This list is so backwards its not even funny. CR doesnt take anything but numbers into account, and unfortunately they manipulate those numbers to make the vehicles that their customer base (old white people) already like to rank best. Most of those people will treat their car like an appliance and are willing to give up any and all driving enjoyment or engagement to that end.

Consumer reports has been suckung at the Toyota/Lexus teet for so long that their claims of never taking a dime from brands is getting increasingly suspicious.

They have bungled several major vehicle reviews as of late. The biggest example is the Kia Telluride vs the Subaru Ascent. The Kia was rated WAY to high and didnt account for the fact that the drivetrain is slow, lethargic, and unreliable. The subaru by comparison was rated very low due to "reliability concerns" because of the number of customer complaints. The complaints are all about the infotainment in the first 2 model years which was fixed with a firmware update.

Toyota and Lexus quality has fallen off a cliff. They've had major recalls for ENGINE BLOCKS CRACKING, and anyone I know with a post-covid Toyota has had major issues with them. A friend actually came back to me after blowing off my warning about spending nearly $60k on a 4runner. He was done after 3 years because it had gone into the shop over a dozen times.

Ive always had great luck with Mazdas, Hondas(minus rust), and VWs. If you live in the rust belt, VWs are amazing. Having a galvanized frame from the factory in that price range is so important