Consumer Reports' Top 10 Automakers

Today, Consumer Reports released the results of its annual car reliability survey, which includes more than 1.4 million vehicles. This is one of the most important publications of the year for consumers interested in a car’s reliability. There were few surprises in terms of which makes are most and least reliable, with Scion maintaining the top spot. Porsche, Saab, Suzuki and Pontiac saw the biggest gains while Lincoln and Mini took the biggest hits. Check out Consumer Reports full report if you’re a subscriber. We list the top 10 most and least reliable automakers below.

Cars.com Compares Box-Cars

The Scion xB has recently seen the introduction of competition in a segment that didn’t even exist a few years ago. The 2010 Kia Soul and the 2009 Nissan Cube get stacked against the 2009 Scion, and Cars.com reviewers Bill Jackson, Kelsey Mays and Joe Wiesenfelder have the task of sorting out the winner. From blind spots to seating comfort, the guys go down the list to find the best econobox on the market.

Cars.comparison: The Box-Cars (Cars.com)

Recall Alert: 105,824 Pontiac, Toyota and Scion Vehicles

Toyota has issued a recall for 105,824 cars from the 2008-2010 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall includes the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, and the 2008-2009 Scion xD.

It includes only the vehicles equipped with the 1.8-liter engine and originally sold in or currently registered in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The recall is due to specific driving conditions with extremely low ambient temperatures, which can cause the intake manifold suction port for the brake vacuum to become locked due to freezing condensation from positive crankcase ventilation. This can increase vehicle stopping distance and possibly lead to a crash.

Dealers will install a new intake air connector, which will relocate the brake system vacuum port, for free. Owners may contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

2010|Toyota|Corolla

2010|Toyota|Corolla Matrix

Econobox Comparison Video

Although Scion was first on the scene with the xB, Kia and Nissan have introduced their own low-priced small, boxy cars, the Soul and the Cube, respectively. Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays has spent time in all three and rendered his verdict on each. If you’re in the market for an economy car, though, he suggests you might want to look elsewhere.

2008 Scion xB Video

When it debuted, the Scion xB was one of the only small, boxy cars on the road. Now that competition like the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube has arrived, how does the xB hold up? Cars.com reviewer Bill Jackson takes you through the 2008 Scion xB. Although he likes it as a fun, practical car, he points out the areas where the xB gets it wrong.

Ford Focus, Volvo C30 Are Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been expanding its crash tests to more and more segments. The very influential tests were recently applied to compact coupes, including the Honda Civic, Scion tC, Volco C30, Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt. The group as a whole performed well considering the severity of the tests. None rated lower than Acceptable in front or side tests, while the Ford Focus and Volvo C30 scored top marks of Good in front, side and rear tests, earning the Top Safety Pick nod.

While the sedan version of the Civic is a Top Safety Pick, the coupe version earned an Acceptable side crash rating. This illustrates the point that safety ratings for one version of a model can’t be applied to others.

The Scion tC faired the worst, earning Acceptable front and side marks and only a Marginal in rear crash tests. You can see the full chart below, including previously tested sedan versions of the Civic, Focus and Cobalt.

Pricing Announced for 2010 Scion xD

Scion’s compact xD gets one important upgrade for 2010 and will have a starting MSRP of $14,800 for manual-transmission versions and $15,600 for the automatic. This does not include a destination fee of $670.

This is a modest increase over the 2009 model, which started at $14,650, but wait till you hear what you get for that extra $150: The 2010 xD gains standard electronic stability control, a key safety feature.

The subcompact will also have a new Pioneer audio system with MP3 player connectivity standard. As an option, you can upgrade to the Alpine stereo system with HD radio, a backup camera and navigation.

2010|Scion|xD

Recall Alert: 1,348 Toyota Vehicles

Toyota has issued a recall for 1,348 vehicles from the 2009 and 2010 model years regarding an error in labeling, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Affected vehicles include the 2009 Scion tC and xB, the 2009 Toyota Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra and Yaris, and the 2010 Tundra.

Vehicles in this group were not equipped with modification labels for the vehicles’ load-carrying capacity. This means the vehicles fail to conform with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, “Tire Selection and Rims.” The real risk is that these vehicles could be overloaded by an owner, which could increase the risk of an accident.

Toyota will notify owners and provide them with the correct label. Owners may contact Toyota at 888-270-9371 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

Scion xD Release Series 2.0 Priced at $15,920

Scion has a tradition of releasing special editions of its vehicles, and the xD Release Series 2.0 is the latest in that series. It will be the last special edition for 2009.

Along with all the xD’s standard features, like air conditioning and power windows, locks and mirrors, the xD RS 2.0 also features a large 5.8-inch touch-screen navigation system.

The Pioneer navigation system has built-in voice recognition and Bluetooth capabilities. The system also includes satellite radio and a rearview camera, and it’s HD radio-ready. It will even play iPod videos when the vehicle is in Park.

The xD RS 2.0 will be sold exclusively in Electric Wasabi, which is sort of a lime-green color.

When it goes on sale, the xD RS 2.0 will cost $15,920 with a manual transmission and $16,720 with an automatic.

The only factory-installed option for the model is a rear spoiler ($285). Delivery adds another $670.

The xD RS 2.0 goes on sale later this month; only 1,600 will be made.

April a Tough Month for Toyota

The sales numbers for April are in, and Toyota took a beating compared to last April’s sales. Down 42.2%, Toyota had a worse April 2009 than Ford (-31.6%), GM (-33.7%), Nissan (-37.8) and Honda (-24%).   

What’s causing the decline? Besides the fact that not one model posted a sales increase, we found these four factors within the sales numbers:

The New Toyota Corolla
When a company introduces an all-new model, it usually helps spur sales. Buyers happily gobbled up the old Corolla right up until the new model was released. The new Corolla’s sales, however, are down 42.9% from last April. Honda’s Civic — which was last redesigned three years ago — saw sales decline only 23.2% in the same time period. When your second-highest-volume vehicle sees such a sharp sales drop, it’s hard for new niche vehicles like the Venza to pick up the slack.