VW’s Passat Knocks Camry From a Perch

In a close race likely to help VW more than it hurts Toyota, the Volkswagen Passat unseated Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry, champion for the last 15 years, in Consumer Reports’ annual rating of the best family sedans, the magazine said Tuesday.

The redesigned Passat also outscored Camry last year but was ineligible because, as a new model, it had no consumer feedback--an important part of the judging.

Consumer Reports’ picks for the top cars and trucks in the United States in numerous categories appear in the influential magazine’s April automotive issue.

The 1999 Passat-Camry contest “was very close,” said David Champion, the magazine’s director of auto testing. “Both cars are excellent,” he said.

Said Toyota spokesman John Hanson: “It would have been nice, of course, to have retained that string, but in the long run the main thing is consumers who read that book know [Camry] comes highly recommended.”

The magazine’s ratings are based on the results of more than two dozen tests that measure vehicle acceleration, braking, handling, comfort, convenience, fuel economy, interior noise and other features, Champion said.

Many other ratings, such as J.D. Power & Associates’ coveted initial-quality awards, are based on customer surveys and rank models according to the number of defects reported by owners.

Neither the Camry nor the Passat placed in Power’s most recent such rankings for the top three mid-size cars, spokesman Pete Marlow said.

The Consumer Reports rankings, though, are “extremely important to a large number of people,” said industry consultant George Peterson of AutoPacific Inc.

“Time and again, people tell us that the first thing they look at when they start car shopping is Consumer Reports. So being No. 1 guarantees that shoppers’ consideration of the Passat will increase tremendously,” Peterson said.

That’s good news for Volkswagen, which sells just one Passat in the U.S. for every 11 Camrys that Toyota sells.

At the same time, Toyota has 15 years of Camry supremacy in the magazine’s tests to boast about--and four other Toyota products that did place first in their categories in this year’s results.

“Camry will still be a contender for shoppers’ consideration,” Peterson said.

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Reuters was used in compiling this report.

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The Chosen Ones

Top car picks among 1999 models chosen by Consumer Reports magazine, by category, with approximate sales price:

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Category The winner The cost Family sedan Volkswagon Passat $23,000. Small sedan Mazda Protege $17,000 well-equipped Driving fun Mazda MX-5 Miata $24,000 well-equipped Fun for families Audi A6 About $40,000 Small sport-utility Subaru Forester $23,000. Large sport-utility Lexus RX300 $40,000 well equipped Pickup truck Ford F-150 $25,000 Minivan Toyota Sienna $25,000 Green vehicle Honda Civic $15,000 Best tested overall Mercedes-Benz E320 $47,000 Best first car Used 1993 $8,000 to $10,000 Honda Accord “for a good one”

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Sources: Associated Press, Consumer Reports magazine