Low Marks for Luxury

Consumer Reports

If you're looking for reliability in yournew car, don't look to Europe. In itsrecent story on predicted reliability for2005 models, (www.consumerreports.org) puts some bignames near the bottom of the list, includingthe Mercedes-Benz S-Class and theJaguar X-Type, which are rated belowaverage. At the very bottom is the BMW5 Series, followed by the VolkswagenPassat. Two other pricey European cars,the Saab 9-3 and the Volvo S60, are alsoin the bottom five. The top of the reliabilityrankings, as usual, is dominated byJapanese makes, with models fromLexus, Acura, and Toyota in the top five.In fact, all but three of the 32 top-ratedcars are Japanese makes, while Americanbrands occupy the middle of the ratings.