Car And Driver 10Best - Best Family Vehicle

Car and Driver 10Best is a list annually produced by Car and Driver (C/D), nominating what it considers the ten best cars of the year. C/D also produces the 5Best list, highlighting what it considers the five best trucks of the year.

All production vehicles for sale in that calendar year are considered with these restrictions:

1. The vehicle must be on sale by January
2. It must be priced below 2.5 times the average car price for that year
3. The manufacturer must provide an example for testing
4. Only substantially changed vehicles and the past year's 10 best winners are nominated

The magazine sometimes selects a specific trim and other times a whole family of vehicles.

Top Ten Marques

From 1983 through 2008, the following marques were represented on the list the most times, including both the car and truck lists (except for the 2008 trucks).

Top Manufacturers

Further breaking down the marques into their controlling manufacturers amplifies Honda's dominance of the contest over the last 25 years.

Note that this number is skewed by the multiple products picked over the years. For example, the Chrysler minivans were picked three times, totalling 8 "points" for Chrysler from three wins. The Diamond-Star cars were a similar problem, double-dipping "points" for both Mitsubishi, Plymouth, and Eagle. These situations were not "fixed"; rather, they are left as-is, skewing the totals.

Note also that changing ownership can affect the count. Chrysler and Dodge products from 1999 through 2007 were counted for Daimler-Benz/DaimlerChrysler/Daimler AG, as that company had wholly acquired Chrysler in that period. Similarly, Saab's post-2000 products, had they won a place on the list, would be counted for General Motors. Despite strong corporate ties through this period, Mazda remains separate from Ford, Subaru from General Motors and Toyota, Nissan from Renault, and Mitsubishi from Chrysler.

Top Ten Models

From 1983 through 2013, the following individual models were represented on the list the most times. In 2007, Honda's Odyssey and Pilot trucks appeared in the top ten, a first for any truck.

1983

For the 1980s, Car and Driver picked four domestic and six import cars.

Fastest car tested: Jaguar XJ-S HE, 142 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
2. Ford Escort
3. Ford LTD

1984

Instituted the price cap at $30,000.

Fastest car tested: Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole, 144 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Chevrolet Cavalier
2. Ford Escort
3. Ford LTD

1985

Price cap: $30,000

Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette, 150 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Chevrolet Cavalier
2. Ford Escort
3. Chevrolet Celebrity

1986

Price cap: $30,000

Fastest car tested: Porsche 944 Turbo, 157 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Chevrolet Celebrity
2. Ford Escort
3. Chevrolet Cavalier

1987

Price cap: $30,000

Fastest car tested: Ferrari Testarossa, 176 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Escort
2. Ford Taurus
3. Chevrolet Cavalier

1988

Price cap: $35,000

Fastest car tested: Ferrari Testarossa, 173 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Escort
2. Chevrolet Corsica/Beretta
3. Ford Taurus

1989

Imports and domestics chosen by marque, not by place of manufacture.

Price cap: $35,000

Fastest car tested: 750iL V12, 158 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Honda Accord
2. Ford Taurus
3. Ford Escort

1990

Eliminated half domestic/half import rule as impractical.

Price cap: $35,000

Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 175 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Honda Accord
2. Ford Taurus
3. Chevrolet Cavalier

1991

New rule: No more than two places per marque.

Price cap: $35,000

Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 176 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Honda Accord
2. Ford Taurus
3. Toyota Camry

1992

Price cap: $40,000

Fastest car tested: Ferrari F40, 197 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Taurus
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry

1993

Price cap: $40,000

Fastest car tested: Lamborghini Diablo, 204 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Taurus
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry

1994

Institution of the 2.5x price cap, now at $43,000.

Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 179 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Taurus
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Escort

1995

Price cap: $46,000.

Fastest car tested: Lamborghini Diablo VT, 185 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Taurus
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry

1996

Price cap: $48,000

Fastest car tested: Ferrari F355, 179 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford Taurus
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry

1997

Price cap: $54,000

Fastest car tested: Dodge Viper GTS, 177 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Taurus

1998

Price cap: $55,000

Fastest car tested: Ferrari F50, 194 mph

Top-selling cars:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Taurus

1999

Price cap: $59,000

Top-selling cars:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Taurus

2000

Price cap: $61,000

Top-selling cars:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Taurus

2001

For 2001, Car and Driver created a separate "Five Best Trucks" award with a single winner in each of five categories.

Top-selling vehicles:

1. Ford F-Series
2. Chevrolet Silverado
3. Ford Explorer

10Best Cars

Price cap: $120,000

5Best Trucks

2002

Top-selling cars:

1. Ford F-Series
2. Chevrolet Silverado
3. Toyota Camry

10Best Cars

Price cap: $66,000

5Best Trucks

2003

10Best Cars

Price cap: $66,000

5Best Trucks

2004

10Best Cars

Price cap: $69,000

5Best Trucks

2005

10Best Cars

Price cap: $70,000

For 2005 and 2006, the magazine named one winner in each category.

5Best Trucks

2006

10Best Cars

Price cap: $70,000

5Best Trucks

2007

10Best Cars

Price cap: $71,000

Car and Driver considers the Porsche Boxster and Cayman to be the same car.

5Best Trucks

2008

10Best Cars

Price cap: $72,000

Car and Driver considers the Porsche Boxster and Cayman to be the same car.

5Best Trucks

2009

10Best Cars

Price cap: $71,000

Beginning with the 2009 list, Car and Driver considered the Porsche Boxster and Cayman to be the same car.

"Dishonorable Mention"

In conjunction with the 2009 10Best Cars list, Car and Driver issued a list of what it called "The 10 Most Embarrassing Award Winners in Automotive History", spotlighting cars previously honored by a major automotive magazine (including CD itself) that, with the passage of time, it considered to be anything but award-worthy.

2010

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

2011

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000 This year marks the first appearance of an electrically powered car, the Volt, as well as the first appearance of a Korean automaker, Hyundai, on C&D 10Best.

5Best Trucks

Not yet released.

2012

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

2013

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

2014

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

2015

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

2016

10Best Cars

Price cap: $80,000

References