America’s Most Wanted Cars

Most Americans have an idea of their perfect car, but some choices across the states may surprise you.

According to CarMax’s 2017 list of most researched vehicles across the U.S., there’s one clear winner for most researched (and, presumably, the most coveted) – the rugged, all-weather Jeep Wrangler.

Across all regions of the country, the Wrangler came out as the top searched vehicle in no less than 26 states. It additionally placed among the top five searched cars in all other states, excluding Minnesota.

But some great American love affairs persist with Minnesota. Like many states, trucks ruled Minnesota’s top five, with the Ford F-150 and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 topping their list.

The Twin Cities aren’t not alone in their search for trucks, either. Besides the Wrangler, two of carmax.com’s most searched vehicles across the board were the F-150 and the Chevy Silverado.

Broken down by region, Jeeps reigned supreme as the Northeast’s most searched cars, with the Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Grand Cherokee placing first and second for searches in New York, Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. A few spacious SUVs like the Ford Explorer and the Honda CR-V also made appearances on Massachusetts’ and Boston’s most-loved, respectively.

Ride a little further down the coastline or out west, and you’ll find trucks leading the pack in America’s Southeast, Southwest, and Western regions, with the Wrangler, F-150 and Silverado topping lists in nearly every state.

A particularly East Coast search appears to be ever-popular Honda Accord, a top five search across the coast (and a top two search in North Carolina). Meanwhile, on the Gold Coast, the compact Toyota Tacoma truck and the Toyota 4Runner made appearances in the West and Southwest’s respective top five articles, with the Tacoma topping the most searched list for New Mexico.

The Midwest favored All-American vehicles and manufacturers, with top five searches emphasizing Ford, Chevrolet and Jeep. Ford Explorers, Jeep Wranglers, Ford F-150s and Jeep Grand Cherokees all appeared as top two searches in almost the Midwestern states.

As for features and extras, four- and all-wheel drive vehicles and leather seats topped lists across the board, with navigation systems as a frequent top five search in all regions. Only three states had air conditioning as a frequently searched feature: Alaska, Oregon and Montana. Other features many regions searched were third row seats and, in the Midwest, heated front seats.

Rough and rugged—but with a few extras. Just the way America likes it.

Below are the Infographics.