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Tesla must have increased their advertising budget for CR

For 2019:

The publication's annual Top Picks list serves as an influential guide for many American consumers as they shop for new vehicles.

The list gauges customer satisfaction through comprehensive surveys and combines those measures with Consumer Reports' testing of fuel economy performance and reliability. It does not take into account styling preferences or popularity.

Toyota won large car, subcompact car, hybrid/electric car and midsized car for the Avalon hybrid, Yaris, Prius hybrid and Camry hybrid, respectively.

But it might not help much. Hybrid sales have tanked, and subcompact cars have fallen out of favor amid a nationwide SUV boom. As a brand, Toyota ranked ninth out of 33.

"Toyota really excels in terms of reliability" and safety, Fisher said. But "they're not as well-rounded as Subaru" due to some models that didn't test well.

Consumer Reports also said it can no longer recommend the Tesla Model 3 electric sedan after noticing substantive manufacturing defects, including "loose body trim" and "glass defects," such as windows cracking too easily.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has argued that the company is repeatedly improving the Model 3 through manufacturing changes and software upgrades. But the company's aggressive move to accelerate the pace of production in 2018 may have caused some issues, Fisher said.

Two people inspect the rear boot of Tesla's latest car "Model 3" during its first exhibition day in Spain, at the Tesla's store in Barcelona Nov. 14, 2018.
Yet "people who have told us they have problems with the car have also told us they’re very satisfied with the car," Fisher said.

That reflects the popularity of the Tesla brand and its position as a status symbol for many buyers, he said.

"You may not be buying a Tesla Model 3 because you want the most reliable car," Fisher said.

As a brand, Tesla ranked 19th, just behind Buick and just ahead of Ford.

Tesla said in a statement that its cars are "the safest and best performing vehicles available today."

"We’re setting an extremely high bar for Model 3. We have already made significant improvements to correct any issues that Model 3 customers may have experienced that are referenced in this report, and our return policy allows any customer who is unhappy with their car to return it for a full refund," the company said.

In addition to the Model 3, several other models lost their Consumer Reports recommendation, including the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Acura RDX, BMW 5-Series and Volkswagen Tiguan

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/02/21/consumer-reports-best-cars-2019-subaru-toyota-dominate-top-picks/2936504002/