American Top Picks 2008

It’s time again for the annual American Top Picks list. While we don’t consider country of origin as a factor in our Ratings for our primary Top Picks list, the piles of mail (snail and e-mail) we get leave us no doubt that many people factor “buying American” into their decision. So, for those folks, this list looks at what domestic-branded cars are the best choices out there.

It would be a relatively simple matter to compile this list if Top Picks were merely the highest-scoring car in each group. But to be a Top Pick, a car has to have performed well in our testing, be relatively trouble-free to own, and safe, too. Here are the other criteria to determining a Top Pick:

We need to have reliability data for the car, and that data must show at least average or better reliability.

Stability control must be readily available.

If crash tested, the results have to be decent.

These criteria wind up knocking some very good cars—particularly some recent GM products—out of contention from our American Top Picks list. To illustrate, here’s the list of the top-rated domestic-branded car in each class next to the one that meets all of the criteria:

Category

Top-scoring American car

American Top Pick

Small sedan	None recommended	None
Family sedan	Chevrolet Malibu LTZ V6	Ford Taurus
Upscale sedan	Cadillac CTS	Buick Lucerne CXS
Luxury sedan	Cadillac STS	Cadillac STS
Small SUV	Saturn Vue XR	None
Midsized SUV	Saturn Outlook XR GMC Acadia SLT2 Ford Taurus X	Saturn Outlook XR GMC Acadia SLT2 Ford Taurus X
Minivan	Chrysler Town and Country	None
Pickup truck	Chevrolet Avalanche	Chevrolet Silverado
Fun to drive	Chevrolet Corvette Z06	None
Green car	None tested	None

Let’s look at each class in detail, except luxury sedan, which doesn’t need further explanation:

Small sedan: Not many choices here. Although the Ford Focus has scored quite well in the past (it was a Top Pick as late as 2005), we haven’t tested the freshened 2008 model. The underwhelming Chevrolet Cobalt scores too low to be recommended.

Family sedan: The new Malibu is a very impressive car, but we don’t have reliability data on this redesign. (Data on other vehicles on its Epsilon platform ranges from below-average to above-average reliability.) The fun-to-drive Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan lacks ESC, so it’s out of the running—hence the Taurus.

Upscale sedan: The CTS is a very impressive car, but we don’t have reliability data yet for this version. The Lincoln MKZ lacks ESC. That takes us to the Buick Lucerne CXS V8.

Small SUV: The Saturn Vue XR isn’t a stand-out, but it does score the highest of any tested small domestic-branded SUV. However, we don’t have reliability data on the new Vue. Beyond that, no small domestic SUV—Chevrolet Equinox/Pontiac Torrent, Jeep Compass/Patriot, Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner—scores high enough to be recommended.

Midsized SUV: There isn’t a lack of good recommended vehicles in this category; it’s a matter of picking, literally, which one fits. The Outlook/Acadia straddle the midsized and large category. The Taurus X is also accommodating inside.

Minivan: There’s only really one game in the domestic town: the Chrysler Town and Country/Dodge Caravan. (The outdated Chevrolet Uplander goes away next year.) While the Chrysler minivans used to score near the top of their class, this redesign is mediocre. We don’t have reliability data for the redesign.

Pickup truck: The Avalanche outscores all pickups in our Ratings, including the Toyota Tundra. But it hasn’t been reliable. Unlike the Tundra, first year reliability of the Silverado has been average, so it made our Top Picks list.

Fun to drive: The Corvette Z06 is an awesome car, but Corvette reliability is well-below average. The CTS could also qualify here, but again, no reliability data. Going down the list, the Mustang GT lacks ESC; we don’t have reliability data on the Dodge Viper; and the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky have subpar reliability. The Dodge Charger R/T V8 is reliable and fast, but its overly light steering feel keeps it from being truly fun to drive.

Green car: Not many domestics qualify here. We haven’t tested the latest Ford Escape Hybrid, but since it lacks ESC, it wouldn’t qualify for the list anyhow. We also haven’t tested latecomers to the hybrid market like the Saturn Aura Greenline, the redesigned Saturn Vue Greenline, or the Chevrolet Malibu hybrid. GM’s “light-hybrid” system does improve mileage, but it’s not on par with full-hybrid systems found on the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. Next year brings full-hybrid versions of the Vue and Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan.

To sum up:

Some recent GM models are extremely impressive, and they would make fine choices—if reliability works out.

Ford needs to get ESC on their mainstream family cars. (We’re told 2009 should bring increased ESC availability.)

Chrysler and Ford really aren’t competitive in the upscale and luxury sedan segments—especially against a resurgent Cadillac.

The domestics are lagging behind in the small sedan and minivan segments, fields where they used to be more competitive.

While the domestics are starting to roll out more hybrid sedans and SUVs, they still lack a high-mileage small “green” car.

See our true list of overall Top Picks for 2008. See the Top Picks videos.

—Tom Mutchler

Comments

[Liza Barth]

Ron,

We have tested the Ford F-150 and the full Ratings are available to subscribers online by selecting the model in our drop down menus on the top left of our cars pages. However, it didn't do well enough in our tests to be considered an "American Top Pick".

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Sean - Not sure why, but the URLs you had submitted were automatically deleted in the system. From the admin side, all we saw where blank lines. Sorry!

[Sean]

Jeff: Thanks for the note. TypePad let me know that it'd blocked my post this last time. (I honestly can't remember what, if any, error showed up the first two times I tried posting all those links. Also, the "Preview" function wouldn't work for me.)

As far as I know, this is a common anti-spam tactic in blog software (Wordpress does the same), because many spam blog comments are laden with weblinks to junk sites. Somewhere, I crossed the magic line of too many links.

[Tom Mutchler]

To add to Liza's comment about the F-150: the Silverado did better in our tests than the F-150. The Ford also lacks stability control, another requirement for being a top pick. (Ford will add it to the F-150 in the 2009 freshening.)

It's true the F-150 is the top-selling truck nameplate in the US. But that fact alone doesn't mean it's the best truck you can buy. The Toyota Camry is the top-selling car in the US, but despite what some people think, it isn't our Top Pick in family sedans either.

Top-selling status can be attributed to lots of things beyond the car's goodness - flashy styling, or the number of dealers, or the amount of advertising, or putting incentives on a car to "win" a sales race can all affect sales.

[Tony]

Maybe you people should all stop talking to EACH OTHER and go talk to some real car guys. You know what, I wanna know about astro physics, I should go talk to some people on a blog, who also have no idea.

[dana overbey]

I have driven a Toyota for the past 20 years I have never had a car,truck or suv that gave me more comfort,convenience and longevity than a toyota.
As you drive the roads today count how many you see. That should tell you everything you need to know.
I put 276000 miles on a tacoma truck.I have purchased 8 toyotas in the past 20 years.Why? Because I have 3 daughters 1 son and a wife.Toyotas saftey record is number one and the simple service is very reasonable.
I was pipe welder and boiler maker. I put a lot of miles on my toyota it never let me down.I think toyota has 13 top picks in CR.I am not saying that other cars can not do the same.
But I have purchased others models and I know I lost money on them.I am so sure you will love the product I started selling them 8 years ago after I retired.

[Catherine]

Interesting commentary on both sides - I think if you own a high mileage vehicle of any make you will have to put money into it. I have never owned a North American vehicle, but have had three Japanese ones in the last 25 years. My 1982 diesel Toyota LandCruiser ended life with 545,000 km - engine didn't burn oil, but the body was severely rusted (no longer road worthy), and over its life I had to replace the alternator, fan assembly, springs, and the seal between the transfer case and transmission. Our 1997 Honda CRV has 376,000 km on it, doesn't burn oil yet, isn't noticeably rusty, but we have had to replace all four CV joints, two wheel bearings, and the back window-wiper assembly. We have a 2007 RAV4 and have had no problems in the first 50,000 km. I am happy with Toyota and Honda, but am looking for a relatively inexpensive, small, diesel, fuel efficient commuter car and whoever produces it first will get my business!

[Denzil]

I've been buying,using, maintaining, and repairing my own cars and trucks, as well as those of others for 33 years now. On occasion, I have referred to consumer reports to see what they have to say. My observation is that a camel could pass through the eye of a needle easier than an American make could get a good rating by the Consumer's Union. Defending the ratings as unbiased is in it's self, biased. All ratings and statistics have bias. The personality type of individuals that would respond to a CR survey introduces a bias. Even objective test results are biased by which results to show and what performance traits are left out. Don't be biased and suggest there is no bias! Personally, I have settled on GM as the best car make for me. They produce good vehicles that last a long time, and give good service. I would put my dollar per mile cost up against any. Blindly following the recommendation of CU or any other publication would be similar to picking your college basketball bracket by listening to the experts on ESPN. (they use statistics and polls also)

[Jacque]

I have a 1991 Ford F150. It is 17 years old. It has outlasted all my other cars and trucks. It has over 110,000 miles on it, and the only thing I ever had to replace on it was the tires. I've never had engine trouble, transmission problems, electrical problems.....NOTHING.
My new F150 is a much nicer ride, with more room, since it's a quad cab, but "old red" is still reliable in a pinch. Sorry, foreign car lovers, sometimes the American cars come through.

[Jen Kovacs]

While I have in the past been biased toward Chevy, I am very happy with my Town and Country Minivan, which is not a category on the blurb of a link from MSN when they say that Chrysler has no cars in the list. Until all vehicles are tested, this is an incomplete list...Like those surveys that are sent out to find the opinion of the best of something (used a lot for foods). If you haven't tried all available in the competition, how can you vote against it?

[ppp]

I recently read about the new Camero concept car. In addition to US, it is reported that it was worked on in Australia and Canada.

Which begs the question: Which of these "American" cars are actually 100% designed and built in USA by Americans??? What are these "American" companies doing to keep American jobs American?

[CherryD]

In 1993 I bought a 1993 Ford F-150 with a towing package for Horse hauling, etc. In the five years I owned that vehicle the things that needed replaced were Items TNTM here. BUT that wasn't the biggest problem. That truck let me down twice in 2 accidents that never should have happened if the brakes had been working properly. The first one-a woman backed out of her driveway without looking and when I hit my brakes nothing happened! They had been "properly" maintained by the same dealer I purchased the vehicle from. The brakes were checked after the accident and found to be working. I was going 25mph when I hit the brakes with plenty of room to stop if the brakes had worked. The road was dry. I was summarily dismissed as a "just a woman who didn't know what she was talking about and was trying to find excuses for not stopping in time." Ever try to convince an officer at the scene you did indeed hit the brakes, hard, and can't explain why there are no skid marks? After the accident and the truck had been repaired, My son , on a similiar road, duplicated the same situation and again the brakes failed. I immediately took the truck to the dealer and told them about it. They, again, checked the brakes only to tell me they could find nothing wrong, only that the truck didn't stop as fast as it should in an emergency situation! DUH! After the truck was totaled in another accident I notified Ford they had a problem with the brakes on the 1993 F-150 and they should research and find out what was the problem. My answer? A survey as to what I wanted in the "brand new revised" Ford F-150! I wrote on the survey in large letters "More powerful braking system for emergency stops!"
I owned a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee and had to replace almost every moving part in it except the engine and transmission and the transmission died at 300,000 miles. I now own a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo which had 87,000 mile on it and now has 120,000 miles on it and the only thing I've had to replace is the rear end. Manufacturing defect? NO, the lack of mantainence by the prior owner and failure to recognize the " noise" in the rear by me when I purchased it!
My point? There are well built vehicles and there are not so well built vehicles of the same make and model. On a used vehicle a lot depends on prior maintanence. And buying a new vehicle is like a crap shoot; some are well built and some are "lemons".

[TrustYourGut]

Well, I've read through all the trash talk re: American cars vs. foreign makes and, quite frankly, I'm a little surprised at the level of ignorance with some of the comments made. I also work in the auto industry for one of the top 2 Saturn dealers in the country-also one of the top 3 for GM. I have to say, the Saturn buyer is one of the most well-read, well-informed, and confident buyers I've ever met. They know what they are buying and have full confidence in their choice. In other words, they do their homework. They read about the vehicles they are interested in, test drive(all the options they are considering), talk to previous/current owners, test drive some more, read some more, and protect their investments with a warranty because they know that every car in this day and age has a possibility of mechanical issues considering all of the electrical/computerized components. Let's think about this for a minute...when you buy a big screen tv or a major appliance for your home, do you buy a warranty to protect your investment and your pocketbook from future costs of ownership? The repairs on those types of purchases will inevidably(sp?) cost less due to the simplicity of the beast, yet most people don't hesitate to protect their miniscule investments that don't have a fraction of the wear and tear that a vehicle will over time. Yet, everyone is so quick to trash a car manufacturer the second they have an issue with their vehicle...obviously not taking into consideration the thousands of components that make up the vehicle thus increasing the risk tenfold. Lest we forget the whole "quantity" factor. Way more cars are built and used daily than any other mechanical product on the market. And to say that the American brands are not being built in America is absurd. Again...as someone said earlier in the blog...read the maroni labels. Do your homework. Do your research and don't throw out idle BS without being fully informed....no matter what brand you decide to buy. And protect your investment...it's just good sense. Also, if you have a vehicle that has a recurring issue/issues and the problem can't be resolved, take it to the top. If they are a good car company, they will help you out of it whether it be by exchange or buying it back. I've seen it happen...yet, you don't see Toyota buying out all the people with the sludge issues, do ya? Just remember, if you don't educate yourself then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Common sense...and that goes for just about everything in life, not just cars. :)

[Jim]

CR has a lot of useful data and statistics but little common sense. For example: A couple of years ago they published their "10 best" and "10 worst" article and listed the Chrysler PT cruiser in the "10 Best". In the same article they listed the Dodge Neon in the "10 worst". These 2 cars are the exact same car. They have the same engine, transmition, suspension, wheelbase, track, electrical, floor pan, etc...... The only thing that separates these two cars (besides the shape of the exterior sheet metal) is the buyer. If CR bothered to look at the national insurance data bases (Like the one State Farm uses)they would see that the average age of a Neon driver is under 21 while the average age of a PT Cruiser driver is over 45. Consequently, the PT is cheaper to insure than the Neon. The owner/driver of a car plays the biggest role in the dependability of the car.

[Shannon]

I own an 07 Tahoe and an 05 Silvarado. Listed 42K for the Silvarado, paid 32K with the "employee discount", has 22K miles. Went to trade due to some problems with "bouncing" that GM can't seem to fix. No other problems with this very comfortable, fully loaded luxury truck other than the truck depreciated to $15,000 in less than 3 years! I am SCARED to look at my $48K Tahoe's Blue Book or Edmunds score. Why is the Silvarado not holding its value but is listed as a Best Buy?

Also, 07 Tahoe has a BIG problem with a simple solution. It will leave you on the side of the road, kills your electrical system and renders Onstar unusable for assistance. Its a computer part that GM quietly replaces on vehicles brought in for maintenance. If you weren't left roadside with no assistance you won't know it was done. If however you were left roadside, with no assistance and in the New Orleans area, Onstar has no contract with a tow service after 5 PM. You must break down b/t 6 & 5PM it seems. Anyhow, my Tahoe experienced this electrical problem twice in a year, the first time they replaced the battery, the second is after they discovered this was a major issue but did not issue a RECALL for this problem. I would trust GM more if they had simply notified me of the potential problem instead of me and my daughter being left roadside with no way to call for help. (they send me a vehicle report every month to my email so its not like they would have had to pay postage!)

GM is now paying for 1 year of my Onstar because I cancelled the subscription. They did fix the problem and I love my Tahoe. I am still SCARED to look at its depreciation as well.

[Mark]

All of you who are in love with your Japanese cars, good luck. This is one consumer that would not have a Japanese car in my garage. They are not better and everyone I know who has owned one has had to put theirs to rest well before I have had to rid myself of my American vehicle. I typically drive my cars to 160-175,000 miles with little or no major repairs while my Japanese owning counter parts have been shoveling money into their rust buckets by the bucket full.

[Beth]

We all know that America's three major auto makers need to cut some models out of their fleets. And we all know they won't, because they're slow learners. History repeats itself. Already once in auto making history, the (mostly) Japanese makers had to show America the path to success by downsizing, switching to fuel injection and front wheel drive. When American auto makers followed suit (read: copied), their sales surged. Then they got lazy again and started going back to the gas-guzzlers (they were never very visionary to begin with) and once again the (mostly) Japanese auto makers beat them out by making better, more fuel efficient--and certainly more mechanically reliable--cars, while American makers' sales once again slumped. Already GMC and Ford have proven in their ads that they consider Toyota the yardstick by which all good cars are measured, and the only way they'll succeed is to copy them. And from the looks of the Malibu, they've already begun. GM's ad might as well read: "Move over, Toyota, we're copying you already." Give us a break. And don't start with the "patriotism" impetus for buying so-called American makes.

[Tim W.]

One thing to remember is that we all drive different and we use our vehicles in different ways. No one brand will ever fit everyones version of "Top Vehicle", I have owned and driven most makes and for me a Ford always works best. I have a sister that will only drive a Chevy...she can drive a Ford a 100 miles and blow it up. Dont know why but she can and has !
I'd like to see all makes come back out with the basic vehicle...Like the Ford Custom's, There was cars and trucks with the custom name from Ford, Chevy and Dodge had their own version of basic. The only luxury items were a heater and power steering ! Sometimes I wonder just what the MPG would be if todays vehicles did not have all the computer and luxury crap. Do you really need GPS, heated seats, auto windshield wipers, ONSTAR, alarms that no one pays attention to, variable steering, ABS brakes etc ?
I can drive my vehicles, I dont need some computer sensor to tell me when I'm driving to fast or when its raining or how to get to where I'm going !

[Derrick]

All I want to say is that CR and the rest of the groups need to look at how these cars and trucks are being used, and where these cars and trucks are being bought. A car from California will last longer and less problems than a car from New England where snow and ice are common half the year. Meaning that cars sit and idle for long periods and are forced to harsher enviroments. So if most of Camery's sales are in California, of course they will last a long time. Also, you never see a Toyota Tundra at a construction site. I don't think it could handle it, taking heavy loads, working off road and being abused. Even most self employed contacters run GM or Ford Trucks, they need something that will take the abuse and work hard. So if 50% of an American truck goes to a construction sight, then that would explain why they have to go to the shop as offen as they do. Toyota badge or not, every vheicle on earth is made up of metal "by which Toyota chose a bad one for their Tacoma and are running around trying to buy them back" with a block, pistons and rings that need oil to lube and take to high heat. I also would like to mention that I don't believe what Toyota says about their Camery, "90% of all Camerys sold since 1989 are still on the road" I don't know about anyone else, but I don't see to many Camera's on the raod that are more than 12 years old.

[nathan]

My 1998 Ford Taurus has way more reliable than my dad's 2002 Honda Accord. The have around the same number of miles now and the Ford is 4 years older and American. Go figure.

[cheap cars for sale]

I like your article but You don’t mention specific example, when refer to how good/horrific fuel economy is for a particular model, I believe its performance relative to its class.