Consumer Reports' Best & Worst Autos for 2007

Most Fun to Drive: Mazda MX-5

Best Small SUV: Toyota RAV4

Best Small Sedan: Honda Civic

Best Family Sedan: Honda Accord

Best Minivan: Toyota Sienna

Best Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Best Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M35

Best Budget Car: Honda Fit

Best Green Car: Toyota Prius

Best Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Miata as most fun? I mean it's not bad, but it needs about 100 more ponies to be fun IMO.

 

Best Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M35
Best Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35

Who buys into this bull****?

 

Those are VERY nice cars in there classes....

 

That list is painful.

 

They are good cars, though I wouldn't consider buying them if I had the cash. Car and Driver and Motor Trend had high praise for both the Infiniti G and M. While Lexus has built its following on a top-notch interior and excellent reliability, Infiniti has humped headfirst into the performance realm. It's unfair to rule out the Japanese in the luxury car segment because they are Japanese.

Here is some information on CR's automaker report card. VW/Audi had the best average test score with 81%. (Chrysler had the lowest: 51%.) The companies with the highest number of recommended vehicles were Subaru and Honda with 100% each. Daimler-Chrysler had bum luck in the category with Mercedes having 0% of its vehicles recommended and Chrysler being stuck with just 21%.

 

Here's the best part: the cars that were bashed by CR.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse, Chevy Aveo, and Chrysler Sebring were singled out as the lest fun to drive. While the Chevy Corvette, Toyota Prius, Mazda Miata, and Porsche 911 were loved by surveyed owners, the Aveo, GM midsize pickups, GM minivans, Ford Ranger/Mazda Tribute, and VW Touareg rated poorest. The GMC Canyon/Chevy Colorado had only 38% saying they were pleased.

The Lancer Evo and Subaru WRX STI were both slammed for their poor mileage (by small car standards) with only 20 mpg for each. The Chrysler C300 and Mercury Grand Marquis were the the biggest gas hogs in the mid- and large-size sedan category; the Dodge Durango was the thirstiest sport-ute with an average of 12 mpg.

The Audi A6 (& A8), Honda Accord, Lexus RX, and Honda Odyssey were the most comfortable vehicles. The Viper, Wrangler, Elise, and Smart were the least comfortable. The Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, Toyota Yaris, Dodge Nitro, and Chrysler Sebring were the poorest debuts. The Ford Fusion was the best new small sedan.

The Viper SRT-10 was the quickest car, edging out the C6 Z06 to 60 mph in just 4.2 sec. The Smart ForTwo was the slowest car to sixty with a time 23.2 sec. The Kia Rio LX came in second there with 12.8 sec. The Boxster had the best braking (112 ft. from 60-0), but the Nissan Versa had the worst (163). The 911 S topped the maneuver category, but the Chevy Tahoe LT (no surprise) was the bottom of the bin.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

They are both nice cars, but there are nicer cars for each of those categories.

 

They picked a M35 over a new S class? Uh.... OK... Maybe they didn't actually drive any other luxery sedans.



Darrell.

 

every single one is Japanese...

 

Incredible. How dull does a car have to be for the labcoats at Consumer Reports to admit it's "the least fun"? They think Camrys are a hoot.

No Italian cars this year...

CR should rename itself as the Asian Car Review.

 

I get 17 from mine

I don't care.

 

Virtually no domestically sold Italian cars fall in any of those categories.

They make up categories based on where asian cars will fit in. Can they really say a Miata is better then a Saturn sky or Honda S2000?

Americans always win in the truck categories.

 

I don't think it's the best "upscale" sedan....
I like it though
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I too love the G35, but I'm in the same camp as those thinking they have the wrong definition of 'upscale'.

 

Isnt there a $ cap that would keep the higher end cars out of the running ?

If so then I'd find most of their findings reasonable.

 

Not in the same class....

 

Having driven both, I agree they are not in the same class...the Infiniti M45 is in a class above the MB S class...

 

Please.........



Darrell.

 

You're quite welcome....I'm glad you agree. Mercedes was once one of the best luxury cars on the market. However, they have relied on their reputation much too long and allowed Lexus and Infiniti to caught up and pass them. The current Mercedes' line reliability is right there will Kia and Hyundai...or maybe a little worse.

 

Put down the pipe man. Hyundai and Kia for last 4 - 5 years have quality on par with Honda and Toyota. So by what you said, Mercedes must be really good quality, which I'm sure the S Class is. The new Lexus LS is a cool car, but it will never be as luxurious, technical or cool as the S Class. The LS is down on power which is why they needed a 8 speed gearbox.

Seriously, all Lexus does is copy **** from people. BMW gets parking aids on the 7 series, Lexus dumpster dives behind BMW and does a little update on the system and calls it their own. Mercedes gets a 7 speed gearbox, Lexus dumpster dives behind the Mercedes factory and shoves one more speed onto the gearbox and calls it their own. When will Lexus actually design something them selves?

 

JD Power - Overall initial quality ratings for 2006
Mercedes - 3/5
Kia - 3/5
Hyundai - 4/5
Lexus - 5/5
Toyota - 4/5
BMW - 4/5

By your logic, it was Mercedes who copied BMW when they "shove[d] one more speed onto the gearbox and call[ed] it their own." Hmm.

The Lexus makes two less horsepower and weighs 200 lbs less than the S Class. But hey, I guess two horsepower is "down" enough to warrant an extra gear

And no, I'm pretty sure Toyota beat BMW to the parking assist feature. They've had it on the Prius in Japan since 2004.

Who cares if someone else did it first? If it's a nice feature, it's a nice feature regardless of the vehicle.


And really people, this is "Consumer Reports," not "Consumers With Higher Means Reports." If you find their results ridiculous, you're probably not the audience they had in mind.

 

The vast majority of readers of Consumer Reports

 

They intentionally left out the trucks for this report since they have not yet tested all of the trucks, and they will report on that later, according to their website.

 

Show me S-Class?

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/reliability/would-you-buy-that-car-again-406/owner-satisfaction/luxury-sedans/index.htm

Comparing JD Powers to Consumer Reports will be an an apples to oranges comparison.

If they surveyed people that can purchase a an LS430, A8, 7-series, or an XJ they most certainly had the means to purchase an S-Class.

There's one extremely important demographic that these reports do not take into account.

Your average S-Class buyer has a gross income that ranges from 3 to 5 times that of your typical Infiniti buyer where buying an S-Class would be like buying a Ferrari and not being able to afford to fix it.

Anyone into cars beyond the badge that can tell the difference will agree there are only two choices for balls out luxury. The Benz or the Lexus with everyone else coming second. If you like to turn, thats a whole other argument.