2007 Annual Auto Issue released!

Right now, the 2007 Annual Auto Issue is being distributed to millions of subscribers by mail and trucked to major retail outlets for newsstand sales. The largest edition of Consumer Reports magazine each year presents vehicle profiles on more than 250 models, the latest reliability and owner satisfaction data, best and worst used cars, first peek at next-year's models, insightful feature articles, and much more. This year, the April issue is packed with more data than ever before!

For those who can't wait for the portable, energy-efficient analog edition to arrive, the entire issue is now available online through a special hub.

Online, or off, the collected facts and insights based on real-world data and exhaustive testing make the April issue a valuable research tool and essential reading for car enthusiasts.

Must-read sections include:

Top Picks - These are vehicles that standout in 10 key categories for performance in CR testing, reliability, and safety. And they're all smart, appealing buys. This year, two companies dominated, capturing seven of the 10 slots. Videos are available online for each Pick.

Reliability trends - The April issue also has the latest survey, which sees our reliability data depth expand from eight years to a full decade. Valuable insight into car purchases, the reliability history reveals trouble-prone car makers and models. And online, we have expanded charts to further assist in comparison and track year-to-year changes.

Owner satisfaction - Here are the results from our biggest owner-satisfaction survey ever, showing a shift in the models that top the list. Best and worst models are highlighted, along with a complete breakdown of ratings by car type.

Which companies make the best cars? - Test data, CR experts, and auto industry analysts combine in this investigative story to reveal which manufacturers truly lead and which ones fall behind. Also included is an insightful guide as to where cars are actually built - you may be surprised at how many so-called "American" cars aren't even built within the U.S. borders.

What's next in auto safety - We highlight the latest features making their way into cars today, and those innovative advances that could soon make driving safer than ever.

New for 2007 & 2008 - The latest models to hit the market, and those coming just around the corner, are featured in the special section. Take a first look at the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Saturn Vue, Scion xB, and others.

Back to the drawing board - Our car experts highlight some half-baked and misguided features encountered through our testing program.

Buy better on the Web - Simple strategies and tips for getting a good value through the power and convenience of the Internet.

Online exclusives:
Forums - We have dramatically expanded our forums to provide specific categories for discussion, from shopping, buying, ownership, and special interest for enthusiasts. All new discussions are free to read and participate in, while the expert John's Tool Box, Best car for you, and Tire Talk are limited to online subscribers and include regular expert participation.

Crash test videos - See the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's ratings come to life, as we show more 100 vehicles undergoing evaluation, complete with commentary.

--Jeff Bartlett

Personal Picks: Small SUVs, part 2

Here, we revisit the February-issue small SUV test group, including the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V and Element, Jeep Compass, and Saturn Vue Hybrid, with Cars staff members casting their own personal perspective on the vehicles.

Cliff Weathers: The Honda CR-V didn't have much competition from the field in which we tested it. In the published test, the CR-V won hands-down over a bunch of middling vehicles, such as the Jeep Compass and Chevrolet Equinox. Instead, I'll compare it with the Toyota RAV4 and the Subaru Forester, our other top small SUVs. To my taste, the CR-V has a more composed ride than the RAV4 and it makes the Forester seem very dated in comparison. Of course, the CR-V's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine feels anemic compared with the RAV4's available 3.5-liter V6. I'm a big stickler for outward visibility, and I always admired the Forester for being uniquely easy to see out of. Unfortunately, Honda has gone in the opposite direction with the CR-V redesign. I find the sloping rear and big rear pillars to be an impediment, not only when backing up, but when assessing the traffic behind me.

Rick Small: The small SUV market is rapidly growing and continues to be very popular. It is no surprise, as these vehicles have many advantages over the older truck-based models, including superior ride, handling, and fuel efficiency. They're also very roomy for their size and folding seats add to their usefulness. I like the new Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe, which are both much improved over their earlier versions. That said, I need a 3,500-pound towing capacity for my boat, so that leaves the four-cylinder models off my list. The Santa Fe and Toyota RAV4 offer V6s that cover my towing needs; the new Mitsubishi Outlander has a standard V6 that can also tow 3,500 pounds. Of these, the Outlander is the sportiest of the group and it fits my 6' 3" frame the best--although my wife complains that it lacks leg room. The RAV4 is a good choice, but I don't like the right-hinged rear gate door. I find that a hatchback design is much more user friendly. These well-equipped V6 models run around $30,000 and get 17-18 mpg overall. My favorite SUV, though, is still the Nissan Murano, which can be more expensive but is quicker, bigger, and sportier than most of these and still manages 19 mpg overall.

Jeff Bartlett: Living in New England, I can appreciate the desire for an affordable, efficient vehicle with a flexible interior, AWD, and elevated ground clearance. Yet, I still favor one with some personality. At today's prices, cars are simply too expensive to be passionless appliances. Among the small SUVs, the Honda Element stands out to me as addressing my objective needs and desire to have a few surprise and delight features. Now late in its model run, the Element has seen many shortcomings addressed. Most noticeable has been covering the box front to back in (gasp!) paint. For 2007, the once-door-mounted seat belts are now fed from new front seats, easing rear-passenger access. The new SC trim line brings a tribal art look to the interior, and more importantly, quiets the cabin with carpeting -- an Element first. Power climbs 10 horses and the automatic transmission sprouted an extra gear, for five total. The result is an affordable machine ready for mild adventures -- on the scale most people attempt. Fold or remove the back seats and it's ready for a hardware store run, or a mountain bike expedition. The clamshell-split rear hatch makes access easy, and tailgating fun. Sure, it is a touch heavy, with compromised visibility, rear seat capacity, and too much road noise... but it's fun, practical, and has its own distinct personality, even if it looks like the box the CR-V was delivered in.

From the logbook: Suzuki SX4

Driving our new SX4 reminds me of the Spring break road trip I took with my college buddies 21 years ago. Three of us drove to the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a “space blue over liberty white” Subaru XT coupe. It had a tiny backseat, adjustable height suspension, a slow reacting 111-hp turbocharged engine, on-demand all-wheel drive, and a moveable and brightly lighted instrument cluster that made the designers of the Asteroids video game jealous.

The SX4– adds two rear doors, doesn’t bother with the over exuberant displays, but retains the on-demand all-wheel drive system. It also has a 143-hp four-cylinder engine. And compared to the Subie, the SX4 comes standard with ABS, side- and curtain air bags. We bought one with the Sport package and four-speed automatic transmission ($17,994), which includes stability control. Admittedly, many of these safety features were as far away for most automakers as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 were to Atari.

Like the earliest Subarus, the SX4 brings back the compelling idea of affordable AWD. To see how this new Suzuki is holding up, take a look at the first impressions our car experts have scrawled so far in the SX4’s logbook:

“Well equipped for an $18K car.”

"The engine’s 143 hp seems optimistic; it gets boomy and buzzy in hard acceleration."

"Automatic transmission’s programming is really bad; it up shifts way too early and then hunts on even minor highway grades."

"Very stiff ride."

"It’s nimble with a wonderful driving position and excellent visibility."

"Simple controls are well-sized for convenient use."

"Nice fit and finish in the class with tight gaps, cloth inserts, and quality feel for most controls."

"Comfortable seating in front; [seating] is good in the rear, but leg room is so-so."

"Twelve-gallon tank translates into a really short cruising range."

"So many acronyms--AWD, ATC, ESC--for so little money."

"Why is the headlight indicator on when the lights are off?"

"Plenty of head room [according to our tallest tester]."

"Overall, this is a cheerful little runabout and a pleasant surprise."

"If only the [Dodge] Caliber was as good as this SX4."

Certainly the four-door SX4 would provide three college students a more comfortable transport to Spring break beaches than the old XT, though without the distracting (but occasionally entertaining) dash display light show. Check back for more insights on the SX4 as testing continues.

--Mike Quincy

New versus old EPA mpg

While working on a story for our upcoming New Car Buying Guide 2007 (available on newsstands this June), I used the new comparison tool on the EPA's Web site. It lets visitors choose their current vehicle (year/make/model) and in return, it provides comparison of the old and new mileage estimates based on EPA testing.

I thought it would be interesting to compare CR's data for a few models with the mileage the EPA says they cars should have gotten--and will get--with the new calculations. Because hybrid vehicles had some of the biggest discrepancies between our testing and the EPA testing, particularly in the city cycle, I used the same vehicles we compared in our report on the "The dollars & sense of hybrid cars."

In general, the revised EPA calculations for combined mileage are now more in-line with the CR overall mileage for conventional vehicles, and sometimes very close with the hybrids. However, the EPA city numbers, particularly for hybrid vehicles, are still much higher than the CR real-world fuel economy figures derived from our fuel economy tests. As you look through the examples in this chart, the variances are significant enough to warrant comparing against other data, such as the overall, city, and highway mpg in our model overview pages (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers).

Consumers who drive a mix of city and highway travel, in particular, should compare the revised EPA figures with the Consumer Reports real-world data when deciding on a new or used vehicle. Buyers who do a heavy amount of driving in stop and go, low-speed city traffic should be aware that the numbers on the window sticker and EPA Web site may be higher than they are likely to see, and budget their fuel spending accordingly.

Full mileage comparison example:

2007 Toyota Camry LE (4-cyl, automatic)
EPA original combined mpg: 27
EPA original city mpg: 24
EPA original highway mpg: 33

EPA new combined mpg: 24
EPA new city mpg: 21
EPA new highway mpg: 30

Consumer Reports overall mpg: 24
Consumer Reports city mpg: 16
Consumer Reports highway mpg: 36

--Jon Linkov

Toyota in turmoil?

It's a rare day when two of the editorials in the Wall Street Journal, specifically the February 21 issue, are devoted to the car business. But these are tumultuous times. Consider the topics: one editorial deals with possible suitors for Chrysler and how the company seemed to come unraveled. In the other, titled "Who's Afraid of Toyota?" writer Holman Jenkins lists all of the reasons why "The hybrid company doesn't walk on water." While Jenkins' claim that Toyota isn't a deity is true, which we know from our testing and subscriber data, many of the points he makes don't quite wash.

To start, Jenkins reports that Toyota is resorting to incentives for the Prius (mostly cut-rate leases, which are aided by low depreciation) to move the cars off of dealer's lots. "What Toyota really proved with the Prius, ironically, is that Americans have little appetite for high mileage vehicles," he writes. The thing is Toyota has sold more than 100,000 Prius hybrids for each of the last two years. While they probably haven't made a profit on them, as Jenkins reports, that's by no means a small number of sales. And judging by their extremely high level of customer satisfaction in Consumer Reports surveys, lots of Prius owners eagerly would buy the car again.

From there, Jenkins claims that Toyota "got lucky" with its hybrid technology, adding that consumers "could have found a vehicle that produces mileage as good or better than the Prius's..." Really? A new car? Even in our test of subcompact budget cars, including the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit and the Chevrolet Aveo, none came close to getting the 44 mpg overall of our tested Prius. Jenkins comment that "Designing a car that uses less gas, after all, is a snap" is also a bit odd.  He correctly notes that the old Honda CRX HF and Geo Metro XFi did get superior fuel economy but, of course, none of these vehicles are for sale anymore. And if he thinks there is little appetite for the Prius, there would be even less desire for these fuel-sippers today. Such impressive mileage was possible 20 years ago because those cars weighed virtually nothing (automotively-speaking). Load in today's safety features, crash-test-capable structure, sound-deadening, and other creature comforts people expect, and that mileage would plummet. Beyond that, the Prius gets to 60 mph in 10.5 seconds and can seat five comfortably -- feats the eco-minded CRX and Metro couldn't pull off. Plus, the Prius has standard side- and curtain-air bags, antilock brakes, and optional stability control.

Technically speaking, when you look at the evolution of economy cars, the Prius is an engineering marvel.

Regarding the rest of Toyota's line, well, let's face it-Camrys and Corollas are fairly bland sedans. Very competent and comfortable, but they're not going to wind up on our most fun-to-drive lists. Still, Toyota sells over 400,000 Camrys a year. With the component sharing that goes on between Camry, Avalon, Highlander, Sienna, and the Lexus RX350 and ES350, that equals huge economies of scale that helps Toyota earn billions of dollars in yearly profits. However, Jenkins says "profits are not assured by economies of scale" and feels that "becoming more important in a crowded marketplace is turning out cars with ineffable cultural appeal. Toyota's worldwide success so far has come without being strong in this department. And Toyota knows it." (Owners of Toyota's defunct Supra and MR2 might beg to differ.) Toyota's enviable brand loyalty further weakens this position, as there is clear appeal, cultural or otherwise, as indicated in our Brand Report Card survey.

As an example of this, Jenkins notes that Toyota mined its past when styling the FJ Cruiser, which "earned [it] unprecedented gushing from the automotive press." But we found the FJ wasn't all it's cracked up to be; it didn't even score high enough in Consumer Reports' tests to be recommended. The FJ isn't winning every other comparison test from other car magazines, either.

While we think the FJ looks cool, Toyota's bread and butter is in selling vast quantities of reliable, competent transportation. This requires strong products that meet consumer needs across the board. Toyota took a while to achieve this. They are an industry leader in the car-based SUVs that are replacing body-on-frame SUVs in many families' driveways. But it wasn't until the mid-1990s that the Toyota 4Runner was strong competition for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. A "proper" sized Sienna minivan to equal the Dodge Grand Caravan? That took until 2004. And just now, Toyota is finally rolling out a true full-sized Tundra pickup truck.

Jenkins rightly notes that the "Big Three...raked in billions correctly judging a consumer appetite for large SUVs and pickups. These were and remain impressive feats in consumer design - as befitting products in which the Big Three were willing to invest precious capital, as distinct from the workaday sedans they churn out just to break even on their UAW labor contracts."

It was a mistake, however, to neglect sedans. Those truck profits didn't get invested back into those workaday sedans quickly enough--and sedans are the largest market segment in the U.S. Cars like the Ford Taurus grew moldy on the vine, withering from lack of investment. While still profitable overall, with a recent shift in consumer purchasing trends, sales of big SUVs and pickups slowed, requiring big incentives to move them. (These multi-thousand dollar incentives far exceed the Prius incentives Jenkins harps on.) Less truck profits meant the Big Three couldn't continue to prop up unprofitable, unpopular, and uncompetitive sedans. Combined with huge labor costs, it's a recipe for record losses.

So where does that leave the industry? Jenkins summarizes that "their big problem is that, thanks to their legacy labor issues, the financial markets simply will not afford them the leeway to make large capital investments in sedan styling and technology." We agree that -- labor costs or no labor costs -- the domestics need to focus on those "workaday sedans" to make it back. Chrysler invested in the styling of the 300, and borrowed some technology from Mercedes-Benz to leverage the costs. For a while, strong sales of those cars helped a lot--but one family of sedans ultimately couldn't keep that company profitable.

In reviewing the subtitle of the editorial (about Toyota not exactly being able to "walk on water"), we'd say that it's doing more than staying afloat.

--Tom Mutchler

Of the Year, or not?

Saturn Aura was voted the North American Car of the Year, which the company is trumpeting in ads. And yet, the top-line Aura XR scored a modest 70 in our March issue (ratings available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers), outscored by the Nissan Altima (89), along with other family sedans. So, what gives?

Some background: The North American Car and Truck of the Year accolades are awarded at the Detroit auto show every January. Think of the twin awards as the automotive equivalent of the Golden Globes but without the fancy parties afterwards. A panel of 49 automotive journalists vote on the winner. (We're not on the list, by the way.) There isn't really a set criterion for making selections. One hopes that all of the journalists have driven every one of the nominees adequately (11 cars this year) before voting.

When we first drove the Aura, we said that it's "A more competitive model than the outgoing L-Series" but that the "base engine and interior fit and finish lack polish." The 3.6-liter V6 is powerful and pretty smooth. The dashboard cover looks like it could be in an Audi. The front seats are firm and supportive, a welcome change from mushy Detroit seats of yore. There are lots of nice features, from rear seat audio controls to optional power-adjustable pedals to remote start.

But when you go beyond a simple drive and really test the Aura back-to-back with its competition, as we did, shortcomings pop up. When we spliced in our fuel meter to measure fuel economy (every car is driven the same way, over the same routes), we found that the Aura XR manages 20 mpg overall. That Altima SE V6 is faster and gets 3 mpg more.  When we ran the cars though our avoidance maneuver on the track, the Aura's stability control was lax in reacting. That Altima made it through the maneuver 2 mph faster than the Aura, even though our Altima SE lacked optional stability control. The Aura's rear seat is uncomfortably low for adults - and yes, we sit back there, too. Other problems, like suspension noise, torque steer, and skimpy interior storage space, show up on a longer drive.

Sometimes these automotive awards correlate with vehicles that perform well in our tests. Last year's winners, the Honda Ridgeline and Civic, were Consumer Reports 2006 Top Picks. Our early impressions of the Chevrolet Silverado, the 2007 North American Truck of the Year, are pretty favorable so far. (It should be noted that the Toyota Tundra wasn't on the list for contention this time around.)

So what do you do? While all car companies make advertising hay over awards, we suggest looking at the car's complete performance and reliability before making a decision. How a car does in the ballot box isn't always an indication of how it will do in your driveway.

--Tom Mutchler

   

Clamping down on our Sienna

When you buy almost 90 cars a year, you're going to encounter some odd quality control issues. For example, we mentioned the Saturn Aura with the Chevrolet key in an earlier blog. That was a silly goof, but one that didn't really impact the car's operation. The Chrysler Sebring that didn't want to start on the first try was more serious, or at least seriously annoying.

Our latest weird sample defect was found on our 2007 Toyota Sienna XLE.  While the van was up on our lift being fitted for our fuel metering equipment, we found that one of the hoses to the rear heater was clamped off near the firewall with a nicely modified set of vise-grips. (Like with the Sebring, it didn't happen here at the track.)

No one is quite sure what happened. Toyota says they don't use tools like that on the assembly line. Since technicians at the dealers own their own tools, they'd probably notice that one went missing. Plus why would the heater hose have to be clamped on a new van? After all, the heater works fine and there aren't any leaks.

Happily, there probably aren't enough custom-modified vise-grips for this to happen to many other Siennas...

--Tom Mutchler 

Vacation-proven GPS navigation tips

My wife and I recently took a much needed, long-awaited, week-long vacation to sunny St. Petersburg, Florida. We rented a Nissan Murano and borrowed a Garmin nuvi 660 portable GPS navigation system--the widescreen version of the top-rated Garmin nuvi 350--from the office for our exploits. Most of our trips were centered on finding various places to buy food or eat food, thanks to my wife's surfing of Chowhound's forums.

Although I was quite familiar with the area (I used to test lawn mowers there for CR for several weeks each winter), it turned out that having the navigation system was a big help. That said, it wasn't exactly flawless. Oftentimes, navigation system effectiveness, and your satisfaction, hinges on working out how best to search the database to program your desired destination, and how easy it is to navigate the system's software. (The Garmin's programming is very simple.)  With that in mind, here are a few tips from my experiences on our trip:

1) Sometimes less information is more: Many systems suggest that you only type in the root name of a street. For example, instead of entering "West Bay Drive," all you should enter is Bay. The system will then list all of the options, usually including the full street name you wanted. Entering "West Bay Drive" sometimes resulted in the system not finding this major street.

2) Actual addresses are helpful in vacation planning: It helps to have the full mailing address of a destination. Often entering an address is more straight-forward than searching the name of a location in the points-of-interest database. Consider including a list of addresses in your pre-vacation planning and even pre-programming the unit.

3) Don't forget the cord: With an internal battery, you can usually get four or more hours of cable-free use and reduce cable clutter on the dash. Running on battery power was great on the flight down, allowing me to use the unit as a MP3 player with headphones. But the cord is useful for recharging, and you'll need it when the battery does die down. An unforeseen advantage: the FM transmitter that broadcasts directions and MP3 music was stronger when we used the DC power instead of the battery. (It was still hard finding a clear frequency in the radio-station-rich Tampa area.)

The nuvi's long cord proved helpful; we could leave it plugged into the 12-volt power port inside the center console compartment and still reach the dashboard. Like many cars nowadays, the Murano's console had a small groove allowing you to route the cord out of the closed compartment. This makes storage when parking a cinch--just detach the mount and plop the whole thing in the compartment, out of sight from thieves.

4) Think of other ways to search: While visiting a small town, we wanted to find a hole-in-the-wall local fish sandwich place.  We knew it was across the street from the public library, and found was quicker to search for the nearest library than to enter the name of the eatery.

5) Don't throw out your maps: Now, don't take this the wrong way--navigation systems often work really well. But even with a big screen, it's hard to get the big picture of which way your route is going to take you. A map--even the big-scale ones from the rental car company--can help you decide if the route plotted by the nav system makes sense. Remember that while navigation systems almost always get you to where you want to go, they're not a substitute for local knowledge, nor can they put directions into context, like avoiding Main Street in any small town on morning of the 4th of July. While searching out a lunch stop by using the navigation system, we didn't realize that we were right around the corner from several places we wanted to stop--a bungle that would have been avoided if we had cross-checked the map.

Read our complete guide to portable car GPS navigation systems.

--Tom Mutchler

From the logbook: Lincoln MKZ

We try to keep up to date with the cars we test, but automakers don't always make it easy. Take the Lincoln Zephyr. Introduced in 2006, we ran one through our test program. Little did we know that the 2006 Zephyr would be a one-year-wonder. For 2007, a new name -- MKZ -- and more importantly a new 3.5-liter V6 arrived, replacing the old 3.0-liter V6 that remains in the MKZ's siblings, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan.

So we bought a 2007 MKZ to see if the new engine is more successful than the name change; Alan Mulally, Ford's president and chief executive officer, has been quoted as joking that he's still looking for his Zephyr in the parking lot. Given that the Taurus name is back on his urging, could Zephyr be not far behind? (We're hoping Aviator returns too, rather than the confusing and non-distinctive MKX moniker that afflicts new Lincoln crossovers.) 

We were wowed by the Fusion and Milan, but is the luxury Lincoln version as convincing? Here's the first impressions jotted down so far in the logbook:

"Very nice steering, agile handling and good power should add up to a nice sports sedan."

"The 3.5-liter V6 is better than the 3.0, but still not as sporty and refined as Nissan's, Toyota's or Honda's 3.5-liter V6s or GM's 3.6."

"Ride is comfortable but floaty at high speeds."

"Turning circle is wide, making it clumsy to park."

"Pretty quiet, but, overall, it feels ordinary--what makes it a Lincoln?"

"Seats are comfortable. Access is easy."

"Could use more head room."

"Small seat heater controls are hard to find; the seat heaters also time-out. I much prefer to switch them off when I'm [good and] ready."

"Good rear seat room for kids."

"Some features and interior trim is more in keeping with an American luxo-barge, so I'm not sure what this car's market is."

"Hard plastics abound inside and the back-lit controls on a silver background are illegible."

"Limited cubbies; no place for cell phone."

"If you like the Milan/Fusion/Zephyr, than the MKZ is for you...but I think a 'new' Lincoln should have more."

"Save $10K and buy the nearly as good Ford Fusion."

So, as you can see, it's a mixed bag. Overall, we're not sure it distinguishes itself all that much from the more affordable Ford Fusion on which it is based. The MKZ will have its work cut out for it when it competes against other upscale sedans in our spring-time road test.

--Mike Quincy

If a cupholder is a distraction, then what’s this?

iDrive. Command. MMI. PCM. Four different driver-interaction systems, all with one thing in common: They come from German companies that are supposed to focus on driving. Let's face it, when you're cruising down the Autobahn at 125 mph, you shouldn't focus on anything other than driving.

So, it was understandable that Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche might have been loathe to put cupholders in their cars. According to these manufacturers, people shouldn't be worried about drinking in their car. Rather, they should take driving seriously. Even today, examine the cupholders in a Boxster, 911, or 3 Series. They look like they can hold a small Dixie-type cup that you'd find at the dentist, not 7-11. (Mercedes finally went Big Gulp with the huge cupholders in their new SUVs, like the ML and GL. But to free up the console space for cupholder goodness, they had to change the gear selector to an error-prone electronic wand on the steering column.)

But why do we need these complicated driver-interaction systems? Functions such as adjusting the seat heaters in an Audi, once just a matter of rolling a small wheel, now involves buttons and the joystick controller. The process wasn't broken, so why "fix" it?!

The systems certainly haven't streamlined dashboards by removing buttons. In our Q7, not only did we have blank spaces where an option button would reside if we had purchased it, we also had MMI buttons that didn't work because we didn't choose that associated option either. So much for elegant, streamlined design.  The process to change from AM to FM to Sirius satellite involves using the buttons and the joystick. Finally, trying to sync up the driver and passenger temperature controls involved four attempts before the system would accept my changes. Certainly not the best way to make the driver focus on the task at hand... driving.

--Mike Quincy