General Motors, Ford and Toyota lead the list of Best Fleet Value vehicles from Vincentric, a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm headquartered in suburban Detroit.
GM topped the list for the 2013 model year with nine awards, while Ford and Toyota were close behind with eight winning vehicles each. Other truck manufacturers with notable results were Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz.
General Motors scored high with its heavy duty pickups and full-size vans, and Ford with its light-duty pickup and full-size and compact vans, Vincentric said. Toyota’s Tacoma small pickup was in the top listings for the eighth year in a row.
Chrysler had three winning Dodge vehicles, including the Journey SUV and Caravan minivan, and one Jeep, the Patriot crossover utility vehicle. Passenger cars, SUVs and CUVs from those builders and others were also included on the Best Fleet Value list, and passenger vehicles swelled the numbers from each manufacturer.
"Our awards look to provide guidance to all types of fleet buyers, and the fact that we have winners from a variety of manufacturers illustrates the growing competition in the fleet market," said David Wurster, Vincentric’s president. "By segmenting the awards and analyzing different mileage/lifecycle timeframe scenarios, vehicle buyers have guidance for determining the fleet vehicle that best meets the needs of their organization."
To determine the 2013 awards, Vincentric analyzed over 3,400 vehicle configurations in 20 different lifecycle cost scenarios, using cost factors that included depreciation, fees and taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and repairs. The lifecycle costs were measured in all 50 states plus D.C., with the resulting 25 million measurements, then reviewed to determine the winning vehicles.
Commercial-type trucks included in the awards are:
• Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana G1500 and G3500 short-wheelbase cargo vans;
• Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD regular-cab, 2-wheel-drive long-wheelbase pickups
• Ford F-150 regular-cab 2WD LWB pickup
• Ford E-150 XL cargo van;
• Ford Transit Connect XL compact van; and
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 standard-roof and 3500 high-roof cargo vans.
Further information regarding all of the winners of the Vincentric Best Fleet Value awards for the 2013 model year, and Vincentric’s methodology, is available at www.vincentric.com.
