In this Tuesday, March 22, 2016, file photo, the new 2017 Buick Encore is displayed during a media preview in New York, as part of the New York International Auto Show. Lexus, Toyota and Buick are the most reliable brands in Consumer Reports’ latest survey, a reward for their conservative approach to new technology. Audi and Kia rounded out the top five brands. Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and Ram, all owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, were the worst performers. Electric car maker Tesla Motors also fared poorly.Seth Wenig/The Associated Press
Lexus, Toyota and Buick are the most reliable brands in Consumer Reports' latest survey, a reward for their conservative approach to new technology.
It's the fourth straight year that Lexus came in first and Toyota came in second. Two of their hybrids — the Toyota Prius and the Lexus CT 200H — were named the most reliable vehicles. But Buick — General Motors Co.'s near-luxury marque — is the first domestic brand to crack the top three since the magazine began tracking vehicle reliability in the early 1980s.
Audi and Kia rounded out the top five brands. Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and Ram — all owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — were the worst performers. Electric car maker Tesla Motors also fared poorly.
The magazine released its annual reliability survey Monday. It's closely watched by the industry, since many buyers look to the magazine for recommendations.
Consumer Reports predicts the reliability of 2017 model-year brands and individual vehicles based on survey responses from its subscribers. The magazine collected subscribers' comments on vehicles they own from the 2000-2017 model years. Around 500,000 subscribers responded to this year's survey.
Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' director of automotive testing, said the best performers have something in common: They tend to add new technology slowly, and bit-by-bit, rather than all at once. When Lexus introduced its new 2016 RX SUV, for example, it used an older engine and an eight-speed transmission that had already been used in another Lexus vehicle. When Buick introduced the Encore small SUV in the U.S. in 2012, it was built on a small-car platform used in prior vehicles and had a six-speed transmission, rather than the eight- and nine-speeds coming into vogue.
By contrast, Honda fell in this year's survey partly because of its 2016 Civic small car, which has two new engines, a new steel underbody and a new continuously variable transmission. Cue the problems: Shortly after the Civic went on sale, it was recalled for engine failure. Consumer Reports said Civic customers also have reported problems with the car's infotainment system.
"It's the choice of making such a big change," Fisher told The Associated Press. "They pay the penalty for trying to get it all right."
Fisher said GM has been improving its cars and small SUVs for several years now. The Chevrolet Cruze was the top-performing small car in the survey, while the Chevrolet Trax was the top-performing small SUV. But the company continues to struggle with pickups and larger truck-based SUVs, which gets low marks for steering and suspension issues. The Cadillac Escalade large SUV is the worst performing vehicle in the magazine's survey due to its combination of transmission problems and its difficult-to-use infotainment system. Buick has no truck-based vehicles.
Tesla — which was added to this year's survey because the magazine had enough responses from owners — suffered multiple problems with its new Model X SUV, including water leaks and issues with climate control.
Fisher said Tesla should perform better than average, since electric cars have fewer mechanical parts than gasoline-powered cars. But it gets tripped up by flashy features like the Model X's glitch-prone falcon-wing doors.
"The problem with Tesla has always been the gimmicks," he said.
Here is how the brands ranked, and the number of spots they rose or fell from the year before
- Lexus (unchanged)
- Toyota (unchanged)
- Buick (+4)
- Audi (-1)
- Kia (+1)
- Mazda (-2)
- Hyundai (+2)
- Infiniti (+16)
- BMW (+2)
- Honda (-2)
- Subaru (-6)
- Acura (+6)
- Nissan (+2)
- Mini (-4)
- Chevrolet (+5)
- Porsche (-2)
- Mercedes-Benz (+4)
- Ford (-1)
- Volvo (-7)
- Lincoln (-4)
- Cadillac (+4)
- Volkswagen (-9)
- Jeep (+4)
- GMC (-5)
- Tesla (n/a)
- Dodge (-3)
- Chrysler (-5)
- Fiat (unchanged)
- Ram (-3)
Here are the top three vehicles by category
SUBCOMPACT CAR
- Hyundai Accent
- Nissan Versa Note
- Chevrolet Sonic
COMPACT CAR
- Chevrolet Cruze
- Toyota Corolla
- Mazda3
MIDSIZE CAR
- Kia Optima
- Toyota Camry
- Honda Accord
LARGE CAR
- Hyundai Azera
- Toyota Avalon
- Chevrolet Impala
HYBRID/ELECTRIC CAR
- Toyota Prius
- Toyota Prius V
- Nissan Leaf
LUXURY ENTRY-LEVEL CAR
- Lexus CT 200h
- Buick Verano
- Acura ILX
LUXURY COMPACT CAR
- Lexus IS
- Buick Regal
- BMW 3 Series
LUXURY MIDSIZE CAR
- Infiniti Q70
- Lexus GS
- Lexus ES
LUXURY LARGE CAR
- Lexus LS
- Tesla Model S
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
SPORTY CAR OVER $40,000
- Lexus RC
- BMW 2 Series
- Audi A5
SPORTY CAR UNDER $40,000
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Volkswagen GTI
- Subaru WRX/STi
WAGON
- Volvo V60
- Subaru Outback
- Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
MINIVAN
- Toyota Sienna
- Honda Odyssey
- Dodge Grand Caravan
SUBCOMPACT SUV
- Chevrolet Trax
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Honda HR-V
COMPACT SUV
- Toyota RAV4
- Subaru Forester
- Volkswagen Tiguan
MIDSIZE SUV
- Toyota 4Runner
- Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Toyota Highlander
LARGE SUV
- Ford Expedition
- Ford Flex
- Chevrolet Traverse
LUXURY ENTRY-LEVEL SUV
- Audi Q3
- Buick Encore
- Mini Cooper Countryman
LUXURY COMPACT SUV
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
- Infiniti QX50
- Lexus NX
LUXURY MIDSIZE SUV
- Lexus GX
- Audi Q7
- Lexus RX
LUXURY LARGE SUV
- Buick Enclave
- Mercedes-Benz GLS
- Cadillac Escalade
COMPACT PICKUP TRUCK
- Nissan Frontier
- Chevrolet Colorado
- GMC Canyon
FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK
- Toyota Tundra
- Ford F-250
- Ford F-350
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