PALO ALTO, Calif. -

High Gear Media recently revealed its picks for “Best Cars to Buy 2012.”

The three cars that made is onto the company’s list were the Ford Focus, the Porsche 911 and the Toyota Prius.

The choices were made by editors from High Gear Media’s sites — The Car Connection, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports.

The Ford Focus was chosen out of 40 nominees by the staff from The Car Connection, using its "meta reviews" that combine reviews by staff journalists with opinions gathered from around the Web, the company explained. 

"The 2012 Ford Focus has great looks, gas mileage and handling, plus some of the most advanced technology features in its class," said Marty Padgett, editorial director of High Gear Media.

Interestingly, the Focus even topped other brand-new, award-winning vehicles, including the Hyundai Veloster, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Chevy Sonic.

And as for High Gear Media’s luxury and performance site Motor Authority, it chose the 2012 Porsche 911 as its "Best Performance/Luxury Car to Buy 2012,” because of its strong styling, features, acceleration and handling, among other attributes.

"The Porsche 911 isn’t just a new 911," said Motor Authority editor Nelson Ireson, "it’s a brilliant new sports car that just happens to have an awesome back story."

The 911 competed against finalists such as the Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG roadster and the Ford Mustang Boss 302.

And as for Green Car Reports, the site’s staff picked the 2012 Toyota Prius range as their choice for "Best Green Car to Buy 2012," noting that the Prius is "more than just one car."

Green Car Reports editor John Voelcker said,  "With a new Prius V wagon and the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, it’s now a family of vehicles with some of the highest gas mileage on the market today, and the Prius name is likely to help encourage buyers to take the plunge into plug-in vehicles,” he continued.

The staff took into account new technologies, the units practicality and its impact on the environment, when making their decision.