DETROIT -

Decisive magazine — which aims to provide culturally relevant news and information to minority consumers— revealed Thursday the vehicles it thinks consumers should take a look at, that is, if they live the city life.

Naming its three top 2012 Urban Vehicles of the year, imports held significant sway, with Hyundai and Toyota both winning top spots.

These conclusions were met after The Urban Wheel Awards judging panel — which included automotive reviewers such as Camilo Alfaro, of Auto Proyecto, and Frank Washington of AboutThatCar.com, among others — spent several  months determining the “most stylish, practical and attainable new vehicles for 2012 by driving and evaluating dozens of cars and trucks in a variety of North American urban settings,” officials noted.

Lyndon Bell,  editor-in-chief of Decisive, also delved into what the judges were looking for in this competition in an interview with Auto Remarketing on Thursday: "One of the primary things we look at is the cars suitability to be used in urban environments. It has to be effective in city driving, maneuverable, easy to park, easy to get in and out of, as well as stylish. Basically, it has to be able to do all the things you need to do in a city, stylishly and comfortably."

Highlighting the three winners, as well as runner-ups, the Urban Car of the Year award went to the Hyundai Veloster, with the Chevrolet Sonic and the Mini Coupe next in line.

Lyndon offered his take on the winner, noting, "It’s really cool; it offers a great value and price range. It starts around 17,000 and has the style of  a car worth 30,000.

"It also has great fuel economy and a great set of technical attributes. If I had to say it simply, it is a combination of style, everyday usability and practicality," he continued.

As for the Urban Truck of the Year, the Range Rover Evoque took the top spot. The Evoque was also recently named Motor Trend’s 2012 SUV of the Year. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and the Mercedes-Benz M Class were runners-up in this category.

When explaining why the Range Rover SUV made the cut, Lyndon stressed, "It is the only Range Rover ever to be built with a 4-cylinder engine.

"Its great for city driving, and the fuel economy is impressive. The car gives you all the luxury and high style of the brand, and fuel economy in the 20s …and it is easily the prettiest SUV out there," he surmised.

Lastly, the Toyota Prius Plug-in was named the Urban Green Vehicle of the Year. The Infiniti M35h and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV were next on the totem pole.

Lyndon said the main reason this Prius was chosen is because it’s the one "we have been waiting for.

"It can run truly on electricity, but then when that runs out, it uses gasoline; this eclipsed the runners-up and brought it home for the Toyota," he added.

The three winners will be featured in Decisive’s winter issue and will also be online at the magazine’s website.

The vehicles will also be honored at the 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards on Jan. 8 at the MotorCity Casino Hotel’s Sound Board Theater in Detroit.