Consumer Reports announces its 10 Top Picks of the year
Yesterday, Dan Roth and I spent the day at Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center in East Haddam, CT. The occasion was the publication's annual Press Day, during which members of the media are given a tour of their expansive (and very impressive) facilities, demonstrations of some of the tests they perform, and finally, the formal announcement of their annual top 10 car picks.
It was fun and informative, and we walked away with a real appreciation of Consumer Reports' testing methodology. Speaking as someone who was admittedly not a big believer in CR's ratings versus say, those of an enthusiast mag, I can report happily that the men and women involved with Consumer Reports' auto testing and reporting are very serious enthusiasts themselves. This is not the toaster brigade running the tests, these are real car people through and through. We'll put together a proper feature for you on our day at CR -- complete with photos and video -- in the near future.
Without further ado, however, it's time for the news of the day.
Consumer Reports Top Picks for 2007
- Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Small SUV: Toyota RAV4
- Small Sedan: Honda Civic
- Family Sedan: Honda Accord
- Minivan: Toyota Sienna
- Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M45
- Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Green Car: Toyota Prius
- Upscale sedan: Infiniti G35
- Budget Car: Honda Fit
Four Toyotas, three Hondas, a pair of Infinitis and a Mazda -- the Germans and Americans are conspicuously absent. The last German to make the list was the BMW 530i in 2003, and the last American cars to make the list were the Ford Focus Sedan and SVT Focus in 2004. (The Focus got its 2005 "Top Pick" award stripped after it came up short in crash test following that issue's publication.) In CR's overall new-car reliability rankings, Lincoln and GMC showed significant improvement. Ford stayed the same, Chevy and Buick improved slightly, while Jeep suffered a significant drop in the standings. Last place? That dubious honor belongs to Mercedes-Benz, whose new or redesigned-for-'06 cars' reliability is described as being "far below average."
To illustrate this, David Champion, CR's Sr. Director of Auto Testing, told us they found that the 1998 Lexus LS400 exhibited fewer problems last year than the 2006 Mercedes ML 500. Interesting tidbit, for sure. We'll talk about the CR visit in detail at a later date. For now, let's hear your opinions on the top picks in the comments.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
MrMorix 8:47PM (2/28/2007)
There is something amiss at CR. I guess that's why I stopped buying there magazines years ago.
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John 2:41PM (1/06/2008)
Yea, they are in love with the Japanese cars. In order for the the domestics to compete, they'd have to make them much much better than the Japanese. I think they've reach that point already, but CR does not think so. I can tell you, this would never happen in Japan if you reverse the situation.
JeremyClarkson 8:49PM (2/28/2007)
All of them are Japanese Cars
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MrMorix 8:49PM (2/28/2007)
there=their sorry I was in a hurry
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whofan 8:50PM (2/28/2007)
At least they picked the Honda Accord over the ugly Camry.
No Lexus? They did this not to be accused of being biased twords Toyota.
Where`s the American cars?
Don`t they even test them anymore?
I smell a rat.
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HotRodzNKustoms 8:51PM (2/28/2007)
Something is just not right here. This is a totally biased list.
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ellerton 8:52PM (2/28/2007)
Here come the domestic fanboys...
Mercedes quality = crap.
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iQuack 8:57PM (2/28/2007)
No surprises here--CR's picks make sense to me.
Note that the Accord is still the best "family" sedan even though the Camry is a newer design and the current Accord will soon be replaced by an all-new one.
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John 2:53PM (1/06/2008)
I think you've got your facts wrong. The Accord has been redesigned for 2008. It is the Camry that needs to be redesigned. Anyway, I think the new Malibu has it all over both of them.
iQuack 3:03AM (1/21/2008)
Note the date of my post which is old--Feb. 28, 2007, at which time the newest Accord was the '07. The Camry was a newer design at that time.
The 2008 Accord wasn't introduced until 7 months later.
The new Malibu is an impressive car but whether it's much better than the Accord, Camry, or Altima is another matter. If so, it's about time GM built cars people wanted to buy--they did that 50 years ago, so should be able to do so again. I hope the Malibu is a huge success for GM.
macgnome 9:03PM (2/28/2007)
CR is the biggest joke . I read that crap when I was younger but now that I can get online, why bother letting someone else do research for me? Besides I have noticed grave descrepencies in their reporting. Just look at the mini van section- we all know that the Honda Odysee is far superior to the Toyota. Not only in appearance but in riding comfort, quality ,likability etc...I love Japanese and German vehicles but we see that the report is completely Japanese? I know alot of MB owners who laugh at these reports as absurd? So what gives. I think CR days are numbered and I honestly believe the people testing the vehicles and or collecting data are biased. Any Audi is far superior to any luxury offering they show on this CR list. I mean an Infinity m45 over an A6, you can buy that car if want but I like my autos with a little life and character. And when I sit in my A6 seat I feel at home. I dont want some techno plastic, super windtunnel Britney Spears pop car!
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Bobby Joe 9:05PM (2/28/2007)
uh oh...the domestic driving e-thugs on here are not going to like this list.
But they will like this one
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/629/cvfgc8fxivjaui9afvvvravwi4.jpg
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NeoteriX 9:10PM (2/28/2007)
Ah, the Mazda MX-5 has unseated the Subaru WRX/STi as "most fun to drive"...
For that matter, I can't believe that on a car enthusiast blog people are questioning the superiority of the Mazda Miata/MX-5.
Clearly you haven't been to any Auto-X/Solo2 or other racing events. The Miatas are some of the most populous and best-performing cars given its price.
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mike from scarborough 9:42PM (2/28/2007)
What a bull shit list,aside from the accord,the prius,and maybe the van.No GTI,No 3 series , no exitement,they don't have a cat. for a pick-up,sports car,or exotic.I guess people who drive these cars don't count.
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Howard Kerr 9:21PM (2/28/2007)
I didn't even have to see the list to know there would be few or no domestic cars on it. If I REALLY had to disagree with any of CR's picks, it would be the Highlander hybrid. I thought CR of all mags would feel the gas savings gained by driving a hybrid wouldn't be outweighed by the cost of the new vehicle.
I've seen a lot of Lexus LS 's for sale locally, some with reasonable mileages. Apparently their owners either now have SUVs, or thought they used too much gas. Considering how trouble-free used LS' s are (according to CR), maybe I should look at one...for the maid.....HA!
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whofan 9:23PM (2/28/2007)
Many perfectly good trees had to be sacrificed for this rag.
I`m still poed over my top rated washer. The machine lasted only five years with many costly repairs along the way.
At least CR is an American mag.
This is one case where I wish we had a higher rated Japanese version of Consumer reports.
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5 Watt 9:47PM (2/28/2007)
I don’t any big problems with any of these picks, but full size cars, trucks and SUVs were clearly omitted due to the “D” word.
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Paul V 9:57PM (2/28/2007)
A G35 over a Bimmer-?? No Way!
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Driver X 10:07PM (2/28/2007)
I guess CR now has headquarters in Tokyo. I would take a Vette, 350Z, G35 Coupe, over a Miata any day of the week.
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JDL 10:09PM (2/28/2007)
I have to wade in, if only to address some errors in the list of comments. I work at CR and spent some time talking with Alex yesterday.
Here are some reasons for what people see as issues:
1) The new MDX has not been tested yet. Therefore it can't be recommended or a Top Pick.
2) A full-size pickup truck test with the Silverado, Tundra, Durango, Titan, and F-150 (including HD versions for the domestics) has not been started. Not all of the vehicles have been purchased. Therefore, no Top Pick.
3) The GTI is not recommended because it does not have sufficient reliability data. It scored very well in our testing. But without reliability data, it can't be recommended.
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