Last Update on : February 29, 2008
GM Ford reliability improves
.jpg) Consumer Reports, in its influential annual report on the best cars and trucks, praised General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. for improving the quality and reliability of their products, but Asian automakers continued to dominate the magazine's best-in-class and overall rankings.
GM's Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab was named the best pickup -- the first American nameplate to make the magazine's closely watched "Top Picks" list since 2005.
Hyundai Motor Co. became the first South Korean automaker to make the list, with its Elantra SE named best small sedan and the Santa Fe named best midsize SUV.
Honda Motor Co. repeated as the best automaker overall, with Toyota Motor Corp. second and Subaru third. The rankings are determined by giving each automaker an average score based on vehicle road tests and reliability data. Honda and Subaru were the only companies to have all of their tested vehicles recommended by Consumer Reports; Honda is the only one whose entire lineup was recommended.
The annual survey of the best vehicles and manufacturers carries enormous weight with car buyers, and is based on surveys filled out by 1.3 million Consumer Reports subscribers and Web site users. Surveys by automakers suggest that as many as 15 percent of vehicle buyers consider Consumer Reports' rankings.
The magazine praised GM and Ford for improving, though they still rank ahead of only one foreign automaker, Suzuki, in the overall rankings.
"GM and Ford have been making significant progress recently," David Champion, senior director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, said Thursday at a speech in Washington.
Chrysler LLC tied for last with Suzuki. The magazine had harsh words for Chrysler: The new Jeep Patriot and Liberty "are saddled with cheap looking and uncomfortable interiors and are too noisy and slow to be competitive."
Just 14 percent of Chrysler vehicles tested were recommended, down from 21 percent last year.
"Chrysler has dropped considerably. Their cars have not performed well in our testing," Champion said. The company is in the "dumps" and "really needs work."
Mary Beth Halprin, a Chrysler spokeswoman, said the company has done well in other independent testing, but declined to respond to the specific criticism.
"While we value the report, Chrysler has also received positive feedback from other third-party sources," she said.
The magazine recommended 30 percent of GM vehicles tested, down from 36 percent in 2007, because some redesigned SUVs proved unreliable. Still, Buick moved up eight positions to No. 10 in the brand reliability rankings, Saturn moved up six spots and some new or redesigned models, including the Silverado, GMC Acadia and Sierra and the Saturn Outlook, had average or better reliability in their first year. GM also won praise for new vehicles like the Cadillac CTS, which outscored the BMW 328i and Mercedes C300; the magazine called it a "wake-up call" for German automakers.
GM spokeswoman Janine Fruehan said the automaker is making significant improvements as it brings new vehicles to market. Of all the Ford vehicles tested, Consumer Reports recommended 64 percent, up from 54 percent in 2007, because of improved reliability, with the automaker ranking fifth in reliability. But Ford vehicles lack "charisma," Champion said.
Even though Toyota had four vehicles among the magazine's Top Picks, its reliability has suffered. Consumer Reports said the 2007 redesigns of the V-8 Tundra pickup and V-6 Camry have below average reliability and the vehicles will no longer be recommended without being tested, as the magazine had done in the past.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the Tundra had an issue with a torque converter and the Camry with a retainer clip, but both have been resolved.
"We will never argue with their results," he said. "We just want to find out as much as we can to improve."
Hyundai's head of product quality, Barry Ratzlaff, said its Top Pick awards were a big honor. The magazine dinged Hyundai, however, for lacking vehicles that "are agile or sporty to drive."
The Lexus LS 460L, the Top Pick for luxury sedans, was the highest rated vehicle. The Mazda MX-5 Miata claimed the "Fun to Drive" category, and the Toyota Prius again was named top "green" car.
The magazine bought about 80 vehicles and put them through about 50 tests for reliability, fuel efficiency, comfort, performance, and interior fit and finish. It runs its tests on 327 acres of testing facilities near Hartford, Conn.
The rules were revised this year so only vehicles that come with electronic stability control standard or as a widely available option could be eligible for a Top Pick. As a result, the Nissan Alitma lost out as best Family Sedan to the Honda Accord, even though the Altima had higher test scores.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now requires that all vehicles come with the anti-rollover technology by the 2012 model year.
Nissan declined to say when the feature would become standard on the Altima, but said the vehicle gets high marks in every other category.
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