Kia also drives onto Japanese-heavy Consumer Reports list
Ford riding high in quality survey The Ford Mustang has been named top sporty car in Consumer Reports magazine’s Top Picks for 2011.
Olivier Douliery/McClatchy-Tribune
Ford’s newest Mustang model, Chevrolet’s Avalanche SUV-pickup and the Kia Sorento crossover utility vehicle joined the ranks of Consumer Reports magazine’s Top Picks of new vehicles for 2011, but the Japanese automakers continued to dominate the list.
The magazine’s auto editors — and readers, too — always have seemed to be skewed in favour of the Japanese brands, so it’s refreshing to see two domestic nameplates and another South Korean vehicle on the latest list.
Also making the list for the first time this year were the Honda Fit subcompact car, Toyota RAV4 compact crossover and Toyota Sienna minivan, which was redesigned for 2011.
In all, there are 10 Top Picks for 2011; the others are the Nissan Altima sedan, Toyota Prius hybrid hatchback, the redesigned Hyundai Elantra compact sedan and the Infiniti G37 luxury performance sedan.
“The 10 picks come from six manufacturers and eight brands, reflecting the increasing competitiveness within today’s auto market,” the magazine said in an announcement of the choices.
Details of the picks appear in the annual Consumer Reports auto issue.
The magazine noted the Sorento, the top choice in the family hauler category, “is the first Kia model to make the list in the history of the Top Picks. The redesigned 2011 Sorento is a more well-rounded SUV with a roomy, nicely finished interior.”
For the second straight year, Nissan’s Altima was named the best family sedan, outranking the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling passenger vehicles, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, both of which compete directly with the Altima.
Making the list for the fourth time in a row was the Elantra, which has been redesigned for 2011. In its category, it beat out such favourites as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
The Ford Mustang was the top model in the sporty car class, which “has been dominated by foreign models for the past five years, including the Subaru Impreza WRX, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Volkswagen GTI,” the magazine said.
The Prius held onto its position as the top green car model for the eighth year in a row, based mostly on its fuel economy of 44 mpg overall, which Consumer Reports said was the best of any vehicle it had tested recently.
Chevy’s Avalanche, which lists for $47,435, was named the top choice among pickup trucks.
The redesigned Sienna competes in the minivan segment against the popular Honda Odyssey, which also was completely redesigned for 2011, as well as the domestic minivans from Chrysler and Dodge.
Infiniti’s G37 made the list as the top sports sedan for the fifth straight year, outpacing vehicles from such well-known performance brands as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.
For the fourth time in the past five years, the RAV4 made it as a Top Pick among small SUVs. Its prices for 2011 range from $25,405 to $31,435.
Honda’s Fit was the Top Pick among budget cars, with a base price ranging from $16,020 to $16,730, “which helps solidify this versatile subcompact hatchback as the best in its class and a great value,” the magazine said.
The magazine’s auto editors — and readers, too — always have seemed to be skewed in favour of the Japanese brands, so it’s refreshing to see two domestic nameplates and another South Korean vehicle on the latest list.
Also making the list for the first time this year were the Honda Fit subcompact car, Toyota RAV4 compact crossover and Toyota Sienna minivan, which was redesigned for 2011.
In all, there are 10 Top Picks for 2011; the others are the Nissan Altima sedan, Toyota Prius hybrid hatchback, the redesigned Hyundai Elantra compact sedan and the Infiniti G37 luxury performance sedan.
“The 10 picks come from six manufacturers and eight brands, reflecting the increasing competitiveness within today’s auto market,” the magazine said in an announcement of the choices.
Details of the picks appear in the annual Consumer Reports auto issue.
The magazine noted the Sorento, the top choice in the family hauler category, “is the first Kia model to make the list in the history of the Top Picks. The redesigned 2011 Sorento is a more well-rounded SUV with a roomy, nicely finished interior.”
For the second straight year, Nissan’s Altima was named the best family sedan, outranking the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling passenger vehicles, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, both of which compete directly with the Altima.
Making the list for the fourth time in a row was the Elantra, which has been redesigned for 2011. In its category, it beat out such favourites as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
The Ford Mustang was the top model in the sporty car class, which “has been dominated by foreign models for the past five years, including the Subaru Impreza WRX, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Volkswagen GTI,” the magazine said.
The Prius held onto its position as the top green car model for the eighth year in a row, based mostly on its fuel economy of 44 mpg overall, which Consumer Reports said was the best of any vehicle it had tested recently.
Chevy’s Avalanche, which lists for $47,435, was named the top choice among pickup trucks.
The redesigned Sienna competes in the minivan segment against the popular Honda Odyssey, which also was completely redesigned for 2011, as well as the domestic minivans from Chrysler and Dodge.
Infiniti’s G37 made the list as the top sports sedan for the fifth straight year, outpacing vehicles from such well-known performance brands as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.
For the fourth time in the past five years, the RAV4 made it as a Top Pick among small SUVs. Its prices for 2011 range from $25,405 to $31,435.
Honda’s Fit was the Top Pick among budget cars, with a base price ranging from $16,020 to $16,730, “which helps solidify this versatile subcompact hatchback as the best in its class and a great value,” the magazine said.
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