WASHINGTON—South Korean and U.S. automakers last Thursday broke Japan's two-year sweep of the top picks list ranked by Consumer Reports and four new models made the grade this year.
In a first for a South Korean manufacturer, the Hyundai Motor Co. Elantra SE was the top small sedan and the Santa Fe, also made by Hyundai, was the top mid-sized sport utility vehicle.
The redesigned Chevrolet Silverado, made by General Motors Corp., led the pickup category. It was the first time since 2005 that a U.S. automaker was noted.
Japanese manufacturers, however, placed seven vehicles in the top 10 and continued their dominance in ratings for performance, safety, and reliability.
This included the fourth new model on the list, the Lexus LS 460L, for best luxury sedan and the gasoline/electric Prius, which capped "green car" honors for the fifth straight year. Toyota Motor Corp. makes both.
But overall, "the best cars sold in the U.S. are still made by Honda," Consumer Reports said. Honda Motor Co. Ltd had one car in the top 10, the Accord, but all of its vehicles evaluated for reliability and performance made Consumer Reports' longer list of recommended vehicles.
For the first time, all top picks offered rollover prevention technology as standard or easily obtainable optional equipment.
Automakers pay close attention to the annual ratings, first published in 1997. This year's reviews were kinder than in the past to struggling GM and Ford Motor Co., but sharply critical of Chrysler LLC.
"Chrysler seems to be the one in the dumps," said David Champion, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports.
Detroit automakers performed better overall in reliability, but only accounted for a quarter of all recommended vehicles in 2008. Ford and GM were singled out for reliability improvements, but several older model GM vehicles were described as sub-par.
No Chrysler or Ford models made the top picks list and Chrysler had a number of "unimpressive new vehicles." Criticism included noisy, underpowered engines and cramped seating.
Chrysler said Consumer Reports was only one measurement used to gauge customer satisfaction and several of its models have received good recommendations from other industry and consumer guides.
"We value the report, but we also have other positive feedback from third-party sources," said Chrysler spokeswoman Mary Beth Halprin.
Consumer Reports also said cheaper vehicles can cost more in the long run than more expensive options.
"A car's sticker price doesn't tell the whole story," the product testing group said.
For instance, the Prius actually costs less to own than similar models. Its price tag is about $7,500 more than a similarly sized Chevrolet Cobalt, but costs almost $2,000 less over five years, Consumer Reports said.
Depreciation is the largest cost factor, followed by fuel, especially for sport utilities. Insurance, maintenance and repair, and sales taxes also add to overall costs.
Rounding out the top picks list was the Toyota Sienna minivan, the Toyota RAV small SUV, the Mazda Motor Corp. MX-5 Miata—fun to drive—and Nissan Motor Co. Infiniti G35, the pick for upscale sedan.
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