Here are the cars and SUVs with the lowest scores in Consumer Reports' annual auto tests.
1. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Score: 17 (out of 100)
Highs: Off-road ability
Lows: Ride, handling, braking, noise, fuel economy, fit and finish, visibility, frontseat comfort, access, reliability
Consumer Reports performs off-road testing at its Connecticut proving grounds, but off-road ability doesn't factor into the final scores.
That's part of the reason the Wrangler Unlimited gets the lowest score of any vehicle the magazine currently rates.
"We're rating these cars as most people would drive them in the SUV category," said Jake Fisher, a Consumer Reports auto test engineer.
While Jeep boasts that it sells to more owners who actually drive off-road than any other brand, the majority still spend most of their time on pavement.
A spokeswoman for Chrysler pointed out that the Jeep and Dodge vehicles in this list were fundamentally engineered for heavy-duty off-road use and the Jeeps, in particular, have been rated highly by other publications.
2. Hummer H3 (5 Cyl.)
Score: 27
Highs: Off-road ability, turning circle
Lows: Acceleration, fuel economy, access, visibility, ride, heavy tailgate, emergency handling, reliability
The H3 is Hummer's smallest model. It's about the same size as a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner. While the H3 is credited with good off-road capabilities, the magazine does not include its off-road tests in the final score either.
While the H3 was specifically criticized for acceleration, fuel economy and handling, it does not appear on any of Consumer reports lists of the worst vehicles in those areas, said Hummer spokesman Nick Richards.
"Consumer feedback on the vehicles been very strong," said Richards, "Niche publications geared toward our end of the market rate the vehicle very highly."
3. Jeep Liberty Sport
Score: 27
Highs: Off-road ability
Lows: Fuel economy, noise, agility, fit and finish
Like the Wrangler and H3, the Liberty is credited with good off-road capabilities, but that does not factor in to the final score.
4. Chevrolet Aveo5
Score: 32
Highs: Front access, turning circle, hatchback
Lows: Acceleration, handling
The Aveo is designed and built in South Korea, site of General Motors' global design and engineering base for small cars.
The Aveo5 compact car is a hatchback and it's an older design than the Aveo sedan. A new, redesigned Aveo5 will go on sale this spring.
Consumer Reports has not yet tested the Aveo sedan.
5. Dodge Nitro SLT
Score: 33
Highs: None
Lows: Ride, handling, braking, noise, fuel economy, fit and finish, visibility, access, reliability
The Nitro is a version of the Jeep Liberty with cosmetic changes and without low-range all-wheel-drive setting for driving off-road.
Consumer Reports found nothing particularly commendable in the Nitro - at least the Liberty was good off-road- but it scored slightly higher because the version the magazine tested had some comfort trim options lacking in the Liberty, said Consumer Reports vehicle tester Jake Fisher.
6. Toyota FJ Cruiser
Score: 36
Highs: Off-road ability, powertrain, reliability
Lows: Visibility, ride, handling, noise, fit and finish, premium fuel, access
The FJ Cruiser scored well in reliability and for off-road performance, but neither of those factors is included in Consumer Reports' numerical score.
7. Toyota Yaris/ VITZ (base, manual transmission)
Score: 36
Highs: Front access, turning circle, hatchback versatility
Lows: Acceleration, handling, vague shifter
The Yaris is the smallest and least expensive car Toyota sells in the United States. It actually ranks at the top of the list in both reliability and low cost of ownership, but those factors are not included in Consumer Reports' basic vehicle score.
The Yaris base model with an automatic transmission ranked higher, earning an overall score of 50.
8. Suzuki Forenza (base)
Score: 36
Highs: Turning circle
Lows: Acceleration, fuel economy, ride, IIHS sidecrash result, ABS option hard to find
Anti-lock brake systems, or ABS, keep a vehicle from skidding under hard braking, allowing a driver to maintain steering control during an emergency.
The Forenza received a "Poor" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for side impact protection despite having head- and torso-protecting side airbags.
A Suzuki representative could not immediately comment on the rating.
9. Jeep Patriot Limited
Score: 42
Highs: Transmission, unusual interior features
Lows: Acceleration, engine noise, driving position, visibility, front-seat comfort, fit and finish
The Patriot is based on same car-based engineering underpinnings as the Jeep Compass and Dodge Caliber. The taller Patriot can be purchased with option packages that make it off-road capable, however, while the Compass and Caliber are on-road only.
10. Chevrolet TrailBlazer LT (6-cyl.)
Score: 43
Highs: Low-speed ride
Lows: Clumsy handling, braking, fuel economy, noise, uncomfortable front safety belts, fit and finish
The Trailblazer shares its score and Consumer Reports' comments with the nearly identical GMC Envoy.
11. Mercury Grand Marquis
Score: 43
Highs: Large trunk
Lows: Engine noise, seat comfort, ride, fuel economy, IIHS side-crash result without side air bags, no ESC, no curtain air bags
The Grand Marquis is one of Ford Motor Co.'s three large "Panther Platform" vehicles. The others are the Lincoln Town Car and the Ford Crown Victoria. The Grand Marquis is the only one that's still primarily sold to non-fleet customers.
In a corporate statement, Ford Motor Co. pointed out that the percentage of its vehicles recommended by Consumer Reports rose from 54% last year to 64% this year and that 93% of its vehicles were found to have average or better reliability, up from 63% last year.
"As a side note, the Mercury Grand Marquis was AutoPacific's 2007 Ideal Vehicle Awards segment winner in the Large Luxury Car category," the company said.
spancolor: #cc0000""source: cnnmoney.com
