- In this report
- Overview
- Ownership costs
- Owner satisfaction
- Best new vehicles under $25,000
- Highest scoring American vehicles
- Best & worst acceleration
- Best & worst in fuel economy
- Best & worst in safety performance
- Most overlooked cars
- Fun to drive
- Most comfortable vehicles
- Best off road
- Used cars
2008 Annual Auto Issue
Featured Reports
April 2008
Highest scoring American vehicles
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 10 key categories. We found that General Motors dominates its crosstown rivals, capturing eight of the 10 slots. Ford Motor Company has two entries, and Chrysler has none. Reviewing the scores, we find that most of these American models are quite competitive, scoring well in most cases, with a notable weakness in the Small SUV category.
For further analysis, read our blog post “American Top Picks 2008”.
To answer that popular query, we sorted vehicles into 10 key categories. We found that General Motors dominates its crosstown rivals, capturing eight of the 10 slots. Ford Motor Company has two entries, and Chrysler has none. Reviewing the scores, we find that most of these American models are quite competitive, scoring well in most cases, with a notable weakness in the Small SUV category.
For further analysis, read our blog post “American Top Picks 2008”.
| CATEGORY | MODEL | OVERALL TEST SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Sports car | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (manual) | 92 |
| Sport sedan | Cadillac CTS 3.6 | 84 |
| Family sedan | Chevrolet Malibu LTZ (V6) | 83 |
| Luxury sedan | Cadillac STS (V6) | 77 |
| Upscale sedan | Lincoln MKZ | 77 |
| Large SUV | GMC Acadia SLT2 Saturn Outlook XR |
76 76 |
| Midsized SUV | Ford Taurus X | 75 |
| Luxury SUV | Buick Enclave | 75 |
| Pickup truck | Chevrolet Avalanche LT (5.3L V8) | 73 |
| Small SUV | Saturn Vue XR | 57 |
