Autoblog

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]

Another installment of Consumer Reports annual automotive issue is close at hand. The yearly car issue crowns Top Picks in a variety of categories as well as offering up some solid alternative choices. Last year, we had the opportunity to peek behind the curtain at CR's huge auto test facility in Connecticut, and we were psyched to find out there's real car guys behind all those filled-in circles. Here's a sample of what CR's crew is likely up to right now, expending a huge amount of labor on careful research and evaluation. In a couple of months, we'll be able to raise a fuss when CR yet again passes over our favorite car and anoints something far more reliable and better built their favorite. Oh well, there's always next year.

click through to see the video

While Consumer Reports' overall Top Picks for 2007 were a Japan-only affair, for the second year in a row, the magazine has compiled a "Top Picks - American Style" list on its Car Blog, in which only US nameplates are featured. The rationale behind this is to help shoppers who are set on buying a vehicle from an American marque only.

The rules are pretty simple: a car can't make the list unless it's a recommended vehicle in the April auto issue. With that said, here are CR's selections:

Top Picks - American Style

• Fun to drive: Cadillac CTS-V
• Small sedan: Ford Focus ZX4 SES
• Family sedan: Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan
• Upscale sedan: Lincoln MXZ
• Luxury sedan: Cadillac DTS
• Small SUV: Pontiac Torrent
• Midsized SUV: Ford Freestyle
• Minivan: (None apply)
• Budget car: Ford Focus ZX3
• Green car: (None apply)

CR notes that the Torrent beats the better Ford Escape because the Pontiac is equipped with stability control, and the Escape, which is not, got up on two wheels during NHTSA's stability test. We're guessing that this issue with the Escape is what also kept it from taking the "Green Car" pick. The Saturn Vue is not a recommended vehicle in the first place, so that keeps the Green Line from stepping into the open spot vacated by the Escape Hybrid.

Finally, even though Chrysler has never stopped offering minivans, their low CR reliability ratings preclude the mag from recommending the current generation. CR offers additional analysis on its American picks here. You can also check out last year's "American Style" list for a comparison.

[Source: Consumer Reports Car Blog]

We apologize for the tardiness of Autoblog Podcast #59, as sometimes it's a devil to coordinate schedules. We managed to get our act together for this week though, and in episode 59, Dan Roth fills in for Damon Lavrinc, who's in Geneva. Alex and Dan recount their visit to the Consumer Reports track day, which provided insight into the organizations testing methods and showed that there are real car guys within the belly of the beast. A great time was had by all, and the CR folks were eminently gracious. After talking about that for longer than we should have (whoops!), we move on to the newly-unveiled Mazda 2, and our lust for it. This time, it looks like we won't be met with denial from Ford, as the 2's platform-mate, the Ford Fiesta, heads this way for 2009. We take the time to do some general Ford pontificating, move on to a tangent about styling trends and wrap up with breathless praise for the swagger of the Opel GTC Concept's lines. Enjoy!

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In word that is sure to have U.S. and European auto executives reaching for their antacids, Consumer Reports magazine has unveiled their 2006 Top Picks. All ten are born of Japanese companies, with Honda occupying fully 50-percent of the list.

The winners, to be published in the magazine's upcoming April issue:

• Sedan, less than $20,000
  Honda Civic
• Sedan, $20,000 - $30,000
  Honda Accord
• Sedan, $30,000 - $40,000
  Acura TL
• Sedan, $30,000 - $40,000
  Acura TL
• Luxury sedan
  
  Infiniti M35
• Fun to drive
  Subaru Impreza WRX/STi
• Small SUV/SUV, less than $30,000
  Subaru Forester
• Mid-sized SUV/SUV more than $30,000
  Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Minivan
  Honda Odyssey
• Green car
  Toyota Prius
• Pick-up truck
  Honda Ridgeline

[Source: CNNMoney.com]