Lexus Gets Big Props from ‘Consumer Reports’

Lexus Named One of Auto Industry’s Top Brands. We’re Not Surprised

From the LS down to the CT, we know every Lexus is built to please. Still, it’s always nice to hear one of the biggest consumer watchdogs agree with us.

According to Consumer Reports‘ 2017 analysis of which car brands make the best vehicles, Lexus is right up near the top, as per usual. That’s for the entire Lexus lineup, mind you, which speaks volumes about the brand’s consistency.

However, Lexus did miss out on the number one ranking. That honor falls to Audi for the second year in a row. They’re followed closely by Porsche, BMW, Lexus and Subaru — in that order. The watchdog’s biggest upward movers this year are Chrysler, Acura, Infiniti and Cadillac.

Though Lexus is indeed in the top five, the marque did fall from last year’s standings. And their predicted reliability proved to be higher than actual owner satisfaction.

RELATED: Lexus Tops Consumer Reports Annual Survey, Again

To arrive at such conclusions, Consumer Reports averages the overall scores of new cars from every automaker. The score is derived from “road tests, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety.” Only the best of the best models earn a recommendation. And this year, only Porsche, BMW and Mazda earned such accolades for all their models.

Lexus earned an overall score average of 77, and a road test score average of 74. To give you some comparison, the winner, Audi, averaged an overall score of 81 with a road test score of 86. While Fiat only averaged a 41 overall score and a 52 road test score, landing Fiat firmly in last place.

Not that we’re ones to revel in schadenfreude around here, but speaking of losers, we should report on the other bottom dwellers, as well.

“Fiat, Jeep, Mitsubishi and Land Rover remain stubbornly stuck at the bottom of the list,” writes Consumer Reports.

Ouch.