money.cnn.com/2005/03/04/pf/autos/bc.autos.survey.reut -> money.cnn.com/2005/03/04/pf/autos/bc.autos.survey.reut/
SUBSCRIBE TO MONEY Consumer Reports picks 'Best Cars' Ford Focus remved as 'best small car' due to poor crash test result. March 6, 2005: 11:03 PM EST 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid Consumer Reports Best Cars Category Pick Small Sedan Ford Focus Family Sedan Honda Accord Hybrid Upscale Sedan Acura TL Luxury Car Lexus LS430 Fun to Drive Subaru Impreza WRX/STi Small SUV Subaru Forester Midsized SUV Lexus RX330 3-row SUV Honda Pilot Minivan Honda Odyssey Green Car Toyota Prius Source: Consumer Reports Who made hybrids hot?
All of the vehicles in the magazine's list of "top picks" in 10 different categories for 2005 are Japanese. The exception had been Ford's small-s ized Focus sedan, but the magazine announced Sunday night that it was dr opping the Focus because of a poor crash test result in an Insurance Ins titute for Highway Safety side impact crash test.
Japanese vehicles also score a clean sweep on a list of 21 vehicles that Consumer Reports says it can recommend because they earned "very good" o r "excellent" scores in all five major ratings areas it tested. The recommendations are important since the spring auto issue from Consum er Reports, which accepts no paid advertising or free samples of the pro ducts its reviews, has long been seen as a trusted shopping guide by man y US car buyers. Anything that could accelerate the rate of defection away from Detroit's mass market automakers is clearly bad news for the likes of General Moto rs Corp. as they continue to lose market share to fas t-growing foreign rivals. The Big Three can take solace, however, from a Consumer Reports survey sh owing for the second consecutive year that the average domestic car is m ore reliable than its average European counterpart. That trend, which gives Detroit at least some bragging rights, was report ed by Consumer Reports for the first time in 24 years in its previous au to issue, in 2004. Reliability results this year were based on responses from Consumer Repor t subscribers about a record 810,000 privately owned or leased cars and trucks. Japanese and Korean automakers once again produced the most trouble-free models, with an overall problem rate of 12 per 100 for the 2004 model ye ar, the same rate they have had for the last three years, Consumer Repor ts said. It said GM, Ford and the Chrysler side of DaimlerChrysler AG inched close r to the Asians with an overall problem rate of 17 per 100, however. Tha t matched the industry average and was down from a combined rate of 18 p er 100 last year. By contrast, the problem rate for European automakers rose slightly to 21 per 100 from 20 last year. "Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Volvo had more than their fair share of p roblems. Only Audi came out better than average," the magazine said. "The most reliable brand overall is now Subaru, which averages eight prob lems per 100," Consumer Reports said. The single most reliable vehicle in the 2004 model year was Hyundai Motor Co, Ltd's low-cost Sonata sedan, with a problem rate of just two per 10 0 The showing "further establishes Hyundai's remarkable turnaround from one of the least reliable brands to one of the best," Consumer Reports said of the Korean automaker. Ford's Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicle and Nissan's Quest minivan tied for most unreliable vehicle, it said, with problem rates of 49 per 100. Close behind was the pricey Touareg SUV from Volkswagen AG, which had 48 problems for every 100 vehicles.
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