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ROAD TESTS

2015 Consumer Reports Annual Car Brand Report Cards

February 25, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

For three years running, Consumer Reports has issued its Annual Car Brand Report Cards. This publication reviewed 28 car brands with a US market presence and assigned scores to each one. Lexus, as usual, topped the list, but there were some surprise moves up and down the ratings that should be noted.

Buick Regal

Consumer Reports says that the Buick Regal is the top sports sedan.

The Buick marque has certainly come a long way in a short time. Six years ago, GM saved Buick and killed Pontiac, a move that resulted in much angst as well as invited a firestorm of criticism. Many had felt that GM was trading a promising, youth-oriented brand for an aged and largely forgotten make with no real purpose.

Well, this week Consumers Report essentially vindicated GM’s decision by recognizing Buick with a Top 10 spot in its latest Consumer Reports Annual Car Brand Report Cards.

Buick’s ascendancy moved it into the seventh spot and that score also represents the second consecutive year that it outperformed the other domestic brands. Buick has enjoyed a strong makeover, one that has yielded several new products, including the Verano and Regal sedans. Furthermore, a 2+2 cabriolet will arrive next year and the Avenir concept has received much praise.

Lexus NX

Lexus is the top brand with this NX its newest model.

Twin Tenets of Grading

Consumer Reports bases its brand report card on two factors: road-test score and predicted reliability. It is only the third year that CR has combined these twin tenets, representing a composite score for models across an entire brand’s line.

Once again, Lexus led all comers with very good scores for road-test performance and exemplary reliability. Mazda took second place, impressing CR’s editors, especially given that half of its models were redesigned in the past three years. Redesigns often are plagued with quality issues initially, what adversely affects scores. But not so with Mazda.

Third, fourth and fifth place were taken by Toyota, Audi, and Subaru respectively. On the other hand, some brands have stumbled in recent years, including Acura and Infiniti. Mercedes-Benz took the biggest tumble, falling from 10th to 21st place. For M-B, CR cited problems with several models, including calling the CLA four-door “coupe” unreliable.

FCA Brands Continue to Lag

FCA brands continue to perform poorly, with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Fiat each performing near or at the bottom.

Despite the low scores, FCA brands such as Ram and Jeep continue to do well in sales. Indeed, Ram and Jeep have consistently been grabbing a larger slice of the market share pie in the past five years. Will quality concerns catch up with FCA?

Ram ProMaster City

Despite low scores, Ram and other FCA brands continue to thrive.

The Top 10 by Car Category

Besides rating the brands, CR also shared top picks from 10 popular car categories. The winners were tested in three areas: road test, reliability and safety with the publication relying on problems its subscribers reported on 1.1 million vehicles. Crash testing data from the federal government and the IIHS were also considered.

Winning the best overall score was the Tesla Model S. This electric vehicle has been a CR favorite since it arrived for the 2012 model year. The Model S is prized for its sleek exterior, upscale cabin and, of course, for its EV attributes.

Subaru won the most awards, three, by taking the best compact car (Impreza), best midsize car (Legacy) and best SUV (Forester) categories. The Chevrolet Impala finished tops amongst large cars. The Toyota Prius was the foremost green car and another Toyota product, the Highlander, was the best midsize SUV. The Audi A6 won best luxury car honors and the Buick Regal was the top sports sedan. Lastly, the Honda Odyssey was recognized as the best minivan.


See Also — Chrysler: Out With the 300,In With the Portal?

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: BUICK, BUICK REGAL, CONSUMER REPORTS, Lexus, QUALITY, RELIABILITY, ROAD TESTS, Subaru, TESLA MODEL S

Consumer Reports: Infiniti Q50, Lexus IS 250 Fall Short

October 23, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Two Japanese brands find themselves on opposite ends of the luxury segment with Lexus batting Mercedes-Benz and BMW for top honors while Infiniti has been weathering slumping sales. Both brands have something in common, however, and that is a pair of important new models. Lexus has its IS and Infiniti its Q50 with both having high hopes that these sedans would be well received. In recent testing, however, Consumer Reports has found each one wanting.

Rockingham Speedway -- Consumer Reports -- Lexus IS

The all-new Lexus IS line at the Rockingham Speedway.

Consumer Reports Ratings

Neither sedan has received the “recommended” rating that Consumer Reports (CR) bestows on its top-rated models. About the Infiniti Q50, CR gave the sedan a very good rating for its overall drive test, but called the driving experience “underwhelming” compared to the previous G37 model the sedan replaces.

CR criticized the CR250 for its poor fuel economy, steering, handling and ride comfort. The Lexus IS is sold in 250 (2.5-liter V-6) and 350 (3.5-liter V-6) editions, the latter not tested. CR says it omitted the IS 350 as 80 percent of the model line’s buyers choose the IS 250. The new model line replaces the previous generation model that was on the market for eight years.

The Infiniti G37 was the class leader of its segment, garnering the magazine’s top pick in six of the last seven years. The Infiniti Q50 was supposed to maintain that level, but CR says that the replacement model has “lost its way.” Notably, Infiniti is still selling the G37 for 2014 and has priced it lower than the new Q50. Infiniti has not said how long it will continue to produce both models.

Newly Release Models

Although neither sedan received the CR’s recommended rating, neither one would have qualified this year anyway as both models are too new. However, the low scoring for the IS 250 demonstrates that it wouldn’t have received the rating this year even if it was eligible.

Lexus was beaten out in the road test by other sport sedans including the Lincoln MKZ 2.0 EcoBoost, the Volvo S60 T5, the BMW 328i and the Mercedes-Benz C250. CR said that the IS 250 is “neither sporty nor luxurious,” noting that when equipped with optional all-wheel drive, the sedan lacked punch and gas mileage averaged just 21 mpg overall in the magazine’s tests.

About the Infiniti Q50, CR noted that the sedan is not as fun to drive as the G37. It blamed dull steering for delivering what it called “mundane handling,” effectively relieving the new model of its sport legacy. CR also cited the Q50’s inadequate ride and said that the sedan isn’t “particularly quiet.”

Like the Lexus, CR panned the Infiniti’s interior noting that cabin quality “is nothing special.” Both sedans received negative marks for technology — the Lexus for its “distracting mouse-like controller” for what manages the infotainment system and the Infiniti for its slow responding dual-screen controls. CR has taken a number of manufacturers to task for serving up complicated technologies that its believes consumers will have trouble grasping.

Reviews and Consumer Reaction

While automotive enthusiasts and press corps folk may disagree with CR’s findings, consumers often hang on to every word that the magazine writes or utters. Founded by Consumers Union in 1936, Consumer Reports has built a reputation as an independent consumer advocate and sometimes critic of the auto industry.

This writer spent some time with both the IS 250 and IS 350 at a Lexus-sponsored event in April. Track time at the Rockingham Speedway gave each person the chance to compare new and old models, with improvements apparent in the current model (See — At the Rock With the 2014 Lexus IS. Full reviews of both vehicles will be posted here as each one passes through the Auto Trends weekly fleet.


See Also — Auto Reliability: Audi, Volvo & GMC Move Up Says Consumer Reports

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: CONSUMER REPORTS, INFINITI G37, INFINITI Q50, Lexus IS 250, Lexus IS 350, ROAD TESTS

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