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Best and worst car brands of 2022 according to Consumer Reports

It's that time again, Consumer Reports this morning lifting the curtain on its 2022 Annual Car Brand rankings and its 10 Top Picks in the car, crossover, and truck category. Drumroll, please: This year, Subaru climbs two spots to claim the winner's circle, having come third the last two years. Last year, Mazda climbed three spots from 2020 to take the crown. This year, Mazda slipped to second, BMW taking the last spot on the podium, also a one-spot drop from 2021. Six automakers in the top 10 hailed from Japan, which is one more than last year, and five luxury makers occupied the top 10, which is two more than last year. And South Korean representation didn't crack the top this year, after Hyundai managed tenth last year. The seven makes after BMW are: Honda, Lexus, Audi, Porsche, Mini, Toyota, and Infiniti.  The magazine and testing concern says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CR’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." The domestics also took steps back among the 32 OEMs ranked on the 2022 card. Chrysler and Buick were the domestic carmakers who made last year's top 10 in eighth and ninth, respectively. This year, Buick dropped to eleventh, Chrysler to thirteenth. Dodge went from fourteenth to sixteenth. CR continues to ding Tesla's yoke steerer, the not-exactly-natural handhold responsible for the electric carmaker going from sixteenth last year to twenty-third this year.

2015 Ford Focus gets more Aston-y [w/video]

With more and more members of the Ford brand adopting a new familial face, the Focus has been left looking like an odd man out. At the Geneva Auto Show, though, it properly rejoined the family, adopting the now familiar Aston Martin-ish grille that's proliferated throughout the range.
Overall, we're liking the refreshed Focus' look. Aside from the new grille, the headlights have been restyled and now look like elongated versions of the lamps on the Focus ST. Functionally, those headlamps are bi-xenon units, complete with an adaptive front lighting system. Out back, the rear retains the same overall look, which has been smoothed out for 2015.
In the cabin, the second-generation of Ford's much-maligned Sync system makes its debut. Sync 2, as it's called, is supposedly more intuitive than the first-gen system. Ford is promising "one-shot" navigation functions for the system. Saying "I'm hungry," should bring up a list of nearby restaurants. Of course, we'll be reserving final judgment until we can test the new system in person.

Crushing 1984 Ford Ranger to make a point about clean cars

Being a professional politician is often about more than just getting legislation passed, and a little showmanship can go a long way towards getting a point across. California State Senate leader Kevin de Leon recently staged just such a flashy stunt when he crushed a 1984 Ford Ranger at a rally kicking off an EV incentives pilot program. De Leon sponsored a bill last year that, in part, tried to give greater support to low-income buyers who wanted to trade in their old clunker for a zero-emissions vehicle. He hoped to improve the state's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, which has been accused of especially helping the wealthy. After watching their Ranger get destroyed at this event, the Mendoza family that owned the truck drove away in a 2013 Toyota Prius, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. Under the pilot program, buyers in two air districts in the Golden State can take advantage of these incentives. Depending on their income and the vehicle they are purchasing, people can get a rebate of between $1,500 and $9,500, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. For now, the California Air Resources Board has set aside $5 million from the state's cap-and-trade program to fund things in these areas. Later, it will vote whether to adopt the initiative statewide. Not to be outdone, Arnold Schwarzenegger has thrown his prodigious muscle behind this program, and he put out an even more explosive video showing how to get rid of these old vehicles. You can watch a clip of the Ranger's destruction from the Sacramento Business Journal above and the Governator's response, below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Sacramento Business Journal, Arnold Schwarzenegger via YouTube Government/Legal Green Ford Toyota Car Buying Green Culture Electric Hybrid Videos California cvrp kevin de leon