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BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.

Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The Mazda Miata would not be my first choice for a road trip car. Would probably be in the bottom 10, in fact. The interior fits me like a coffin, the seats pinch my back and the amount of passenger legroom is laughable. It's not exactly the most serene car, either.  But hey, there are sadists out there who may want to venture somewhere in it. I work with some of them. So, as they were the ones who requested this, here is the answer to the question: how much luggage fits in the Miata's trunk? Alright, so on paper, the Miata RF has 4.48 cubic-feet of trunk volume. The regular soft top Miata, the one you should absolutely get instead, has 4.59. Does that different matter? Probably not. However, when talking about trunks in this diminutive size range, the shape is the ultimate factor. For instance, the Porsche 911's 4.6-cubic-foot frunk is basically the same as the Miata's, yet it's narrower and deeper. My BMW Z3's trunk is 5 cubic-feet, yet it's wider, longer and much shallower. On paper, they'd seem to be the same, but you can't fit the same items within them.  Usually, I'd now list all the bags I have to test, but dude, in the words of Jay Mohr in "Go" ... This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Go (8/8) Movie CLIP - It's a Miata (1999) HD   Here's what I could fit ...     This bag is 26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep and you'd have to check it in at the airport (remember those?!?). It BARELY fit inside the Miata. The ever-so-slightly larger gray version of this bag I have did not fit.   By contrast, it slid very easily into my Z3 and as you can see (below left), the remaining area was far more easily accessed due to the wider trunk opening. However, this bag wouldn't fit at all in the 911's frunk as the space isn't wide or long enough.      Alternatively, shown above, I could stack two carry-on roller bags (one 24L x 15W x 10D, the other 23L x 15W x 10D). This time, the tight fit came from height.    By contrast, these two would fit with room to spare in the deep 911 frunk as Zac Palmer discovered with his similarly sized bags (below left). They also fit in my Z3 (below right), but were side-by-side and just BARELY fit due to the trunk's much shallower depth. Basically, the Z3 was worst here.

2014 Mazda6: Winter's End Update

The Winter Without End is seemingly dead. Outside my office windows, my brown and yellow lawn is fully exposed to the increasingly powerful sunshine, the morning birdsong is louder than anything until the garbage trucks start rolling, and I'm seriously considering having the summer tires put back on my personal fleet. That last one is a little scary, as I'm a firm believer in the April Snow Jinx, but you get the idea.
The long-term Mazda6 has also long since left my driveway. Looking back on my notes from the time it was in my charge, however, I see all remarks are dominated by one highlighted section at the top: "worst winter drive of all time." I hardly need the reminder, to be honest. Here's what happened.
When the Mazda showed up at my door, we'd already fitted the thing with its new winter rubber: Bridgestone Blizzaks. Plunking down for dedicated snow tires was a near necessity this year - as it almost always is in Michigan. We didn't see much reprieve from snow-choked, iced over roads here in Ann Arbor, and the knobbier rubber proved invaluable in getting me out of my house time and again.