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Lexus gets top brand marks from Consumer Reports; Ford, Jeep hit hard

Consumer Reports has released its 2014 Car Brand Report Cards, with Lexus again reigning at the top and doing so with the same industry-topping score of 79 that it registered in last year's Report Cards. This year, the institute credited its lineup for being "usually quiet, comfortable, and fuel-efficient," noting it's the only brand on the list "to achieve an excellent average overall reliability score." The Car Brand Report Cars list is meant to rank the best all-around vehicles based on CR testing and reliability results tallied by subscribers it surveyed. Each brand included must have sufficient test and reliability data for at least three models, a standard which left out 11 marques including Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.
This 2014 Brand Report Cars edition is the first of a new format in which sub-brands have been broken out from their parent brands, with Acura using this year to move up the leaderboard into second place with a score of 75 for its "reliable, well-finished and somewhat sporty models." The top three was rounded out by Audi, climbing from eighth to third by scoring a 74 for "well-crafted interiors, nice handling and good gas mileage." Audi scored highest in the road-test portion, its improved reliability aiding its rise. The top nine was completed by Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Ford and Jeep weighed in at the other end of the rankings, Jeep taking the lowest overall score in the road tests and hampered by "a mix of spotty reliability." Ford was sunk by reliability issues with its MyFord Touch infotainment system which consumers found troublesome enough to negate its cars earning "solid test scores" for being "very nice to drive." Perhaps the rumored switch from Microsoft to Blackberry's QNX for the next generation SYNC will help them out. Cadillac's score also took a hit for infotainment reasons after it was the leading US brand last year, the CUE system in the XTS dragging Cadillac to the bottom of all General Motors brands.

Audi confirms new Q1 to cross over into smaller territory

The latest Q3 is smaller in every dimension than the Q7 that launched Audi into the crossover back in 2006. It's over two feet shorter, four inches narrower, five inches lower and rides on a wheelbase that's nearly a foot and a half shorter. But in Audi's eyes, it's still not small enough.
That's why the German automaker has just confirmed that it will proceed with production of the oft-rumored Q1 crossover. The new line will form just one of 11 new models which Audi aims to launch by the end of the decade, and will be built starting in 2016 at the main plant in Ingolstadt where Audi currently makes the A3, A4 and A5.
Audi isn't saying much else about the Q1, confirming only that it will be based on a modular transverse-engine platform. But contrary to the brand's Quattro-centric image, it has been rumored to be offered in front-drive form only. One way or another, the business case for expanding Audi's crossover range is as suitably rock solid: The Q family accounts for over a quarter of Audis sold worldwide, with the Q5 accounting for over half of that to stand as the most popular in the range.

Audi Nanuk Concept likes Parcour, puts four rings on it

Without a doubt, one of the coolest (and weirdest) debuts from this year's Geneva Motor Show had to be the Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour concept. And ever since the off-road performance coupe with Lamborgini guts made its debut, we've sort of been smitten with it. We figured this neat two-door would be a one-and-done show car, but to our delight, the folks at Italdesign worked with Audi to create this, the Nanuk Quattro Concept, which makes its debut here at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Unlike the original Parcour, the Nanuk ditches the high-revving Lambo-sourced 5.2-liter V10 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter diesel V10. That's a beast of an engine, and with 544 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque on hand, it means the 4,189-pound, all-wheel-drive Audi can scoot to 62 miles per hour in under four seconds. Of course, being a diesel, it's surprisingly efficient, and we're told the Nanuk can achieve up to 30 miles per gallon.
As much as we sort of hate the term, the Audi Nanuk is a proper coupe-crossover if we've ever seen one, and utilizes the automaker's next-generation adaptive air suspension (the Parcour had a different pushrod arrangement) that offers a range of almost three inches of height adjustment. There's also an integral steering setup, meaning the rear wheels can turn up to nine degrees in the opposite direction of the front rollers, improving maneuverability.