According to Kelley Blue Book, its 5-Year Cost to Own Awards take into account factors such as “financing, insurance and state fees plus the anticipated costs of fuel, scheduled maintenance and repairs. Also included are the critical factors of purchase price – the exclusive Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price – and projected depreciation.” After crunching all of those numbers for a variety of models, KBB awarded Ford with four of those prizes.
Thanks to its five-year ownership cost of $34,077 and lower depreciation values and insurance costs, the 2016 Ford Focus ST beat out the 2016 Hyundai Veloster Turbo/R-Spec/RE:FLEX by almost $2,500 and the 2016 MINI Countryman Cooper S/John Cooper Works by more than $6,000 to become the Best Sporty Compact Car.
The 2016 F-150 regular cab was crowned the Best Full-Size Pickup Truck. Its $43,029 cost to own over five years, Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price, and lower insurance and fuel costs enabled it to defeat its similar rivals from Chevrolet and Toyota.
Ford credits the 2016 Explorer‘s lower fuel and maintenance costs and a lower depreciation value for its victory over the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse and 2016 GMC Acadia to be named the Best Full-Size SUV/Crossover. It also had a five-year ownership cost of $47,108, which was more than $2,500 lower than that for the second-place Chevy.
Although the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro was named the Best Sports Car with its score of $38,124, the 2016 Mustang was right behind it with a score of $38,378 and healthy residual values, affordable maintenance costs, and a low Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
