1996 Audi A6 Quattro Avant Wagon 4-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

VW Group to split brands under four holding companies

The Volkswagen Group is planning a tremendous shift in its internal structure that will decentralize operations by splitting its 12 brands into four different holding companies. Here's the breakdown. Things will be split logically, considering the inter-sharing of parts, platforms, and engines. The Volkswagen brand, Seat, and Skoda make up a passenger vehicle division led by former BMW man Herbert Diess. Audi, which is tightly intertwined with Lamborghini and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, will be managed by current Audi exec Rupert Stadler. Porsche and Bentley, which are already quite close, will be joined by Bugatti and run by Matthias Mueller. Finally, a commercial vehicles division will include Volkswagen Commercial, Scania, and Man. Former Daimler exec Andreas Renschler will take care of the big vehicles. The massive move, according to Automotive News Europe, is part of an internal VAG effort to move away from the structure established by ousted Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who favored a compact, but highly centralized, management structure to oversee the independent actions of the company's brands. Criticism of Piech's arrangement stemmed from the company's slow responses to changes in the market, ANE reports. The new structure should make for a more efficient, streamlined company that's better able to make crucial decisions. What are your thoughts? Should VAG decentralize, or did Piech have the right idea? Have your say in Comments.

Audi S8 Plus packs 605 horsepower

Audi doesn't offer an RS 8, and probably never will. But with the release of the new S8 Plus, we wonder if it will ever have to. Because Ingolstadt's new flagship performance sedan packs a mighty punch. "Plus" doesn't even begin to describe the enhancements Audi and Quattro GmbH have wrought on the ultimate new version of the A8 sedan. Power is increased from 520 horsepower to 605, besting anything else in its class. Only the Mercedes S65, which packs four more cylinders and two additional liters of displacement, offers more horsepower. Torque is quoted at 516 lb-ft – a gain of 35 – and can deliver up to as much as 553 lb-ft in overboost. That bests any eight-cylinder performance sedan save the S63. The force-fed V8s in the Jaguar XJR, Maserati Quattroporte, and outgoing Alpina B7 don't stand a chance. All that muscle translates to a 0-62 time quoted at 3.8 seconds. Top speed is governed as usual to 155 miles per hour, but can be derestricted to nearly 190 with the Dynamic package that comes standard in Germany – one of the few places where top speed actually matters. Carbon-ceramic brakes keep all that power and pace in check, nestled inside 21-inch wheels. Naturally, Audi gives the S8 Plus a wide array of visual upgrades inside and out to set it apart from "lesser" versions, and is offering it in an exclusive matte silver finish. Of course none of those enhancements come cheap. In its home market come the end of November, Audi will charge 145,200 euros for the S8 Plus, representing a 28k premium over the existing S8. That also places this as the new top of the line, commanding a higher price than even the long-wheelbase, dozen-cylinder A8 L W12. We're waiting on word as to whether Audi will bring the new S8 Plus to America, where it would likely similarly cost over $140k. The pinnacle of sportiness – the new Audi S8 plus - Highest powered sport sedan in the premium segment - 4.0 TFSI engine outputs 445 kW (605 hp) and up to 750 Nm (553.2 lb ft) - Zero to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.8 seconds; top speed of up to 305 km/h (189.5 mph). Audi is making a strong statement with the new S8 plus*. With a power output of 445 kW (605 hp) and a top speed of up to 305 km/h (189.5 mph), the new Audi S8 plus* delivers even more enhanced driving performance. The new top model is reinforcing the brand's position in the segment of premium class sedans. "We have further sharpened our large sport sedan," says Prof. Dr.