Sedans: Endangered species
The sedan appears to be endangered, reports the Chicago Tribune. This year’s list of discontinued cars includes: the Buick Cascada, a four-seat convertible introduced in 2016; Cadillac ATS sedan; Ford Fiesta; Ford Focus; Ford Fusion (though it is rumored to be reincarnated as a sports wagon); Ford Taurus; and Volkswagen Beetle.
The best of the best
Edmunds has launched a new section of the Edmunds site designed to answer the question, Which cars are currently the best in their class? Edmunds “Best Car Rankings” are new landing pages that will list the top 10 vehicles in descending order in each of more than 50 segments. The rankings are based on the results of Edmunds’ vehicle testing process, which includes evaluation at the Edmunds test track, on a 115-mile road test loop and in day-to-day driving situations. To derive the rankings, Edmunds editors rate vehicles based on more than 30 criteria in five categories including: driving/performance, comfort, interior, utility and technology. In addition, editors give a subjective score on a vehicle’s “fun factor,” awarding extra points to cars that offer a compelling design, are fun to drive and have a unique personality. Editors also factor in a vehicle’s overall value.
The urge to swerve
It’s extremely difficult to avoid an accident by predicting what an animal – such as a deer – will do when it’s on a road, Jim Taylor, head of claims customer experience for Farmers Insurance told the Chicago Tribune. For that reason, if a deer suddenly appears in front of your car, avoid braking suddenly or swerving; that can create a new hazard, such as you hitting a tree or guardrail. It’s best to stay calm and stay the course, said Taylor.
U.S. car owners left in the back seat
It was a rough year for domestic brands – and U.S. car owners – according to Consumer Reports’ (CR) latest Annual Auto Reliability Survey, which collected data from its members about their experiences with more than half a million vehicles. Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Tesla were among the brands that tumbled in the organization’s predicted new-car reliability rankings. In fact, every domestic automaker landed in the bottom-half of CR’s latest reliability rankings. Ford ranked the highest at 18, down three spots from the previous year. Right below Ford on the list was Buick, which had performed well in recent years and was in the top 10 last year. Cadillac was the worst-rated domestic manufacturer and ranked near the very bottom at 28. Asian brands, led by Lexus, Toyota, and Mazda, in that order, continue to be the best for new car reliability in CR’s survey. Seven of the top 10 brands in this year’s reliability rankings are from Japan and South Korea, including Subaru, Kia, Infiniti, and Hyundai. Three European brands – Audi, BMW, and Mini – rounded out the top 10.