By Greg Migliore
Editorial Director
https://www.autoguide.com/
The finalists for the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced Nov. 21 at the L.A. Auto Show.
The Honda Civic Hybrid will take on the Toyota Camry and Kia K4 in the cars category. The Ford Ranger, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tacoma made the cut for trucks. And the Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Chevy Equinox EV are the three utility vehicle finalists. The winners will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
Fifty automotive journalists from across North America vote on the awards. I’m a juror for the NACTOY awards, and here’s how I see the ballot breaking down heading into the final month of testing and voting.
Cars: Honda Civic Hybrid vs. Toyota Camry vs. Kia K4
Traditional rivals Honda and Toyota face off, but Kias have done well at the NACTOY awards in recent years.
Honda added a fuel-sipping hybrid to the Civic lineup, which I recently tested and liked for its efficiency and smart interior. It reminded me how good a compact sedan can be. The hybrid is new for 2024 and Honda’s first Civic hybrid in a decade. It’s a savvy addition.
Similarly, Toyota’s all-hybrid Camry lineup shows how good a midsize sedan can be. With sharp styling reminiscent of the Prius, the Camry is a legitimately attractive car with a roomy cabin and an XSE trim that’s near premium.
The Kia K4 is the sleeper of the three. It replaces the Forte as Kia’s compact car, and brings sleek styling and a tech-focused interior as its calling cards. As we noted in our first drive, it’s not quite the bargain the Forte was. Still, Kia has taken home three NACTOY trophies since 2020, so the K4 should be a strong contender.
Trucks: Ford Ranger vs. Toyota Tacoma vs. Ram 1500
This is an extremely tough entry – as it always is – with all three being worthy winners.
The Tacoma is an all-around excellent midsize truck, and Toyota has standing in this space as a longtime segment leader. Toyota added the iForce hybrid variant and several off-road trims, and the Taco’s interior is vastly upgraded. The Trailhunter version looks like a Decepticon, in a good way.
Similarly, Ford has plenty of truck cred, largely from the aura of the F-Series, the nation’s best-selling vehicle since the Carter administration. Ford clearly knows how to make a truck, and that’s now apparent in the Ranger, too. Ford dials up tougher design and three powerful engine tunes, topped by the 3.0L-V6 Raptor’s 405 hp. Blasting over dirt roads in rural Michigan last month in the Ranger Raptor was one of the more enjoyable truck experiences I’ve had lately.
Then there’s the Ram. The only fullsize truck that’s new or significantly refreshed this year is as formidable as ever. I think it’s the nicest truck in the class with the best interior and infotainment (the screens in the new model are German luxury level). I also happen to like the Ram’s design a bit more than the Ford or Chevy rivals, though that’s totally subjective. I suppose this all is.
Utility: Chevy Equinox EV vs. Hyundai Santa Fe vs. Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Three very different vehicles vie for the utility crown in perhaps the most wide-open of the three categories.
The Equinox EV is an all-around excellent EV. It’s styled attractively in the way Chevys should be: distinctive, forward-looking and American. Chevy did a nice job with the tech features and offers a creative palette of color schemes and trims to make the compact Equinox EV desirable in a way its gas-powered sibling never really has been.
The Hyundai Santa Fe brings Land Rover-levels of styling to a mass market crossover. Hyundai took a huge risk, recasting the conventionally designed – and strong selling – Santa Fe into something more aspirational and potentially polarizing. Inside, the Santa Fe deserves praise for its well-equipped cabin with clever storage. Families should take note of this interior when crossover shopping.
The ID.Buzz is the complete wildcard here. It’s easily the most attention-getting vehicle I’ve driven this year. It’s a unique blend of functionality, quirkiness and retro-styled luxury. It’s not cheap and the electric range isn’t spectacular, but cars are supposed to be fun and the Buzz is a blast.
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https://northamericancaroftheyear.org/index.php?gf-download=2024%2F11%2FNACTOY-Finalists.pdf&form-id=3&field-id=12&hash=74bd17743370defbfea8df4349bb7207fef2e52ed87efb762dd14a79b8350023
