Consumer Reports New Car Buying Guide

WE ARE CONSUMER REPORTS, the world’s pre-eminent, independent, nonprofit consumer-product testing organization. Results of our tests and surveys appear on CR.org, in Consumer Reports magazine, across social media, and in books like this one, the New Car Buying Guide. This book not only helps you choose which car to buy but also advises how to buy it. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information about the 2018 cars, SUVs, and trucks: what models are available and how they compare in performance, fuel economy, and safety. We give you expert advice on how to determine what you can afford, the best ways to shop, and how to get the most for your money—even if you hate haggling. Each year we send our subscribers our Annual Auto Reliability survey, to determine which…

LET’S FACE IT: The car-buying process is a major pain. For the majority of consumers, buying a new car is akin to dealing with the IRS, CIA, and an angry spouse—all at the same time. Even when you know exactly what you want, dealing with a car dealer can feel like crossing a minefield. It’s no surprise that people routinely say they’d rather go to the dentist than go through the process of buying a car. Take a deep breath and relax ... we’re here to help. The Consumer Reports automotive staff has revised and updated New Car Buying Guide to be your road map through the car-buying jungle of doubt and indecision. Here you’ll find the most comprehensive advice we offer in any printed publication. We help simplify the…

PERCENTAGE OF NEW VEHICLES WITH AVAILABLE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING (Consumer Reports) With more than 30 major automobile brands offering almost 300 models in several trim lines, buyers are faced with an array of choices. Car or SUV? What size? What brand? How comfortable is it? How fuel efficient? What’s reliable? The key to finding what’s right for you is to assess your needs and, of course, your budget. Prepare to Compromise No vehicle does everything perfectly, but many do a lot of things well. For instance, plenty of cars with good reliability are also comfortable, quiet, and fun to drive. Still, there will probably be tradeoffs. You might have to decide between a good ride and sporty handling. Or you may wind up sacrificing fuel economy in exchange for engine…

Blind Zones Every year many children and even adults are injured or killed because drivers don’t see them while reversing. Larger vehicles, such as SUVs and pickups, have huge blind zones—the area behind a vehicle that the driver can’t see. Backup or rearview cameras can mitigate that. But although we recommend backup cameras, there’s no substitute for looking around your vehicle with your eyes. To check a vehicle’s blind spot yourself, sit in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle while someone stands in back and holds out a hand at about waist level. Have the person walk back slowly until you can see the hand through the rear window. That will give you an idea of how big that reversing vehicle’s blind spot is. Accident Avoidance It’s better to…

MANY PEOPLE BUY four- or all-wheel- drive vehicles because they want the security of traction in all conditions. But you should first consider what conditions you face the most. Drivers who spend time on gravel or rocky “fire roads” should look for an AWD or 4WD vehicle with a raised ride height, like an SUV, a pickup, or an Audi Allroad or a Subaru Outback. Conventional all-season tires will do the job, though you can always opt for an all-terrain tire if the road is particularly rough. If you mostly deal with rain, you are fine with any type of vehicle: front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive. Just make sure you have a good set of all-season tires. Drivers who face minimal winter snow should be fine with a FWD, AWD,…

TO DETERMINE WHICH vehicles inspire the strongest loyalty, Consumer Reports asked subscribers to tell us how satisfied they are with their 2015 to 2018 models. To do so, we asked them one key question: Considering all factors, would you get this vehicle if you had it to do all over? To better understand their experiences, we also asked them to rate their satisfaction in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio, and climate systems. A consistent theme in the responses is that vehicles delivering on a promise of sportiness, fuel efficiency, or luxury score well with owners. The Tesla Model S and Porsche 911 tied for tops in the survey, garnering a 92 percent endorsement from their owners. The rest of the top 10 is a mix of sporty,…