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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.

The Nissan Patrol may become America's next Armada

Plausible rumors are swirling that the Nissan Patrol, the Land Cruiser rival sold outside of North America, might come to the US as a replacement for the unrelated Nissan Armada. That large SUV's future was left ambiguous after the news of the Xterra's discontinuation, as Nissan's press release ominously promised information on the Armada "at a later date" without further elaboration. That left us scratching our heads and thinking that, perhaps, it would be quietly killed off in the future. If the rumors are true, it will be. And then it will be reborn. It'll join its old platform-mate, the Infiniti QX80, on the Patrol platform. The QX abandoned its Titan-based platform in 2011, becoming the Patrol-based QX80. So you can think of the Armada as catching up, a few years late. The QX80 was refreshed last year, a mainly cosmetic nip-and-tuck. The Infiniti utilizes the 5.6-liter, 400-hp V8 and a 7-speed auto, so it's a safe bet that this powertrain will make it into the Armada version. Less likely, but plausible, would be the availability of the new powertrains intended for the Titan XD and upcoming lower-grade Titans. The massive SUV market tends to be a bit conservative, so the Cummins diesel V8 that's the sole engine in the Titan XD right now seems unlikely. The forums are abuzz with a photo of what's purported to be a leaked marketing image of the new Armada, so head to this TitanXDForum thread if you'd like to see what that's about. (Spoiler: it looks a lot like the Patrol above, minus some of the Nismo flair.) Related Video:

2025 Infiniti QX60 ditches V6, gains VC-turbo

The 2025 Infiniti QX60 will ditch its long-running VQ-series V6 in favor of Infiniti's variable-compression turbo engine. There's news beyond the powertrain overhaul too as the 2025 model sees some equipment upgrades and a new Black Edition. The blackout package is not new to Infiniti, but it's a first for this QX60. Let's start under the hood.  With 268 horsepower and 286 pound-feet of torque, the VC-T four-cylinder gives up 22 horses in exchange for 16 lb-ft of torque. That's a bit of a side-grade rather than an upgrade, perhaps, but the new four-cylinder delivers better fuel economy, making the whole pill a bit easier to swallow. The FWD model will return 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined, the EPA says (vs. 21/26/23 with the V6) while the AWD model improves to 22 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined (from 20/25/22). That's a 10% bump in city mileage vs. the V6 — not earth-shattering, but not bad, either. And we know what you're thinking, but fear not; this doesn't mean the QX60 is now saddled with a CVT. The nine-speed auto carries over and yes, it can still pull 6,000 pounds with AWD and the tow package.  For 2025, all QX60s get a new fob with an optional automatic lock/unlock feature. The Black Edition (see the gallery above) will be available on Luxe models and includes the gloss black wheels, grille surround, roof rails and exterior badges; illuminated front and rear kickplates; "radiant" grille badge; welcome lighting and a black headliner. The base price of the Pure model is up just $550 from 2024, however the FWD variant of the Autograph has been dropped, making it $4,300 more expensive to get into the trim. However, the AWD variant only increases by $50. Here's pricing information for the entire 2025 QX60 lineup with front-wheel drive (including destination). AWD is $2,000 more on every trim but the Autograph, which bakes it in as standard equipment for 2025.  Pure: $51,550 Luxe: $58,150 Sensory: $60,450 Autograph: $67,500 Related Video:  2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek walkaround This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.