Forget those spiraling gas prices — we want to have fun. That's the spirit reflected by the choice of both our editors and you the consumer. When it came to our editors' choice, it was the Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C that brought home the title earlier this year. But the overwhelming favorite of the consumer constituency was the all-new Ford Mustang.

It was a landslide victory by the redesigned Mustang and we can see why. It delivers huge bang for the buck along with unmistakable retro styling and a solid performance. Not only can you score a V8-powered GT for just $25,000, it's as long on features as it is on performance. Heck, even the base models get a strong-running V6 and a sweet set of wheels. Ford needed a home run, and it got one in the 2005 Mustang.

Not everyone is in love with Ford's rejuvenated coupe as Chrysler's 300 sedan took home a solid second place. Like the Mustang, the 300 scored big points for high style and great value. Whether it's one of the features-packed V6 models, or the high-powered 300C, this Chrysler resonates with editors and consumers alike.

It was a long way down to third place, but consumers made it an all-domestic podium with the selection of the Chevrolet Corvette. It may not look all that different from last year's model, but get in and drive it and there's a whole new car lurking under that familiar sheet metal. Coming in a close fourth was Honda's new Accord Hybrid. It doesn't have the "look at me I'm green" styling of the Prius, but it does deliver exceptional mileage and strong performance in a comfortable sedan package. What more could you ask for in a hybrid?

Can you say "déjà vu"? Rankings in this category looked a lot like they did last year, with the peppy Mazda 3 (41 percent) outgunning all challengers for another decisive win. The Honda Civic once again took the silver, with 19 percent of the votes, and the Toyota Corolla staged a repeat third-place performance, with 10 percent of the tally. Next up were the Chevy Cobalt (9 percent), the Ford Focus (6 percent), the Scion xA (4 percent), the Hyundai Elantra (3 percent) and the Mitsubishi Lancer (2 percent).

Practicality fought a hard battle against retro style in this competitive sedan bracket. Last year the Honda Accord claimed 23 percent of the votes. This year it had to settle for just 16 percent, while the Chrysler 300, the winner in 2005 Editors' Most Wanted voting, was right behind it with 14 percent. The sporty Mazda 6 fell to third place after earning 9 percent of the votes. The chic new Volvo S40 took fourth place with 8 percent, while the Subaru Legacy and Toyota Prius got 7 percent apiece. The Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat were next in line with 6 percent, followed by the Nissan Altima (5 percent), Subaru Impreza (4 percent), Ford Five Hundred (4 percent), VW Jetta (3 percent) and Pontiac G6 (2 percent).

For the second year in a row, consumers say the Acura TL is the best sedan in the entry-luxury price bracket, giving it 22 percent of the votes. There was also strong support for the BMW 3 Series, as it earned 17 percent, even in the last year of its model cycle. Infiniti's G35 came in third with 13 percent of the vote. The Audi A4 and Cadillac CTS were fourth, as each tallied up 7 percent. The full-size Toyota Avalon and the compact Acura TSX shared fifth place with 6 percent. Behind them were the Nissan Maxima, Lexus ES 330 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, all with 3 percent.

Last year this category was a blowout, as the BMW 5 Series won by a huge margin with 52 percent of the vote. But this year, a 2005 redesign of the Audi A6 and impending 2006 redesigns of the Infiniti M45 and Lexus GS evidently swayed opinion. The 5 Series still won with 27 percent of the votes, but the M45 climbed to second with a healthy 19 percent. The A6 finished third with 16 percent, with Lexus GS 300 at its heels with 15 percent. The fresh new Cadillac STS came in fifth with 12 percent. From there the totals dropped off steeply. The gracefully aging Jaguar S-Type earned 5 percent of the votes, while the Volvo S80 picked up 3 percent.

It was a close race in this category, but last year's winner, the mouth-watering Audi A8, held on to the top spot with 17 percent of the votes, beating the second-place finisher, BMW's controversial 7 Series by a mere six ballots. Acura's RL made a strong showing in third with 16 percent of the tally. The Lexus LS 430 (16 percent), last year's second-place finisher, had to settle for fourth this year, trailed by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9 percent), the Lexus GS 430 (9 percent) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (7 percent).

Once again, Scion ran away with this segment, winning the hearts and minds of our readers with bargain prices and solid performance. This year the brand was even more dominant. In fact, three-out-of-four readers picked a Scion as the top model in this category. The "box" Scion, a.k.a. the Scion xB, took top honors again this year with 52 percent of the votes, beating out the "bug" Scion, a.k.a. the Scion xA which brought in 23 percent of the votes. The Suzuki Forenza came in a distant third at 10 percent, edging out the Kia Rio which brought in 9 percent. The Suzuki Aerio, which won this contest in 2003, placed fifth with 6 percent in the poll.

In a continuing testament to how great design and solid performance will win you customers, the Dodge Magnum ran away with this segment, earning 24 percent of the votes. The Magnum's unique look and optional Hemi power plant have allowed Dodge to have a breakout success in this increasingly competitive market. The impressive Mazda 6 wagon came in a fairly distant second with 15 percent. Fans of Subaru split their votes giving 13 percent to the Outback and 11 percent to the Legacy. The past-champion Volkswagen Passat fell into a tie for fourth with 11 percent.

Audi's eminently capable A4 wagon maintains its vice grip on this category, nabbing 21 percent of the votes to score another win, proving once again that cream always rises to the top. The Subaru Outback rallied to second place, capturing 16 percent of the total tally. The BMW 3 Series (16 percent), last year's second-place finisher, had to settle for third this time around. It's worth noting, though, that the Teutonic wagon lost to the Outback by a nose — a mere 11 votes. The Volvo V70 (11 percent), Chrysler Pacifica (11 percent), Lexus IS 300 (9 percent) and the Volvo V50 (6 percent) brought up the rear.

With just three entrants in this class there wasn't much to choose from, but Audi's allroad emerged as the clear favorite with 38 percent of the votes. Although getting on in its years, the original sport-utility wagon still resonates with its sleek European looks, strong drivetrains and quattro all-wheel drive. No one knows if it will be around much longer, but it looks as though consumers hope it will. With 32 percent of the votes, the Mercedes E-Class wagon finished a strong second. With classic styling, solid all-around performance and top-notch safety features, it's one of the few premium wagons that doesn't make you feel like you're driving a family car. Bringing up the rear was Volvo's XC70 with 31 percent of the votes. It may be getting old, but there's no substitute for safety when you're talking wagons and Volvo has plenty of tradition to lean on.

The Honda Civic swept the inexpensive coupe category once again. With 54 percent of the votes, the two-door has size, performance and reliability that consumers are looking for. Though no threat to the Civic, the new Chevy Cobalt still garnered 20 percent of the votes, a stronger showing than the previous No. 2, the Ford Focus (down to 15 percent). From there the response was minimal with the Toyota Echo (4 percent), Saturn Ion (3 percent), Hyundai Accent (2 percent) and Suzuki Reno (1 percent) filling the next four slots.

After a two-way tie for first place last year, the Acura RSX and Mini Cooper have fallen prey to the new kid on the block, the Ford Mustang. The retro pony car gathered an impressive 30 percent of the votes, while the Mini and RSX pulled down only 16 and 14 percent of the votes, respectively (from 23 percent each last year). With 11 percent of the votes, the Scion tC beat the two-door versions of Japan's popular sedans, the Honda Accord (9 percent) and the Toyota Camry Solara (5 percent), while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class got 4 percent. Earning 2 percent or less were the Chevy Monte Carlo, Dodge Stratus, Honda Insight, Hyundai Tiburon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Toyota Celica, and the Volkswagen Golf and New Beetle.

For the third year in a row, the Infiniti G35 coupe beats out the BMW 3 Series, this year taking 29 percent of the votes versus the BMW's 20 percent. Americans love their horsepower and the G35 delivers with 280 ponies under the hood along with a sleek exterior style and throaty sound that leaves enthusiasts and onlookers swooning. The Mazda RX-8 again ranked third on the list scoring 18 percent while the G35's cousin, the Nissan 350Z, climbed up to 12 percent. Pontiac's GTO won 10 percent while the aging Audi TT tied with the Chrysler Crossfire for sixth place with 6 percent each, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe (3 percent) rounded out the category.

With just one entrant this year, there was no doubt that the Chevrolet Corvette would garner 100 percent of the votes, reigning supreme in its category. In fact, the Corvette took first place last year as well, even when it was forced to share a percentage of the votes cast with the Mercedes-Benz CLK which was priced out of the category this year. All-new for 2005, the Corvette still offers an incredible amount of performance and style for a fairly reasonable price. Whether you're looking for pure performance in the Z06 model or you just want to look stylish while cruising in the convertible, the Corvette delivers.

The perennial favorite in this category, the Chevy Corvette, no longer qualifies thanks to a base price under $45K — good news indeed. The remaining higher-priced coupes still created a stir, led by the new Porsche 911. With 47 percent of the votes, this superhero beat out another excellent ride, the BMW 6 Series (27 percent). The CLK coupe from Mercedes-Benz slipped from 45 percent to a mere 11 percent this year, no doubt the victim of the latest-and-greatest Porsche and BMW. The Jaguar XK-Series earned 9 percent, while the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class trailed with 6 percent.

After going undefeated every year since the start of "Consumers' Most Wanted," the Miata once again enjoys a victory in this category. But this year the lovable Miata barely edged out the recently introduced and equally charming Mini Cooper convertible by just 14 votes. With each picking off 28 percent of the votes, team Miata/Mini trounced the rest of the field that included the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet.

Proving that performance is as important as style in this category, Honda's hard-core S2000 roadster brought home first place once again with a solid 32 percent of the votes. Nissan's 350Z roadster gave the Honda a run for its money last year, but could only muster up 26 percent of the votes this time around. BMW's Z4 (20 percent) and Audi's TT (12 percent) pulled down fourth and fifth places while Chrysler's Crossfire roadster brought up the rear with 11 percent.

There's nothing like a redesign to get your car back into buyers' heads again. With more power, a refined interior and classic Porsche styling, the Boxster came roaring back to a convincing win with 25 percent of the votes this year. Pulling down a strong second (19 percent) was the high-performance Elise from Lotus proving that performance never gets old. A third-place finish (15 percent) for the redesigned Mercedes-Benz SLK might seem like a disappointment until you consider that it tied with last year's winner the BMW 3 Series. Further on down the list was Audi's A4 (8 percent), the Ford Thunderbird (6 percent) and Chevrolet's SSR (5 percent).

Looking fresh yet more classically 911 at the same time, Porsche's icon once again claims a victory in this category after being relegated to runner-up status last year by the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. This year's many upgrades helped the 911 grab 24 percent of the votes, soundly beating the Chevrolet Corvette (16 percent), BMW 6 Series (15 percent), Benz SL (13 percent), Cadillac XLR (10 percent) and Lexus SC 430 (10 percent).

The all-new Toyota Tacoma's blend of comfort, style and utility helped it win our recent midsize truck comparison test, and it also handily conquered this category with 46 percent of the votes. Nissan's new Frontier is a huge improvement over last year's model, and its second-place finish with 18 percent of the vote backs that up. The Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins dropped down a notch to third place this year with 12 percent, followed by the new Dodge Dakota with 11 percent of the votes. Bringing up the back of the pack are the Ford Ranger/Mazda truck twins (8 percent) that still maintain respectable sales despite a decades-old platform, and the car/truck hybrid Subaru Baja with 5 percent of the vote.

Last year the all-new Nissan Titan scored an upset victory by edging out the Ford F-150 for the top spot in this highly competitive category. History tends to repeat itself, and the Titan's impressive power and comfortable cabin helped it win again this year with 25 percent of the votes. The F-150 is right on its heels with 23 percent, thanks in part to a refined ride and wide array of body configurations. Once again the Toyota Tacoma secured third place at 19 percent, which is quite respectable considering the truck's aging platform and forthcoming redesign. The Dodge Ram and Cadillac Escalade EXT both garnered 10 percent and the aging Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra picked up 8 percent. The last two slots are filled by the Chevrolet Avalanche and Lincoln Mark LT, which tied at 3 percent.

With 17 compact SUVs competing for the top spot in this category, Honda's fourth consecutive win is quite impressive. The CR-V captured 16 percent of the votes, down from 18 percent last year. The Subaru Forester nabbed second place for the second time with 11 percent. Coming in a close third is the Chevrolet Equinox with 10 percent, followed by the Toyota RAV4 (9 percent), Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute (9 percent), Jeep Liberty (8 percent), Honda Element (8 percent), Jeep Wrangler (7 percent), Ford Freestyle (5 percent) and the Land Rover Freelander (4 percent). Rounding out the pack were the Kia Sorento (3 percent), Hyundai Santa Fe (3 percent), Hyundai Tucson (3 percent), Mercury Mariner (2 percent), Mitsubishi Endeavor (2 percent), Mitsubishi Outlander (1 percent) and the Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara twins (0 percent apiece).

In a tight vote in this closely contested category, the roomy and versatile Honda Pilot edged the more upscale Lexus RX 330 by only 45 votes, both receiving 12 percent of the votes. Close behind, in third place was Infiniti's edgy FX35 with 11 percent. The fourth-place pick by consumers was the winner of our Editors' Most Wanted awards, the venerable Toyota 4Runner, with 10 percent. Also in the running was the BMW X3, the Volvo XC90 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

It's always reassuring to see that sometimes our readers agree with our editors. This year the Consumers' Most Wanted and the Editors' Most Wanted awards went to the stylish and agile Volkswagen Touareg. VW's first SUV 14 percent of the total ballots cast. In second place, by only 20 votes, was the Acura MDX with 13 percent of the total. BMW's X5 weighed in with 13 percent while the muscular Infiniti FX45 was close behind with 12 percent. Also in the running were the Land Rover LR3 (10 percent), the Toyota Sequoia (8 percent of the votes), and the newly introduced Cadillac SRX (8 percent of the votes).

Its sales might be down this year, but its popularity sure isn't as the Porsche Cayenne scored a convincing victory with 26 percent of the votes. The high-dollar tastes continued to second place as the Land Rover Range Rover notched second with 18 percent of the votes even before it received its refresh for 2006. The aging but competent Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX 470 duo still resonates with consumers as they managed 13 percent of the votes while the smaller Lexus GX 470 wasn't far behind with 12 percent. Last year's winner, the Cadillac Escalade took in just 11 percent of the votes with its Hummer H2 cousin two percentage points behind at 9 percent.

The Honda Odyssey conquered this category thanks to a sympathetic restyling that allowed the car to become the hands-down winner by a clear majority of votes. None of the other vehicles, not even last year's winner, the Toyota Sienna, registered more than half of the enthusiasm that consumers seemed to have for the new 2005 Honda Odyssey. The addition of optional eight-passenger seating with a stowable middle seat, second-row chairs that convert into benches, and generally improved space and noise dynamics undoubtedly helped the Honda Odyssey to reclaim its rightful crown in the minivan hierarchy.

Coming out of nowhere to take this year's exotic title was Ford's GT retro rod. With 15 percent of the votes, the second-place Enzo (last year's winner) wasn't even close. Who knows why the GT suddenly pulled to the front of the pack, but there's no denying that it belongs there with its racecar styling, supercharged performance and six-figure price tag. If the GT isn't a proper exotic, we don't know what is. Moving past the top two places, the list was a little more recognizable with two Aston Martins tied, the DB9 (7 percent) and the Vanquish (7 percent) followed by Bentley's Continental GT (6 percent) and the Dodge Viper (5 percent).