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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.

Petrolicious finds the cutest Zagato racecar ever

The 1949 Fiat Topolino 750 MM by Zagato must be the cutest racecar ever made. The rounded body makes the little coupe look like it still has some baby fat to lose, and it's hard to imagine this pudgy vehicle blasting through the Mille Miglia – but that's exactly what it did. Today, this is the last surviving 750 MM, and Petrolicious' new video takes along for a ride in this very rare, and very small, piece of history. Owner Scott Gauthier has an impressive collection of vehicles, but Zagatos especially appeal to him because their hand-formed aluminum bodies make each example unique. When he got the 750 MM, all the pieces came in boxes. Gauthier's challenging task was putting it back together, which his in-house crew did beautifully. If a classic car's mechanical sounds intoxicate you, then turn up the speakers when this thing hits the road. The 750 MM's interior is the perfect stage to show off the powertrain's wonderful range of sounds. It's great to see such a rare racecar still getting some use on the road, especially one as cute as this Zagato.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 disaster endangers FCA's Magneti Marelli sale

Samsung's financial and public relations positions are going up faster than one of the company's Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, and that's bad news for Fiat Chrysler. FCA was in talks with the South Korean tech giant to sell all or a portion of Magneti Marelli, the enormous Italian parts supplier. The deal, estimated to be in the $3 billion range, was a big part of FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne's five-year plan to slash his company's ˆ5.5 billion ($6.07 billion at today's rates) debt. But Samsung's flaming phones may have stalled the deal, Automotive News reports. Samsung was hoping to acquire all or part of Magneti to gain access to its lighting, in-car entertainment, and telematics business, all in a bid to reduce its reliance on occasionally explosive consumer electronics, AN's sources report. This week alone, Samsung permanently ended production of the Note 7 and began recalling millions of devices, sending out flame-proof return boxes so owners can ship the device back in relative safety. The disaster has already caused Samsung to slash its third-quarter operating profit by $2.3 billion, and is leading the company to divert its attention away from big, blockbuster deals, people "who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private" told AN. According to the same sources, the two sides haven't even agreed on a valuation for Magneti Marelli. Neither company was willing to comment on the potential sale. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Andrew Zuis / AP Chrysler Fiat Technology Smartphone Sergio Marchionne FCA Samsung