Is it This Bad? Consumer Reports List Top American Top Picks- Many Categories Have None

Well obviously in the "Green Car" category no vehicles were tested so I dont see why they would even add that to the list.

All American Cars Are Poop. Nuff Said. Untill they start putting time on interiors/exteriors, build quality and stop sharing consoles/headlights/chassies, they will never compete with the japanese/german big boys.

that is illogical, if you want sharing look no further than the Japanese makes, Camry=Camry, highlander, avalon, sienna, solara, new crossover, es, rx, than the other cars that share parts with it and not a chassis. Accord=tsx, tl, rl, mdx, accord, minivan, pilot. Just to name a few. and thats only the camry and accord. American cars have come along way well GM has come along way, the cts, malibu, corvette, and others are very competitive no excuses vehicles and have beaten its foreign competition before. dont understand the point of illogical unsupported bias at all.

Unfortunately most US car makes are not in the same performance category as cars made for other markets. American cars tend to emphasize size, soft ride and perhaps (in selected cases) luxury. In order to add "performance" they'll offer a higher HP engine. The car ends up being an overweight gas guzzling car that can go quickly from zero-60 but performs poorly in the curves and uneven roads you find outside the US. All car makers make these large, high HP cars though, and try to pass them off as being "sporty". BMW has their 7-series, for example; MB, Audi, Lexus all have these large luxury sedans that vary in ability but aren't really "sporty" by any stretch of the imagination. In order to have a world class sporty car you'll need a car that has a great suspension and brakes, is relatively light (small), and has a decent HP/weight ratio. It also helps if they come with decent tires rather than the do-everything ok but nothing well all-season radials that seems to be in vogue in US dealerships.
In the smaller car range what do the Amercan car companies offer? They seldom are the best in price, performance, economy, reliability.. the list goes on. I've lived in Europe for the past seven years and cars like the Toyota Yaris and Nissan Micra as well as the numerous smaller european makes are common place here. Diesels and manual transmissions cars are much more common here than in the US. They have many more choices of car types and makes here than we have in the US yet it's rare to see a US make here.
Does this necessarily mean that all European or Japanese cars are better than US makes? Not at all. It's just that Americans seem to prefer a different type of car, or at least they are told they are by the prevailing bias present in US car magazines. In the long run all this makes little difference. Most people will salivate over the highe end models they can't afford yet buy something more within their budget. I regularly drive over 150 mph (legally) in Germany yet I have no need for this kind of speed capability when I return to the US. I might buy myself a new Porche Turbo or Nissan GT-R (if they come out with a converible version - the definition of a "fun car" changes as we get older) because I can but I'll never be able to use their full potential off the track. I'll be just as happy with a reliable small economical car like the Yaris for daily commutes.

eyecarehawaii--

one of the most intelligent posts here!

also, imo, 0-60 times are WAY OVERRATED. how much time is spent accelerating, vs. just cruising along?

as you say, even if one had a 500 hp car, one very RARELY gets to unleashing ALL of 'em off a racetrack.

my car has less than 140 hp, and even i rarely EVER apply more than 1/3 throttle. yet i comfortably cruise at 70+ on freeways. AND by timing lights and driving smart, i usually get from any pt A to pt B quicker than 99% of the other vehicles on the road.

Of course there are no top picks for American small cars. The whole concept of a 'small' car is contrary to the American philosophy: bigger is better.

Also, anyone who looks to consumer reports to recommend a sports car is an idiot.

your right there isnt a such thing as a small american car, they start at 200inches in length and above only. chevy only sells big trucks, a corvette, and an impala. what are you talking about.

i didn't say 'American's don't make small cars'.

i said that making a small car isn't part of the American philosophy, so it stands to reason that a small American car wouldn't be very good.
I wouldn't waste my time driving a small car, so why would an American engineer waste his effort designing one? When it comes to small cars, the American engineers just phone it in.

i have a ford focus. it has a euro designed chassis/body with a japanese designed 2.3 liter engine. it is assembled in the u.s.
global philosophy, but there are still a lot of haters out there.
pretty good car, but all the kids want to race me.
i just want to get where i am going.

one of the columnists in the current Automobile magazine explains why there are NO DECENT american cars. period.

basically, detroit concentrated all its engineering and styling on the easy money, fat profit trucks and suvs. before that market softened. so ALL car lines were mere token efforts, with no serious engr'g effort expended.

pushrod:

"Also, anyone who looks to consumer reports to recommend a sports car is an idiot."


CR recommends the mazda miata.

you need to learn to READ.

they have test results (column one).

then they have actual PICKS, based on certain CRITERIA. why don't you READ said criteria.

how is it retarded to not recommend a car if it has NO reliability record?

or worse, it has a record, one indicating BELOW AVERAGE reliability? over 6 years, only in 2 has the corvette been average. the other years, it was BELOW average and FAR BELOW. retard.

fastonekiller: I agree.


"
how is it retarded to not recommend a car if it has NO reliability record?

or worse, it has a record, one indicating BELOW AVERAGE reliability? over 6 years, only in 2 has the corvette been average. the other years, it was BELOW average and FAR BELOW. retard."

who cares? this isn't a camry. everyone buys this for performance. you can go ahead and blab about its reliability but I'd buy it for its amazing performance and looks. CR isn't gonna stop me. it appears that your not a car nut.

well, i'll admit to being a FRUGAL enthusiast. ;)

and i DO NOT LIKE toys that BREAK easily. i get most of my go-fast-jollys pushing 'slow' cars fast. (MUCH more fun than having to drive fast cars in a very disciplined and restrained manner.)

(and not really so 'slow' that i can't exceed the limits on most nearly roads by anywhere from 200% to 350%. with appropriate risks and 'excitement!')

and for OUT AND OUT go-fast fun, i jump on my motorcycle. (which could also outrun the law if i HAD to and were so inclined.)

of course, many if not MOST so-called enthusiasts blow big money on mostly "show off" machines that in all practicality, CANNOT exceed posted limits as easily as i do, without more risk from the law than from physics.

just consider me an INTELLIGENT enthusiast. ;)

Who the f*** listens to Consumer Reports?!? Idiots

Believe it or not, A lot of people listen to Consumer Reports. Consumer reports are based on responses from people who have purchased the vehicles. I don't really care what they have to say myself but many people do.

I don't trust the average automobile consumer for automotive advice. Those people are pure idiots.

it's not the average owners giving the advice you idiot. the owners MERELY REPORT the repair issues they've had over the past year.

it is CR who dispenses the advice, BASED ON these OWNER REPORTED problems.

a lot of people make decisions on what their friends, neighbors, and relatives experience and report. well CR's "friends" reporting their experiences, only number a few million. over the years, many TENS of MILLIONS.

so yeah, their advice IS respected.

I see you're a subscriber. Sorry to offend you and hurt your feelings.

LOL! you consider THAT an insult?

for the record, i am NOT a suscriber. the ONLY issue of CR i ever buy, is the annual April Auto issue.

i USED TO get 60+ times more auto magazines. until i let my AutoWeek subscription lapse.

see my 3/10 post above for my 'enthusiast credentials.'

Who listens to what Automobile magazine has to say? Go figure...

Automobile magazine is one of the best. its motto is "No boring cars."

Editor-in-chief Emiratus is David E. Davis, considered the Dean of auto journalists.

XYZZ, you are the epitome of the narrow minded enthusiast. And I'm using the term enthusiast liberally. But keep relying on the automotive media for it's insightful unbiased knowledge.

actually, i am the epitome of INTELLIGENT enthusiasm.

and i get GREAT JOLLIES simply OUTDRIVING many jockeys (and/or mere poseurs) in nominally faster vehicles (2 or 4-wheeled; and with my light 4x2 vs heavy 4x4s on slick roads).

driving with INTELLIGENCE rather than DUMB brute force and sheer HP.

INTELLIGENT enthusiast. that's me.

How much thought did you put into that response?

and you resemble your second comment

BS comments get BS responses.

Very few comments on this; obviously nobody cares.