NEW YORK, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- POPULAR MECHANICS, the trusted men's magazine reaching 9 million readers each month, today announced the winners of the 2009 POPULAR MECHANICS Automotive Excellence Awards. Chosen by the magazine's expert editorial team, these awards recognize the best in automotive design, execution and technology for 2009 model year vehicles in ten specific categories.
"Our Automotive Excellence Awards honor the newest cars and trucks in the industry today," said James Meigs, editor-in-chief, POPULAR MECHANICS. "Our automotive team spends months with hands-on testing and research before honoring vehicles with our award. This year we are proud to recognize the ten best and brightest vehicles ever produced."
The recipients of the fourth annual POPULAR MECHANICS Automotive Excellence Awards:
-- Design: Dodge Challenger
-- Value: Honda Fit
-- Fuel Efficiency: VW Jetta TDI
-- Performance: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
-- Versatility: Ford Flex
-- Fun to Drive: BMW 135i
-- Off-Road Ability: Hummer H3T Alpha
-- Technical Innovation: Cadillac Escalade With Platinum HID Headlights
-- Luxury: Jaguar XF
-- Workhorse: Ford F-150
Each year, to determine the winners of the POPULAR MECHANICS Automotive Excellence Awards, PM's editors drive more than 100 of the newest cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles, amassing well over 100,000 miles in the process. Through their experiences on extended test drives around the world, instrumented comparison tests and longer-term evaluations, the auto team nominates a list of vehicles in each category. Those selections are put to a vote and the top recipients in each category win an Automotive Excellence Award. The auto team is led by Automotive Editor Ben Stewart, working with Senior Automotive Editor Mike Allen, Detroit Editor Larry Webster and Editor-in-Chief James Meigs.
Full coverage of the 2009 POPULAR MECHANICS Automotive Excellence Awards winners can be found in the December issue of POPULAR MECHANICS, on newsstands November 11, 2008 and online at http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars2009.
ABOUT POPULAR MECHANICS
Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com) is a magazine that helps readers master the modern world. In addition to providing hands-on coverage of personal technology, cars and home improvement, PM reports in depth on the science and technology behind major issues -- including such stories as disaster planning, hydrogen fuel and other energy alternatives, military expenditures, and digital privacy. Each month, nearly 9 million readers turn for advice and news to the magazine's editors and contributors, including the likes of Jay Leno, astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Tom Jones, and roboticist Daniel H. Wilson. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Popular Mechanics publishes nine editions around the world. Popular Mechanics is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (http://www.hearst.com) and one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with nearly 200 editions around the world, including 18 U.S. titles and 20 magazines in the United Kingdom, published through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (75.6 million total adults, according to MRI, Spring 2008).