Posted on Wednesday 5 March 2008
Last week we were treated with Consumer Reports list of the worst 11 cars of the year plus its annual Top Picks list. Today the influential magazine has released its Top Picks of American autos and as expected GM has once again dominated the field although there were a few surprises as well as some glaring absences.
To be rated as a Top Pick, a car has to have performed well in a test-drive, be relatively trouble-free to own, and be safe as well. More specific criteria include average or better reliability, stability control fitted as standard and decent crash test results. Since adequate data on reliability for many of the cars tested couldn’t be gathered, some categories have no car worthy of being listed and are thus left blank.
The results are as follows:
- Small sedan - None
- Family sedan - Ford Taurus
- Upscale sedan - Buick Lucerne CXS
- Luxury sedan - Cadillac STS
- Small SUV - None
- Midsized SUV - GMC Acadia SLT2, Saturn Outlook XR, Ford Taurus X
- Minivan - Chrysler Town and Country
- Pickup truck - Chevrolet Silverado
- Fun to drive – None
- Green car – None
Wierd list.
Weird spelling.
Oops.
As looking for a camel from goats
Awww… the poor li’l American auto industry…
wow… figures… ofcourse some one has to say “oh look, CR couldnt even rate 4 categories cause american cars suck so much”. READ THE ARTICLE.
they didnt rate those categories for… well… what sounds to me to be stupid reasons. no RELIABILITY data? THEYRE NEW CARS. HOW DID THEY RATE THE OTHER ONES? DOES CR HAVE A TIME MACHINE? regardless. they arent saying that they didnt rate that category because they couldnt find a worthy car.
gus, i agree, that is one hell of a weird list. if the taurus is a family sedan, then there are plenty of “small” sedans. the malibu is a good example. car of the year, and its smaller than their family sedan. taurus X? they think the taurus X is as good of a car as the GM crossovers? wow. and third.. what is CR’s friggen love affair with the silverado? people are saying that this latest generation silverado is the worst one yet.
the whole list is just a bunch of crap. wouldnt listen to it one bit. the solstice is kicking the miata’s butt in sales, but it doesnt deserve the fun car category? useless. throw the list out.
Perhaps Leo and Fourzan are right, they should stick to riding their camels…
ohhhhh snap. nice low blow. you know gus, ive said it before and ill say it again, ur not bad for So-Cal.
I must have different standards then the reporters of consumer reports. After seeing the best and worst list. I found myself buying the Jeep Liberty Sport, because it was my best value. I think the fit and finish are better than most, and noise levels inside are better than most. I rent cars all the time and usually can’t here myself on the bluetooth; in the Liberty I can even open the window and my callers dont ask me if I am in a wind tunnel. Sorry Consumer Reports, I don’t think this is your best article.