ANAHEIM, Calif. -

IntelliChoice and AutoPacific revealed Thursday the winners of the 2011 Motorist Choice Awards at the Orange County International Auto Show.

A domestic OEM saw the most vehicles on the list, with Ford touting four, including the Expedition, which topped the list in three different categories.

Also of note, repeat winners included the Dodge Ram HD in the Popular Active Lifestyle category, Hyundai Genesis in the Popular Luxury Lifestyle category and the Lexus IS in the Premium Youthful category.

Moving on to further highlight what the list entails, the award series was designed to recognize vehicles “that deliver the compelling combination of high consumer satisfaction and lower-than-expected ownership costs over time,” noted officials.

George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, stressed the potential consumer benefits the compiled list holds: “The Motorist Choice Awards are designed to assist consumers by using a categorization scheme other than traditional vehicle classes. Our research has shown that buyers often shop in more than one vehicle segment based on their needs and uses, rather than simply choosing a segment and then comparing models within it.

“Whether buyers are seeking a kid friendly, youthful, or fun to drive vehicle, we have a suggestion that will fit their budget and needs,” he continued.

Now in its sixth year, the two company’s continue to categorize the winners into a collection of 15 popular lifestyle segments, such as “Active Lifestyle”, “Cosmopolitan”, “Head Turner” and “People Mover.”

Also of note, the category winners cover two market segments, Popular and Premium, seperating high-line vehicles from their non-luxury counterparts.

“Both reflect the purpose and perception of the consumer and illustrate the results of practical analysis, like total cost of ownership, fuel economy and resale value,” officials stressed.

The 2011 Motorist Choice Award winners are as follows:

Moving on to highlight what goes into compiling the list, AutoPacific performs a satisfaction survey in the U.S. each year and received over 72,000 responses this time around. This study garnered consumer feedback on recently purchased 2011 vehicles using 48 key attributes which span the ownership experience, officials noted.

From this data, AutoPacific compares overall buyer satisfaction between individual models and vehicle classes and announces its annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards  based on the findings.
 

Meanwhile,  IntelliChoice monitors and adjusts cost of ownership metrics for over 1,800 model trim lines “to provide consumers with valuable insight into the financial impact of ownership over a five-year time horizon.” Thus, determining the cars with the best value.

This analysis is the foundation of the IntelliChoice “Best Overall Value of the Year”  awards announced each January, and its interim “Best Bets” awards, which were recently announced for the upcoming 2012 model year.

The Motorist Choice Awards combine analysis from both firms into one set of awards that represent vehicles that earn high marks on both sets of criteria.

Tyler Schulze, vice president and general manager of IntelliChoice, offered his opinion on the two company’s partnership: “Each year, we appreciate the opportunity to partner with AutoPacific to perform this research and analysis.

“The Motorist Choice Award methodology is designed to help consumers identify vehicles that speak to their hearts and their wallets. The 2011 award winners all share a connection with buyers from both a satisfaction standpoint and overall value as compared to their peers. Based on this compelling combination, we are pleased to recommend these vehicles to consumers as a guide for good purchase decisions,” he concluded.