Honda, Toyota, Subaru Get Highest Marks from Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports has released its annual automaker report cards, and the results are far from surprising.

Honda continues to reign at the top of Consumer Reports’ list, followed closely by Subaru and Toyota. According to the magazine, Honda “continues to make better all-around vehicles than any other automaker,” citing reliability of all Honda and Acura models-although it does specifically call out the Honda Element as one vehicle that it doesn’t recommend. All Subaru models were recommended, and Toyota was cited as a “solid performer across all categories.” Toyota had several models that Consumer Reports does not recommend, including the FJ Cruiser and the Yaris.

Detroit took somewhat of a bashing in the magazine’s testing. GM had several recommended models, including the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Traverse and Pontiac G8, but overall reliability was low. Ford ranked the highest of the Detroit three, with reliability rivaling Toyota and Honda on some models, but it was still behind eleven other automakers: including Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen, BMW, Hyundai, Volvo, Mitsubishi, and the aforementioned top three. Chrysler sits at the very bottom of the list, without a single vehicle that Consumer Reports recommends.

The only Detroit vehicle to make one of the magazine’s 2009 top picks list was the Chevrolet Avalanche, which won the best pickup truck award. Toyota had the most picks, with the RAV4, Prius, Sienna, Highlander and LS 460 all taking top spots in their categories

You can head on over to Consumer Reports to read the full article and learn about the magazine’s testing methods, but a subscription is required to see the automakers’ actual report cards and the full top picks lists.

Source: Consumer Reports