Car for the Money in that category. Quality is
measured by the overall score a vehicle achieved in the U.S. News car rankings
at the time the awards are published. The rankings, updated monthly at
http://www.usnews.com/cars, compare cars on the basis of safety, reliability
and a consensus of industry experts' opinions. Value is measured by a
combination of a vehicle's five-year total cost of ownership and the average
price paid for the vehicle at the time the awards are published, as calculated
by TrueCar.com.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2013 AWARDS 

  o Ford took home the most awards with six of its models selected as winners:
    Ford Escape, Ford Taurus, Ford Fusion, Ford Focus, Ford Edge and Ford
    Fusion Hybrid. This is the second year in a row that Ford has won six of
    the awards.  
  o The award winners are mixed between foreign and domestic automakers.
    Import brands took home twelve awards. Five of those twelve awards went to
    Toyota and its Scion and Lexus brands. American car brands won nine
    awards, with six of the awards going to Ford and three going to General
    Motors.  
  o Despite being a reviewer favorite for years, 2013 marks the first time BMW
    has won a Best Car for the Money award.  The BMW X1's win for Best Luxury
    Compact SUV for the Money shows that by opting for smaller models, buyers
    can still get a luxury car experience without sacrificing value.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS BEST CARS

Since 2007, U.S. News Best Cars, the automotive channel of U.S. News & World
Report, has published rankings of the majority of new vehicles sold in
America. Each year, U.S. News publishes the Best Cars awards, including Best
Cars for the Money and Best Cars for Families.

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis,
which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and
www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Travel,
Cars, and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the
leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of
life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes
its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "Best" series of consumer
guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, cars,
mutual funds, health plans and more.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

Website: http://www.usnews.com
Contact: AWARD INFORMATION, Jamie Page Deaton, U.S. News, +1-603-938-2097,
jdeaton@usnews.com