Autotrader’s 2016 Must Test Drive Awards

Autotrader selects 10 vehicles that car shoppers must add to their list in 2016

The 10 Must Test Drive Award Winning Vehicles

2016 Chevrolet Malibu

The all-new 2016 model competes with the very best cars in the segment. The Malibu feels agile and light on its feet and has a long list of available high-tech features, including Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto.
2016 FIAT 500X

The FIAT 500X competes in the hot new subcompact-crossover segment. The 500X is roomy, offers more-than-adequate power, is as capable and efficient as rivals and is reasonably priced.
2016 Honda Civic

Car shoppers may find themselves dazzled by the new Civic’s generous interior dimensions, its impressive list of available equipment and its truly fantastic interior. The latest Civic offers the car’s usual benefits, such as reasonable pricing, several engine and body style choices, and notorious durability.
2016 Kia Sedona

The Kia Sedona comes equipped with a comfortable interior, handsome exterior styling and a surprisingly sporty driving experience. Then there’s the long list of amenities, which includes everything from reclining second-row captain’s chairs to adaptive cruise control.
2016 Lincoln MKC

A stylish, well-designed compact luxury SUV, the MKC isn’t too big or too small. Instead, it is sized just right to compete with rivals, and it offers just as many high-tech gadgets, if not more. The MKC is also sporty and yet surprisingly efficient thanks to a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300

The Mercedes-Benz GLC300 is a handsome new luxury crossover that makes a huge leap forward over the increasingly outdated GLK it replaces. The GLC features nicely balanced steering, crisp design and premium materials throughout the cabin.
2016 Nissan Titan XD

The Nissan Titan XD is uniquely positioned between standard light-duty pickups and traditional heavy-duty trucks, which is only bolstered by its available Cummins V8 turbo diesel engine. A surprisingly quiet cabin and compelling trailering features add to the appeal.
2016 Subaru Legacy

The Subaru Legacy touts standard all-wheel drive, strong gas mileage, reasonable pricing and a very inexpensive suite of modern safety gadgets, such as lane-departure warning, automatic forward-collision braking and a blind spot monitoring system.
2016 Toyota Prius

The fully redesigned 2016 Toyota Prius is now better than ever, especially in the Touring trim level, touting a futuristic exterior design and a sharply upgraded interior that looks both modern and high-class.
2016 Volvo XC90

The new Volvo XC90 sets the standard in virtually every category: style, technology, safety, comfort and equipment. It’s also surprisingly well-priced for a luxury SUV.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300

2016 Nissan Titan XD

2016 Subaru Legacy

2016 Toyota Prius

2016 Volvo XC90

Reaching Car Shoppers & Promoting The Awarded Vehicles

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski explains why his car should be on the list!

We’re spreading the news to help drive shopper interest in these vehicles—and to drive them into your dealership. Autotrader’s media tour to announce the Must Test Drive Awards secured more than 19 interviews with TV and radio outlets across the country, and the supporting Audio News Release was distributed to over 400 radio stations.
Watch 10 News Clip

PR Newswire – Atlanta, March 22, 2016

For consumers in the market for a new car, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the new – and newly redesigned – models that have been released since they last bought a car. Autotrader’s editorial team is helping consumers narrow down the many choices on the market today by selecting the top 10 vehicles that shoppers should experience for themselves. Announced today, Autotrader’s Must Test Drive vehicle lineup for 2016 includes a wide range of body styles to ensure no matter what kind of vehicle a shopper is considering, the list will point them in the right direction for their next purchase.

“We created the Must Test Drive Awards to highlight vehicles that are unexpectedly good,” said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader.

Read Full Press Release

How many vehicles did Autotrader test drive?

We’ve driven hundreds of cars. We’ve logged thousands of test miles. We’ve been on open highways, winding back roads, crowded city streets and rutted dirt trails. While your office gets into arguments about sports or politics, we fight about leather-seat thickness and alloy-wheel design. And it’s all for a good reason: our list of 10 must test drive cars for 2016.

Compiling our list wasn’t easy. We’ve whittled down dozens of cars we’ve driven this year into just 10 winners, with a few key criteria in mind. Namely, each car on our list has to offer some unexpected benefits, touting traits and attributes that should change the way you think about the vehicle in question and perhaps even about the overall brand itself.