Ford again the only Detroit automaker to make Consumer Reports' Top Picks list

Ford Motor Co. with its Maverick Hybrid is once again the only Detroit automaker to make the annual "Top Picks" list released Tuesday by Consumer Reports.

This is the second time the Dearborn automaker made the cut with its Maverick compact truck. The truck also made the list last year.

In 2022, Ford's electric Mustang Mach-E made the list. No Detroit Three vehicles made the list in 2021.

Consumer Reports also released its brand rankings, and again, as in past years, not one Detroit-based auto brand ranked in the top 10. European and Japanese brands dominated the list because of their solid reliability. General Motors Co.'s Buick brand placed the highest on the list of 34 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 at No. 31.

The Ford Motor Co. Ford brand came in at No. 17 and Lincoln came in at No. 21.

Stellantis NV's brands ranked at the bottom of the list with Chrysler at No. 24, Dodge at No. 25, Maserati at No. 27, Alfa Romeo at No. 28 and Jeep dead last at No. 34.

For "Cadillac, Ford, Buick, if you look at just the road test score, it's pretty similar to the same road test score average as an Acura or a Toyota," said Jake Fisher, CR’s senior director of automotive testing. "It's not that they're making bad cars that people don't like. They're actually making some very, very good cars. The issue tends to be the reliability, so the reliability kind of drags them down."

2024 Top Picks

Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer research and advocacy organization, selects the year's top models from hundreds of current vehicles.

"Top Picks" vehicles receive the highest scores in CR's ratings. They come standard with key safety features, have high marks for reliability and satisfaction from owners in CR's member surveys.

The organization tested more than 250 vehicles and had member survey stats on more than 330,000 vehicles that it used for both "Top Picks" and Brand Rankings.

Since plug-in hybrid demand is growing, CR expanded testing and rating for those vehicles.

The organization evaluated 13 popular PHEVs and found they are often "quicker, quieter, and more satisfying to drive than the gas-only versions of the same vehicles."

CR noted it made "key changes to its scoring for PHEVs. The fuel economy scores are now based on the overall fuel economy from CR’s testing and the EV range, which is based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, counts as a bonus. CR also added a new PHEV "usability rating" to assess PHEV-specific controls and displays, including electric-only range, and the ease of operating in electric mode.

Only three of this year’s "Top Picks" vehicles are repeat winners from the prior year: the Subaru Forester, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Ford Maverick/Maverick Hybrid. The seven new entrants are the Tesla Model Y, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda3, Toyota Prius/Prius Prime, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Prime, and BMW X5/X5 PHEV.

The "Top Picks" by category:

• Subcompact SUV: Subaru Crosstrek ($25,195-$32,195)
• Hybrid/PHEV car: Toyota Prius/Prius Prime ($27,950-$39,370)
• Compact SUV: Subaru Forester ($27,095-$37,395)
• Small car: Mazda3 ($24,170-$36,650)
• Midsized 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)
• Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid ($40,720-$53,125)
• Luxury SUV: BMW X5/X5 PHEV ($65,200-$89,300)
• Plug-in hybrid SUV: Toyota RAV 4 Prime ($43,690-$47,560)

The Maverick, Fisher said, "is a nice package," with the hybrid version's 37 miles per gallon and reliability.

"In terms of the other Top Picks, what you see is there's a lot of hybrids," he said. "The domestics don't have a lot of hybrids. There it is one electric ... some of the electric vehicles from the domestic automakers are either very expensive or have reliability issues."

In a statement, Ford said it "is laser focused on delivering high-quality products and services that our customers deserve. While we are encouraged by Ford Maverick / Maverick Hybrid’s second year in a row as a Top Pick and Ford’s highest ranking since 2016, we continue working to increase vehicle quality and deliver the best experience for our customers."

Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted about the Maverick again making the "Top Picks" list:

Brand rankings

CR's brand rankings are based on an average Overall Score, which is a combination of road-test scores, predicted reliability, safety ratings and owner satisfaction data. CR runs the vehicles through more than 50 tests at its 327-acre test facility in Connecticut. The tests include acceleration, braking, emergency handling and fuel economy.

To be included in brand rankings, CR has to test at least two current models from a company. Lucid, Polestar and Ram aren’t included this year because CR tested only one of their models.

For the second consecutive year, German automaker BMW landed in the No. 1 spot, making it the first back-to-back winner since 2017. Japanese automaker Subaru took the second spot as it did last year.

Volkswagen AG's Porsche is new to the top 10 this year at No. 3 after placing No. 14 out of 32 brands last year. Other brands in the top 10 were Honda, Lexus, Mini, Kia, Mazda, Toyota and Hyundai.

On the domestic side, thanks to reliability improvements Cadillac moved to No. 14 from the No. 24 spot last year, marking its highest ranking in seven years. Buick came in at No. 13 from No. 12 last year. GMC moved from No. 31 to No. 27. Chevrolet moved to No. 22 from No. 23.

Ford came in at No. 17, its highest charting since 2016. Lincoln dropped to No. 21 after hitting No. 16 last year.

Dodge went from No. 15 last year down to No. 25 this year. Jeep came in dead last this year after coming in second to last last year. Alfa Romeo came in at No. 28 from No. 29 last year and Chrysler came in No. 24 from No. 25.

Tesla came in at No. 18 after hitting No. 17 in 2023.

GM declined to comment on the "Top Picks" and brand rankings.

Stellantis in a statement said it "regularly consults third-party survey information to improve the experiences of our customers. We also compile data from multiple internal sources. We rely more heavily on this information, which may conflict with third-party results, because it is verified and draws from our entire customer base."

khall@detroitnews.com

@bykaleahall