It’s that time of year again! The annual auto issue of Consumer Reports landed in my mailbox last week, and I spent some time leafing through it over the weekend. (You can read my summaries of past auto issues here: 2007, 2008, 2009) Fortunately, I’m not a victim of the new-car itch right now; the used 2004 Mini Cooper I bought last year is running like a champ, and I have no urge to replace it.
Here are the Consumer Reports top-rated vehicles in ten categories (with previous years’ top cars in parentheses):
- Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (2009: Chevrolet Avalanche, 2008: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, no pick in 2007)
- Sporty Car (formerly Fun-to-drive): Volkswagen GTI (2007-2009: Mazda MX-5 Miata)
- Small sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE (2008-2009: Hyundai Elantra SE, 2007: Honda Civic)
- Family sedan: Nissan Altima (2007-2009: Honda Accord)
- Sports sedan (formerly Upscale sedan): Infiniti G37 (2009: Infiniti G37, 2007-2008: Infiniti G35)
- Luxury sedan: no pick, but implied Lexus LS 460L (2009: implied Lexus LS 460, 2008: Lexus LS 460L, 2007: Infiniti M35)
- Small SUV: Subaru Forester (2007-2009: Toyota RAV4)
- Family SUV (formerly Midsized SUV): Chevrolet Traverse (2009: Toyota Highlander, 2008: Hyundai Santa Fe, 2007: Toyota Highlander Hybrid)
- Family Hauler (formerly Minivan): Mazda5 (2007-2009: Toyota Sienna)
- Green car: Toyota Prius (2007-2009: Toyota Prius)
This year, Consumer Reports chose a “best car overall”, which was again the Lexus LS 460L. The LS scored 99 out of a possible 100 points in the magazine’s road test. (By comparison, my beloved Mini Cooper scored an 81 again.)
Again this year, CR shared its list of “most overlooked cars”, which was identical to last year’s list of overlooked cars. These five vehicles are safe and performed well in their testing, but don’t sell well:
- Mazda5
- Kia Rondo
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Hyundai Azera
- Suzuki SX4
This year, Consumer Reports revised how it determined which cars provide the best value. Last year they divided each vehicle’s 5-year cost-of-ownership by its road score to come up with an arbitrary measure of cost vs. quality. This year their method is more obscure, though it seems to follow the same principles (but with reliability ratings tossed in for good measure).
The CR website actually has more complete info than the magazine regarding the best and worst values in 2010 cars. Best value overall? The Honda Fit Sport with a “value score” of 2.24. Worst? The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara with a value score of 0.30. (The Mini Cooper places well at 1.82.) Where can you find the best car values? According to the magazine:
Small cars and family cars tend to have the best scores…Similarly, small SUVs tend to be better values than larger ones.
Reliability is important too, of course. This year, Consumer Reports rated these five used cars as the most reliable for their vintage:
- 2009 Toyota Yaris hatchback
- 2007 Toyota Highlander
- 2005 Toyota Prius
- 2003 Lexus LX
- 2001 Toyota Echo
Overall, vehicles from Toyota have been most reliable over the past ten years (present woes notwithstanding), followed by Honda. (These two stand far ahead of the pack in long-term reliability.) Volkswagens and Hyundais have been more problematic, especially over a span of many years. (The magazine notes that Hyundai quality has been improving in recent years, however.)
Other notable rankings:
- The Toyota Prius has the best fuel economy (44mpg), while the Ford F-250 Lariat diesel has the worst (10mpg).
- The Dodge Challenge (V8) has the highest customer satisfaction (92% would buy again), while the Chrysler Sebring sedan has the worst (37%).
- The Honda Fit is the least expensive car to own over five years ($25,500), while the Dodge Viper is the most expensive ($113,000).
Some of the material from the Consumer Reports 2010 Auto Issue is freely available on their website. Other information, however, is locked behind a paywall. And don’t forget that you can always find great info on the Consumer Reports car blog.
From the archives
Don’t forget that Get Rich Slowly features car-buying tips from time-to-time. Notable articles include:
- Why I drive a 13-year-old car
- Dave Ramsey says ‘Drive free, retire rich’
- The best way to buy a new car and A real fighting chance
- Two approaches to car-buying
- How to sell a used car
I also recommend two older AskMetafilter threads:
- Fix it or junk it? At what point is a car not worth repairing?
- What is a reasonable offer for a new car? Don’t miss this fantastic response from a fellow who just bought a car.
The Consumer Reports car issue is an excellent resource. If you think you might purchase a vehicle soon, I recommend it. But I think it’s a little dangerous to pick up just for the sake of browsing. You may find yourself moved from merely curious to “itching to buy”!
This article is about Cars
Thanks for the info. I’m going to be looking into used cars in a couple of years and was actually thinking about the Toyota Yaris…it was nice to see it on the list.
We are fans of Toyota despite their new unofficial slogan – Toyota, hang on and enjoy the ride!
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Thanks for sharing, JD. I think I’ll run out and pick up this edition. My wife and I are in the market for a larger vehicle (our compact is too small for us and our baby!).
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My husband drives a Honda Fit and absolutely adores it. Meanwhile, my best friends drive a Toyota Yaris and they also love it. I’d definitely recommend them to anyone looking for an excellent commuter car or for someone with no-2 kids. The Fit especially has a ton of room for something its size- no one really believes it until they look inside.
What’s my car, you ask? A Dodge Charger.
It’s a fun car, but not exactly economical; however, my gas is currently being paid for and my commute is short so I don’t have an economic reason to switch at this point. I find it hilarious that two Chrysler cars have both the highest and lowest customer satisfaction ratings. No one can resist their muscle/sports cars, but no one would take their other cars if they were giving them away. (slight exaggeration)
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As it so happens, we’ll be in the market for a Mazda5 in a month or so, partly because of how many times it’s listed above and partly because it’s based on the Mazda3 platform (our current car, which we love but is not big enough anymore).
We’ll be trading in (or otherwise selling) our current car and buying in cash.
I’d been thinking of going for a used 2008 model, but looking at advertised prices for new cars, will probably see how low I can get dealers to go for a new model in basic trim (we don’t need anything fancy, and Mazda’s basic trims are pretty decent). I figure anything within $1000-1500 of the price for a used 2008 is worth it, given the used cars generally don’t have any warranty left and do have 30-50k miles on them.
If we do end up buying used, a question for used-car buyers here: does anyone have any experience with CarMax? How does it compare to buying used from a dealer?
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I drive a Mini and don’t want to drive anything else for a long time (I’m young with no kids). Plus, don’t forget it has the best resale value of any car on the market, and they’re fuel efficient! Just don’t get one if you’re uncomfortable with people staring at you while you’re driving…
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Matt (#4),
I had a Mazda 5 as a rental for a work-trip once. It was really nice, it certainly didn’t feel like a minivan behind the wheel. I know that’s a cliche’, everyone says “It doesn’t feel like a minivan” but this one REALLY didn’t. I loved it.
That being said, I’d be hesitant to buy one if I foresaw the need to transport more than two kids. I just don’t see any space in the third row for a child or children and anything more than one tiny grocery bag, let alone a couple suitcases. Or a couple suitcases, a pack-n-play, some toys, etc., etc. One or two kids–you’re good; more than that, look elsewhere.
I know some people who have bought and sold at CarMax, and nobody’s had any complaints; in fact they’ve all had good things to say–easy, friendly. It’s very straightforward because there’s no haggling. That being said, it’s reasonable to assume that you might be able to find a better price somewhere else, but they’re certainly worth a look.
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@JD – I’ve been thinking about cars lately as my wife keeps talking about possibly replacing my 1998 Jeep Cherokee (161k miles). But here’s the thing – it runs like a champ and I’ve put hardly any money into it since buying it in 2002 for $11,000 after trade-in. Add to it the fact that this is a car I wanted forever when I was growing up – much like you and your Mini Cooper.
The crux of my comment is that I really think buying a car you’re going to enjoy for a long time is as important as buying the most well-rated/reliable/whatever car is recommended at the time. I’d like to keep this car until it dies, by which time I hope the initial cost to me is under $1,000 per year. I think back on some other cars I looked at before I found this one and wonder if I would have kept them as long – probably not. I like reliability as much as anyone, but buying and holding is also pretty frugal when it comes to a car you love.
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We had a pretty good experience buying through CarMax. The only reason we bought there was that we were looking for a specific car with specific features and these turned out to be fairly rare in our area and therefore the nonnegotiable price was worth it. We had it transferred in from a different state. If I were purchasing a more available vehicle, then I would probably try to haggle with the local dealers. In our case the local dealers insisted that the vehicle we wanted didn’t even exist.
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I drive a 2000 Honda Civic. We have two kids. We needed more space and thought about a minivan or crossover, like a Mazda 5. But then I decided to buy roof racks and a Thule/Yakima carrier. Now we have as much storage space as a minivan and it only cost a few hundred dollars. Our gas mileage didn’t change either. Of course, we can’t drive other people around, but we just do transit or taxis or pay for my folks to bring their car on the ferry. It’s way cheaper than spending $20k on a new car.
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I am with you JD, used cars are the only way to go. Paid for used cars are even better! You take such a hit on depreciation with new cars, I can’t see how you can afford it unless you are fairly wealthy (net worth wise).
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To Matt (#4):
My husband and I sold his Toyota Tacoma at CarMax in December and bought our used Nissan Pathfinder there, all in the same afternoon. We got a really good offer from CarMax on the Tacoma (four years old, but with four-wheel drive and only about 5,000 miles on it), and the Nissan was exactly what we were looking for (big enough for us, our daughter, our big dog and our cat, AND with four-wheel drive).
The salesman we had was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and he didn’t pressure us to buy (unlike the guy at the Toyota dealership we went to). The whole car-selling and car-buying process was wonderfully straightforward and uncomplicated, too.
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The fact that Toyotas are even on the list (who else remembers Nader’s book “Unsafe at any speed?” Certainly not Nader!) makes me think twice, no 3 times about the list.
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No Ford except for the worst fuel economy! Come on Ford!
Man, looks like the car to have is a new Lexus LS460 L….
yeah right!
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I bought a 1995 Honda Accord EX coupe in late 2007. The longer I drive it, the more I like it. In fact, I’m planning to get it painted next year … it’s dark green, bleah … so I can happily drive it to at least 200K miles.
My first car was a Honda CRX, which I drove for fourteen years, and our second car now is another Accord EX coupe – a 1999. Clearly, we are loyal Honda buy-and-holders.
I agree that it’s best not to “window-shop” for cars. All those shiny pictures make it easy to forget how nice it is to not have a car payment. After all, even though a new Fit is the best value at $25K over five years, that’s still $5K a year – and I’m spending less than $2K, including gas and insurance, to run my old one.
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I have a Mazda5, four kids and a husband. While space can be tight on long trips, it gets great mileage, is fun to drive, and much cooler (looking, feeling, and easier on the wallet) than your typical minivan. We are considering a roof-carrier for longer trips, but so far have been able to make do without one. Around town, we have no problem with the space issue. I whole-heartedly endorse the Mazda5.
As commenter four noted, it is built on a Mazda3 platform. I believe the Honda Odyssey, the first year it was produced, was built on an Accord chassis. A friend of mine has one of these and it is similar in size to the Mazda5. However, then the Odyssey kept getting bigger and less gas efficient and current versions are much bigger than the Mazda5.
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Ford F-250 Lariat diesel has the worst (10mpg). And yet they did not take a government bail out??? How can they sell something with this low of gas mileage?
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I have an eleven-year-old Acura (Honda) that I absolutely love. Yes, it’s needed repairs, including a new timing belt and a new transmission, but it’s been well worth it, because it’s one reliable automobile!
Our family is a bit different in that we have only one car for our family of four, and we live in the suburbs. A couple of years ago, after moving cross-country, we decided to make a go of it with one vehicle. With that in mind, we bought a house within walking distance of work, school, our local Call and Ride line, and just a short bike ride from Denver’s light rail. It’s been fantastic knowing that even if our old car hits the skids, we have options other than rushing out to buy a new car.
Friends don’t get us at all, but that’s okay. I realize how big a paradigm shift it is to even consider living a car-free or car-lite lifestyle. I think they believe we’re cheap, but that’s not the case at all. I would just rather spend my money on other things and rent a car on the rare occasion that we need one.
For further reading about the true costs of car ownership, I suggest Carjacked by Lutz. Very eye-opening!
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I’m so glad to hear that Mazda5′s rated so well! I’m due with my third child in August and have been driving a ’99 Civic since buying it new. I often bring a third child in the car now and can barely fit 3 seats in the back — but it does work with the right car seats. I’d like more space when the baby comes but don’t want the costs and poor mileage that come with most minivans. I’d like to be able to fit 6 people and figure we could get a rooftop carrier for trips to the cabin. Or just rent a van for trips — it’s got to be cheaper than paying 5K more upfront plus more for gas and maintenance for a van with similar miles and age. I like getting 30+ mpg and hope that 4-5 years from now there will be more people-moving options with decent mileage, but a 2006 or 2007 Mazda5 could hold us over until then.
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My GTI continues to rate well, as it has for the past few years. I have a 2007 VW GTI and I’ve been completely happy with it. The only problem that I’ve had is that new tires cost $236 *each* for it, and they only last 50k miles, but I guess that’s what you get with sport tires.
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Bought a 2009 Honda Fit Sport in August, after several months of study and thought about what to by for my very first brand-new car ever. It’s extremely roomy for its size (I’m 6’2″ and legroom and headroom tend to be problems for me), has far more cargo space than you think it has from the outside (I play the drums, so this is important), and of course gets very good mileage. Oh, and seriously, the little thing just looks cool, and it’s very fun and easy to drive.
Two of my friends also have Fits, and all three of us rave about them near-constantly. They’re superb, and I’m very happy to see it topping the CR list of the best values and lowest cost of ownership.
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My wife and I have been partial to the Ford Focus. It has good mileage. It’s been out for years and the kinks are probably worked out of it. It has good resale. When gas prices went up, it was really in demand. It’s not a flashy vehicle. But it does the job and most mechanics know how to work on it.
And if it matters to anybody, it’s not imported.
I’ll admit it doesn’t have the best furnishing.
If you really want to drive a cheap vehicle. Get the Ford Focus loss leader in the ads. It’ll probably be standard and white. But it will last you seven or eight years and it’s affordable.
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Doesn’t Consumer Reports depend on a reader survey to decide which cars have the most/least repairs? My husband is on his second Audi (I’m a public transportation person, no car of my own); the first had very few repairs until the 10th year of its life with us, when a serious problem with the steering made him buy a new one.
He likes having a “sporty” car, but one of the big attractions was safety — number of airbags, etc etc etc.
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Ah…love my Honda Civic. It is 12 years old and still gets me from point A to point B even through two feet of snow. There are times, though, when I wish it would die so I can justify getting a brand, spankin’ new Honda Fit. I do lust after those cute Fits–and I would like to know what it’s like to have A/C in my own car.
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Looks like I have a car on both ends of Consumer Reports spectrum: a Toyota (truck) with 270,000 miles and a VW (diesel Jetta) with 165,000 miles. With both, I feel like I’m just getting them broken in! I hope to have them for another 100,000 miles!
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In Nov. 08 I bought my mother an 04 Chevy Impala with 29K miles on it at the local Chevy dealership. Their asking price was $11,995. I had my checkbook with me and offered $6K. The salesman was offended which made me feel great. The “sales manager” settled with me an hour later for $6995. They kept asking if I really was going to pay cash. Cash talks.
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Just bought the “Family Hauler” (Mazda5) and we are very, very pleased with it. I would definitely second that recommendation!
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Argh. I’m so the poster boy for driving your used car until the doors fall off. My Oldsmobile Alero is a 1999 model and runs great and has only 60k miles on it so I don’t think about replacing it, I also drive so little it wouldn’t be a good use of money. Until I drive home and see all my family members driving nice cars…then I want one just for show. Which is the most economically stupid reason to get a car.
Anyway, Dave Ramsey’s Drive Free Retire Rich is a relic of the pre-crash days and needs to be overhauled, although the basic premise of driving used vehicles for a long time and saving the money you would have spent is good. However–Flipping cars/easy to find sellers and presuming 12% risk free rates of return in the short term is LUDICROUS and I’m appalled that you linked such a thing here, JD.
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I used to be a small car fan. However, my mind has been beginning to change in the last couple of years. There is one area where small cars don’t give much value and that is safety. Today’s safety tests do not reveal how different true safety is between small and large cars.
I’m not saying I’m going to get a large SUV. There is also two kinds of safety: active safety and passive safety. Active safety refers to awareness of your environment and manuverability. Passive safety refers to frame construction and airbags. You want to maximize both.
If you run both a Yaris and a Lincoln Navigator into a concrete wall at the same speed, the relative damage will appear about the same. However, if you run a Lincoln Navigator into a Yaris, the story is far different.
In the “Millionaire Next Door”, the author finds that many millionaires purchase large, heavy cars. If you want to get rich, you need to be alive to do it. Small cars may be easier on the pocketbook, but perhaps “total cost of ownership” is different when you factor in safety. I think I’ll be trying to put a bit more sheet metal between the next driver and my family for my next purchase.
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Follow-up:
I’m not saying that I’m going to buy a large SUV for my next purchase. There are two kinds of safety: active safety and passive safety. Active safety refers to awareness of your environment and maneuverability. Passive safety refers to frame construction and airbags. You want to maximize both.
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We purchased a Mazda5 in Dec 2008 for us and our 2 kids and LOVE it. One of the best kept secrets in the car industry. For a family of 4, this is a much better alternative to a minivan.
One note, at least in the ’09 model, there was no latch system in the back 2 seats, only in the middle row. It does have the tether in all four back seats, just no latch in the back row. Not a big deal, but something to think about. I think it is perfect for 4 people, and would be tempted to say up to 6 without more than 1 car seat. 2 Car seats in the middle row make getting into the back row extremely difficult.
@Lindsay- We just got the roof rack from Mazda. It works well, if you install it yourself just make sure you don’t break the tabs that cover the mount points when you take them off. Easy install though, just read through all of the instructions included first. They hide some points in the inspection manual.
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@ #15 Lindsay/#26 Wojciech/#30 Steve –
If you have used rear-facing carseats in the middle row of the Mazda5, how did that impact legroom elsewhere?
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@Matt – We use a rear-facing seat in the middle row, as you said.
If we only have the driver in the car with the baby, the baby sits caddy-corner so the driver has all the room in the world. For 2 adults in the front, this works as well, since the passenger doesn’t have to deal with pedals/steering wheel.
If there are 4+baby in the car, the baby sits behind the driver, and the other 3 people sit behind the passenger seat, sliding up the middle seat to accommodate more leg room in the rear. This works fairly well, even on longer trips.
If there are 5+baby in the car, unfortunately, the person behind the baby is going to be pretty tight, so it’s usually a small child that gets stuck back there.
So I guess the short story is, if you plan on driving around 5 people and a baby, plan to be squeezed at least in one seat in the back, until you no longer have to use a rear-facing seat.
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@Matt- We have used a rear-facing seat (and it’s close cousin the large forward-facing toddler seat) and when always had it caddy-corner to the driver. This is usually the safest position for getting the baby in and out on street parking. When there are six people in the car, either the person behind or in front of the baby is impacted. The front-seat position can be a little crowded but (to me at least) definitely doable.
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We just bought a Mazda5 on Monday! It is really fun. We have three kids, but they are not huge, and no car seats anymore. It was by far the most economical choice, as far as cars that would work for us. We’ve used a regular minivan for 11 years now, but without having to haul around playpens, strollers and car seats, we decided that was more room than we needed. The Mazda5 is a nice compromise. And it’s CUTE, if that matters! I like the way it drives too.
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Consumer Reports — Where how many cup holders a car has makes a huge difference!! *Roll eyes*
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I own a first generation Lexus LS400 (a 1993 LS400 with 155K miles on it) which we bought under $5K over two years ago and I must say that it made me a Lexus fan for life. The durability and realibility of this car is beyond comparison and probably one of the best cars ever built. It doesn’t even look like a 17-year old vehicle. I love it!
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I currently putter from point A to B in a 1999 Nissan Sentra base model with after-market cruise control (bad knee). I purchased it new for that very purpose when I lived in a more metropolitan area at a lower elevation, with less snow & a Nissan dealer close by. Now I live in much higher elevation (my car has been dubbed the gutless wonder), with a longer winter, more severe snow storms, where high & gusty winds are the norm most of the time, & the nearest Nissan dealer is 200 miles away. If it weren’t for the guys at work & their big trucks, I wouldn’t make it home or to work some days in my Nissan. It has always annoyed me that to acheive enough power to accelerate onto the interstate in the Summer, I have to first turn off the air conditioner & then say a prayer all the way up the ramp. My car is telling me this is the year to get a small SUV. I know people in the area who own the Toyota RAV4 & the Subaru Forrester & they each swear by them. I’ve been wishing & saving for a while now. I would be interested in hearing from other small SUV owners as to their experience with small SUV’s – as to performance, reliability, surprises (good & bad) & long term happiness – my vehicles usually last a minimum of 10 years & they’ve all been small car base models. I want to move up the ladder a bit on this vehicle in the hopes that it will not only be a more pleasurable ride, but more reliable & durable over a longer period. Thanks up front for the input.
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@31 Matt-
We only have 1 rear facing right now, and she goes behind the passenger seat like other have said. It impacts the passenger rooom a little, but nothing terrible.
You might have issues putting 2 rear facing car seats in the middle row, but I wouldn’t say its impossible. The other option is to put 1 in the middle and 1 in the back with the aforementioned lack of latch. That would also make it easier to put people in the remaining rear seat, but harder to get the little one in and out of the back seat.
As painful as it might be, if you are looking into the car I would always suggest taking your car seats and putting them in the car for a test ride. We did that and it worked well. Car seats are very different in size and shape.
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Thanks to everyone for the Mazda5 comments and endorsements. It’s helpful information.
@ 38 Steve – We plan on taking the car seat (and a stroller we frequently use) with us on a test drive. It’s just nice to hear others’ experience as well (particularly since we only have 1 kid now, but may very well have 2 while we own this car).
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Thanks for the review. We are in the market for a new to us/used car. Fortunately, I have found a carpool to work and so we are surviving as a one car family. I am not in a hurry to get a second car, but I am keeping my eyes open for a good deal along the way. I am glad I stopped and read the comments today because I had not considered the Mazda5 – it looks interesting. We have two little ones in car seats right now, too. Steve#38 is right – take your car seats with you when you go family car shopping – it changes the way you see a car.
And that just made me remember, whenever my parents bought a new/used car, they always took the whole family along for the test drive.
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