‘CR’ ranking heaps kudos on Buick,
It’s the first from Big 3 to rank in the top three in decades
Buick has become the first auto brand from Detroit’s Big 3 automakers to place in the top three in Consumer Reports’ annual ranking of the most reliable automotive brands in three decades.
The upscale General Motors nameplate came in third behind Lexus and Toyota in the closely watched index that predicts how well cars will hold up over the years.
Out of 29 brands, Asian nameplates accounted for seven of the Top 10 spots. Lexus was ranked first, with a predicted reliability score of 86, followed by Toyota, Buick, Audi, Kia, Mazda, Hyun-
dai, Infiniti, BMW and Honda.
Vehicles sold by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles continued to struggle in the survey with four of its brands — Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and Ram — occupying the bottom four slots.
Consumer Reports’ reliability rankings are based on a survey that analyzes the magazine subscribers’ experiences with new vehicles over the past three years. That feedback is used to predict future reliability.
Chevrolet ranked as the second-best domestic brand and is in 15th place overall among the 29 brands covered.
Buick has been performing well in the survey for several years. But this year, it out-distanced its past performance and was able to surge to the top of GM’s stable because its few models did well. The Buick Enclave, Encore, Verano and Regal all scored near the top of their individual segments.
“Buick’s achievement is commendable and sure to be a wakeup call to other manufacturers,” said Jake Fisher, Consumer Re
ports’ director of automotive testing in a statement.
“One reason why the brand has been able to leapfrog others in the General Motors’ stable has been its limited vehicle lineup — with none of the pickups and truck-based SUVs that have nega- tively impacted Cadillac and Chevrolet.”
While Asian automakers continued to dominate, there was surprising trouble in the survey for Honda. Consumer Reports said Honda’s reliability scores have become less consistent.
Honda, which normally finishes in the Top 10 on the reliability survey, has been hurt by spotty results on new introductions,
Consumer Reports said. Honda’s redesigned Pilot SUV scored just average.
Honda’s popular Civic sedan scored much-worse-than-average on reliability because of problems with its power equipment and infotainment systems, Consumer
Reports said. The Civic was North American Car of the Year for 2016.
Meanwhile, Korean automakers continued to rise in the rankings. Both Kia and Hyundai finished in the Top 10. Even more impressive: No Kia or Hyundai models scored below average. The Kia Forte, Optima, Soul and Sorento along with the Hyundai Azera, Accent and Santa Fe all scored among the top in their segments.
Brands sold by Fiat Chrysler have historically performed poorly on the survey. This year, Con
sumer Reports said no Fiat or Ram model scored average or better.