Strategic Vision has released the results of its fourteenth-annual Total Value Index, and the 2011 Hyundai Sonata has not only earned the title of the year's most valuable vehicle, but also the best of all time.

The consulting company uses an exhaustive process of measuring 442 separate data points on a vehicle in order to get an overall picture of a car's strengths and weaknesses. That information is then weighted against the vehicle's price to determine which cars offer the most bang for the buck.

The 2011 Sonata not only blew away the competition, but set a new record for the most points ever earned in the study with 860 points, causing the group to create a new award for the vehicle.

"When the data came back on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, it was so impressive it prompted us to re-examine it several times to be certain." said Strategic Vision President Alexander Edwards. "The findings were solid with particular superiority among owners ranking value for money, technical innovation, standard equipment, fuel economy and a great warranty all wrapped in vehicle with eye catching styling."

The Hyundai Genesis came in a close second with 852 points, while the Audi A8 was third with 821 points.