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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.

2017 Maserati Quattroporte gets updated styling, equipment

Maserati revealed a series of updates to the Quattroporte, the most obvious of which is revised styling inspired by the Alfieri coupe concept. The overall shape remains the same, but there's a new grille and front bumper, matte black trim, and an active aero element similar to the air shutter on the Levante crossover that helps cut drag by 10 percent. The Modenese automaker also took the opportunity to update the interior, principally integrating a new 8.4-inch multi-touch dashboard display to replace the old 7-inch unit. Manipulated by a new rotary multimedia controller, the system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. A new driver assistance package available as an option, encompassing adaptive cruise control, lane-departure and forward-collision warning systems, and automatic emergency braking. There are two new trim packages as well – dubbed GranLusso and GranSport – that can be optioned on the Quattroporte S and S Q4 or chosen between on the GTS model. Under the hood, both engines carry over unchanged. Standard power still comes courtesy of a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 good for 404 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission to either the rear wheels or all four. The GTS packs a bigger 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, still rated at 523 hp and 524 lb-ft. 0-60 times as a result remain unchanged at 4.9 seconds for the Quattroporte S, 4.8 for the all-wheel-drive Quattroporte S Q4, and 4.6 for the Quattroporte GTS. US pricing will be announced "in the coming weeks," we're told, however Maserati will begin delivering the revised Quattroporte already this month. The relevant question is whether these changes can help Maserati take a bigger slice of the fullsize luxury sedan market away from rivals like the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, and Mercedes S-Class. Maserati sold fewer models across its entire range in the United States last year than Mercedes did of the S-Class family, making the Quattroporte something of a footnote in this elite segment. If what we're looking at here represents a mid-cycle refresh of the model introduced in 2013, it will likely be 2019 before FCA's most upscale brand replaces its flagship sedan altogether. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Maserati Quattroporte View 9 Photos News Source: Maserati Maserati Luxury Performance Sedan

New Maserati Quattroporte revealed before Detroit debut

Well that didn't take long at all. Although we just saw spy shots of the new Maserati Quattroporte last week, Maserati has now taken the wraps off its redesigned sedan ahead of a confirmed Detroit Auto Show debut. Although no official details for the car were released just yet, we can infer quite a few changes just from the images. Celebrating 50 years of the Quattroporte, Maserati is referring to this new car as a 2013 model, but it will arrive next year for the 2014 model year in the US.
The overall exterior styling of the new Quattroporte hasn't evolved too far away from the current car. There is still the sloping hood, vented fenders and shapely body lines, but it also gets a much sleeker roofline and more steeply raked front glass. It also appears that the rear wheels no longer cut into the rear doors, suggesting a longer wheelbase. The biggest change made to the car's styling is found in the rear of the car where horizontal taillights and exhaust tip design now gives it a strong Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG vibe. Inside, the four-passenger sedan now gets a more stylish two-tier instrument panel, a larger touch-screen display on the center stack and what looks to be equally sized monitors for the rear-seat entertainment system.
Under the hood, we can definitely tell that the Quattroporte still uses a V8, but aside from the press release calling it an "all-new next generation powertrain," we don't have any real details of what powers the car. Or do we? The rear 3/4 image of the new design shows a license plate number of "QP 530 HP" possibly suggesting the engine's output has been raised to 530 horsepower up from the current 425. We are also expecting a supercharged V6 at some point down the line with an output of around 420 hp, and it is likely that both engines will be paired to eight-speed automatic transmissions.