PBS' MotorWeek 2001 Drivers' Choice Awards

    BALTIMORE--Feb. 7, 2001--In a time of intense competition among manufacturers, television's premier automotive magazine, MotorWeek, announced today at the Chicago Auto Show its choices for best cars and trucks of the 2001 model year.
    Topping the Drivers' Choice Awards list for Best of the Year are the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. The winners in all 12 categories will be featured on MotorWeek on PBS, beginning February 17, 2001, and on sports cable channel SpeedVision (check local listings).
    "From styling to versatility to performance, the Escape and Tribute are new benchmarks among small sport-utility vehicles," said MotorWeek host and executive producer John Davis. "They are the first car-based sport-utility vehicles that give up virtually none of the off-road abilities of pure truck-like SUVs, yet they are as easy and comfortable to drive as any fine family sedan. In addition, their interior packaging provides more people and cargo space than any competitor, without taking up more space on the road than a compact car."
    Having both the Escape and Tribute win Best of the Year shows the flexibility of this impressive SUV design. It also highlights the industry's truly global nature. A cooperative effort between Mazda in Japan and Ford in the U.S., the vehicles sprang from the same design, yet are sold by different brands and uniquely tailored for their respective customers.
    Describing the Drivers' Choice Awards, Davis calls them a "living, breathing list of car buying trends, which is an indicator of the health of the industry's different segments as well as of the industry as a whole."
    Other category winners this year, judged by the same criteria used to determine the top slot, were chosen by a team of 17 judges, comprised of the journalists, staff and crew of MotorWeek. Judges' decisions were based on superior performance, technology, practicality and dollar value. Award winners are:

    1.  Best Small Car                     -  Nissan Sentra

    2.  Best Family Sedan                  -  Dodge Stratus
                                              Chrysler Sebring

    3.  Best Minivan                       -  Dodge Caravan
                                              Chrysler Voyager
                                              Chrysler Town & Country

    4.  Best Convertible                   -  Audi TT Roadster

    5.  Best Luxury Sedan                  -  Lincoln LS(a)

    6.  Best Sport Sedan                   -  Mercedes-Benz C320 Sport

    7.  Best Performance Car               -  BMW M3

    8.  Best Small Sport-Utility Vehicle   -  Ford Escape
                                              Mazda Tribute

    9.  Best Family Sport-Utility Vehicle  -  Acura MDX

    10. Best Pickup Truck                  -  Toyota Tundra(a)

    11. Best Cross-Over Vehicle            -  Chrysler PT Cruiser

    12. Best Dream Machine                 -  Porsche 911 Turbo
                                              BMW Z8

	   (a) denotes repeat winner from 2000

    Over the years, Davis has seen a real ebb and flow with the Drivers' Choice Awards. Most recently, the domestic brands have dominated the list, but now there is a return to the popularity of imports. For example, two traditionally domestic brand-dominated categories, Best Pickup Truck and Best Family Sport-Utility Vehicle, were won by import brands this year.
    "We've also added and deleted categories to the list over the years," said Davis. "Most new categories emerge in response to manufacturers' creativity and buyers' interest. You have to recognize a car like the PT Cruiser for its innovation and for the fact that it addresses the latest cross-over buying trends in the marketplace."
    Oddly similar to last year's presidential election, automotive buying trends are clearly geographical. Both coasts tend to favor certain auto categories. For example, the West and East Coasts overall tend to favor import brand cars (Asian and European respectively), while the middle states tend more toward domestic brands.
    In its 19th year of awarding these distinctions, MotorWeek considers all types of consumers while making its choices, including buyers with varying family sizes, budgets and style preferences. These considerations explain why MotorWeek has a category to fit every taste, with all but Best Dream Machine aimed at selecting a vehicle that delivers a lot for the dollar.
    The least expensive vehicle is not necessarily the winner. The vehicle that impresses the judges, by offering the most value for the dollar, rises to the top of its category.
    MotorWeek is television's original weekly automotive magazine, providing consumers with timely and practical news on the automotive industry since 1980. Nationally acclaimed host John Davis leads MotorWeek's experienced crew around the country and the globe to bring consumers unbiased, cutting-edge automotive information.
    From more than 150 car reviews each year to car care and unique feature stories, MotorWeek is the one consistently unfiltered source for auto consumers. For more information, visit MotorWeek at www.mpt.org/motorweek.