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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.

Mazda Raceway gets first new MX-5 Cup as pace car

Mazda's motorsports department officially finished the first example of its new MX-5 Cup racer. But while the rest of the fleet will be used in the Global MX-5 Cup championship, this initial unit has been designated for another purpose. It's been dedicated to serve as the new pace car for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Based on the latest ND-generation MX-5, the Cup racer was previewed in racing spec this past November ahead of its debut at the SEMA show. Though we've still yet to see the final spec sheet, it clearly benefits from key upgrades to the rolling stock, not to mention the added roll cage, racing buckets, and more. The pace car also features emergency lighting and a livery designed by Mazda and applied by Sticky Fingers Design out of Huntington Beach, CA. The beefed-up little roadster will join a cadre of pace cars used at the legendary Northern California circuit. Other pace cars in the fleet include a Mazda6, RX-8, CX-5, and the previous Miata. The season is winding to a close at Laguna Seca, with the Pirelli World Challenge finale and Mazda Road to Indy still set to take to the track next month. Related Video: MAZDA RACEWAY IS READY TO PACE THE FUTURE MONTEREY, Calif. (August 13, 2015) – Mazda Motorsports used the annual car-fest known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion to roll out the first production 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup race car. This particular vehicle is guaranteed to lead races as it will be the newest pace car in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca fleet of Mazda safety vehicles. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup race car follows a 26-year history of the MX-5 Miata in motorsports. The first race cars to be sold to customers will be used in the 2016 Global MX-5 Cup, known in the U.S. as the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. With the 2016 racing season still many months away, placing the first production race car into pace car duty allows Mazda to gather additional durability data while showcasing it in front of one of the most influential motorsports crowds of the year. "For Mazda, this weekend is the perfect blend of past, present, and future," noted John Doonan, director of motorsports for Mazda North American Operations. "We are celebrating our motorsports heritage on the track with our vintage race cars.

Mazda hopes to return to Le Mans

Mazda has been away from the winner's circle at Le Mans for some time now. But it could be preparing a return to the forefront at the famous French endurance race in the near future. That is, at least, if the racing enthusiasts within its ranks get their way. "I know that the expectation for us to return to Le Mans is high. I can imagine a day when Mazda returns," Nobuhiro Yamamoto told Top Gear at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend. "I hope - as with many other Mazda fans - that we go back to Le Mans." His words hardly serve as confirmation of the Zoom-Zoom brand's intentions, but they certainly speak rather loudly to a desire within its ranks. They hardly come out of left field, either. Yamamoto-san is arguably the man best positioned to spearhead such a campaign – or would at least be best informed if such a campaign were underway. He's currently the program manager for the MX-5, and decades ago was the racing engineer behind the 787B. That Group C prototype racer represented Mazda's last major effort at taking top honors at Le Mans, and take them it did when it won the race outright in 1991. The Japanese automaker was out in force this past weekend at Goodwood, the event's central sculpture honoring Mazda's racing history, and its presence only fueling rumors that it could be preparing a renewed assault on endurance racing – potentially once again under rotary power. The 787B, motorsport history buffs will tell you, represented the first and last time to date that a Japanese manufacturer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although Toyota has been competing with Audi and Porsche at the front of the field with the TS040 Hybrid, it has yet to win the key race, despite having taken the FIA World Endurance Championship last year. "Everyone at Mazda would love to see the only Japanese company to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans return to the famed twice-around-the-clock classic," a spokesman for Mazda's North American motorsports department told Autoblog by correspondence. "Whether that'll actually happen isn't something we can discuss at this time, but, given our historical and current involvement in motorsports, our interest in the event should be no surprise to anyone. We agree with Yamamoto-san when he says he hopes it happens." So while Mazda may not be ready to confirm the prospect of its return to Le Mans, it certainly isn't ruling it out, either.