The Best Cars for the Money with John Vincent of US News and World Report

Paul J Daly: 0:05So we're here with John Vinson from US News and World Report, senior editor of a vehicle testing Correct. Wow. It's this is a first for us. We've never interviewed anyone from like outside media organization that is like making an impact on automotive, the future of automotive vehicles. And what happens, thanks for joining. And

‍John Vincent: 0:23

we talk to those those customers that are in the market for a car today.

Paul J Daly: 0:27

See, that is that is the we hear some of the cars revenue in the back right now, that might be the McLaren. So you constantly get a flow of information from people who are saying, I'm ready to buy a car. And here's what I'm looking for. Right, exactly. So tell it tell us how that information flows in and kind of what it's sounding like lately, like, what are the top concerns.

John Vincent: 0:46

So you know, we kind of go by the mantra that you can never get a good deal on a car unless you're getting a good car. So we want to help people find like a good car that will give them years and years of trouble free low cost service. You know, that's what car buyers really want. They might want certain features today, they might want certain performance. But in the end, they just want something reliable, that's going to get them to to work in play every

Paul J Daly: 1:13

day, right? That's the table stakes. Like if you don't have that, then what do you even do it? Exactly. And your organization spends a lot of time to help consumers make informed decisions across a lot of areas, right, not a lot of time and research. And so we just had an award ceremony we did where you all passed out some awards, tell us about the awards, and who says when and what

John Vincent: 1:32

these are our best cars for the money awards. We look at a couple of things, we look at quality, and we look at reliability and total cost of ownership over the first five years.

Paul J Daly: 1:42

I mean, with all the conversation about affordability, you would think this award probably has more weight in this day and age, then then a dozen times when affordability isn't such a top

John Vincent: 1:52

concern. And these don't necessarily, you know, reward the lowest cost vehicles in the market. It might be a higher cost vehicle. But its total cost of ownership over the first five years is lower,

Paul J Daly: 2:01

which I'm really surprised that this isn't a more pressing metric that people pay attention to. Because we're there's a lot of conversations over, you know, MSRP Are you paying above or below that are now that we know what the car is rule that has come out and offer price? What is the price? It's out the door price, but you're looking beyond that. And total cost of ownership ownership is the actual amount of money that will be flowing from your bank account to own this vehicle. Exactly.

John Vincent: 2:27

I mean, we're a research based media outlet. We just don't sit in the back and throw a dart at a dartboard to try and figure out, you know, what's the most affordable we look at hard numbers and figure out what's the best car for consumers. Okay, so tell us tell us who's wondering what Okay, let's look at compact cars. We have 11 awards this year, three manufacturers only three manufacturer manufacturers okay 11 awards,

Paul J Daly: 2:51

so I'm not going to try to guess and I only saw the one so Okay,

John Vincent: 2:55

well let's start with Honda. Yes, Honda wins awards for the Civic which you know, tough category compact car I mean absolutely you know civics legendary though civics legendary, but nobody's ever gotten in trouble with their father for buying a Corolla. So it's very funny. You know, we have the Civic, we have the midsize car, a court courts been out for 40 some years. And then my first car was in a court. Same here, the seventh accord on mine was 83. There you go. But you know, the new generation is better than them all.

Paul J Daly: 3:27

And they're bigger. It's like twice the size of the world. Yeah, it's

John Vincent: 3:30

they're bigger, they're more powerful and more refined. Absolutely. Yeah. They're

Paul J Daly: 3:35

the new category to where they're just not as much competition anymore. Everyone bailed on sedans a few years ago. Right and the Honda Accord the Civic

John Vincent: 3:45

I wouldn't say there's not as much competition because the customers are still out there. There aren't as many of them not as many customers chasing fewer cars. So within the category it's very robotic. Okay, that's

Paul J Daly: 3:58

a good point.

John Vincent: 3:59

I mean, accord Camry Corolla, Corolla isn't in the sub are in that oh, is it smaller category? Okay. You know? Even the Subaru Subaru has still has a midsize car.

Paul J Daly: 4:13

Yes, absolutely. Okay, so we have so far we've talked about specific record Honda and Honda

John Vincent: 4:20

Odyssey honda odyssey for four years in a row for that minivan segment minivan segment. Wow. Another really competitive segment. Absolutely. The Sienna

Paul J Daly: 4:29

and the Odyssey go see to see in the Kia Carnival has

John Vincent: 4:32

really picked up in Pacifica and Pacifica hybrid.

Paul J Daly: 4:35

I would have thought that the Kia carnival maybe would have done a little bit better because of the price point in the beginning but this is telling us what when we look we zoom out we look at best cost for the money and overall cost. Exactly. The Carnival is gonna cost Carnival

John Vincent: 4:48

is going to talk a little more Wow even with its fantastic warranty. It's a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. The numbers show that the Odyssey is still

Paul J Daly: 4:56

types of things. So warranty repairs, maintenance, repairs or just maintenance Cost fuel efficiency that

John Vincent: 5:01

is all that exactly total total cost of ownership insurance. Okay, so Honda's cleaning up so far Honda is doing really well. So those are the four Honda Civic accord. Oh, we missed the one passport passport.

Paul J Daly: 5:14

So the passport one in the midsize SUV segment SUV two or SUV hero

John Vincent: 5:19

SUV, the passwords you know it's been out there for a while but it continues to just truck along it does

Paul J Daly: 5:25

the new the new designs to actually have been catching my eye more they just look a little tougher. Conley got away from a tough looking vehicle they did right the the Honda Pilot was like one of the last like boxy SUVs, they then they went ahead and made it look like a minivan and now it's coming

John Vincent: 5:39

back Yeah, the pilot was the minivan of SUVs.

Paul J Daly: 5:43

Now no one wanted to say it was that and then came that and everyone's like I don't want a minivan Yeah,

John Vincent: 5:47

so they're they're given him a tougher look. And the passports the transport the tough looking transport no actually has some features on it that make it more capable. Yeah, for better tire so really, we're

Paul J Daly: 6:00

not just doing the badging exactly.

John Vincent: 6:02

Okay so who else we got Honda so that's how that let's go to Hyundai Hyundai Hyundai always does well and these are words Tucson in the small SUV category

Paul J Daly: 6:14

makes sense. See that would make sense no surprise whatsoever. Yeah,

John Vincent: 6:18

it just it's a fantastic car. Easy to buy easy to own a lot your hybrid

Paul J Daly: 6:29

kind of forget on there. Well, is that the the hybrid category

John Vincent: 6:32

is that the hybrid car category? Wow, the Elantra I never would have picked the ultra well you know, whenever we thinks hybrid they think Prius and you know what? Prius is an expensive car. A launcher is not as an expensive not as an expensive car

Paul J Daly: 6:49

right and apparently it holds up it doesn't cost a lot if you buy

John Vincent: 6:53

it's got that 10 year or 100,000 mile powertrain warranty

Paul J Daly: 7:01

so we got Hyundai has the Elantra

John Vincent: 7:04

Sportage and in the electric SUV category, ionic five that's an SUV on paper it's an SUV

Paul J Daly: 7:14

okay that's an interesting I know I know is it looks like a VW got it looks like a hatchback. I don't think so. What makes it an SUV on paper

John Vincent: 7:23

shape cargo capacity all wheel drive.

Paul J Daly: 7:26

How about that? Well, they snuck that one and then they did it's a cool car. And when I've seen him on the road a lot actually I feel like so it makes sense that people are buying them and wow it's the SUV category Yeah, I don't think anybody else has a chance there's a categorized as an SUV now it's

John Vincent: 7:41

not the most affordable one out there, especially since it's not it doesn't comply with the federal Evie tax credit right now, is

Paul J Daly: 7:48

that slightly the change? Are they changing the battery manufacturing so that

John Vincent: 7:51

they're moving more of an onshore so it will change eventually? The key v nine Yep, the new three row SUV from Kia, initially manufactured in Korea, its production moves to America later this year.

Paul J Daly: 8:05

So the ones that are made in America will be will be for the credit thicker man. So a lot of people are gonna wait for that because that's gonna cause a little bit of problem with residual payment. Because you get one now by

John Vincent: 8:15

when you look at their deals page, they haven't sentence on them because they're trying to smooth out that sales. They're gonna say we'll give you more money off now. We'll get more money off now. And you know that money will go away at the end of the year.

Paul J Daly: 8:27

That'll be interesting. I like that. I'm, I'm wondering, do you know if they have one here at the show?

John Vincent: 8:31

I do not know that. I'm going

Paul J Daly: 8:32

to find that because that's one that I've always loved key and I've owned many keys over the years and I just feel like with Kia and Hyundai but Kia because I've owned them. You get a lot for your money. Yeah. And I've always been happy so

John Vincent: 8:43

so I'm lucky enough to be a North American Car and Truck of the Year juror. Okay. And so I get to drive everything. I've spent a bunch of time in the Eevee nine What do you think? It's fantastic. It's a Telluride that's electric with better interiors, packaging.

Paul J Daly: 8:56

Oh, very nice. Fine. Now I really can't wait to see him because my last vehicle. I've been a Land Cruiser now. But my last vehicle that I purchased or at least was a Telluride like when it first came out. I loved

John Vincent: 9:06

it. I loved it. And that Bridges has right over to Kia who won four of our award. So you go with a win for let's start with the soul.

Paul J Daly: 9:13

I mean, the soul has been, I mean, just a total value package from when it first came out.

John Vincent: 9:19

Absolutely. I mean, it's it's the SUV that most of Americans really needs. Yeah, because it has the space. I still don't think of it as I know. I know.

Paul J Daly: 9:29

does have a ton of space and it's got a ton of space. It's so much stuff in my case. Oh

John Vincent: 9:32

and I had it handles well in the parking lots.

Paul J Daly: 9:35

It actually did really well in the snow. Yep, I live in the Northeast. I live in New York with snow tires and their front wheel drive traction control, I think did really well. Yeah.

John Vincent: 9:44

You know, easy to own. Just it's a great that makes sense. All right, well, affordable, super horrible. Sportage and sport and I'm sorry Sportage hybrid. Okay, and Sportage plug in hybrid electric V didn't go all in two different categories, two different categories. Wow.

Paul J Daly: 10:03

I I know that the the hybrid, the plug in hybrid, they seem to be significantly more expensive they,

John Vincent: 10:10

but they get the federal tax credit if it's built in the right fight. Yeah, interesting. And if it doesn't get the federal tax credit, they can get state local and utility incentives,

Paul J Daly: 10:19

you know, in the sport is just one of those vehicles where the non hybrid version, the interior just doesn't look nearly as cool because the dual screen layout layout that they had and when the hybrid came out, the tech in the car is better too. So it makes sense that I agree. Yeah. So it makes sense that that just a little even though drive train is different, but it's like no, there's it's drive train plus tech, you feel like you're in something special?

John Vincent: 10:41

Yep. And that's a tough category. It competes with the CRV CRV hybrid. Yeah. And it was this was at a close race. It was Yeah. How close? I can't say okay.

Paul J Daly: 10:54

Okay, and finally, last but not least, I

John Vincent: 10:56

literally can't say the numbers. What's our last one? Sorry, I have a cheat. Last Kia Telluride. Tell you right? Of course, no surprise, no surprise, it can have a trophy case of its own. Absolutely. That car has won so many awards and deserve every single one. Absolutely. I

Paul J Daly: 11:18

can say that. I mean, the Telluride was an amazing, amazing vehicle, which is I think, why a lot of people would consider an Eevee nine, because it is so similar to the Telugu Telluride a little bit bigger. Yeah, I do wish the Rangers a little better. That's the range was everything I know, but to be sub 300 In a large vehicle feels because you think, from my perspective, when you know, and I look at the way I drive my vehicle, and it wouldn't matter, because I go mostly from home to the office have a charger at both places, right? Or I could charge it both places. And like, you know, not not a factor. But there's something about having a family vehicle with a shorter range I think builds a little more anxiety and the consumers mindset when you're thinking my children are going to be in this car.

John Vincent: 12:05

Remember, we're still in the Model T era of Yes, yeah. So this is gonna get better. But it also goes back to you know, it's the Jeep Wrangler thing. People buy Jeep Wranglers, not because they go off road, but because they think they might want to go off road so I'm right. Right. Well, people want it for the river. Yeah, people want 300 mile plus EVs not because they need a 300 mile plus he might want they might want it someday.

Paul J Daly: 12:30

That's a great comparison. We'll take that. John, thank you so much for the work you do and for spend a little time with us. Thanks for the opportunity.

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