These 5 cars nearly became Business Insider's 2015 Car Of The Year

This year, the Business Insider transportation team has had the opportunity to check out several dozen new cars ranging from full-size trucks to fuel-saving hybrids to fire-breathing supercars. As a result, the field from which we had to choose our 2015 Car Of The Year proved to be highly diverse and highly competitive.

In choosing the finalists for our Car Of The Year, the Business Insider team took into consideration the design, performance, and overall packaging of the cars.

As a publication with a decidedly tech and business focus, we often zeroed in on those factors. Of the numerous vehicles sampled by Business Insider this year, six made it to the finals: two sedans, two crossover SUVs, and two sports cars.

In the end, Volvo's all-new XC90 luxury crossover SUV emerged victorious as Business Insider's 2015 Car Of The Year. The Volvo's eye-pleasing design, luxury appointments, outstanding tech features, and compelling business story pushed the XC90 over to the top by a very narrow margin.

The other five finalists are terrific automobiles in their own right. In alphabetical order, here are the five runners-up for Business Insider's 2015 Car Of The Year Award: