DEERFIELD, Ill. -

Consumers Digest revamped its listing and evaluation process when the publication came up with this year’s Best Buys for new vehicles — 17 of which were not listed a year ago.

Magazine officials whittled down more than 250 vehicles from the 2011 model year to 35 vehicles and seven companion models. The publication broadened its listing into 12 categories: subcompacts, compacts, family cars, luxury cars, sporty cars, full-size pickups, small pickups, minivans, compact SUVs, midsize SUVs, full-size/luxury SUVs and hybrids.

The 2011 Automotive Best Buy Selections are:

—Subcompacts: Ford Fiesta, Mini Cooper/Cooper Clubman, Scion tC.

—Compacts: Honda Fit, Kia Soul, Mazda3.

—Family Cars: Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Suzuki Kizashi.

—Luxury Cars: Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS sedan, Hyundai Genesis, Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

—Sporty Cars: Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Porsche Cayman.

—Full-size Pickups: Ford F-150, Ram 1500.

—Small Pickup: Toyota Tacoma.

—Minivans: Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan, Volkswagen Routan, Toyota Sienna.

—Compact SUVs: Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V, Kia Sorento.

—Midsize SUVs: Buick Enclave/Chevrolet Traverse/GMC Acadia, Ford Flex, Honda Pilot.

—Full-size/Luxury SUVs: Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln MKT.

—Hybrids: Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid.

Consumers Digest reiterated that its Best Buys are based on behind-the-wheel assessment, safety ratings, ownership costs, warranty, price, comfort, ergonomics, styling and amenities. Performance characteristics evaluated include starting and acceleration, shifting, steering, handling, braking, ride quality and fuel economy.

To better serve its readers as the market shifts, Consumers Digest explained that it revamped the Best Buy categories. For example, the previous small cars category has been redefined as compacts and subcompacts.

“Automakers are in the throes of introducing more small passenger cars, and separating them into two distinct categories will benefit shoppers,” publication officials believe.

Also, Consumers Digest opted for the first time to split the hybrid selections into one passenger car and one SUV, given the greater availability of the latter. Furthermore, the publication dropped the number of minivans and full-size pickups to two from 3. Finally, for the first time, the magazine offered a small pickup recommendation as well.

Another evolution of the magazine’s effort was its addition of three automotive experts to the project team, bringing the total number of panel members to six.

New to the evaluation team was:

—Marlon Hanson, president of Texas Automotive Media Association

—Mark Maynard, of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

—Steven Cole Smith, of the Orlando Sentinel.

These individuals joined Jim Gorzelany, who has served Consumers Digest for 22 years as an automotive writer, Jim Mateja, who writes a weekly Chicago Tribune auto column and has received numerous awards for his coverage, and Dan Jedlicka, who has written about vehicles for 41 years and is a member of the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury.

“Expanding the number of experts that contribute to Consumers Digest’s evaluation process ensures that more time behind-the-wheel and more depth is applied to our assessment, which improves the quality of the system of judging vehicles overall,” the publication point out.

The Auto Best Buys section of the magazine’s December issue includes photos, invoice pricing, standard features and reviews that support the models’ Best Buy selection.

“Value, as we see it, is based on purchase price and ownership costs relative to quality, performance and subjective factors like comfort and design,” explained Randy Weber, publisher of Consumer Digest.

“Few purchases are more important, or require more research, than buying a new vehicle,” Weber insisted.

“Our analyses underscore our commitment to ensure that consumers are as satisfied with their auto purchase years after making it as they were on the day they drove off the lot,” he went on to say.

In 2011, Consumers Digest will celebrate its 50th year.