No-nonsense Subaru tops Consumer Reports brand rankings; domestics don't make top 10
Domestic brands failed to break the top 10 in Consumer Reports’ 2022 Brand Report Card.
Subaru took the top spot, followed by Mazda, BMW, Honda, Lexus, Audi, Porsche, Mini, Toyota and Infiniti. Buick, Chrysler and Dodge ranked 11th, 13th and 16th, respectively, and represented the only domestic brands in the top half among the 32 brands in the report card released Thursday by the nonprofit consumer advocacy group.
Jeep, which had reliability issues with the Gladiator pickup, had the lowest ranking among all brands, according to the report.
Last year, Mazda was on top. BMW was No. 2, and Subaru was No. 3.
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Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, said the report takes a holistic approach in an effort to encompass everything about the ownership experience. Vehicle testing, surveys and performance on crash tests all come into play.
He said Subaru is a no-nonsense brand that performs well in testing and he praised the Japanese brand's advanced safety features.
While domestic brands didn’t rank at the top, Fisher said some models did stand out. He pointed to the Ford Mustang Mach-E as an example, calling it a “really good model.”
Fisher said the issue for domestic brands typically relates to one area: “What the domestics tend to lack is reliability,” he said, noting that Cadillac, for instance, is as good or better than European luxury brands otherwise.
“We see that the domestics aren’t as consistent at providing reliable vehicles,” Fisher said.
Reliability, for the report, refers to whether things have gone wrong with the vehicle and whether something has broken; it does not refer to things that people simply dislike about their vehicles. As for vehicle recalls, they only count in relation to reliability if the owner of the vehicle has experienced the problem. Some recalls are preventive in nature, he noted.
What's the reason domestic brands tend to struggle more in this area?
Fisher said it’s the pace of change.
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“(Domestic brands) have much more substantial changes when they redesign their vehicles,” Fisher said. “What we see with imports ... it’s a very slow, methodical change.”
Some brands change everything or introduce numerous models at the same time. Toyota, for instance, won’t generally do that, Fisher said.
That pacing may explain why a brand like Dodge, with its Charger and Challenger models, which have been around for years, does better on these types of rankings than some other brands.
Tesla was at No. 23 in the brand rankings, dropping seven spots from the prior year — the most of any brand — in large part thanks to the “difficult-to-use yoke steering wheel the automaker introduced into its Model S and Model X, which lowered their road test scores,” according to the release. Only the Tesla Model 3, among the brand’s offerings, is recommended by Consumer Reports.
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“They made these really great driving vehicles frustrating to operate,” Fisher said. “When we ask people what they’re really looking for, we hear things like reliability, safety. I ... doubt anyone wanted a new steering wheel on (their Tesla).”
While the domestic brands were not at the top of the report card, the Mach-E was selected by the group as one of its Top Picks. A news release noted that the Mach-E, which was picked as an electric vehicle in the $45,000-$55,000 range, “stands out in this emerging category for being enjoyable to drive, with quick acceleration, agile handling and a well-mannered ride.”
Domestic models, such as the Chevrolet Bolt, Bolt EUV and Malibu, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid and Mach-E, did make the top 10 in the group’s Green Choice list, highlighting their better emissions performance. The Audi e-tron topped that list and the Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid and Civic rounded out the top 10.
Consumer Reports released all three rankings on Thursday.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.
Consumer Reports brand rankings
(From best to worst)
Subaru
Mazda
BMW
Honda
Lexus
Audi
Porsche
Mini
Toyota
Infiniti
Buick
Acura
Chrysler
Hyundai
Nissan
Dodge
Volkswagen
Kia
Genesis
Volvo
Cadillac
Ford
Tesla
Chevrolet
Mercedes-Benz
Lincoln
Jaguar
Alfa Romeo
Land Rover
Mitsubishi
GMC
Jeep
Consumer Reports Top Picks
Under $25,000
Nissan Sentra (small car)
Nissan Rogue Sport (subcompact SUV)
$25,000-$35,000
Subaru Forester (small SUV)
Toyota Prius/Prius Prime (hybrid/plug-in hybrid)
Honda Accord (midsize sedan)
$35,000-$45,000
Toyota RAV4 Prime (two-row SUV)
Kia Telluride (midsize three-row SUV)
Honda Ridgeline (compact pickup)
$45,000-$55,000
Lexus RX (luxury midsize SUV)
Ford Mustang Mach-E (electric vehicle)
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Consumer Reports: Subaru tops annual Brand Report Card
