Subaru Claims Top Spot In Consumer Reports Rankings

Consumer Reports has just released their annual automotive report card today with a few surprises. Mainly, Subaru has trounced Honda for the coveted top spot thanks to the newly redesigned Impreza, and strong ranking Legacy and Outback. Consumer Reports bases their ranking on the performance, comfort, utility and reliability of more than 275 vehicles.

Honda has long held the number one spot, but with the redesigned Civic generally receiving mass amounts of criticism for being worse than the outgoing model.

“Honda has been hurt by several redesigned models — including the Civic and Odyssey — that didn’t measure up to their predecessors,” said Consumer Reports. “Honda models, however, are still among the most reliable on the road overall.”

Toyota had a strong rating in the top three as the newly redesigned Camry received much praise for the strong reliability showing of the Corolla.

Mazda rounded up the top three thanks to the newly redesigned Mazda3 with its Skyactiv technology, but could have ranked higher if the RX-8 and Tribute weren’t dropped from the line up.

The other surprise was Ford slipping from 5th place to 10th thanks to “the subpar reliability of some new vehicles, due largely to the troublesome MyFord Touch infotainment system and Power-Shift automatic transmission,” said Consumer Reports. The Fiesta, Focus and Explorer all received below average reliability scores as well.

Meanwhile Chrysler was once again ranked last but the domestic automaker can take comfort in knowing that they were rated second most improved company behind Mazda.

GM was also ranked low due to below average reliability.

Congrats to Subaru! Stay tuned for Car Driven’s review of the Impreza next month and we’ll see if the newly crowned Imrpeza truely deserves these accolades.

[Consumer Reports]

2013 Nissan Altima Partially Revealed

Looks like someone at Nissan has some explaining to do.

In a recent promotional video released by Nissan Japan, the company’s mid-size sedan was partially revealed ahead of schedule. Nissan has since axed the link to the video, as expected, but the quick folks at Inside Line were able to snap a few screen shots.

In the pic we can see that the new design borrows heavily from various members of the family including Maxima and 370Z with similar headlights and a larger grille akin to that of the 2013 Pathfinder. That’s not the only similarity to the Pathfinder too as the character lines are also similar. The swoopy lines also mimick those found on the newly redesigned Infiniti M.

The redesigned Altima can’t come soon enough. The latest offerings from its competition in the mid-size segment is really starting to hear up with The new Ford Fusion, redesigned Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat and refreshed Chevrolet Malibu on the way.

Click past the jump for another pic. 

[Inside Line]

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Got Heated Seats? Watch Out For ‘Toasted Skin Syndrome’

In pretty much every part of the country, heated seats are fairly necessarily and appreciated during winter months. However as it turns out, if you overuse your seat warmers that could lead to a condition called ‘toasted skin syndrome’ doctors warn.

Although the name suggests otherwise, toasted skin syndrome actually isn’t a burn. It usually comes in the form of an irritating rash.

“Sometimes people don’t initially make the connection between the rash and the exposure, but based on the pattern you can figure out that it’s probably from heat,” said Jennifer Stein, a professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, who was not involved in the studies.

While toasted skin syndrome isn’t relatively serious, it’s definitely something to be avoided as skin discolouration can persist for months. The best way to do so is just to turn down the setting on your heated seats. Most cars that come with heated seats have multiple settings, so it’s best to leave them on the lowest setting or turn them down to the lower settings once they’ve been on for a while.

[Wheels.ca]

Test Drive: 2012 Jeep Compass North 4×4

By Kevin Harrison

I have a friend who, traditionally an import fan, has recently become infatuated with a Jeep. He actually has become so enamoured that he’s seriously considering purchasing one to replace his Honda Civic Si and has even been to several dealers in search of the perfectly spec’d (for him) model.

The Jeep he’s interested in is of course the Wrangler and who could really blame him? The Wrangler is the epitome of the Jeep brand: rugged-testosterone laden looks, amazing off-road capabilities to match, now more spacious with a 4-door option, more refined with the new Pentastar V6 and upgraded interior and, as per domestic manufacturer tradition, lots of enticing purchase incentives.

The Wrangler isn’t the only model getting much needed attention from Chrysler. The new Grand Cherokee is an impressive vehicle to be sure, as I noted in a review last year. It’s much more refined, much better looking and, perhaps most importantly, better on gas.

Now Jeep has turned their sights to a new model. The Compass has long been criticized for being blasphemous to the Jeep brand as it is essentially a tarted up version of the ridiculous Dodge Caliber, only somehow made uglier. Any vehicle to wear the Jeep nameplate needs to be a capable off-road vehicle (or ‘trail rated’ in Jeep lingo) and the Compass just wasn’t. Perhaps the biggest offense to the sacred Jeep name was that the Compass was front-wheel drive only.

With this new redesign, Jeep is hoping to change all negative attitudes about the Compass. Have they succeeded?

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Volvo V40 Revealed on Facebook

While it’s not uncommon for an automaker to replace two of its existing models with a single new model, Volvo has taken the unusual step of killing three birds with one stone. The new V40 is meant to replace the C30 three-door hatch, the V50 wagon and the S40 sedan in one fowl swoop.

Set to officially debut at the Geneva Auto Show, a Polish magazine apparently just couldn’t wait to reveal the newest member of the family to the world as they ignored the embargo and posted some pics to Facebook. While I’m sure Volvo is not impressed with that, they can be comforted in knowing that the overall design of the new V40 is likely to be quite agreeable to most people.

Being a Volvo, expect a host of standard safety features. There is no additional info as to engine specs and the like, but there will likely be a T5 version, a 2.4 inline-five and some sort of diesel with the latter being available for Europe only. Speaking of Europe only, there have been rumours that Volvo will not bring this new hatch over to our shores, however Volvo has yet to confirm or deny that. Considering  there are excellent five-door hatches available in the form of the Audi A3, Lexus CT 200h and Mercedes-Benz B-Class, it would be a grave mistake for Volvo to let them have the market all to themselves.

What do you think of the new V40? Click past the jump for another snap.

[Inside Line]

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Is BMW Interested In Acquiring Saab?

By now you’ve likely heard that Saab has filed for bankruptcy and, as a result, administrators have opened the floor to bids on the Swedish car brand.

Saabs United is reporting that there is about 6-7 bidders interested in acquiring the brand and one of them is a German brand located in Munich. Guess which famous German brand resides in Munich? That’s right, the blue and white roundel.

BMW has openly stated that they would like to expand their portfolio of owned brands which includes Mini and Rolls Royce and they have also said that they are interested in dabbling a bit more in the front-wheel drive segment – something that Saab has done for better or worse in their long history. Considering how BMW was able to inject some excitement into the front drive Mini brand, there is no doubt that a BMW-Saab partnership would come up with some very interesting product. Or perhaps a Mini-Saab partnership is more likely as previously rumoured.

Other companies said to be interested in Saab are, unsurprisingly, a slew of Chinese companies and one Indian company.

[Saabs United]

Test Drive: 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

By Kevin Harrison

I recently had the pleasure of being chauffeured back to my nest in a Ford Fusion Hybrid by a man named Raj. This particular Fusion hybrid was actually being used as a taxi and since my tester for the week was the 2012 Lincoln MKZ hybrid, naturally, I decided to ask Raj about his vehicle of choice.

Despite having consumed a fair amount of Australian shiraz that night, I was able to remember Raj’s answer when I asked why he had chosen to buy a Fusion Hybrid to use as a taxi:

“I would have been stupid not to”.

While his fellow cabbies use the usual suspects to shuffle drunkards around late at night, Raj was adamant that they were all wrong. According to him, the perfect vehicle to use as a taxi was the Fusion Hybrid. It was comfortable, spacious, reliable, packed with technology and, of course, sipped gas as if it hated it. His only complaint?

“It’s not much of a looker and the guys that drive Town Cars car lots of luxury goodies”.

Imagine the look of delight on Raj’s face when I informed him that my tester was the 2012 Lincoln MKZ hybrid. He was completely unaware that it even existed.

I’ve driven the Fusion Hybrid before and came away fairly impressed, but is the MKZ Hybrid, which is essentially a Fusion Hybrid with some extras, really worth the extra dough, asked Raj?

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Chinese Unimpressed with Canadian Ambassador’s Ride of Choice

Dave Mulroney is our Ambassador to China and he recently is catching some flack for a recent purchase. No, it’s not any sort of spending scandal but it’s apparently due to the choice of government vehicle that Mulroney recently posted pics of. Mulroney’s Toyota Camry Hybrid (which is identical to the one posted above) was immediately mocked by over 1000 Chinese as soon as he posted the picture. In China, most politicians are seen in uber premium German sedans, primarily Audis. One Chinese commuter commented:

“It’s always best to yield to an Audi — you never know who you’re messing with, but chances are it’s someone self-important.”

In China, Camry’s are generally regarded as cars the next step up from buses and bikes. That’s about it. A fellow Chinese Ambassador also joined in the ribbing as he posted to Mulroney’s pics saying “A Chinese mid-level cadre wouldn’t lay an eye on your car!”

Mulroney actually responded to the Chinese backlash saying that he only has a budget of around $32,000 (CAD) to spend on his governmental vehicle and that spending any more is outside of the set guidelines.

“I have to answer to Canadian expectations. What happens to China is for Chinese people to decide,” Mulroney continued. He also said he originally posted his hybrid because he often gets questions about how the embassy operates, and how much money is usually spent. Mulroney said he was just trying to seem transparent with the Chinese people, something that their government is often criticized for not being.

While this certainly won’t spark any sort of international incident, it does indeed show different cultures attitudes towards certain vehicles and vehicle makes.

[The Globe & Mail]

Rapper M.I.A Explores Arabian Drifting In New Music Video

It’s no secret that Arabians are big fans of drifting their cars. Whether or not they do it because they love it or just because they are intensely bored is another story. But regardless, there’s no doubt that the sport of drifting has inflicted most of the middle east as of late.

One person to hop on board the drifting infatuation, unsurprisingly, is British rapper M.I.A. In her new music video for ‘Bad Girls’, M.I.A explores the side of her that the title suggests as a couple of older BMW 3-series’, an Alfa Romeo 156 and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class show off their drifting skills (known as hagwalah). The rapper even gets into the thick of things herself as she can be seen rapping on the windshield of a 3-series while it’s only on two wheels.

Whatever your thoughts about drifting hagwalah, this video is worth checking out for the cars alone. Let’s just hope that there were no accidents when filming like there usually is.

[Youtube]

Test Drive: 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe

By Kevin Harrison

For my very first job I had the distinction of being recognized as an artist. Hold your astonished acclaim for me because I was the type of artist that had their title sown onto their shirt. That’s right, according to Subway, I was indeed a ‘Sandwich Artist’.

It was by no means a job I’d recommend to anyone, but it worked well for a gawky teenager still in high school – I didn’t come home with french fry grease all over me for instance, just the undesirable smell of onions and pickles. But I did meet a lot of interesting characters, not least of which was a regular who came by every day for lunch.

This woman intrigued me because at no point during my sandwich artist days was I ever able to figure her out, mainly because of what she always ordered.

She always requested a footlong veggie and, believe it or not, all she got on it was cheese, extra mayo and about half our container of olives. That’s it. My fellow sandwich artists would always be disgusted by her order, but I was just more dumbfounded. Why would anyone get just one toping when you can get unlimited topings at no extra cost?

This happens from time to time in the car world too and BMW has lately dabbled in the same sort of puzzling territory. When the X6 first debuted my immediate thought was why would someone want a less practical more expensive X5?

And now they’ve gone and done it again with their Mini brand with the Cooper coupe. Why would anyone want a less practical more expensive Mini? I drove one to find out.

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