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For the second straight year, Consumer Reports has seen fit to release a second set of Top Picks comprised solely of American automobiles, and we're betting there will be plenty of discussion regarding the merits of such a distinction from both the pro-import and pro-domestic crowds, just as there was a year ago. We'll leave that up to you in the comments, but please remember to be civil.

Getting to the actual rankings, there were enough surprising omissions from the list that CR decided to list its Top Performers, which don't necessarily earn a Recommended rating, alongside the actual Top Picks. Taking top honors in the Small Car category for '09 is the Ford Focus. Back in 2008, no American automaker had a small car that CR felt comfortable recommending. Ford also took the win in the hotly-contested Midsize SUV category with its Taurus X, though that model is currently scheduled to be cancelled after MY2009.

CR's Top Pick for an American Family Sedan is the Chevy Malibu, which narrowly beat out the previous generation of the highly reliable Ford Fusion. Expect those wars to heat up when the revised 2010 Fusion makes it through CR's barrage of testing procedures. If there's one category that U.S. automaker have on lock down, it's pickup trucks. This year, the Chevy Avalanche grabbed the win away from last year's winner and its corporate sibling, the Chevy Silverado. See the full rundown after the jump.

[Source: Consumer Reports, Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Continue reading The Consolation Bracket: Consumer Reports releases American Top Picks for 2009

The Consolation Bracket: Consumer Reports releases American Top Picks for 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>american car top picksAmericanCarTopPicksbreakingconsumer reportsconsumer reports american carsconsumer reports top picksConsumerReportsConsumerReportsAmericanCarsConsumerReportsTopPickstop american carsTopAmericanCarsWed, 04 Mar 2009 14:58:00 EST<![CDATA[<em>Consumer Reports</em> names Top Picks for 2008]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/28/em-consumer-reports-em-names-top-picks-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/28/em-consumer-reports-em-names-top-picks-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/28/em-consumer-reports-em-names-top-picks-for-2008/#commentsFiled under:

Koreans come on strong, a domestic makes it and Toyota nabs four

Consumer Reports will soon release its highly anticipated Annual Auto Issue and we've got the scoop on which cars will be honored as Top Picks within its pages. This year there were some surprises among the 10 categories, including Hyundai, which broke out with two Top Picks: the Elantra SE for Small Sedan and Sante Fe for Midsized SUV. Even a domestic vehicle managed to make it on the list (the first time in two years), with the Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab earning a Top Pick in the Pickup Truck category. The rest of the honored vehicles all hail from Japan, including four Toyota models, one Mazda, one Infiniti and one Honda.

The fact that Hyundai earned two Top Picks and a domestic received one at all is a testament to our long held suspicion that Japanese automakers aren't the only ones who know how to build a good vehicle. Other automakers, particularly our own domestic ones, just forgot for a while. But they're remembering, and quickly. Many new Ford and GM models are performing extremely well in CR's battery of tests, as well as ranking higher and higher in its readership surveys. CR is still withholding a Recommended rating for some of them based on past models that weren't fit for road use, but that won't last forever.

Check out the full list of Top Picks after the jump within the Consumer Reports official press release.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Continue reading Consumer Reports names Top Picks for 2008

Consumer Reports names Top Picks for 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingconsumer reportsconsumer reports top picksconsumer reports top picks 2008ConsumerReportsConsumerReportsTopPicksConsumerReportsTopPicks2008top pickstop picks 2008TopPicksTopPicks2008Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Consumer Reports announces its 10 Top Picks of the year]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/28/consumer-reports-announces-its-10-top-picks-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/28/consumer-reports-announces-its-10-top-picks-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/28/consumer-reports-announces-its-10-top-picks-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under:

CR Auto test Center

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
[Source: Consumer Reports]

Continue reading Consumer Reports announces its 10 Top Picks of the year

Consumer Reports announces its 10 Top Picks of the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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