Many new-vehicle shoppers know which car, truck, or SUV they want to buy before they enter the showroom—with the help of online research from trusted sources such as The Car Connection, of course.
For those who have a few vehicles in mind, but haven’t narrowed those choices down to one, our experts are here to help with our Compare Cars feature.
Each year, The Car Connection’s editors drive more than 200 new vehicles and give them ratings in categories ranging from styling to performance, comfort and quality to safety, efficiency and fuel economy to standard equipment and value. That brings us to an overall TCC Rating—and those ratings enable us to compare cars quickly and easily, so that you can select which vehicle meets your needs best.
Because our numeric ratings break out vehicles’ best qualities by category, it’s easy to put the priority where you believe it belongs. Concerned with safety over style? As you compare two vehicles with our available ratings tools, it’s simple to gauge which vehicle wins out—or why two vehicles finish so closely.
In many cases, we pit the vehicles against each other in hands-on comparisons, where new vehicles deserve even finer examination. The same holds true for vehicles with significantly changed powertrains, interiors, and features: we drive them again, and again, and update their ratings to reflect their value against the other top-performing and highest-rated vehicles in their segments.
The compact sedan class presents the best new car value of any other segment. It’s the only class that has most of its contenders priced under $25,000, led in part by the Nissan Sentra sedan and the Toyota Corolla sedan and hatchback. The 2025 Nissan Sentra steps out of the budget car...Read More»
Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Corolla? These two popular, compelling compact cars both offer inexpensive entry-level sedans, fuel-sipping hybrid versions, and spicy performance editions. The 2025 Toyota Corolla plugs in a familiar hybrid system—it’s on loan from the Prius hatchback—in...Read More»
The Ford F-Series may dominate every other vehicle in Ford’s lineup—as well as every other pickup truck sold—but Ford has a couple more compelling options for shoppers who want pickup truck utility without pickup truck hangups. The Ford Ranger midsize pickup truck has a crew cab...Read More»
It’s a case of legacy versus upstart—but in the competition between the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model 3, 20-year old Tesla is the legacy electric vehicle maker, and 120-year old Ford is the upstart. While both of these choices are compelling, relatively affordable electric...Read More»
Jeep Wrangler set the bar for off-roading capability Ford Bronco is slightly larger, has a more modern suspension Both have removable doors and tops The Jeep Wrangler has been the American benchmark for off-roading capability in the 80-plus years since it was developed for World War II military...Read More»
Newest doesn’t mean best, but when the newest minivan challenges the stalwart best minivan for years running, it promises to make both of them better. Such is the case with the refreshed 2025 Kia Carnival and the streamlined 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. When Kia reimagined its minivan and also...Read More»
The 2025 Hyundai Elantra and 2025 Honda Civic are two of the most popular compact cars, and both offer a wide range of versions to cover everything from low-cost commuting to serious performance. Both of these lineups stand out for offering a lot of value for the money, styling that’s...Read More»
Hybrid or hatchback? Value-driven commuter or fun-to-drive compact? These are the choices confronting shoppers of two of the most popular and engaging compact sedans, in the Hyundai Elantra and the Mazda 3. Most models come as compact four-doors, but the Mazda 3 can be optioned as a hatchback with...Read More»
The Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX SUVs share a platform, measure up in size, employ a similar full-time four-wheel-drive system, and carve out a relatively narrow SUV niche aimed as much for luxury leanings as off-road ambitions. This is no badge engineering, however. They use different...Read More»
Midsize pickups can do plenty of work, but they can’t match the capability of their larger, more expensive full-size brothers. When that much capability isn’t needed, midsizers provide a more maneuverable, more affordable alternative. The smaller trucks have plenty of fans, as evidenced...Read More»
The 2025 Subaru Outback and 2025 Subaru Crosstrek both channel the same kind of rugged crossover appeal, offering the layout and interior accommodations of a roomy hatchback or wagon, combined with all-weather all-wheel-drive capability and lots of ground clearance. In both cases, these models...Read More»
Three-row SUVs can do a little of everything. But which is better at doing most things: the 2025 Hyundai Palisade, or the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander? When the Hyundai Palisade launched for 2020, finally giving the brand a proper three-row crossover SUV, it was nearly 20 years after Toyota...Read More»
Minivan or SUV? Soccer mom-mobile or soft-roader? The choice between practicality or vanity is no longer such a stark contrast. The good-looking 2025 Kia Carnival smartens up with a new hybrid option to better compete with the uber-practical 2024 Toyota Sienna, which comes standard as a hybrid. The...Read More»
Minivans move people better than SUVs. They’re roomier, comfier, more flexible, and mostly more fuel efficient. They may not look the off-road part, but half of the four minivans on sale now offer all-wheel drive, and all but one new minivans come with a hybrid option. The refreshed 2025...Read More»
Minivans haven’t given way entirely to SUVs, and the latest family movers offer almost all the goodness of a utility vehicle—and they do it with easier access and better comfort. They do it with an increasingly luxurious spin, too. With the 2025 Honda Odyssey and the 2024 Kia Carnival...Read More»
The Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer are family SUVs that tend to make the shortlist when three rows of seats are on order but the vehicle still needs to fit in the garage. While both lineups cover an array of expectations, the differences between these two SUVs have become a little more pronounced...Read More»
Are luxury models worth the price? This question has bedeviled car shoppers for years, especially between cars from the same family that share the same platform and similar hardware, such as in the Honda Pilot and upscale Acura MDX. These brothers from the same mother offer three rows of seats...Read More»
The 2024 Toyota RAV4 and 2025 Honda CR-V are both at the heart of today’s affordable family vehicle market, offering a sweet spot of efficiency, spaciousness, and versatility that will appeal to households that don’t need a third-row seat and want to keep the cost low. From the...Read More»
The 2025 Honda CR-V and 2025 Nissan Rogue offer the kind of compact-crossover utility that’s wildly popular. But neither has managed to unseat the bestselling class champion, the Toyota RAV4. Both have been redesigned recently—so which one has the better chance of besting that sales...Read More»
