CHICAGO -

Cars.com revealed its annual vehicle awards this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and receiving top honors as “Best of 2012” was the 2012 Volkswagen Passat.

The Passat beat out five other nominees for the award, which included the 2012 editions of the Audi A7, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Veloster, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Subaru Impreza.

“The completely redesigned Volkswagen Passat shook up the extremely competitive family sedan category in 2012,” stated Cars.com editor-in-chief Patrick Olsen. “The Passat’s ability to take on these long-standing family sedan leaders along with its great price and standard features makes the Passat our best car for 2012.”

He added: “Our editors drove and evaluated more than 65 new 2012 models, and the competition was steep. Narrowing down the list of great vehicles to six was no easy feat, and just being a finalist is a special honor. Drivers should be proud to have any car on this list.”

The 2012 Passat TDI was also named Eco-Friendly Car of the Year by Cars.com, one of four Lifestyle awards also revealed this week by the site.

“This recognition is an honor. We set out to bring to market a sedan that appealed to the American consumer in the highly competitive midsize segment and the Passat is quickly earning a spot on the U.S. consumer’s shopping list due to its exceptional value, strong list of standard features and German heritage,” said Kevin Joostema, VW’s general manager of product marketing. “Accolades such as this indicate that we’re succeeding.”

Among the other Lifestyle award winners were:

Family Car of the Year: 2012 Honda Pilot
Play Car of the Year: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Work Truck of the Year: 2012 Ford F-150

Cars.com also had an award for its visitors called  the Shoppers’ Choice award. The site determined finalists for this award by looking at which vehicles generated searches, inquires to dealers about availability and positive reviews (the latter of which Cars.com deemed most important).

Facebook fans then voted on the winner, which was the Dodge Challenger.

Other finalists included:
Audi Q5
GMC Terrain
Honda Accord
Honda Pilot
Kia Soul
Ram 1500
Subaru Outback
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Sienna

“The Dodge Challenger’s win proves, once again, that our Cars.com shoppers know what makes a great vehicle,” stated Olsen. “The Challenger’s classic muscle car styling, refined handling and spacious interior make this an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a fun and surprisingly practical car:

He continued: “This was a close competition, and even to be named a finalist for this award is a huge accomplishment. Our research shows that shoppers want to hear from each other about what to buy almost as much as they want to hear from experts. This list is a great starting point for anyone gearing up to buy a new vehicle in 2012.”

Reid Bigland, president and chief executive officer for the Dodge brand, chimed in, noting: “The Dodge Challenger is the ultimate American muscle machine. We’re very proud that interest in the Challenger remains exceptionally high and that our owners are so enthusiastic, they voted for it to win the cars.com Shoppers’ Choice Award.”