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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.

Cadillac CTS-V, ATS-V special editions celebrate IMSA titles

This was Cadillac's first year of competition for its DPi-V.R. Daytona Prototype race car in the IMSA Endurance Championship, and it brought home both the manufacturer title and driver title. To celebrate the occasion, Cadillac has created special editions of its fastest road cars, the CTS-V and ATS-V, and their defining features are stickers. Yes, the most unique part of these special Cadillacs is a decal package. But it is an attractive one, with white, gray, silver and red accents inspired by the race car. They're complemented by either a black or white paint job and red side mirrors. The rear quarter windows also get little stickers of the race car's silhouette. Though the stickers are the defining trait of these special-edition cars, they aren't the only features. The CTS-V and ATS-V each come bundled with an array of other features such as a sunroof, the carbon fiber exterior accent package, and a red and black interior that features red-accented carbon fiber trim and Recaro seats. Available as additional options are an eight-speed automatic for the ATS-V, a performance data recorder and a suede steering wheel and shift knob. The other neat tidbit is that, if those extra features are must-haves, the IMSA edition ATS-V is the way to go. The $72,190 price for the sedan is almost $2,000 less than an equivalent standard ATS-V sedan. The regular ATS-V sedan also isn't available with the red and black interior. The special-edition ATS-V coupe starts at $74,390, which is a little over $1,000 more than an equivalent normal ATS-V coupe. Unfortunately for CTS-V buyers, the IMSA edition model, at $105,730, is pricier than optioning up a regular CTS-V. So in that case, you'll have to decide whether the decals and exclusivity are worth it. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Cadillac CTS-V and ATS-V IMSA Championship special editions View 13 Photos Image Credit: Cadillac Cadillac Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan cadillac ats-v

GM will expand Super Cruise to entire U.S. lineup after 2020

General Motors plans to bring its Super Cruise semi- autonomous highway driving technology to its entire U.S. lineup after it rolls it out to all Cadillac vehicles in 2020. Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president for global product development, made the announcement at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America conference in Detroit. Automotive News reports he also announced plans to offer vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in a high-volume Cadillac crossover by 2023 — technology that will also eventually spread across the luxury brand's portfolio. Super Cruise is GM's semi-autonomous, lane-centering driving system that uses lidar mapping, GPS, cameras and sensors. The system offers hands-free driving on the highway, with an infrared camera and lights that track the driver's head position to make sure the driver is paying attention, ready to take over when needed, and not nodding off. If it senses the driver is unresponsive, it can bring the vehicle to a stop on the shoulder and activate OnStar. Super Cruise is already an option on the 2018 CT6 and standard on the Platinum trim model. You can read our First Drive review of the technology here. Meanwhile, Cadillac launched vehicle-to-vehicle technology in the 2017 CTS sedan, allowing equipped Cadillacs to share information regarding speed, direction and location at distances of up to 980 feet to help avoid collisions. By going one step further with V2X, Cadillac can tip off drivers to hazardous road conditions, the status of traffic lights, work zones and threats of crashes. It's the first major announcement from the luxury brand since the departure of former CEO Johan de Nysschen and his replacement by Steve Carlisle in April. Related Video: Image Credit: Cadillac Cadillac GM Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles cadillac ct6 vehicle to vehicle communications Super Cruise