Here are the cars Consumer Reports says are standouts in 2008 for “performance, versatility, reliability, and safety.”
Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE ($18,000)
Midsized SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe ($27,000 to $39,000)
Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS 460L ($77,000)
Family Sedan: Honda Accord ($22,000 to $31,000)
Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35 ($33,000 to $35,000)
Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata ($27,000)
Small SUV: Toyota RAV4 ($23,000 to $30,000)
Minivan: Toyota Sienna ($24,000 to $37,000)
“Green” Car: Toyota Prius. ($24,000)
A good starting guide if you’re looking to pick up a new car this year.
Top Picks 2008 [Consumer Reports]
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Consumer Reports isn’t reputable in the slightest. I thought the child safety seats debacle of ’07 taught us that?
@stevegoz: I don’t want to speak for him, but this may be what he was referring to.
Autoblog Malibu Shop Data
@stevegoz:
What does 2007 have to do with now? The Impala was the best selling car once, the Ford Taurus was as well.
I’m failing to see your point.
I recently drove a 2008 Hyundai Elantra as a rental–and I was really surprised by how much I liked the car. Good buy for the price. I have a Honda, but I’d take a look at Hyundai after this.
@bob9: Bob — I thought 2007 was just two months in the past or something, and not yet in the dustbin of history.
But to recap: I wondered way early in this thread if CR’s selection of the Accord over the Camry would be reflected in sales this year, or if Camry would again repeat. Someone else opined that the Malibu was crushing them both. I asked for proof. Someone else linked to a source that said the Malibu is seeing heavy interest in showrooms (which it should, what with the hype-y reviews), but still being outsold by the Accord.
And your point about the Impala and Taurus is ______?
@livefastjohnny: Interesting stuff, Johnny. Thanks for the link.
@TheSpatulaOfLove: There are no ads in CR for exactly that reason.
CR sucks, but not for that reason. I’d bet any money if you slapped a Toyota logo on a Dodge, they’d cream their shorts over it.
I was in a Honda dealership over the weekend, and while the cars seemed solid, the body panels were really flimsy and the build quality seemed low.
How do they judge reliability on brand new cars? Does it get a “+1″ if it doesn’t break down while they are test driving it?
I have one of those really good mobile mechanics, the kind that works on word of mouth and does not advertise. He say the reliability reports in Consumer Reports are pretty dead on.
Also the graph in the 2008 issue that shows the reliability after 3 years is pretty cool stuff. Stick with Honda, Toyota but also Ford beat out a lot of other car makers as well surprisingly after 5 years of ownership.
Where are the Big Three?!?!
You can pick up a copy of Consumer Reports on any newstand. The issue will cover some used cars as well. You can also go to your local library – most carry previous copies of Consumer Reports. The Auto issue is always published in April, so search for the April issue in the year that you’re interested in. They also publish a Used Car Buying Guide. The most recent issue came out a few months ago and that too can be found at most newstands. You can also check the website – some content is free, and they give you the option of paying $4.95 for a one month subscription which will allow you to search the entire website for information.
While a previous posting stated “CR sucks”, that’s really unfair. They are the last bastion of unbiased testing. They accept no advertising and purchase all thier products just as a consumer would – they use secret shoppers. They perform exhaustive testing on most products and are a good resource for unvarnished information. The poster may not like them, but they have an incredible reputation.
@morganlh85:
Ford, Chrysler, General Motors.
@annap: “They are the last bastion of unbiased testing. They accept no advertising and purchase all thier products just as a consumer would – they use secret shoppers. They perform exhaustive testing on most products and are a good resource for unvarnished information. The poster may not like them, but they have an incredible reputation.”
What exhaustive testing? All I see is customer self-reporting surveys. Last thing I saw that was close was printer ink cartridge volumes. Pfft.
They are unbiased and don’t accept advertising and have a good reputation. NONE of that goes to their competence or accuracy.
Am I the only one that thinks that it is wrong that not one of our American manufacturers thinks enough of their reputation to be in the top ten?
@swalve: “I was in a Honda dealership over the weekend, and while the cars seemed solid, the body panels were really flimsy and the build quality seemed low.”
As compared to what?
@annap: That’s the big 2.5. Chrysler is now mostly owned by the Germans.
@Orv:
Not anymore. They couldn’t make Chrysler work either and sold it to Cerberus, a US based firm.