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Reports
New reliability survey results 63
Luxury SUVs 66
Cars
Road tests, auto products, hot topics
NEWS
Gas-saving models lead in reliability
Fuel-efficient vehicles are a
very reliable segment of the automotive
market overall. And European
cars, which have trailed the
domestic models for about five years, are
showing signs of improvement.
Those are the top findings of our 2008
Car Reliability Survey, based on our subscribers’
experiences with 1.4 million vehicles.
Respondents reported on any
serious problems they had with their vehicles
in 17 trouble spots during the previous
12 months, which allows us to provide
predicted-reliability Ratings for new cars.
We include only models for which we have
100 or more responses.
According to the survey, nine hybrid
models for which we have sufficient data
earned above-average predicted-reliability
Ratings. Most of those hybrids are from
Japanese automakers. We also found
that conventional gas-sippers such as
the Honda Fit, Scion xD, Smart ForTwo,
Highs and lows
and Toyota Yaris had few problems.
Some European automakers, particularly
Mercedes-Benz, had sunk to the bottom
of our predicted-reliability Ratings in
recent years. But the new results show
signs of a comeback.
Six Mercedes-Benz models, including
the redesigned C-Class sedan, the sporty
SL, and the ML350 SUV, have improved to
average reliability. As a result, they are
now recommended (see “What’s Up and
What’s Down,” page 64).
Ford leads the domestics
Ford’s three brands—Ford, Lincoln, and
Mercury—continue to pull away from the
rest of the Detroit automakers. Almost all
Ford models are now average or better, with
the exception of some that are truck-based.
Excluding those, Ford’s reliability is now on
par with good Japanese automakers.
General Motors is a mixed bag. Among
the bright spots is the redesigned Chevrolet
Malibu; in its first year, the four-cylinder
version is better than average and the V6 is
average. The Buick Lucerne with a V8 and
the Pontiac G6 with a four-cylinder are
above average, and the Chevrolet Avalanche
has improved to average.
But a quarter of GM models are still
well below average in reliability. Some
that didn’t fare well are fairly new designs
that did well in our testing, such as the
Cadillac CTS and the Buick Enclave, GMC
Acadia, and Saturn Outlook SUV triplets.
Chrysler trails the pack. Almost twothirds
of its products rate below average
for reliability. The redesigned 2008
Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand
Caravan minivans earned low scores, as
did the Chrysler Sebring V6 and Dodge
Avenger sedans and the Jeep Liberty SUV.
The Sebring Convertible has the worst
score: 283 percent worse than average. The
only above-average models are the Dodge
Caliber hatchback and Jeep Patriot SUV.
Toyota bounces back
Last year we called out three Toyota models
that had slipped to below average: the
Camry V6, Tundra V8 4WD, and the Lexus
GS AWD. Toyota seems to have rectified
some of the problems—all 42 of the Toyota,
Lexus, and Scion models in our survey
scored average or better. While the three
models noted above scored merely average,
The Scion xD has the best predictedreliability
score for new cars. Its owners
reported 80 percent fewer problems than
the average new car in our survey.
The Chrysler Sebring Convertible has the
worst predicted-reliability score among
new cars in our survey. It is 283 percent
worse than the average model.
Next month
Family sedans, including a hybrid/
diesel face-off. Plus new ownersatisfaction
Ratings.
december 2008 www.ConsumerReports.org 63

most models got above-average Ratings.
Almost all models from Honda and
its Acura luxury division received aboveaverage
scores. In addition, Subarus for
which we have sufficient data scored average
or better in reliability.
What’s up and what’s down
* Based on data for one model year.
Nissan showed striking improvements,
with the perennially troublesome
Armada SUV, Titan pickup, and Infiniti
QX56 SUV finally gaining average reliability.
The new Nissan Rogue and Infiniti EX
SUVs have started out above average,
Our reliability Ratings play a big part in whether Consumer Reports recommends a vehicle.
A model must have an average or better predicted-reliability Rating, must perform well in
our testing, and must do well in independent crash and rollover tests, if tested.
Newly recommended
Models with
improved reliability
Audi A8
BMW 6 Series
Chevrolet Avalanche
Lexus GS (V6, AWD)
Mazda CX-7
Mazda CX-9
Mercedes-Benz E350
Mercedes-Benz ML350
Mercedes-Benz S550
Mercedes-Benz SL*
Mercedes-Benz SLK
Nissan Armada
Nissan Titan
Saturn Aura XR (V6)
Toyota Camry (V6)
Toyota Tundra (V8, 4WD)
Volkswagen GTI
Volvo XC90
Models for which we
now have sufficient data
Chevrolet Malibu*
Hyundai Veracruz
Infiniti EX*
Kia Rondo*
Mercedes-Benz C-Class*
Mini Cooper Clubman*
Nissan Altima Hybrid
Nissan Murano*
Nissan Rogue*
Pontiac Vibe*
Scion xD*
Suzuki SX4
Toyota Corolla*
Toyota Highlander*
Toyota Highlander Hybrid*
Toyota Matrix*
Toyota Sequoia*
Volvo C30*
Volvo S80*
Not recommended
Models with
declining reliability
Audi A3
BMW X5 (6-cyl.)
Cadillac STS (V6)
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (turbodiesel, 4WD)
Chrysler PT Cruiser (turbo)*
Dodge Charger (V8)
GMC Acadia
GMC Sierra 2500 (turbodiesel, 4WD)
Porsche Cayenne*
Saturn Outlook
Volkswagen Eos
Models now with sufficient
data but that are below average
Buick Enclave (AWD)*
Cadillac CTS*
Chrysler Sebring (V6)*
Chrysler Sebring Convertible*
Chrysler Town & Country*
Dodge Avenger*
Dodge Grand Caravan*
Jaguar XK*
Jeep Liberty*
Land Rover LR2*
Saturn Vue*
Suzuki XL-7*
Volvo XC70*
New or redesigned 2008 models for which we
have insufficient data include the Audi A5, BMW 1
Series, BMW X6, Dodge Challenger, Lexus LX,
Mitsubishi Lancer, Pontiac G8, Saturn Astra, and
Toyota Land Cruiser.
which is a good sign, and the Altima Hybrid
sedan is well above average.
The two closely related South Korean
nameplates, Hyundai and Kia, rank right
up there with the better Japanese makers.
Most of their models scored average
or better, with only the Hyundai Entourage
and Kia Sedona minivans receiving
below-average scores.
Europe rebounds
While Mercedes-Benz has improved in reliability,
none of its models scored above
average and a third are still below average.
Audi continues to improve, with twothirds
of its lineup scoring average or better.
Its sister brand, Volkswagen, has several
models rating average or better in our
survey, but the Passat sedan, Touareg SUV,
and Eos convertible have not done well.
BMW has also shown progress in recent
years, with most versions of the 3 Series
and some 5 Series models being
average or better. The 6 Series improved to
above average.
Ford continues to
pull away from
the other Detroit
automakers.
Volvo has continued the upward march
as well. Of the nine Volvos for which we
have sufficient data, only the redesigned
XC70 wagon rated below average in reliability.
Land Rover continued to fare poorly,
with all four of its SUVs, including the
new LR2, scoring well below average.
A consumer-driven Rating
Our reliability data are based on a subscriber
survey and are not derived from
Consumer Reports’ vehicle testing.
From the survey, we derive a reliability
history for 10 model years as well as our
forecast of how 2009 models will probably
hold up. This predicted-reliability Rating
is based on a model’s overall reliability for
the newest three model years, provided
the 2009 version hasn’t significantly
changed. If a model was new or redesigned
in that time frame, we might use just one
or two years of data. In rare instances, we
make a prediction for a redesigned model
if the manufacturer’s and model’s histories
are outstanding.
64 consumer reports december 2008

Best and worst in reliability
These 2009 models earned the highest and lowest predictedreliability
Ratings based on the Consumer Reports 2008 Car
Most reliable
Listed in order of Ratings score,
starting with the best score.
Reliability Survey. Models marked with (2008) have been
redesigned for 2009 but their data are still used in the rating.
Least reliable
Listed in order of Ratings score,
starting with worst score.
SMALL CARS
Scion xD*
Mini Cooper Clubman*
Suzuki SX4
Honda Fit (2008)
Toyota Yaris
Hyundai Elantra (shown)
Smart ForTwo*
Mazda3 (sedan)
Honda Civic (sedan)
SMALL CARS
Nissan Versa (sedan)*
FAMILY CARS
Toyota Prius
Kia Optima
Toyota Camry Hybrid (shown)
Ford Fusion
Mercury Milan
Nissan Altima Hybrid
FAMILY CARS
Dodge Avenger*
Chrysler Sebring (V6)*
Chevrolet Impala (V8)
SPORTY CARS, COUPES & CONVERTIBLES
Lexus SC*
Volvo C30*
Honda S2000
UPSCALE/LUXURY CARS
Infiniti M35 (RWD)
Lexus IS 250
Acura TSX (2008) (shown)
WAGONS & MINIVANS
Toyota Matrix*
Scion xB*
Pontiac Vibe* (shown)
Toyota Camry Solara
(4-cyl.)
Nissan 350Z
Scion tC (shown)
Infiniti G35 Sedan (RWD)
Acura TL (2008)
Lexus GS450h Hybrid*
Subaru Outback (turbo)*
Toyota Sienna
Honda Odyssey
SPORTY CARS, COUPES & CONVERTIBLES
Chrysler Sebring (convertible)*
Saturn Sky
Pontiac Solstice
UPSCALE & LUXURY CARS
Cadillac STS (V8)*
Mercedes-Benz E-Class (V8)*
WAGONS & MINIVANS
Chrysler Town & Country*
Dodge Grand Caravan*
Hyundai Entourage*
Chevrolet Corvette
Saab 9-3 (convertible)*
SMALL SUVs
Honda Element
Toyota FJ Cruiser (shown)
Toyota RAV4 (4-cyl.)
Honda CR-V
Infiniti EX*
SMALL SUVs
Land Rover LR2*
Saturn Vue (V6, AWD)*
Dodge Nitro
Suzuki XL-7*
Jeep Wrangler
MIDSIZED SUVs
Honda Pilot (2008) (shown)
Lexus RX400h (hybrid)
Lincoln MKX (FWD)
Toyota 4Runner (V6)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid*
Toyota Highlander*
LARGE SUVs
Toyota Sequoia* (shown)
MIDSIZED SUVs
Land Rover Range Rover*
Volkswagen Touareg
Cadillac SRX (V6)
Mercedes-Benz M-Class (V8)*
BMW X5 (V8)
Land Rover Range Rover
Sport*
Audi Q7
LARGE SUVs
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
(V8)
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
(turbodiesel)*
Land Rover LR3*
Jeep Commander (V8)
Ford Explorer (V8, 2WD)*
Mercury Mountaineer
(V8, 2WD)*
Porsche Cayenne*
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Jeep Grand Cherokee (4WD)
Cadillac Escalade ESV*
GMC Acadia (FWD)
Saturn Outlook (FWD)
Cadillac Escalade
PICKUP TRUCKS
Toyota Tundra (V6)*
Honda Ridgeline (shown)
* Based on data for one model year.
PICKUP TRUCKS
Ford F-250 (turbodiesel
4WD)*
Dodge Dakota (4WD)
Cadillac Escalade EXT*
Dodge Ram 2500
(turbodiesel 4WD)
Chevrolet Colorado (4WD)
GMC Canyon (4WD)
december 2008 www.ConsumerReports.org 65