Autos

Ford Mustang outpoints Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger in Consumer Reports tests
[Sep. 21, 2009] The freshened Ford Mustang outpointed two other reincarnated muscle cars—the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger—as well as the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe in Consumer Reports’ tests of six sporty cars and coupes in the October issue.

Consumer Reports finds that car buyers are thinking American, but not all brands are equal
[Sep. 6, 2009] “Buy American” resonates strongly with new car shoppers—81 percent of respondents looking to buy a new car are likely to consider a domestic brand, according to a nationally representative survey by Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports gives hybrid Ford Fusion excellent rating
[Aug. 22, 2009] The new Ford Fusion Hybrid is now Consumer Reports’ top-rated domestic sedan. Essentially tied with the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Fusion Hybrid achieved an excellent 34 mpg overall in CR’s fuel economy test and offers sportier driving.

Don't let small car problems turn into costly headaches down the road
[Aug. 14, 2009] A car will usually signal that something isn’t right long before it has a major failure, and according to Consumer Reports, that is the time to have it fixed. If early warning signs are ignored, small problems could lead to expensive repairs in the future or even leave you stranded on the side of the road.

Consumer Reports suggests you don’t rely on used-car-history reports
[Jul. 31, 2009] Consumer Reports’ investigation of used-car-history reports revealed that many reports returned “clean” results for damaged cars. To test the veracity of history reports, CR ordered them for dozens of damaged vehicles advertised online. The vehicles’ owners disclosed serious dents or other accident-related damage along with vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and photos.

Garmin and Tom Tom dominate Consumer Reports GPS ratings
[Jul. 23, 2009] Garmin and TomTom GPS models continue to score high and provide the best overall packages in Consumer Reports recent tests of more than 90 GPS units. The top-rated Garmin Nuvi 885T ($600), earned excellent marks for destination/POI entering, use of controls, mount design, display and portability.

Consumer Reports not happy with Honda Insight's ride, handling, noise, and rear seat
[Jul. 1, 2009] The new Honda Insight posted a lackluster “Good” overall road-test score in Consumer Reports’ testing for the August issue. The Insight achieved an excellent 38 mpg overall in CR’s tests but fell short in ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, rear- seat, access and visibility.

Chevrolet Traverse gets “very good” overall rating in Consumer Reports’ tests of midsized, luxury Suvs
[Jun. 22, 2009] With a “Very Good” overall test score, the new Chevrolet Traverse now ranks third in Consumer Reports’ ranking of 18 midsized SUVs with three rows of seats. The only other SUVs in that category that outpoint it are Toyota’s Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.

Consumer Reports offers top 40 best American-made car deals for Memorial Day weekend
[May 22, 2009] Memorial Day is a time for Americans to commemorate the sacrifices made by men and women to protect our freedoms and values. And traditionally, the holiday is associated with discounted car sales. To assist car buyers, the Auto Price Services team at Consumer Reports has researched and compiled the best deals on American-made cars for the holiday weekend.

Infiniti G37 tops Consumer Reports’ ratings of upscale sports sedans
[May 21, 2009] Despite facing strong competition from three newly-designed vehicles, the updated Infiniti G37 still came out on top in Consumer Reports’ tests of upscale sports sedans for the June issue. With an “Excellent” overall road test score, the G37 remains CR’s highest-rated vehicle in this category.

Updated Toyota Rav4 tops Consumer Reports’ latest ratings of small SUVs
[Apr. 18, 2009] The freshened four-cylinder Toyota RAV4 outpointed competitors including the Subaru Forester 2.5X in Consumer Reports’ tests of six small SUVs for the May issue. In this class, the RAV4’s overall road test score of 82 is below only that of the more expensive, turbocharged Forester 2.5XT Limited and RAV4 V6.

Consumer Reports names Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Avalanche as top choices for midsized SUVs and pickups
[Mar. 12, 2009] Consumer Reports has named its Top Picks for 2009, which includes two new models—the Toyota Highlander and the Chevrolet Avalanche, as top choices for midsized SUVs and pickups. Having proven reliable in its first year since a major redesign, the top-rated Toyota Highlander dethroned the Hyundai Santa Fe, last year’s winner in the midsized SUVs category, while the improved reliability of the new Chevrolet Avalanche helped it to replace the Chevrolet Silverado as top pickup.

Toyota Prius Touring is tops on the Consumer Reports best new-car value list
[Mar. 9, 2009] Consumer Reports names the Toyota Prius Touring as the best overall value among 300 cars according to the 2009 Annual Auto Issue. The Prius Touring provides the best overall value because of its comparatively low owner-cost estimate of $26,250 over five years—and a relatively high road-test score of 80 points out of 100.

Consumer Reports finds that Honda leads again, Mercedes-Benz improves, Chrysler lags
[Mar. 8, 2009] For the third consecutive year, Honda has earned class leader status for building the best all-around vehicles for American drivers, according to the Automaker Report Cards published in Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Issue. At the opposite end of the annual ranking is Chrysler, which fared even worse than last year. The company’s poor performing products and sinking reliability results have kept all Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep badged vehicles off CR’s Recommended list.