IRVINE, Calif. — Which brand edged out Nissan to join the list of top-five most considered brands? According to Kbb.com, the answer is Hyundai.

Hyundai pushed Nissan out of the top five as it climbed into this quintet for the first time, garnering 13 percent consideration and ranking fifth.

Meanwhile, Ford is still top of the game for new-vehicle shopper consideration and has put even more distance between it and second-place Toyota.

These were just some of the findings of the latest Kbb.com Market Intelligence Brand Watch study, which looked at new-vehicle shopper consideration for 37 brands.

Placing second behind Ford (29 percent) in the top-five rankings was Toyota (22 percent). Chevrolet (21 percent) was third and Honda (20 percent) was No. 4.

The study also discovered that consumers felt the five most critical factors to consider in new-vehicle shopping are the following, in order of importance: durability/reliability, driving comfort, fuel efficiency, driving performance and safety.

"The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence findings show how the deck is being reshuffled in the automotive marketplace, with certain brands now holding places in consumer perception that we may not have believed just one or two years ago," stated James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com. 

"Ford continues its upward trajectory and Hyundai is truly on a roll," he added. "Both brands prove that when you make dynamic, exciting and affordable products that appeal to the new-car shopping masses, consumer perception begins to change and subsequently, sales will follow."

Conversely, Toyota's consideration is still taking a hit in the aftermath of the recall-related issues the brand has faced. A year ago, its consideration was at 30 percent, but this has softened to 22 percent in the latest study.

Toyota used to hold a firm grasp on the No. 1, but has been pushed to a constant second-place position.

Not to mention, looking at the luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback category, Lexus hit its lowest consideration level ever (30 percent).

That said, there was positive news for Toyota in the minivan category in that there seems to be some payoff for "Swagger Wagon" advertisements for the 2011 Sierra. Toyota commanded 53 percent consideration in the minivan category in the second quarter, a sequential improvement of 6 percentage points.

What's more, the Toyota brand was rated No. 1 when it comes to exterior styling for minivans.

Looking at another finding, Ford was No. 1 in the non-luxury SUV/CUV category, garnering 46 percent consideration. Honda and Toyota each were at 35 percent for this category, placing behind Ford.