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Honda Accord, left, and Subaru Outback. Photos courtesy of manufacturers.
YONKERS, NY, Feb. 23 – Honda and Subaru build the best all-around vehicles for American drivers, according to Consumer Reports in its upcoming 2010 annual auto issue.
It’s the fourth consecutive winning year for Honda, which tied Subaru with an overall score of 77 out of 100 possible points in the magazine’s rating system. The magazine will be on sale March 2.
Toyota came in third with 74 points, even though recommendations for eight recalled models have been temporarily suspended. It was followed by Hyundai, with 73 points, and Nissan and Volkswagen, which were tied with 72 points.
The magazine notes that Hyundai and its subsidiary, Kia, have shown the biggest improvement, jumping from ninth place last year to fourth place this year.
The scores are based on the average scores of each of the manufacturer’s vehicles in road tests and their average predicted-reliability ratings. To get a report card, a manufacturer must have had five or more vehicles tested.
Subaru’s ratings were raised by the redesigned 2010 Legacy sedan and Outback crossover wagon.
Although Honda and its upscale sibling, Acura, scored the highest predicted-reliability scores, the magazine points out that Honda’s interior quality and fuel economy have not kept up with its vehicles’ overall standards.
GM vehicles test well
Among American-made vehicles, new models from General Motors ranked among the best in the magazine’s testing, but the overall reliability of the product line-up still lags behind the competition. Singled out for their good test scores were the Buick Enclave and LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet’s Corvette, Equinox, Malibu and Traverse.
On the other hand, Ford has put some of its models on a par with Honda and Toyota in reliability, but it has not matched the best performers. The Ford Flex and Fusion scored well, but most models from Ford, Mercury and Lincoln end up mid-pack.
Chrysler continued to fare poorly in the rankings, with a score that was worse than last year’s tally. It did put one vehicle on the recommended list, the Ram pickup truck.
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