Honda Civic, Ford Bronco and Maverick Win 2022 NACTOY Awards
Continuing a January tradition that started over a quarter of a century ago, the 2022 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) award winners were announced today during a press conference at Huntington Place in Detroit.
These prestigious awards are determined following a vote by 50 professional automotive journalists from the United States and Canada including The Car Guide’s Marc Lachapelle, Antoine Joubert and Gabriel Gélinas.
2022 North American Car of the Year
One year after the Hyundai Elantra, it’s the eleventh-generation Honda Civic’s turn to shine among cars. Many view it as a new benchmark not just for compacts but also for a whole bunch of passenger cars on the market.
With 241 points, the Civic beat the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R (89 points) and the Lucid Air (170 points) thanks to a combination of brilliant engineering, low cost, high fuel efficiency, utility, comfort, dependability and fun factor.
2022 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year
Despite some quality issues with the roof right after production started, the Ford Bronco (234 points) won the award for 2022, edging out the two other finalists including the Genesis GV70 (113 points) and Hyundai IONIQ 5 (153 points).
The jurors were won over by the ruggedness and return of the Bronco. In terms of off-road capability, it’s a credible competitor to the Jeep Wrangler that also bears the looks and electronic wizardry to take on the more expensive Land Rover Defender, one of them said.
2022 North American Truck of the Year
Ford pulled off another double win with the Maverick (277 points) taking the crown in the truck category. Remember, the Blue Oval automaker did it last year with the Mustang Mach-E and F-150.
The compact Maverick easily defeated the Hyundai Santa Cruz (97 points) and Rivian R1T (126 points) mostly because of its surprising versatility, standard hybrid powertrain and unbeatable price.
As far as The Car Guide is concerned, we chose the Volkswagen Golf GTI/Golf R as the Best New Car of the Year and the Genesis GV70 as the Best New SUV of the Year. The Maverick was also our pick for the Best New Truck of the Year.