He Drives, She Drives

Porsche 911

According to Jesse Toprak, Truecar.com's vice president of market intelligence, the Porsche 911 is the perfect cure for a certain affliction associated with male car-buying: "The exotic brands remain ... the best medicine for a midlife crisis." Exotic-car sales are dominated by men generally, and they're specifically lured in by the 911. The 911 has the highest percentage of male buyers of any model last year: 88 percent. The car, which has been in production continuously since 1963, has repeatedly proven itself on the racetrack and in the garages of men of a certain age.

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Volvo S40

Nearly 58 percent of last year's purchases of the S40, Volvo's high-end sedan, were made by women. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the top slot is occupied by an import, considering that 17 of the top 20 brands among women in 2011 were foreign. The vehicle has a reputation for being spacious, safe and an efficient commuter car. The S40 won't, however, be on the list of top cars for female buyers next year: 2011 was its last production year. The Volvo S60, the automaker's new luxury sedan, picks up where the S40 left off.

Review: 2012 Volvo S60

GMC Sierra

When they're not buying sleek, exotic cars, men are drawn to brawny ones, according to the Truecar.com study. More than 87 percent of new GMC Sierras in 2011 went to male buyers, making it the second-most-popular model with that gender. A full-size half-ton pickup truck, the Sierra certainly has a macho presence. Women tend to put a premium on gas mileage, which isn't as high a priority for most members of the other sex. The Sierra gets no more than 21 mpg highway. But if you need to tow your motorcycles, it's the ride for you.

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Volkswagen EOS

The Eos gets good mileage, up to 30 mpg highway, and it has the versatility that comes with being a hardtop convertible. In Volkswagen parlance, it's a "coupe-sunroof-convertible." Even though the roof comes down, the Eos gets high safety ratings. Its IIHS crashworthiness rating is at the top level in five of six categories, due partly to its four airbags. The Eos is also the unusual convertible with adequate legroom in the front and back. All of this makes it the third-most-popular vehicle with female drivers: 56 percent of Eos buyers in 2011 were women.

Watch Video:  2012 Volkswagen Eos

Ford F-Series

The burly Ford F-Series is, not surprisingly, popular with men — a lot of them. The F-Series is routinely one of the best-selling vehicles each year, and in 2010 and 2011 it was the very top seller nationwide. In US News & World Report's annual vehicle rankings, the 2012 F-150 took top honors in the full-size pickup-truck category. "[Y]ou can configure an F-150 for hard-core work, luxurious commuting, off-road adventuring and nearly anything in between," the review read. One characteristic that goes against the typical gender divide: The F-150 gets relatively good gas mileage — up to 23 mpg highway.

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Nissan Rogue

The Rogue has a masculine exterior, but its good visibility and safety features such as optional all-wheel drive make it a natural fit for female buyers. It earned high marks in testing done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, taking top honors in overall crashworthiness and in five of six other categories. The Rogue is a crossover, a vehicle type that lures female drivers because it is versatile and because it's not a minivan, which moms increasingly avoid, according to research by Truecar.com. Like other crossovers, the Rogue is adequately roomy but sporty at the same time.

Compare: Nissan Rogue vs. Hyundai Tucson vs. Chevrolet Equinox

Chevrolet Corvette

The iconic American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, sees fewer than 13 percent of new buyers with double X chromosomes. Indeed, the Corvette, General Motors' fastest and most powerful production car, was the fourth-most-popular car among male buyers last year. Named after a type of small, nimble warship, the Corvette has been in production since 1953. If there's such a thing as a prudent muscle-car purchase, the Corvette is it. Costing less than $50,000, it's certainly a cheaper way to act out a midlife crisis than most other options.

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Volkswagen Beetle

Once purchased overwhelmingly by women, the Volkswagen Beetle began attracting more male buyers after its 2012 redesign. The dashboard bud vase is gone and the car's profile is now more masculine, with an angled roof rather than a bubble-shaped one. The redesign went on the market last year, helping to bump its male ownership up to 45 percent, the highest percentage in years. But that still means the other 55 percent were women, and in fact, the Beetle is the fourth-most-popular vehicle with female drivers.

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Chevy Silverado

A selection of three cab sizes means buyers of the Chevy Silverado can decide exactly how brawny they want their ride to be. More than 86 percent of those buyers are men. "The SUV and truck-heavy mix of the domestic automakers continue to generate a disproportionate number of male customers," Toprak says. The Silverado's male buyers don't seem to be bothered that the truck's performance is nothing to write home about, according to some reviewers. "Ride quality is decent and handling is secure," a Consumer Reports review read. "Reliability has been average." Perhaps in this instance, it's the truck's half-ton size that matters.

Find: Fuel-Efficient Towing Machines

Hyundai Tucson

The Tucson fits several criteria that women consider a priority. It's a crossover vehicle, which provides extra versatility. It's foreign, made by South Korea-based Hyundai. And it gets good mileage, especially for a bigger vehicle. It logs 27 mpg highway, made possible in part by special weight-saving technology developed by Hyundai designers. It's roomy and it has substantial cargo space, both of which are priorities for women toting kids and strollers. It's also fun to drive, with bells and whistles such as a touch-screen navigation system and a panoramic sunroof.

Claire Martin has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Outside magazine. She's the former deputy editor of Men's Journal and currently lives in Los Angeles, where she covers technology, travel and food.

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