Top cars 2011

The Consumers Union that testes every year cars sold in the USA and rates them according to reliability scores issued the 2011 Consumer Report.

After testing more than 270 vehicles, results show that, as compared to last year, Ford has improved road-test and reliability scores more than any other make, with Flex SUV in the front line. In spite of these developments Honda, Subaru and Toyota remain the best vehicles overall for the third year. Good results have also been obtained by General Motors and Volvo both on road-test and reliability.

Mercedes Benz remained the only producer who recorded worse results as compared with last year in both fields.

The reliability of the results is proven by the high number of cars tested – 270 cars only in the last period.

Other results show that the new GM models have performed well during tests, but the company still produces boring cars that drag down its overall score. Reliability has improved, but has not reached the highest level yet.

Chrysler is last, with the lowest average test score by far, but the company, now run by Italian automaker Fiat, is currently overhauling its lineup. Newer models, such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Ram, have done better in this year’s tests and upcoming redesigns are a nice surprise. Nevertheless, Chrysler's reliability needs to improve for the automaker to be competitive.

European cars performed well, but many have confusing controls and inconsistent reliability. Volvo is the only European make with an above-average reliability score.

The report had insufficient data on Mitsubishi a brand included last year in the survey.

Test methodology was revised in 2011, the overall score equally taking into consideration road-test and predicted-reliability scores for all tested models. The road tests comprise more than 50 checks, covering performance, safety, fuel economy, comfort, and convenience. Reliability scores are given by the Annual Auto Survey.

Asian makes lead the list

Honda, including its Acura division, has had the best reliability record of any manufacturer and in general its outstanding vehicles have performed positively. The subcompact Fit, midsized Accord, and Acura MDX SUV have been at or near the top of their categories for years. In fact, no Honda product scores less than average in reliability. But some new Hondas have been unimpressive, including the CR-Z and Insight hybrids. The redesigned Odyssey, still remained the top-ranked minivan, but dropped a few points in testing.

Subaru, which has the highest average road-test score, makes only about a half-dozen models, but almost all do well in road tests and have been reliability stalwarts. The Forester is a top-rated small SUV, and the Legacy, a good-performing sedan, has improved with each generation. Only one model, the sporty Impreza WRX, has below-average reliability.

Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models remain solid choices overall, but some newer Toyotas have slipped in interior fit and finish, with the Sienna minivan and Venza wagon being two recent examples. Two Toyotas, the subcompact Yaris and the FJ Cruiser SUV, have shown superb reliability but scored low in road tests.

Hyundai's overall road-test score is a bit higher than last year's and could further improve with the impressive new models to be tested in the near future.

Ford has outpaced its cross-town rivals in reliability in recent years. In our road tests, we have been impressed by current Fords such as the Fusion, Flex SUV, and Mustang. Even the new small Fiesta drives nicely. But the Ford Escape and Edge SUVs are nothing special, the large Ford Taurus has limited visibility, and the touch-sensitive controls in some new Fords and Lincolns are difficult to use.

Newer GM vehicles such as the Buick Enclave and LaCrosse, and the Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse, have done well in our road tests and have average reliability. The new Chevrolet Cruze performed well in our tests, but reliability remains to be seen. The below-average reliability of some Cadillac and GMC models hurts the automaker's overall score, as did subpar older models such as the Chevrolet Impala sedan, Colorado pickup, and the outgoing Aveo subcompact.

Europe is mixed

If front-seat comfort, fit and finish, and driving dynamics were all that counted, European cars would rule the roost. As it is, subpar reliability hounds some European brands. Volkswagen's brand reliability has improved of late, but Audi's spotty reliability brings the combined automaker's score down. If the new Jetta sedan, with its low-grade interior and mediocre fuel economy, is an indication of where Volkswagen is headed, it's going in the wrong direction. Mercedes-Benz and BMW, with below-average reliability, are near the bottom of our ranking. Their SUVs, especially, had reliability problems, according to our survey, despite being good performers. And although the BMW 1 Series has an excellent road-test score, it is hobbled by terrible reliability.

What's the best-selling family car in America?

Automakers have just reported March sales in the U.S. unveiling a change in the consumer demand that focused on fuel-efficient vehicles and placed for the first time ever the tiny Nissan Altimaas on top of the best-selling sedans in America. For the whole Q1, the mid-size Toyota Camry still retains the top spot in first-quarter 2011 sales in the U.S. Three of the top 10 spots in Q1 sales are occupied by Toyota, Chevrolet and Honda each have two, and Ford and Nissan one each.

Supply and assembly disruptions due to the Japanese earthquake and heavy advertising by Nissan, were the two other factors that determined the new trends.

The 10 Cheapest Cars to Own

The negotiated price you pay for a car and the interest on the car loan are only part of your total payments. You should also take into consideration insurance, depreciation, taxes and fees over the years for fuel, service and repairs, and even the money for the down payment that you could have invested elsewhere with a profit are part of the equation.

All the vehicles on the list are small because these are the ones that tend to have the lowest market price, the best fuel economy, and reasonable insurance rates.

Note that with the lower-price class, you may also have to pay extra for automatic transmission, air conditioning and sometimes even a radio-not to mention such safety features as anti-lock brakes. Most are equipped with six standard airbags but only half have standard stability control. The market price is the average transaction cost and reflects rebates; all vehicles have manual transmissions, unless otherwise noted.

	Market price	5-Year fuel cost	5-Year insurance cost	Total 5-Year ownership cost	Depre-ciation	Fees & taxes	Financing 5-year loan at 5.95%	Opportunity cost of a 15% down payment	Mainte-nance	Repairs
Nissan Versa 1.6 Base 4dr	10,922	8,456	4,851	26,233	6,874	905	1,371	452	1,917	1,406
Hyundai Accent GL 2dr hatch	9,677	8,085	5,134	26,715	7,748	822	1,207	423	1,795	1,500
Chevrolet Aveo5 LS 4dr hatch	11,038	8,171	5,446	26,958	7,547	919	1,385	451	1,618	1,422
Ford Fiesta S 4dr	13,212	7,576	5,623	28,402	8,919	1,063	1,690	467	1,564	1,500
Mazda2 Sport 4dr hatch	14,625	7,825	5,630	28,593	8,405	1,139	1,864	490	1,613	1,627
Toyota Yaris 4dr	13,818	7,737	5,163	28,616	9,377	1,089	1,757	463	1,623	1,406
Kia Rio 4dr	11,824	8,085	5,447	29,157	9,158	966	1,500	458	2,042	1,500
Kia Soul 4dr hatch	13,826	8,771	4,402	29,275	9,305	1,381	2,338	487	1,956	1,500
Honda Insight 4dr hatch	18,097	5,955	5,497	29,953	11,145	1,381	2,338	487	1,727	1,422
Ford Focus S 4dr	13,643	8,571	5,484	30,290	9,819	1,101	1,741	490	1,661	1,422