The 2019 Southwest Lifestyle Media Car of the Year
2018 sparked up something new in Arizona, for the first time ever, we hosted the 2019 Southwest Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year. With 5 categories and over 20 vehicles entered, we, alongside 15 other journalists sought out to put each vehicle through their paces to see which one is the best.
2019 Best Value Car of the Year:
2019 KIA FORTE
Competing against multiple entries including the Toyota Corolla Hatchback, Volkswagen Golf AllTrack and even the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, the Kia Forte’s elevated design, premium cabin space, upgraded standard safeties features, and refined engineering ended up be a fan favorite with its starting price at $17,690.
2019 Best Value Crossover of the Year:
Crossovers are taking the industry by storm. They are the consumer leading way of life and who can argue with that. They’re spacious, utilitarian, and ultimately the minivan way without the sliding doors. Going up against the new 2019 Honda Pilot, Chevrolet Traverse, and even the Jeep Wrangler, the Subaru Ascent with 19 cup holders, competent 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, room for 8 passengers and the family pet all for a mere starting price of $31,995 won our Best Value Crossover of the Year.
2019 Truck of the Year:
Next to Crossovers, trucks are the next in line as a consumer favorite. Ironic really – there aren’t nearly as many trucks on the market as there are crossovers. The all-new 2019 GMC Sierra AT4 and Ford F-150 Diesel featured lots of new innovated tech, fuel conscious features and well-appointed niceties. But they all couldn’t stand up the luxurious refinement of the all new 2019 RAM 1500.
2019 Performance Car of the Year:
2019 DODGE CHALLENGER HELLCAT REDEYE
Competition was strong when it came to putting horsepower to the assessment. Each sports car brought something unique to the table. Ultimately however, its 797 horsepower, 5.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 with 0-60 in less than 3-seconds stole the show from the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt.
2019 Luxury SUV of the Year:
2019 LEXUS LX570
Luxury crossovers hold a consumer favorite over most luxury sedans – they’re large body structure, high visibility, and loaded with premium amenities keep the consumers coming back for more. Competing against the 2019 Infiniti QX50, the Lexus LX570 held up a premium state of luxury devices, its commanding on road feel, unique four-wheel drive system, and its luxurious interior cabin made it an ideal Luxury SUV of the Year.
SIX SPEED BLOG 
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3! Okay yes it works now. Haha. SWL Media Drive was fun and hopefully the momentum will continue into future years.
Hopefully we can also generate more events like this one. I’ll just have to be better about staying on top of publishing.