By Consumer Reports Staff August 29, 2014 2:57 PM
There are many ways to view the Consumer Reports Ratings to find the highest-rated vehicle in a given category or price range. But we get many questions from journalists and our readers regarding the best current American-branded vehicles.
To answer that popular query, we sorted vehicles into 15 key categories. We found that Ford Motor Company has six slots. General Motors captures five entries, Chrysler has three and Tesla has one. Reviewing the scores, we find that most of these American models are quite competitive, scoring well in most cases. Unfortunately, some models are not recommended due to below average or unknown reliability. Check our Ratings (available to online subscribers) to see which ones are top scoring and reilable.
To answer that popular query, we sorted vehicles into 15 key categories. We found that Ford Motor Company has six slots. General Motors captures five entries, Chrysler has three and Tesla has one. Reviewing the scores, we find that most of these American models are quite competitive, scoring well in most cases. Unfortunately, some models are not recommended due to below average or unknown reliability. Check our Ratings (available to online subscribers) to see which ones are top scoring and reilable.
| Category | Model | Overall test score |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury large car | Tesla Model S (base, 85 kWh) |
99 |
| Large car | Chevrolet Impala 2LTZ | 91 |
| Midsized car | Chevrolet Malibu 2LTZ |
85 |
| Luxury midsized car | Lincoln MKZ 2.0 EcoBoost | 84 |
| Muscle car | Ford Mustang GT Premium (V8) |
83 |
| Luxury compact car | Buick Regal Premium I (turbo) | 83 |
| Large SUV | Dodge Durango Limited (V6) |
83 |
| Midsized SUV | Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (diesel) |
82 |
| Wagon | Ford C-MAX Hybrid SE |
82 |
| Full-sized pickups | Ram 1500 Big Horn (diesel) |
81 |
| Sports car | Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT |
80 |
| Small SUV | Ford Escape Titanium (2.0T) |
78 |
| Luxury SUV | Buick Enclave CXL |
77 |
| Compact car | Ford Focus SE SFE sedan |
76 |
| Minivan | Ford Transit Connect XLT (2.5L) |
76 |
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