Cars that missed the cut

We tested dozens of new or redesigned vehicles to arrive at our five finalists for The Car Connection Best Car To Buy 2025 award. The hardest part of whittling down the dozens of candidates was deciding which new cars didn’t make the cut. All of the models listed here are improved from their predecessors, but most of them didn’t evolve their model or their segment enough to be considered a finalist.  

Here’s the list of what didn’t make the cut and why, though these cars can be the right buy for many shoppers.  

 

Like the Honda Prologue, Acura’s first EV uses GM’s battery and motor propulsion system but unlike the Prologue it doesn’t stand out in any noteworthy way. Even in Type S form, it’s not the sportiest or most distinct Acura and it pales next to the more luxurious but related Cadillac Lyriq. The Blazer EV and Prologue, both finalists for our Best Car To Buy 2025, are cheaper and drive similarly. 

Like the Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia before it, Buick’s three-row crossover SUV stretches its skin smooth over its new platform, but the 328-hp 2.5-liter turbo-4 sounds coarse, impinging on the refined cabin. Standard tech features, such as a 30.0-inch span of screens, as well as a wireless smartphone charger and wireless smartphone compatibility keep it modern, but with a price ranging from $46,000 to $60,000, it’s no value. Even though it was overdue for a redesign, it doesn’t evolve the three-row segment enough to be considered for our award.

Chevy’s big electric truck gets even better for its second year, with an available range of up to 492 miles with GM’s largest 205-kwh battery pack, or at the other end of the Silverado EV spectrum a new 119-kwh Standard Range pack with an undisclosed range (we’re guessing about 275 miles) now comes on the base Work Truck for about $57,000. It’s only an inch longer than a gas Silverado crew cab with a short bed, but it looks and feels much larger, not just because it weighs nearly 9,000 pounds. Innovative features such as the collapsible midgate that opens the spacious cab to the big bed and rear-axle steering that shrinks the turning radius come at a price. The RST First Edition we tested topped six figures, and that’s too much for this much truck.

Chevy refreshed its full-size SUV siblings for 2025 with more standard tech interfaces, including an 11.0-inch digital instrument cluster and 17.7-inch touchscreen. Two V-8 options carry over, as does the 3.0-liter turbodiesel and a max tow rating of 8,200 pounds. If you’re in the market for a massive people hauler that seats nine passengers—the Suburban is 15 inches longer than the Tahoe—there are no better options on the market than GM’s. They’re incrementally better, as expected, but don’t reframe the full-size segment in a way that’s meaningful enough to be considered a Best Car To Buy finalist. 

If you skimmed over the Enclave entry, the Traverse redesigned for 2024 follows suit. It’s a roomy three-row crossover SUV with boxier styling that’s all the rage, but its coarse 2.5-liter turbo-4 disrupts the cabin’s calm, especially on expensive top trims. A hybrid option, such as what’s offered in the new Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, and Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander would be welcome here. 

The latest and perhaps last Fiat 500 in the U.S. is an electric urban car with distinct Italian styling that balances cute and chic. With only 149 miles of range and a starting price of $34,000, the market for the 500e is as small as this three-door hatchback. 

Ford finally redesigned its midsize pickup truck for North America, and the Raptor version represents the most affordable way to go high-speed off-roading in a Ford. It might be the most fun, too, and the easiest Ford truck to buy, since it comes with only a crew cab and 5-foot bed. Three turbocharged engine options give shoppers a good range of choice, however the 10-speed automatic can be flighty in low gears and towing (up to 7,500 pounds) can be juddery. Excepting the Ranger Raptor, it puts the mid in midsize trucks. 

Of the Enclave, Traverse, and Acadia three-row crossover SUVs, the redesigned Acadia appears the most attractive to our eyes. But again, the 2.5-liter turbo-4 interrupts the cabin’s serenity and otherwise takes away from a premium finish that becomes luxurious on the top Denali trim. 

The midsize sedan was redesigned for the 2024 model year, and while the SEL Hybrid gets an excellent 47-mpg combined rating, the powertrain options carry over even though the new hybrid system in other Hyundai models is far more refined. With good standard features, such as a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone compatibility, and a peerless 5-year/60,000-mile warranty, the Sonata is a great value. But it’s not the best. 

Kia tried its hardest to make the Carnival minivan look like the Sorento and Telluride SUVs, but there’s no getting around that sliding door. That’s what makes the minivan the most practical family vehicle on the road, and Kia made the Carnival much better with a hybrid option that gets 33 mpg combined. It’s smooth, clean, and quiet, and a welcome addition to the family of family haulers. It might be the best minivan, but it doesn’t move the minivan needle enough to be the Best Car To Buy.

We don’t know about the new K4, which replaces the Forte compact sedan in Kia’s family, just like the K5 replaced the Optima. We’re driving late this year so it may be a finalist next year. 

The new CX-70 midsize crossover is the same thing as the CX-90—same size, same feature set and trim walk, same engine choices, including a retuned 323-hp plug-in hybrid—but it seats five passengers instead of seven. 

The small crossover enters its second generation wider, longer, roomier, and with available all-wheel drive for the first time. That drivetrain setup eats into about six cubic feet of cargo space, but the Kicks remains roomy for the class. It’s also a great value, ranging from $23,000 in base S to $31,000 in top SR trim. It’s a good car at a great value, but the lone powertrain option limited it from being a finalist. 

Redesigned for 2025, the Ram 1500 pickup truck carries over its base 3.6-liter V-6, but now offers a choice between two twin-turbo “Hurricane” inline-6 engines that replace both the former turbodiesel and outgoing V-8 options. It’s still one of the comfiest-riding full-size pickup trucks and is now loaded with modern technology, but because the Ramcharger range-extended EV and the Ram 1500 REV haven’t arrived yet, it’s not changed enough to qualify as a finalist. 

The bestselling sedan returns with a hybrid-only powertrain good for 225 hp and an EPA rating of 51 mpg combined. That’s fantastic. If you need all-wheel drive (232 hp), the rating sits at 46 mpg combined, which is also fantastic. It’s bigger, roomier, and with modern safety and convenience features, it’s better by all counts. Starting at about $30,000, it’s a good value, too, especially considering the low cost of ownership with a hybrid. It just missed the cut.

Neither wagon nor car nor crossover, the Crown Signia sits higher than the Crown sedan and comes with standard all-wheel drive and Toyota’s 2.5-liter inline-4, 3-motor hybrid system. It kind of replaces the Toyota Venza, and might be the stopgap for when the Highlander three-row SUV goes electric next year. Its wagon-like style elicited several positive comments in our test drive, but the Crown Signia is a tweener that neither stands out here nor there. 

After much ado, the venerable off-road warrior returns with classic SUV styling and a modern hybrid powertrain rated at 326 mp and 465 lb-ft. With all-wheel drive, it gets 23 mpg combined, far better than the outgoing V-8, but this hybrid is as much about supplemental power than increased fuel economy. Even though it may appeal to a new generation, it couldn’t live up to the legendary status of its predecessor.