Factoring in proprietor satisfaction, security, reliability, and highway exams, Shopper Studies has concluded that Subaru builds the very best automobiles in 2024.
The journal’s annual automobile model report playing cards are out, and the model recognized for all-wheel drive (AWD) and canine commercials took residence the highest prize. Subaru beat out each luxurious automaker to take the highest spot.
CR’s Strategies Are Completely different
Most organizations that consider automobiles use their very own testing to construct a consultant pattern of all of the automobiles on sale. Shopper Studies is a bit totally different.
It’s {a magazine} and web site dedicated to evaluating every kind of shopper services and products, from automobiles to life insurance coverage. It surveys its personal readers for an proprietor satisfaction rating.
There’s a slight draw back to that strategy. It may create a form of self-reinforcing cycle. As CR praises a model, its subscribers might develop extra seemingly to purchase it. A model that hasn’t acquired current reward can develop uncommon in CR’s knowledge set.
The corporate can also be restricted in what it exams. “To be included within the model rating, CR has to have examined not less than two present fashions from an organization,” it explains. “For that purpose, we didn’t embrace Fiat, Jaguar, Lucid, Maserati, Polestar, and Ram.”
The system additionally has constructive elements — trusting it means taking recommendation from a subset of very discerning individuals.
Not Each Mannequin From a Nice Model Is Nice
The journal additionally cautions that praising a lineup doesn’t imply there aren’t any dangerous automobiles in it.
“Of the 32 manufacturers Shopper Studies rated this yr, solely 4 producers managed to earn suggestions for each mannequin we examined: Porsche, Infiniti, Mini, and Buick,” they write. These manufacturers have small lineups to start with.
Notably, Chrysler was the highest-scoring home model, in sixteenth place. For the present mannequin yr, it makes simply two fashions (that are arguably the identical automobile): the Pacifica minivan and its bare-bones Voyager equal.
CR doesn’t suggest a single mannequin from seven manufacturers: Lincoln, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, GMC, Land Rover, Rivian, and Jeep. “They’re additionally among the many bottom-ranked manufacturers. Think about rigorously earlier than shopping for from these producers,” they write.
The Scores:
The place two manufacturers had the identical general rating, CR broke the tie utilizing a mix of proprietor satisfaction scores, predicted reliability, and highway check scores.