Consumer Reports Picks Top Cars In 10 Categories

In the April issue of Consumer Reports, they announce their top picks for vehicles in 10 separate categories, from Family Sedan to Green Car to Pickup Truck to Best Car Overall. This year, that title belongs to the Lexus LS 460L.

Consumer Reports bases their ratings on three factors — CR’s own road testing; a reliability rating based on responses to the magazine’s Annual Auto Survey; crash testing and safety standards.

Here are the ten top picks, with a bit of what CR has to say about each:

Best Car Overall: Lexus LS 460L
“The LS scored an outstanding 99 out of 100 in our road test, making it our highest-rated vehicle. This large cruiser pampers its passengers with a comfortable ride and luxurious driving environment, including a roomy, well-crafted, and exceptionally quiet interior. It offers a plethora of electronic amenities, including an optional self-parking system.”

Family Sedan: Nissan Altima
“The Altima offers an appealing balance of comfort and performance, while getting some of the best fuel economy in its class: 26 mpg overall for four-cylinder models and 24 mpg with a V6.”

Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE
“It’s a solid, all-around car that’s relatively comfortable, quiet, and roomy, and provides good fuel economy and plenty of features for the money.”

Sporty Car: Volkswagen GTI
“This impressive package is exhilarating to drive and easy to live with. It delivers the agile handling, spirited acceleration, and responsive steering of a true sports car, along with a decent ride, a well-finished interior, and the cargo-carrying practicality of a hatchback.”

Small SUV: Subaru Forester
“Provides one of the most carlike driving experiences of any SUV… combines agile handling with the most comfortable ride in its class. Passengers are treated to a spacious cabin, with a roomy rear seat and excellent visibility.”

Family SUV: Chevrolet Traverse
“Stands out as an impressive overall package with a quiet, spacious cabin that can comfortably seat up to eight adults and leave room for cargo… provides a pleasant ride, communicative steering, and responsive handling.”

Sports Sedan: Infiniti G37
“One of the highest-rated sedans we’ve tested, with a score of 95 out of 100. It provides an appealing combination of agile handling, blistering acceleration, a refined powertrain, a fairly comfortable ride, and a high-quality, luxurious interior.”

Family Hauler: Mazda5
“Offers a lot of practicality in a compact, affordable package. With three rows of seats and sliding rear side doors, it combines the convenience of a minivan with the maneuverability and stingy fuel economy—24 mpg overall—of a wagon”

Green Car: Toyota Prius
“It’s still the most fuel-efficient car in our Ratings, getting 44 mpg overall… In addition, the Prius is a pleasant car to drive, with a roomy interior, a steady ride, hatchback versatility, and excellent reliability and crash-test results.”

Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
“The crew-cab 4WD model is a well-rounded pickup with a roomy cabin, generous payload capacity, decent ride quality, available full-time 4WD, and, on higher-end models, very good interior fit and finish.”

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