Volvo Sedan earns top spot among 50 vehicles reviewed
As Florida businesses continue the process of reopening, manufacturers and dealers may offer incentives to stimulate car-buying. This week, AAA released its AAA Car Guide, to help consumers navigate the process of buying an automobile during a pandemic (or while observing social distancing recommendations).
Visit the AAA Car Guide Website / View the 180 page guide
Dealerships Enhancing Sanitation Protocols
As buyers return to the market, industry groups such as the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) are providing dealerships with guidance on how to safely interact with car buyers. This includes procedures on keeping employees and customers safe, cleaning and disinfecting dealership facilities and vehicles and safely handling sales operations. Some dealerships are even modifying their buying process and offering to deliver vehicles to customers for test drives.
“The AAA Car Guide allows consumers to find the right vehicle for them, without having to leave the house,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. “These days, a vehicle buyer may feel overwhelmed or confused not only by the differences of how the vehicle is powered, but by which safety features are included and how they work in the real world. This guide removes the guess work, so consumers will understand exactly what they’re getting.”
What can consumers find in the AAA Car Guide?
The guide includes comprehensive, easy-to-read reviews of each vehicle, which are tested and scored based on 13 criteria, including braking, fuel economy, emissions, handling, ride comfort, acceleration and the number of ADAS safety features.
The guide also covers other automotive topics of interest, including:
- Analysis of the latest advanced automotive safety features — what they do, how well they work, and their limitations.
- The state of self-driving technology and who is involved in their manufacture and testing.
- The dangers of distracted driving, including ways to help stay more alert.
- Previews of the cars and light trucks scheduled to hit the market in coming years- including developing technologies.
- A compendium of AAA’s recent research of current automotive technologies and topics, such as advanced driver-assistance systems, gasoline quality, the advantages of synthetic oil, reduced tire traction in wet-weather driving, and headlight effectiveness.
Same Technology, Different Name, Equally Confusing
The latest model vehicles often come equipped with some sort of advanced safety system. However, many of these systems go by different names, based on the vehicle’s manufacturer or brand. In fact, AAA previously analyzed 34 vehicle brands sold in the United States to identify the number of unique names manufacturers use to market ADAS. For example, automatic emergency braking, standard on 31% of 2018 vehicles, has 40 names for just this one feature. As a result, AAA along with other safety organizations has called on the industry to move towards common naming to help clear the confusion for consumers. AAA helps to alleviate the confusion for consumers in its 2020 AAA Car Guide.
AAA Announces Top-Ranked Vehicles for 2020
This week, AAA announced a 2020 Volvo luxury sedan has earned the top score (Best Overall) in its first edition of the newly released AAA Car Guide. The majority of the category winners for 2020 are either electric, plug-in electric hybrids or hybrids, signaling that eco-friendly vehicles tend to offer the most cutting-edge vehicle technology.
Highest Ranked Vehicles by Category:
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Category |
Vehicle |
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Overall |
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Small |
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Midsize |
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Large |
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Pickup |
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SUV/Minivan |
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Best Under $30,000 |
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Best $30,000-$50,000 |
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Best Over $50,000 |
Winners, detailed evaluation criteria, vehicle reviews and an in-depth analysis of the ADAS technology can be found at aaa.com/carguide.
About AAA - The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.