Consumer Reports : Japanese Cars Sweep Top Picks

DETROIT, March 1, 2006; Kevin Krolicki writing for Reuters reported that Japanese cars and trucks swept the Consumer Reports list of top picks for 2006, the magazine said on Wednesday, compounding the recent bad news for Detroit's embattled auto industry.

Consumer Reports said it was the first time Japanese brands had taken all of the top spots in its list of most-highly recommended vehicles since it began compiling the purchasing guide in 1997.

The results were a further setback for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. who have pledged to mount a comeback in their home market and say they have been fighting lagging consumer perceptions of the quality of their offerings.

Honda Motor Co.'s all-new Civic was named top small sedan for 2006, while the car maker's first-ever pickup the Ridgeline won top truck honors, extending a run of critical raves for the two new models.

The same vehicles were honored by a panel of automotive writers at the Detroit auto show in January and given the top awards by trade magazine Motor Trend, amounting to a first-of-its-kind clean sweep for Honda.

The Japanese car maker, which has seen U.S. sales rise by 14 percent in the first two months of the year, has used those accolades in its marketing in a bid to attract new buyers.

Honda's Odyssey was also named top minivan by Consumer Reports, while its luxury nameplate Acura, took honors for top upscale sedan for its TL model.

Honda's Accord was named the magazine's pick as top family sedan for the fourth straight year. Volkswagen AG's Passat shared that award in 2003 and 2004.

Other top picks went to Toyota Motor Corp. for its Highlander Hybrid (best mid-sized SUV) and its hybrid Prius, named best "green" car by Consumer Reports for the third consecutive year.

Subaru, a unit of Fuji Heavy Industries, won two top picks from Consumer Reports: best small SUV for its Forester and most fun to drive for its Impreza WRX STi sports car.

Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti M35 was named top luxury sedan, a potential shot in the arm for a brand that has been lagging in U.S. sales so far this year.

Japanese brands also dominated Consumer Reports' annual survey of consumer satisfaction and reliability.

The magazine said a survey of its subscribers and of Internet readers showed that the top-three most reliable brands were considered to be Lexus, Honda and Toyota.

In 2005, Ford Motor Co's Focus was named the top small sedan, the only U.S. model to make the list. The magazine later rescinded that honor after it judged that Focus had performed poorly in crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Consumer Reports, published by the nonprofit Consumers Union, bases its top picks on the findings of a team of engineers and technicians who test vehicles and on its survey results.

The magazine, which accepts no paid advertising, devotes its April issue to the auto market. The issue goes on sales March 7.