MSN Autos: Most Popular Vehicles of 2011, 3 of which are Ford

Automakers and analysts have their own methods to determine which vehicles were in demand during any given year. Sales, of course, are the most important figure, but factors such as cross-shopping data, test drives, dealer inquiries and, yes, Internet searches all factor in to how popular a model is considered.

Well, MSN Autos has its own comprehensive shopping and comparison tool, and we decided to plumb our data to find out which models had the most shoppers hunting down relevant information such as vehicle specs, trim levels, pricing and pictures.

SPORTS CAR LEADER: Ford Mustang

SUV LEADER: Ford Explorer

PICKUP TRUCK LEADER: Ford F-150

Source: Exaust Notes