GM Tops Family Cars List
While families all around Fairfield and Westchester Counties have known it along, now the officials at Kelley Blue Book, one of the nation’s best known independant automotive experts, agree! The Chevrolet Suburban, Equinox and Traverse all made the Top 10 Family Cars for 2010 list from the editors of the Kelley Blue Book.
“Here’s great news for the U.S. automakers GM and Ford: Six of their vehicles dominated the list of the Top 10 Family Cars for 2010 as determined by the editors of the Kelley Blue Book and the Web site kbb.com,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Three of them are Chevrolets — an SUV and two crossover utility vehicles — and three are Fords — one crossover and two sedans, including a gasoline-electric hybrid.
“It’s a sweet victory for Chevrolet and Ford after so many years of Japanese domination of consumer-preference lists. In fact, on this roster, there are only three Japanese vehicles, and none of them is a Toyota. The only other Asian vehicle is the Hyundai, from South Korea,” according to the Chronicle.
“Chevy scored what might be considered a much bigger win over at perennial Japanese-car-loving Consumer Reports,which kicked two Toyotas off its 2010 Top Picks list (the recalled Highlander and RAV4 crossovers) while adding two Chevrolet vehicles — the Traverse and the Silverado full-size pickup,” the article continued.
The KBB evaluations are based on “such factors as resale value, fuel efficiency, capability and kid-friendliness,” Kelley said. “This year’s list features vehicles in a range of sizes and prices, offering something for a wide variety of families — everything from an SUV that can comfortably accommodate nine passengers to a compact, fuel-efficient wagon capable of taking the road less traveled.”
“While the product landscape in the new-car world seems ever-changing, the vehicle needs of the typical American family remain fairly constant: capable versatility, value, safety and economical factors usually remain top of mind,” said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director at kbb.com.
The Suburban, made in Texas, is an excellent choice to lead the list of family vehicles, based on its sheer capacity — nine people — along with its solid construction, great resale value and Chevy truck quality. By association, the Chevy Tahoe should be considered a member of the list, as well — it’s a Suburban that’s just a little bit shorter.
And you can’t forget the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, which are essentially the same vehicles as the Tahoe and Suburban respectively. Of course, the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV are the same vehicles, as well, just made a bit fancier (with higher prices, of course).
I can’t say enough about the Traverse. This large crossovers seat up to eight people and has the fuel economy and driving characteristics of a V-6-powered midsize sedan. It has also earned the coveted ‘Top Pick’ award from Consumer Reports, an organization notorious for being anti-american manufacturers. It seems even CR cannot ignore the tremendous strides made with American Quality nor the outstanding value offered by the Chevy Traverse.
Then there’s the Equinox, Chevy’s redesigned midsize crossover, which has its GMC clone, as well — the also highly acclaimed Terrain. Surprisingly, the Equinox outscored some heady competition — such as the Toyota Highlander, Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner, Hyundai Santa Fe and Veracruz, and Honda CR-V.