Of the four cars tested in CR's May issue, the next best was Chevrolet's Malibu, rating only slightly less than the Prius. According to CR, the other two cars rated much lower than both the Prius and Malibu.
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| After the Prius, Consumer Reports rated the Chevrolet Malibu second overall. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
CR reported that the 2004 Galant, recently completely reworked, is a "sound car with good acceleration and a smooth transmission," but it lacks the "ride comfort, refinement, and interior quality" of the class leaders.
Strangely enough, the Verona (basically a re-badged Daewoo Leganza built by the GM-Suzuki joint venture GMDAT division) that also did not score well, also available as the Chevrolet Epica, is reported to be much more refined than the Malibu in most respects, especially regarding interior quality and refinement. Obviously CR found other problems with the Verona, the fuel economy of the base 6-cylinder engine most likely knocking it down in points.
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| Honda and Toyota once again are at the top of the Consumer Reports rating. (Photo: Honda Canada) |
The full featured Dodge Stratus (U.S. only) didn't fair well either. CR reported that it "handles securely," but according to the magazine "the cabin is noisy, the ride uncomfortable, and the access, a chore."
And just how does Consumer Reports rate the cars in question? The magazine says all entrants must achieve "at least average reliability," information gained by independently surveying its subscribers, have better than average crash test results, seat five adults comfortably, plus offer good performance while achieving "reasonable" fuel economy. While the Stratus scored "too low in our tests to be recommended" CR "lacks reliability data on the Chevrolet Malibu, Mitsubishi Galant, and Suzuki Verona."
Either way, Honda and Toyota are on top of the pack as usual, with Mazda and Nissan following close behind to make up CR's top four carmakers.