Autos

Consumer Reports 2013 annual car brand report cards: Lexus, Subaru & Mazda earn top honors
[Feb. 26, 2013] With a current crop of luxury models that are quiet, comfortable, fuel efficient, and among the most reliable, Lexus has earned the best overall score in Consumer Reports’ 2013 annual Car Brand Report Cards. Lexus’ models are rarely sporty, but the brand’s overall score of 79 was earned on a foundation of plush and very reliable vehicles. Consumer Reports currently Recommends 100-percent of the Lexus vehicles it has tested.

Chevrolet Volt tops Consumer Reports’ owner-satisfaction survey for second straight year
[Jan. 22, 2013] Would you get the same vehicle if you had to do it all over again? That’s the single, revealing question the Consumer Reports National Research Center asked subscribers in its annual Owner-Satisfaction survey—and the answer for Chevrolet Volt owners was a resounding “yes.”

Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Survey: Ford continues fall while seven Japanese brands top list
[Nov. 9, 2012] A perfect storm of reliability problems has dropped Ford to next to last among the 28 car brands ranked in Consumer Reports 2012 Annual Auto Reliability Survey, while its luxury brand, Lincoln, placed just a notch higher. The findings were released today before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.

Consumer Reports finds Scion iQ not such a wise choice
[Jun. 27, 2012] Consumer Reports tests of the tiny Scion iQ found it to be slow, uncomfortable and noisy, among other drawbacks. With a road test score of 29, it joins the ranks of the lowest-scoring cars Consumer Reports has tested in recent years. At only 10 feet long, the new iQ is slightly bigger than the tiny Smart ForTwo, which is also among the lowest-scoring cars Consumer Reports has tested. Unlike the Smart, a token rear seat adds some flexibility, but it is very small and takes up almost all of the iQ’s luggage space when in place. Consumer Reports testers found its choppy ride, noisy cabin, and uncomfortable driving position severely limit its appeal.

Family-friendly Honda CR-V narrowly outpoints Mazda CX-5 in Consumer Reports’ small SUV tests
[Apr. 29, 2012] With its large back seat, easy access and ample cargo space, the family-friendly Honda CR-V narrowly topped the Mazda CX-5 in Consumer Reports’ latest head-to-head small SUVs tests. On paper, the redesigned CR-V and new CX-5 appear very similar. Both can accommodate five passengers, have comparable dimensions, are available with front- or all-wheel drive, and are priced about the same. They also finished very close in CR’s overall road-test scores—with a 77 and a 75, respectively—just under the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.

Consumer Reports finds high prices & shoddy repairs among car owner’s biggest repair-shop gripes
[Apr. 20, 2012] Prices that are too high and the inability to perform repairs properly are the main reasons that car owners become dissatisfied with auto repair shops, according to a Consumer Reports subscriber survey regarding their experience with car-repair service shops.

Consumer Reports Automaker Report Cards 2012: Subaru drives into top spot as Honda slips
[Apr. 16, 2012] Riding a wave of impressive redesigned models in the last few years, Subaru for the first time has earned the top score in Consumer Reports automaker report cards for 2012. Subaru’s score of 75, two points higher than last year, reflects better test scores for such redesigned models as the Impreza, Legacy, and Outback over the last few years. The 2012 Impreza, which Consumer Reports just tested, now tops the small-sedan class and is the Consumer Reports Top Pick in that category. Subaru’s average road-test score of 82 is the highest in Consumer Reports analysis.

Five Toyota models named Consumer Reports’ top picks; First time in nearly a decade one brand has dominated
[Apr. 13, 2012] As the competition grows stronger with each passing year, it has been increasingly difficult for a single automaker to dominate Consumer Reports’ annual Top Picks list. This year, Toyota is the first brand to earn half of the top 10 spots in nearly a decade. The redesigned Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Highlander edged out the competition to become Top Picks in Consumer Reports’ Family Sedan and Family SUV categories respectively.

Consumer Reports finds that buying a used car may be a better deal than ever
[Apr. 13, 2012] With every passing year, buying a used car becomes less of a gamble according to a new analysis by Consumer Reports. Even the least reliable car-makers are gaining ground on the perennial reliability leaders, Toyota and Honda; Volvo has made the most dramatic improvement over the last decade, but almost all automakers have improved their products in recent years.

Kia Rio tops Hyundai Accent & Chevrolet Sonic in Consumer Reports’ tests Of sub-compact sedans
[Apr. 12, 2012] With its nimble handling and well-equipped cabin, the Kia Rio EX outpointed the Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Sonic as the top rated sub-compact sedan in Consumer Reports’ latest tests. The Rio’s hatchback version scored lower, but sits firmly in third place behind the previously tested and higher-rated Honda Fit and Nissan Versa SL among the subcompact hatchbacks tested with automatic transmissions.

Forty percent of drivers increasing safety risk by delaying automotive maintenance
[Mar. 19, 2012] Cash-strapped consumers are delaying automotive maintenance at the potential cost of their safety. Forty percent of respondents to a recent Consumer Reports poll who are involved in repair decisions stated that they are postponing car maintenance or repairs on their primary vehicle.

Honda Fit repeats at top of Consumer Reports best new-car value list
[Jan. 6, 2012] Despite the influx of new vehicles into the small- and budget-car marketplace, the Honda Fit remains on top in Consumer Reports list of best value small cars. The Fit also reemerged as the best overall value among some 200 different vehicles that were analyzed. Overwhelmingly, the best values come from Japanese automakers, including most of the top models in each category. Of the 48 best values in Consumer Reports lists, 34 are from Japanese brands. Six models come from European brands (mostly Volkswagen), five come from American ones (mostly Ford), and three are from South Korean automakers.

Consumer Reports ranks redesigned Chrysler 300 among better upscale sedans
[Oct. 3, 2011] Revamped for 2011, the Chrysler 300C scored an “Excellent” overall road test score of 80 in Consumer Reports’ latest tests of four upscale sedans, up from 64 for the previous model. The 300C now ranks midpack among the 10 upscale sedans that have been tested by CR. Previously, it had been near the bottom of the pack. It’s unusual to see a redesigned model rise so far in Consumer Reports’ ratings. CR’s engineers and editors called the new 300 “the best Chrysler sedan we’ve seen in decades.”

Fiat returns to U.S. after nearly thirty years with a fun city car: the Fiat 500
[Sep. 27, 2011] After Fiat’s being out of the U.S. car market for nearly 30 years, Consumer Reports’ tests of the Fiat 500 revealed it to be a fun-to-drive car in tests of fuel-efficient vehicles in the magazine’s October issue. Although it couldn’t avoid enough shortcomings to score high enough in the magazine’s tests to be Recommended, including a tight rear seat and cargo area, testers found it to be a likable urban car.