Top 10 Best and Worst Car Brands

[Scooby]

From an article in USAToday based on feedback from Consumer Reports -

USA today article posted 10 best brands, they are:

1. Genesis
2. Audi
3. BMW
4. Lexus
5. Porsche
6. Kia
7. Subaru
8. Tesla
9. Honda
10.Toyota

Here is how brands stack up with its comes to top 10 worst:

1. Fiat
2. Jeep
3. Land Rover
4. Alfa Romeo
5. Mitsubishi
6. Jaguar
7. GMC
8. Dodge
9. Ram
10. Mini

 

[Gen127]

From an article in USAToday based on feedback from Consumer Reports -

USA today article posted 10 best brands, they are:

1. Genesis
2. Audi
3. BMW
4. Lexus
5. Porsche
6. Kia
7. Subaru
8. Tesla
9. Honda
10.Toyota

Genesis achieved quite the feat for a relative newcomer to the party.
It will be interesting to see if this recognition has legs as more and more vehicles are sold and new models are introduced.
Not trying to diminish the acclaim the company has received as this type of review (by a respected and known publication) will further enhance the desirability of the make. Genesis has initially benefited by having only two models as opposed to the competition.
"The more lines in the water, the more fish you'll catch...but the more likely you'll tangle a line now and then..."

 

[Mark_888]

From an article in USAToday based on feedback from Consumer Reports

I don't mean to be rude, but this is old news on this forum. USA today was reporting what Consumer Reports said were the best and worst brands.

The ratings were mostly based on Consumer Reports staff evaluation of the vehicles in each brand. Expected reliability based on CR member feedback played some role, but was not the biggest factor unless it was really bad (like Fiat, Jeep, Land Rover, and Alfa Romeo, etc).

Genesis has only two vehicles, and both of them have all the latest safety electronics (auto emergency braking, etc, etc), which is the only brand to have that on every single vehicle in the brand as standard equipment. That gave Genesis a huge edge in the minds of Consumer Reports staff (but the Genesis cars are otherwise nice also).

 

[Scooby]

I don't think you're being rude... I appreciate the feedback including that it is old news... just thought I'd share something that showed up on my phone alert yesterday.

As far as reviews are concerned, I don't buy strictly based on CR or any other reviews. I use those as a baseline and then form my own opinion based on my wants, needs, and usage, etc.

I also own a 2012 Jeep Wrangler which gets horrible CR reviews and I have had zero issues with it. It does exactly what it was meant to do, which may not line up with CR's tests, etc. CR gives the Wrangler horrible ratings for gas mileage, comfort (interior and ride), etc. Anyone buying one expecting the same ride as a luxury car is not being realistic.

Thanks!

 

[Mark_888]

I don't think you're being rude... I appreciate the feedback including that it is old news... just thought I'd share something that showed up on my phone alert yesterday.

As far as reviews are concerned, I don't buy strictly based on CR or any other reviews. I use those as a baseline and then form my own opinion based on my wants, needs, and usage, etc.

I also own a 2012 Jeep Wrangler which gets horrible CR reviews and I have had zero issues with it. It does exactly what it was meant to do, which may not line up with CR's tests, etc. CR gives the Wrangler horrible ratings for gas mileage, comfort (interior and ride), etc. Anyone buying one expecting the same ride as a luxury car is not being realistic.

Thanks!

One good thing about CR reviews is that they usually describe the criteria they use, and then rate each criteria separately before computing a final score. So if the reader doesn't agree with the weighting of the various criteria being evaluated by CR to achieve the final score (or final rating), the consumer can still use a CR review to see how a product performs on those criteria important to the reader.

I recall that about 10 years ago, Jeep Grand Cherokee got highest CR rating in its class by a considerable margin, but was then listed as "not recommended" (in the same article) due to a poor reliability history (based on CR reader surveys). But the overall CR brand ratings (reported by USA Today and others) cover all their vehicles in the brand, and it may be that your 2012 Jeep Wrangler is a reliable model despite that Jeep has a poor reliability history overall for all other Jeep vehicles. After all, a Wrangler (which dates back to a WWII military use) is a completely different type of vehicle than a Jeep Cherokee SUV.

But consumers don't buy a brand, they buy a specific model within a brand, so that makes the recent CR "brand" ratings dubious at best. In the real world, if one buys a Lexus (or whatever) that has all the fancy electronic safety features added as options, it shouldn't drag down the rating on the car just because the same model is also available in base trim without those safety features. But the CR brand ratings make a big deal that those safety features are standard equipment on all trim levels of all Genesis models, and that fact is what propelled them to be the top brand in the CR rating. I give CR an F for that.

 

[EdP]

In the real world, if one buys a Lexus (or whatever) that has all the fancy electronic safety features added as options, it shouldn't drag down the rating on the car just because the same model is also available in base trim without those safety features. But the CR brand ratings make a big deal that those safety features are standard equipment on all trim levels of all Genesis models, and that fact is what propelled them to be the top brand in the CR rating. I give CR an F for that.

CR has always had a belt and suspenders kind of attitude towards safety. I've not read it on a regular basis since they reviewed a product and talked about a negative feature that I thought was the best reason to buy the product.

I do commend Fiat though, they have been #1 on the unreliable list consistently for a few year now.

 

[Mark_888]

I do commend Fiat though, they have been #1 on the unreliable list consistently for a few year now.

I assume you meant "don't recommend."

I almost bought a used Fiat 124 Sport Coupe when I was college many years ago (about 1971). It was great car, with sporty handling (rare back then). It was the classic dark green with tan interior. But reliability was the pits. Fortunately I passed and bought something else to get me through college until I could afford a decent car when I got a real job. Fiat has had horrible reliability for the last 50 years or more.
https://www.carsablanca.com/Oldtimer-Youngtimer-Fahrer/Piff1976/7442828/seite.html#pathway

 

[lt2211]

I also own a 2012 Jeep Wrangler which gets horrible CR reviews and I have had zero issues

Same here, I had a 2015 TLX SH-AWD, advanced, which CR crucified. At one point, giving it a 19 out of 100 reliability. Never had any problem with it, other than the entry and seat comfort. that didn't work for my disabled wife. A condition totally rectified by our purchase of the 2018 G80 3.8 AWD Ultimate. I followed CR for years, buying the first Camry, on their recommendation, followed by 3 other Camrys. Then the Honda Fit in 2009, 2015 and 2017. Then suddenly the Chevy Impala, formerly a CR very low rated car, jumped to the top of the heap with a very high road test rating. I was suspicious, so went to my local Chevrolet dealer for a test ride. Spent 40 minutes with the salesperson, on the road,while it was nice, I would not have given them my 2007 Lexus ES 350 for it. While no expert, I have become "leery" of CR recommendations.

 

[Mark_888]

Same here, I had a 2015 TLX SH-AWD, advanced, which CR crucified. At one point, giving it a 19 out of 100 reliability. Never had any problem with it, other than the entry and seat comfort. that didn't work for my disabled wife. A condition totally rectified by our purchase of the 2018 G80 3.8 AWD Ultimate. I followed CR for years, buying the first Camry, on their recommendation, followed by 3 other Camrys. Then the Honda Fit in 2009, 2015 and 2017. Then suddenly the Chevy Impala, formerly a CR very low rated car, jumped to the top of the heap with a very high road test rating. I was suspicious, so went to my local Chevrolet dealer for a test ride. Spent 40 minutes with the salesperson, on the road,while it was nice, I would not have given them my 2007 Lexus ES 350 for it. While no expert, I have become "leery" of CR recommendations.

The CR road test ratings are completely separate from the predicted reliability ratings (which are based solely on reader survey statistical data). Rarely would I have the same criteria for choosing a car as CR, so I ignore their ratings.

The CR reliability information is useful if one looks at the details. They show how many problems have been reported by CR members for each major component of a car (engine minor, engine major, transmission, AC, suspension, entertainment system, etc, I think they have about 10 or more categories of reported problems). They report by model and year (although not by trim level). They get a very large sample size of responses from both current and past CR members that is now captured online about twice per year.

The problem with "predicted" reliability is that they are using past data to project future reliability, and a manufacturer that had a major problem with a component of the car, may have fixed it going forward or even fixed it during a production run of the same model year. The reliability ratings are probably more useful for purchasing a used car than for new, although some brands and models seem to be perpetually the worst in the business every year.