10 Best Cars of the Past Decade

How does anyone pick the 10 best vehicles of the past 10 years? Fortunately, Kiplinger ranks cars and SUVs every year, picking the best in various price categories based on performance, value and safety. So we combed a decade's worth of our buyer’s guides to find the vehicles that showed up as winners time and time again. When the choices got tough, we gave the nod to iconic vehicles that pioneered a category and have stood the test of time.

If there’s one big takeaway here, it’s that most of these picks are better values today than a decade ago. For example, the Lexus RX 300 sold for $36,150 in 2001; the 2011 RX 350 stickers for just $38,850. That’s a minuscule increase, especially when you consider that the 2001-model price would be $45,914 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Meanwhile, the new models are much safer, more powerful and more fuel-efficient and pack a lot more high-tech content than they did ten years ago.

Five of the 10 Best Cars of the Past Decade

Sports Car: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Sticker price: $49,900 (2011). Resale value (3 yrs./5 yrs.): 55%/38%. Horsepower: 430. MPG (city/highway): 16/26. Sticker price, 2001 model: $40,475. Horsepower for 2001: 350. MPG (city/highway) for 2001: 17/26 (revised).

In the past decade, Corvette has won a Kiplinger's Best award in the sports car category six times. Why? Beastly power, a tame price and considerable cargo room, where the back seat would otherwise be. The Vette was introduced in 1953, and it has aged along with the baby boomers -– getting more powerful and faster with the years. The sixth generation Vette is shorter and narrower than its predecessor -– more like the European sports cars -– and the fastest yet: It clocks zero to 60 in 4 seconds flat. You can also get the Corvette in a convertible. And if 430 horses aren’t enough, consider the Z06 (505 hp) or the ZR1 (638 hp). Both have top speeds of around 200 miles per hour.

Truck-Based SUV: CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

Sticker price: $41,875 (2011 LS). Resale value (3 yrs./5 yrs.): 51/34. Horsepower: 320. MPG (city/highway): 15/21. Sticker price, 2001 model (1500): $26,656. Horsepower for 2001: 285. MPG (city/highway) for 2001: 13/16 (revised).

The Suburban, as much as any vehicle, is an apt symbol of the SUV-ization of America. This behemoth earns its place as a top ten pick with its massive cargo capacity (90 cubic feet) and people moving prowess (up to nine passengers, more than minivans). The nameplate has been in continuous use since 1935 –- longer than any other automobile. Sales peaked in 2001 but have dwindled since, as gas prices rose and new large crossover SUVs won converts. Chevrolet also boosted the price tag by about $15,000 in ten years -- more than the industry average and at about twice the inflation rate. That may have dampened sales, but it still does its job well.

Economy: TOYOTA PRIUS

Sticker price: $23,810 (2011 Prius II). Resale value (3 yrs./5 yrs.): NA/NA. Horsepower: 134. MPG (city/highway): 51/48. Sticker price, 2001 model: $19,995. Horsepower for 2001: 70. MPG (city/highway) for 2001: 42/41 (revised).

When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto industry. But then the Hollywood green crowd adopted the little gas-electric hybrid as a symbol of saving the planet. Ten years and two redesigns later, the 2011 Prius is roomier, peppier and even more fuel-efficient than its predecessors, not to mention still affordable. It has paved the way for a slew of other hybrids and alternative-energy vehicles, and is still the most popular hybrid on the road today.

Family Sedan: HONDA ACCORD

Sticker price: $27,830 (2011 EX V6). Resale value (3 yrs./5 yrs.): 57%/39%. Horsepower: 271. MPG (city/highway): 20/30. Sticker price, 2001 model: $25,540. Horsepower for 2001: 200. MPG (city/highway) for 2001: 18/26 (revised).

For most of the decade, the Accord has vied with the Toyota Camry for overall best-seller in the U.S. But Accord has outshone Camry in the Kiplinger rankings, winning four nods in the past ten years, to Camry’s two. Accord fans seem to prefer a slightly stiffer, sportier suspension and more weighted steering feel than Camry stalwarts. Its outstanding resale value and reliability have also won customers. You can choose from a plethora of models – from the modest LX, a four-cylinder with cloth seats and manual transmission ($22,730) to the near-luxury EX-L V6, with leather seats, navigation and rear-view camera ($32,380).

Luxury: LEXUS LS 460

Sticker price: $66,255 (2011). Resale value (3 yrs./5 yrs.): 54%/35%. Horsepower: 380. MPG (city/highway): 16/24. Sticker price, 2001 model: $57,990 (LS 430). Horsepower for 2001: 290. MPG (city/highway) for 2001: 16/23.

The Lexus LS has won a Kiplinger’s Best award a remarkable eight times over the past ten years. The luxury division of Toyota introduced its flagship sedan in 1989 as a competitor to the Euro luxmobiles, such as the Mercedes S-Class, at a much lower price. Over 10 years, its record of reliability is unmatched in its class. Last redesigned for the 2007 model year, it is superbly crafted and a technology leader –- for example, it was the first car sold in the U.S. that could park itself. Status seekers may still consider the LS a luxury wannabe, but we think it has proven its mettle.

Click here to see the full list of Best Cars of the Past Decade