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Auto Reliability: Consumer Reports Slaps Acura, Cadillac and, Yes, the Tesla Model S

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Lexus Pulls a Clean Sweep.

All good things must come to an end. One of those “things” is the ongoing loveliest Consumer Reports has had with Tesla Motors, especially the Model S.

The nonprofit consumer organization released the results of its 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey on Tuesday, noting that Lexus, Toyota, Audi, Mazda and Subaru are the most reliable brands. At the same time, CR found that Acura and Cadillac had slipped the most, while Buick’s seventh-place finish accounted for the lone domestic brand ranked in the Top 10.

Tesla Model SPerhaps most surprising were the results for the Tesla Model S. CR received approximately 1,400 survey responses from Model S owners and that feedback outlined a pattern of problems with the sedan’s drivetrain, center console, charging equipment, power accessories, along with an assortment of squeaks, rattles and leaks.

As a result of the accumulated data, CR bestowed the Tesla Model S with a worse-than-average predicted reliability score.

The consumer feedback is in stark contrast to CR’s own rating for the Tesla electric sedan. Earlier this year CR noted that the “all-wheel drive Tesla Model S P85D sedan performed better in our tests than any other car ever has, breaking the Consumer Reports Ratings system.”

CR lauded the sedan’s instant acceleration, calling it “brutally quick,” its thrust “forceful and immediate.” The organization also said that the P85D has “better braking and handling” than the standard Model S and pointed out its efficiency, achieving a fuel mileage equivalent of 87 mpg.

CR’s 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey weighed information supplied by subscribers covering more than 740,000 vehicles. Both Acura and Cadillac experienced the largest year-over-year drops, with each brand falling by seven places.

Acura was faulted for its in-car electronics and transmissions found in its newest sedans, the RLX and TLX. Similar problems have plagued other manufacturers in recent years including Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, and Ford.

Lexus RC F

Pictured: Lexus RC 350F Sport

Cadillac continued to fall with CR noting complaints about its Cadillac User Experience or CUE infotainment system.

One of the more persistent problems with today’s cars are new transmissions. Complaints about rough shifting and slipping CVT belts have dragged down the scores for several brands. Some of those transmissions involve new systems with eight or nine gears. At the same time, CR praised Audi and BMW for delivering reliable dual-clutch transmissions, while recognizing Toyota and Honda with delivering hybrid models with strong CVTs.

In the CR survey, the organization tracks seven vehicle lines. All seven were led by Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand. CR noted the continued ascendancy of Audi, a brand that once had its share of demons to exorcise. Today, only Lexus and Toyota are ranked higher than the Volkswagen Group’s premium brand.

Hyundai Sonata Turbo

Pictured: Hyundai Sonata Turbo

Kia and Hyundai, Korean manufacturers joined at the hip, placed sixth and ninth respectively in the latest survey. Both brands are enjoying a steady ascendancy with Kia now ranked ahead of Honda.

Most US brands, with Buick the exception continue to perform below average. Chevrolet and GMC are in the bottom third of the rankings and Cadillac has fallen near the bottom. As for Ford, respondents seem pleased with the F-150 and Expedition, but shared complaints about the Mustang, including its body hardware, drive shaft and vehicle stability control systems.

As for Fiat Chrysler, the lone bright spots are its minivans as both the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan achieved average reliability. As for the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat brands, they bring up the rear in the annual survey once again.

2016 Fiat 500X

Pictured: Fiat 500X

The annual CR survey will receive its due inspection and dissection, and perhaps more attention than it deserves. Nevertheless, the independent nature of this consumer organization means that the results are objectively dispensed and will be given careful review by car manufacturer executives over the coming days.

Photos copyright Auto Trends Magazine.

Cadillac Unveils New Power Dense V-6 Engine

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The 2016 Cadillac CT6 ushers in a new era for GM’s preeminent marque, a full-size sedan outfitted with leading-edge technologies. The new model debuts in New York at month’s end, a five-passenger vehicle set to take on Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The all-new 3.0L Twin Turbo for the 2016 Cadillac CT6
The all-new 3.0L Twin Turbo for the 2016 Cadillac CT6 is the only six-cylinder engine to combine turbocharging with cylinder deactivation and stop/start technologies to conserve fuel.

In the chronology of Cadillac brand history, an 8.2-liter (500 cubic inch) V-8 engine once powered a handful of models, including Eldorado, Fleetwood and deVille. With an output of upwards of 400 horsepower, gargantuan engines once moved some of the largest cars ever built. Furthermore, this particular engine and others like it were built exclusively for the Cadillac brand.

In more recent times, Cadillac has been using engines built by parent GM for its other brands. Cadillac’s once heralded Northstar series were the last proprietary engines used by GM’s luxury brand, although select Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac models also used them. In 2010, Cadillac retired Northstar, ending a 17-year tenure and ushering in a new era of complete powertrain sharing with GM’s other brands.

Twin Turbo V-6 Engine

A new, proprietary engine for the Cadillac brand will debut in the fourth quarter of 2015 and power the Cadillac CT6, itself an all-new flagship sedan for the marque. Last week, Cadillac shared details about this 3.0-liter twin turbo V-6 engine, carrying an estimated rating of 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. At 133 horsepower per liter, the new engine will be one of the most power dense engines in the world. It will also come paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Cadillac says that the packed power plant is the only six-cylinder engine to combine cylinder deactivation and stop/start technologies with turbocharging. This coalescence of scientific componentry will conserve fuel — to what degree has not yet been made known.

“Cadillac’s elevation on the world stage is driven in great part by its advanced powertrain technology and the all-new 3.0L Twin Turbo powers past the traditional segment leaders with higher degrees of the performance and refinement their reputations were built on,” said Rich Bartlett, assistant chief engineer.

The Cadillac CT6 will make its world debut in New York on March 31 in advance of the 2015 New York International Auto Show. This writer plans to attend that show.

A Broad Power Curve

The small-block V-6 makes use of turbochargers with “with lightweight, low-inertia titanium-aluminide turbine wheels and an efficient, patented low-volume charge-air cooler, which contribute to optimal boost production and more immediate power delivery.” Peak torque will be sustained across a broad torque curve ranging from 2,500 rpm to 5,000 rpm, something Cadillac alleges will be delivered with “smoothness and progression.”

Cadillac is quick to point out that the new engine will outperform BMW’s 315-horsepower rated 3.0-liter V-6 as well as Audi’s 310-horsepower rated engine of the same displacement. These two German brands as well as the Mercedes-Benz marque are in Cadillac’s crosshairs, serving customers that GM desperately wants to poach.

Additional Engine Choices

The twin turbo V-6 will not be the only engine offered in the Cadillac CT6. A new version of GM’s 3.6-liter, naturally-aspirated V-6 will also be employed, delivering an estimated 335 horsepower and 284 foot-pounds of torque. It, too, will feature cylinder deactivation and stop/start technologies and will include various noise-reducing features, including an all-new cam drive system, an upgraded cooling system, a stronger and stiffer aluminum block, and new high-flow cylinder heads. The benchmark engine for these upgrades is the Infiniti 3.7-liter V-6.

Other engines available in the 2016 Cadillac CT6 will include the turbocharged 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder motor used in the Cadillac CTS. A V-8 engine is also planned and Cadillac has hinted that at least one other engine will follow. Auto Trends believes that the unidentified engine will be a turbocharged six-cylinder diesel, available for the European market initially, then to its North American customers.

Advancing the Cadillac Brand

The Cadillac CT6 represents a bold step forward for this iconic luxury brand as it seeks to recover its once lofty position amongst premium marques. Moreover, it introduces a new naming convention, one that will roll out gradually over the next few years. Specifically, that nomenclature will pair two letters with one number in sequential fashion based on a model’s size and importance to the Cadillac brand.

Photo courtesy of the General Motors Company.