The Ten Most Patriotic Vehicles

The Lincoln Mark LT is really just a dressed-up version of the best-selling Ford F-150 pickup, with an especially luxurious interior. Yet it gets better ratings overall for quality and owner satisfaction than the F-150, according to J.D. Power, possibly because of top-notch Lincoln dealers. ***

The STS is America's high-tech luxury sport sedan to rival the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. It's available with a V6 or V8 engine and rear- or all-wheel drive. It really stands out for its available features like Adaptive Cruise Control, the Intellibeam headlight system, which automatically switches between high and low beams, a head-up display and Bose surround-sound audio. ***

The Saturn Aura Green Line is the only hybrid that passed our stringent All-American criteria (the Ford Escape Hybrid has only 40 percent domestic content). But it stands out on its own for several reasons. The Aura has been praised since its introduction for its European-flavored design and driving dynamics that set Saturn in a new direction. ***

Mechanically, the Lincoln MKX is nearly identical to the Ford Edge; both models combine car-like ride and handling attributes with a versatile interior. But the Lincoln does better on J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study, with a top five-star score in Overall Quality, Design. ***

The standard Chevrolet Corvette is coveted by sports car fans the world over and a showpiece of GM's top technology. But the racing-engineered Corvette Z06 is even more desirable and impressive. The Z06 was built not only for the track, but to be comfortable for everyday driving. ***

The 400-hp Chevrolet Corvette Convertible isn't just for cruising down the strip for ice cream on a hot summer night; with some of the world's best engineering, it can take on a curvy canyon road with zeal. And with its snug, five-layer cloth top and a decent-sized trunk, the Corvette Convertible has just enough civility to be a comfortable long-distance cruiser for weekend trips. ***

The six-passenger Freestyle wagon is often overlooked, which is unfortunate, as it has one of the roomiest, most practical interiors for a vehicle its size. With some borrowed Volvo underpinnings, the Freestyle gets straight five-star and "Good" ratings in the major crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and IIHS, respectively. ***

Don't let the Maxx's silly name put you off; the interior is spacious enough to justify the double-X moniker. Part hatchback, part wagon, depending on which way you're looking at it, the Maxx has perhaps the most versatile interior of any vehicle its size. ***

Once a popular category, there are few mass-appeal coupe models on the market now. The G6 stands out as one of the most distinctive with its swoopy silhouette and attractive interior. Since its introduction in fall 2004, the G6 has been praised by critics, who almost unanimously panned the Grand Am that preceded it. ***

Even though the Montego is closely related to the Ford Five Hundred, and assembled at the same factory, it carries a better five-star ranking in quality, according to J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study. Consider the more-distinctive design inside and out, and Mercury's higher-rated dealership experience, as well as a price that's nearly identical to the affordable Five Hundred, and the Montego looks like the better value in nearly every aspect. ***