Ford Motor Co. The Maverick Hybrid is once again the only Detroit automaker to make Consumer Reports' annual “Top Picks” list on Tuesday.
This is the second time the Dearborn automaker has made the cut with its Maverick compact truck. The truck also made the list last year.
In 2022, the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E makes the list. No Detroit Three vehicles make the list in 2021.
Consumer Reports also released its brand rankings, and again, as has been the case in years past, no Detroit-based auto brand ranked in the top 10. European and Japanese brands dominated the list due to their strong reliability. General Motors' Buick brand ranked first on the list of 34 brands at No. 13, followed by Cadillac at No. 14. GM's Chevrolet brand came in at No. 22 and GMC was GM's lowest-ranking brand. Ranked 31st.
The Ford automobile brand came in 17th place, and Lincoln came in 21st place.
Stellantis NV's brands were at the bottom of the list, with Chrysler at 24th, Dodge at 25th, Maserati at 27th, Alfa Romeo at 28th, and Jeep Mate at 34th.
“For Cadillac, Ford and Buick, if you look at just the road test score, it's pretty much the same average road test score as an Acura or a Toyota,” said Jake Fisher, CR's senior director of automotive testing. “It's not that they make bad cars that people don't like. They actually make some very good cars. The problem tends to be reliability, so reliability drags them down.”
2024 Best Picks
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer research and advocacy organization, selects this year's best models from hundreds of current vehicles.
“Top Picks” cars receive the highest scores in the CR ratings. It comes standard with key safety features, and has received high marks for reliability and satisfaction from owners in CR member surveys.
The organization has tested more than 250 vehicles and obtained member survey statistics on more than 330,000 vehicles it has used in both its “Top Picks” and brand rankings.
As plug-in hybrid demand grows, CR has expanded the scope of testing and classification for these vehicles.
The organization evaluated 13 popular PHEVs and found that they were often “faster, quieter and more satisfying to drive than gas-only versions of the same vehicles.”
CR noted that it has made “major changes to its scores for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Fuel economy scores are now based on overall fuel economy from CR's testing, which is considered an electric vehicle range, which is based on US EPA data. As a bonus, it added a new PHEV “Usability Rating” to evaluate PHEV controls and displays, including electric-only range and ease of operation in electric mode.
Only three of this year's Top Picks are repeat winners from the previous year: the Subaru Forester, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Ford Maverick/Maverick Hybrid. The seven new entrants are Tesla Model Y, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda3, Toyota Prius/Prius Prime, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Prime, and BMW X5/X5 PHEV.
“Top Picks” by category:
- Small SUVs: Subaru Crosstrek ($25,195-$32,195)
- Hybrid vehicle/PHEV: Toyota Prius/Prius Prime ($27,950-$39,370)
- Compact SUV: Subaru Forester ($27,095-$37,395)
- Small car: Mazda 3 ($24,170-$36,650)
- Medium size car: Toyota Camry Hybrid ($28,855-$34,295)
- Small pickup: Ford Maverick/Maverick Hybrid ($23,815-$34,855)
- Electric vehicle: Tesla Model Y ($43,990 – $52,490)
- Mid-size SUVs: Toyota Highlander Hybrid ($40,720-$53,125)
- Luxury SUVs: BMW X5/X5 PHEV ($65,200 – $89,300)
- Hybrid SUV: Toyota RAV4 Prime ($43,690 – $47,560)
Fisher said the Maverick is a “great package” with the hybrid version's 37 miles per gallon and reliability.
“In terms of other top choices, what you see is there are a lot of hybrids,” he said. “Domestic servants don't have many hybrid cars. There is one electric car… Some of the electric cars produced by local automakers are either too expensive or have reliability issues.”
In the current situationFord said it is “focused on delivering the quality products and services our customers deserve. While we are encouraged by the second consecutive year of the Ford Maverick/Maverick Hybrid as a Top Pick and top-rated Ford since 2016, we continue to work to increase vehicle quality and deliver the best experience for our customers.” “
Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted about the Maverick's reappearance on our Top Picks list:
Brand ratings
CR brand ratings It's based on an average overall score, which is a combination of road test scores, predicted reliability and safety ratings, and owner satisfaction data. CR runs vehicles through it More than 50 tests At the 327-acre testing facility in Connecticut. Tests include acceleration, braking, emergency handling and fuel economy.
To be included in the brand rankings, CR must test at least two existing models from the company. Lucid, Polestar and Ram were not included this year because CR only tested one of their models.
For the second year in a row, German automaker BMW landed in first place, making it the first consecutive winner since 2017. Japanese automaker Subaru took second place as it did last year.
Volkswagen AG's Porsche entered the top 10 this year in third place after finishing 14th out of 32 brands last year. Other brands in the top 10 were Honda, Lexus, Mini, Kia, Mazda, Toyota and Hyundai.
Domestically, thanks to reliability improvements, Cadillac moved to 14th from 24th last year, its highest ranking in seven years. Buick came in 13th place after being 12th last year. GMC moved from 31st to 27th place. Chevrolet moved to 22nd place from 23rd place.
Ford came in at No. 17, its highest ranking since 2016. Lincoln fell to No. 21 after reaching No. 16 last year.
Dodge moved from 15th last year to 25th this year. Jeep came in dead last this year after coming in second last year. Alfa Romeo ranked 28th from 29th last year, and Chrysler came in 24th from 25th.
Tesla came in 18th place after reaching 17th place in 2023.
GM declined to comment on its “top picks” and brand rankings.
Stellantis said in a statement that it “regularly consults third-party survey information to improve our customers' experiences. We also aggregate data from multiple internal sources. We rely more heavily on this information, which may conflict with third-party results, because it is verified and derived from our customer base.” “
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