Intellichoice named HUMMER H2 best luxury SUV deal, Toyota Tacoma the best compact pickup deal

Intellichoice.com recently announced its best deals for each automotive segment for the month of September, and for this month, auto rebates and employee new car pricing had the biggest impact on which vehicles win their respective classes. The best deals are announced monthly with the intention of identifying the new cars, trucks, and SUVs with the best ownership cost value in 33 different classes. The determining factors are current car prices, market conditions, and the lowest national manufacturer consumer new car rebate. The costs of ownership over a five-year-span are also factored into the decision process.

Intellichoice's publisher and editor James Bell states: "The big news this month is that GM has taken honors in two new segments on September's Best Deals list. This is a bit of a mixed blessing, as GM's September winners are largely SUVs and trucks that are benefiting from large car rebates and the extension of last month's Employee Discount Car Pricing promotion. But we have to give credit where credit is due. Please note that HUMMER made our list twice. Some may be shocked by this news because of a perception of high maintenance, repair and, especially, fuel costs. This perception may tie back to the original H1 model. However, the HUMMER H3 and H2 are based on standard GM platforms and do not suffer the same issues. The H3 held its spot for Intermediate SUV from August, but the H2 knocked out the Lexus GX in the Luxury SUV category thanks to its $6000 rebate, one of this month's highest."

Winning the Intermediate and Luxury SUV segments were the HUMMER H3 and H2, respectively. Toyota had a good showing as a manufacturer, with victories in the midsize crossover, full-size SUV, minivan, compact pickup, and full-size pickup 2WD half-ton segments, along with victories in non-truck/SUV classes. Toyota's Lexus also took three categories, including luxury crossover. The full list of winners for the 33 auto segments can be found below.

Source: Business Wire