AutoWeek Readers' Choice Awards; 273 cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles on the market in 2006 vied for top honors-here's what you chose as tops in their categories.

A day does not go by for the AutoWeek staff that we aren't grilled on what car we like. This is The Question. While we don't mind giving opinions, it isn't always The Answer, because those answers emerge as a result of living with cars, understanding the segment in which they compete, appreciating their strengths and recognizing their weaknesses. And, besides, any one of our writers is just one knowledgeable person with opinions and biases.

Everyone knows there is strength in numbers, so it is best to get the opinion of many; if many say the same thing, you get a quorum, a trend, a following.

When you ask the ultimate hard-core car enthusiasts to share what they think qualifies as the top vehicle in various segments, you get something special: the AutoWeek Readers' Choice Award winners.

Here is a truism: More than with any other car magazine, AutoWeek's readers know about cars. That's not just us saying it-or even you confirming it. The data, as culled, dissected and evaluated by the third-party source J.D. Power and Associates, prove it. Among all car magazine readers, AW readers influence more people with what they have to say. You spend more time reading each issue than do readers of any monthly publication, too. And on average-yes, there are readers who skew this number on both sides-you own a whopping 6.6 cars (don't ask what that 0.6 car looks like, either). The point is that you care about automobility and the car lifestyle; your friends recognize this and seek your counsel when time comes for them to lay down cold, hard cash.

Who better, then, for us to turn to and ask The Question?

For six weeks, we asked AutoWeek readers and those who visited the autoweek.com website to tell us which of all the cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles sold in the United States are worthy to be called tops in class. We identified nine categories-from Best Exotic Car to Best First New Car-with a total of 273 nameplates represented. We tallied the numbers and are compelled to share those with you.

After all, this is you speaking.