Subaru tops Consumer Reports rankings
A Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Subaru 2012 Impreza hatchback vehicle is displayed at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in New York (April 20, 2011). Credit: Bloomberg
LOS ANGELES -- Subaru and Toyota were the big winners in the annual car ratings from Consumer Reports.
The magazine, with its well-regarded car tests and reviews, said Subaru topped all automakers, helped by recent redesigns of its Impreza, Legacy and Outback models. The 2012 Impreza is Consumer Reports' top pick among small sedans.
In a different measure, however, Toyota models represented half of the magazine's top picks by category, the first automaker to score that many models among the best-rated vehicles in nearly a decade.
Its redesigned Camry hybrid and Highlander sport utility vehicle edged out rival models as Consumer Reports' choices for top family sedan and family SUV, respectively.
In the magazine's tests, the Camry hybrid delivered 38 mpg overall fuel economy -- the best in class and as good as what it described as smaller and less versatile hybrids. But fuel economy experienced in Consumer Reports' test was still less than the 43 mpg that Toyota claimed for the hybrid in its advertising.
The Japanese brands scored the highest in Consumer Reports ratings of automakers.
"While Japanese automakers still hold the top five spots, their lead is shrinking," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Automotive Test Center.
"GM and Chrysler are building nicer cars with each redesign. Still, their scores are dragged down by several older designs that score low in . . . testing or have reliability issues," Champion said.
Honda, which has claimed the top overall ranking for the past four years, dropped to fourth place this year -- behind Mazda and then Toyota.
Consumer Reports dinged Honda over the recent redesigns of its Civic compact sedan and Odyssey minivan.
Starting with fifth place, the remaining rankings were: Nissan, Volvo, Hyundai, BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, and Chrysler. Ford dropped the farthest, falling to 10th from fifth place last year.
