Consumer Reports April 2021
Ratings, recommendations, reliability reports, safety and price comparisons from the world’s largest consumer testing center. Helps consumers make better choices for everything from cars to cell phone service. The only magazine of its kind: Expert, independent, nonprofit. 100% unbiased. Consumer Reports accepts no outside advertising.
in this issue
cool new cars to come
NISSAN Z $40,000-$50,000* ON SALE: TBD Nissan previewed the next generation of the venerable Z sports car with the Z Proto. The updated coupe brings a more modern style, new features, and increased power from a turbocharged engine. Even so, the new Z still follows the same basic formula: two doors, six cylinders, and a manual transmission. The current 370Z has been on sale for over a decade. We hope this version will bring modern-era driving dynamics, safety, and features while retaining the Z’s driver-focused heritage. VOLKSWAGEN GTI/GOLF R $30,000-$40,000* ON SALE: Fall 2021 VW is axing its regular Golf model in the U.S., but the sportier versions remain. A redesigned 2022 GTI will offer sophistication and practicality in a fun-to-drive package, with handling upgrades, a lower stance, an improved interior, and a turbo four-cylinder engine that…
ford mustang mach-e
The Mustang Mach-E is Ford’s first EV designed to be electric from the outset. It wears the Mustang name and adapts a few styling cues from that iconic muscle car, but this is an all-new animal. For starters, it’s an SUV with room for five, not a lows-lung coupe. Based on our initial drive and positive reactions from onlookers, we think Ford’s heritage-inspired EV could be a winner. Before buying our own Mach-E for a full test, we rented one from Ford for a First Drive, opting for an extended-range premium AWD rated for 270 miles of range. A full charge on a 240-volt connector takes 10.7 hours, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Ford says DC fast charging can bring the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in 45…
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10 top picks
EACH YEAR MORE than 250_models compete for the hearts, minds, and driveways of American car shoppers. At Consumer Reports, we rank the new models we buy and evaluate based on regimented performance tests and survey results from our members. Here, we highlight the best of the best in our annual Top Picks, standouts in popular price categories and types. These 10 models have earned their way onto our list through outstanding performance in more than 50 tests at CR’s Auto Test Center, as well as having solid marks for reliability and owner satisfaction in our member surveys. All have also scored well in dynamic safety tests, such as our challenging accident maneuver, and, if tested, earned passing grades in crash assessments conducted by the federal government and the insurance industry. “We put…
introducing cr’s green choice
DECIDING ON THE right car for you can prove to be a difficult decision with a seemingly never-ending expanse of options. Our goal is to do much of the heavy lifting for you to make that decision more manageable. Our team at the Auto Test Center drives over 500,000 miles a year, putting vehicles through rigorous testing to give you unbiased insights into the safety, efficiency, and performance of cars on the market today. With this year’s Annual Auto Issue, we are introducing an additional way to assist consumers in choosing the best possible vehicle: our Green Choice designation, which you’ll see denoted by a green leaf in our ratings pages throughout this issue. In collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, we will now incorporate data to identify how vehicles stack…
get cr ratings while you shop
WITH SO MANY product reviews and ratings online these days, it’s increasingly dicult to know which are unbiased and truly independent. Indeed, Consumer Reports found in our nationally representative survey of 2,223 U.S. adults last spring that about 4 in 10 Americans who buy a product based on an online review later find that the performance and quality did not live up to the review. Enter CR Recommended (CRR), our new program that gives you easy access to our expert-based recommendations when and where you shop. We’ve already launched CRR for many household products—refrigerators and mattresses, to name a few—and soon you’ll see CRR for cars, SUVs, and trucks. When consumers see the CRR logo online, they can click to see the Overall Score for that particular vehicle and learn about…
