2022 COMPACT / MIDSIZE PICKUP OF THE YEAR
Ford Maverick - Hyundai Santa Cruz - Toyota Tacoma
Pickup trucks are, as we said, hot across the industry. Talk about stating the obvious. And what that means is manufacturers will find ways to grow their offer. So in addition to the full-size category, there's suddenly a very healthy mid-size segment, as well as a new niche that's emerging this year - compact-sized offerings. In fact, we have two new finalists on the small side of the ledger. Not quite enough to merit its own category, but that might come in time.
And so we incorporate these creations into the existing segment. The Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz are the finalists, along with a familiar product, the Toyota Tacoma. Will the newcomers be able to teach the bigger veteran a lesson?
2022 MINIVAN OF THE YEAR
Honda Odyssey - Toyota Sienna - Kia Carnival
This category becomes repetitive every year, as the players are always the same, but it continues to merit inclusion as a distinct category, because where else would there holdovers from another era go?
Besides, the models themselves are modern and impressive. In the last two years, we’ve greeted a new generation of the Toyota Sienna, a brand-new offerinf from Kia, and newly revised models from Stellantis in the form of a new Pacifica, and a Grand Caravan that has moved from Dodge to Chrysler... and is no longer as affordable as it once was.
In the end, that gives us this trio as finalists: Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Kia Carnival.