DETROIT -- Competition for one of the auto industry's most coveted awards, North American Car and Truck of the Year, couldn't be tougher based on finalists named Tuesday.
Normally, we don't have much trouble picking a winner. Ford F-150 as Truck of the Year in 2015? Slam dunk.
No such luck this year. Each of the three candidates for both car and truck have their merits -- and it's easy to see how the judges -- a clutch of auto writers around the country -- could go in just about any direction.
Here are the cars:
- Chevrolet Malibu. A nicely done redo of one of the older nameplates in the auto industry. Pulls heartstrings of the Detroit-based judges, and there are many.
- Honda Civic. In concept form, this car was the star of the New York Auto Show. Yet to be seen if the production version can win as much attention.
- Mazda MX-5 Miata. The little sports car was redone as a big nostalgia play. It's our favorite to win, but it's a relatively small-volume sports car and there's a good chance it won't.
The truck competition is just as tough:
- Honda Pilot. Honda couldn't be prouder of how its hot-selling SUV turned out, but it may be too much like other SUVs to stand out.
- Nissan Titan XD. Nissan tiptoes into the heavy-duty truck segment dominated by Detroit's Big 3 with a Cummins diesel. It will shake up the pickup market, but we're not sure it will shake up the judges.
- Volvo XC90. The XC90 SUV is sublime and loaded with innovation, like a low-speed self-driving system. We think it's the best candidate here. But Volvo isn't a big player these days and may not have enough fans.
The winners will be announced at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.