joe80

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...p-picks-ov.htm

The Lexus LS 460L won the crown for the best car overall, scoring a 99 out of 100 on the road test. It comes with a hefty price tag of $76,572.

Rounding out the top 10 per car class, based on the road test, reliability and safety:

Family Sedan: Nissan Altima. Price: $23,970 to $30,335

Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE Price: $18,695.

Sporty Car: Volkswagen GTI Price: $27,504.

Small SUV: Subaru Forester Price: $20,972 to $28,860

Chevrolet Traverse Price: $39,920.

Sports Sedan: Infiniti G37 Price: $37,225

Family Hauler: Mazda5 Price: $23,805.

Green Car: Toyota Prius Price: $23,150-$26,950.

Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Price: $37,235.

DUDS: These received the lowest marks by Consumer Reports.

* Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
* Hummer H2
* Ford Ranger XLT (V6)
* Hummer H3
* Jeep Liberty Sport
* Smart ForTwo Passion
* Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT
* Dodge Nitro SLT
* Chevrolet Aveo LT

Here’s the list for the best vehicles overall, regardless of class or size:

* Lexus LS 460L
* Infiniti M35 X (AWD)
* BMW 135i (manual)
* Porsche 911 Carrera S (manual)
* Infiniti M35 (RWD)
* Mazda5 Grand Touring
* Infiniti G37 Journey
* Nissan Altima 3.5 SR (V6)
* Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (manual)
* Hyundai Genesis 3.8

Which cars were the best value?Just because a car is less expensive doesn’t mean it’s the best buy. That’s pretty obvious, but applying that to vehicles when car shopping is hard for the average consumer. This report card for total owner costs over a five-year period — based on a combination of performance, utility and reliability for the money — helps. Top Values:

* Honda Fit, Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Golf, and Honda Civic are the top four, followed by:
# VW Jetta TDI
# Hyundai Elantra SE
# Toyota Corolla
# Toyota Camry (four-cylinder)
# Subaru Forester
# Toyota Camry Hybrid

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain...r-buying-tips/

mmarshall

What's your own opinion here? All you did, so far, was post the links and the lists.

I've got a couple of points.

First, I agree that the base Aveo and Aveo 1LT are unimpressive. But you'll notice that the upmarket Aveo 2LT wasn't on the WORST list......apparantly for a reason. The 2LT has an interior and trim that is literally light-years ahead of the cheaper Aveos...you could call it a mini-luxury car, even though the chassis, powertrain, and road manners are still unimpressive. In my Aveo review, I noted the enormous difference between the base and 2LT versions.

Second, I'd add the Dodge Caliber/Jeep Compass twins to the WORST list. IMO, they are almost as much of a POS as the Dodge Nitro, which IS on the list.

But, overall, it's hard to fault Consumer Reports. IMO, they do a significantly better job than J.D. Power.

pagemaster

It's nice to see the 1 series on the list.

Redpaste

iTrader: (4)

The 460L.... Sick

caddyowner

Many domestic car enthusiasts feel that Consumer Reports has a strong Japan-centric bias - especially towards Toyota and Honda products. Maybe that is changing with the recent Toyota issues. But in the past, you could look at their reliability charts with data collected from readers / owners of some domestic cars and see all full or half red circles (much better or better than average) for all areas of the car over multiple years. But, CR's estimate of expected reliability would be solid black - much worse than average.

mmarshall

With CR, overall reliability is not just measured by how many red, white, or black dots are filled in the boxes. Particular attention is given to the cost, severity, and inconvienence of the repairs....which usually means that engine/transmission/driveline repairs are given extra weight. For example, major engine/transmission repairs are, on average, a much bigger deal than simply changing a light bulb or a broken piece of trim.

IS-SV

Agreed, I've verified Consumer Reports reliability reports against numerous vehicles that I personally owned and found the results to be very similar.