Reliability Rankings
Japanese cars still hold the edge in reliability, but computers on American vehicles are helping to narrow the gap, Consumer Reports said. Acura and Infiniti, the luxury lines of Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., were the brands with the fewest problems reported by owners. General Motors Corp.’s Saturn and Geo were best among the American brands. Volvo and BMW were the most reliable European cars. Highlights of the Survey:
Reliability
Reliability rankings of 1995 models, from best to worst, based on the number of problems reported by owners:
1. Acura
2. Infiniti
3. Honda
4. Geo
5. Subaru
6. BMW
7. Toyota
8. Mazda
9. Volvo
10. Saturn
11. Nissan
12. Eagle
13. Lexus
14. Lincoln
15. Chrysler
17. Oldsmobile
18. Jeep
19. Pontiac
20. Ford
21. Buick
22. Dodge
23. Mercury
24. Plymouth
25. GMC
26. Volkswagen
27. Chevrolet
28. Saab
29. Cadillac
Best of 1996
Consumer Reports’ selections, based on its testing and reader surveys.
Best family sedan: Toyota Camry
Best inexpensive car: Honda Civic
Best sport-utility vehicle: Ford Explorer
Best high-mileage car (fuel economy): Toyota Tercel
Most fun to drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata and BMW 318ti hatchback
Best regardless of price: Mercedes -Benz E320
Used Cars to Avoid
Least reliable used cars, based on model year 1988-94. List starts with the worst.
1. Dodge Monaco
2. Eagle Premier
3. Hyundai Excel
4. Jeep Wrangler
5. Ford Taurus SHO
6. Chrysler Town & Country
7. Dodge Grand Caravan
8. Plymouth Grand Voyager
9. Ford Bronco
10. Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais
11. Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
12. GMC S-15 Jimmy
13. Oldsmobile Bravada
14. Ford Tempo
15. Mercury Topaz
Note: Some brands or models are not included because of insufficient data.
Sources: Consumer Reports, Associated Press.
