ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 18, 1997 TAG: 9703180065
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Japanese models still have much better repair records over time, a magazine official said.
Cars made by Japanese companies outnumber Americans by a nearly 2-to-1 margin on Consumer Reports' annual recommended list, but the domestic companies are catching up.
The magazine's auto edition - one of the most widely followed guides for American car shoppers - recommends 52 Japanese 1997 models for purchase vs. 27 American ones.
That's a slightly better performance for the United States than last year, when Consumer Reports recommended 57 Japanese and 23 American cars.
European cars also fared slightly better this year. The magazine recommended 14 of them, compared with 11 last year.
R. David Pittle, Consumer Reports' technical director, said the trend is consistent with findings the magazine made during studies in 1991 and 1996.
``American manufacturers have really come a long way in improving both the performance and reliability of many of their models. They're closing the gap on the Japanese, and one day they may actually catch them.''
Consumer Reports annual auto issue, on sale at newsstands today, has more credibility than other auto publications because it accepts no advertising and refuses to allow car companies to cite its findings in their advertising.
As it did last year, the magazine picked the 1997 Toyota Camry as the best family sedan. This year the Mazda Protege replaced the Honda Civic as the best small car. The Toyota 4Runner replaced the Ford Explorer as the best sport utility vehicle.
The Japanese dominated nearly every car category, with the exception of large cars costing less than $30,000. In that group, there were five domestic models recommended and just one Japanese.
Many of the best-selling Japanese cars are now made at factories in America and many of them use U.S.-built parts, raising the question about whether there really is any significant difference between them any longer.
George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Inc., a California-based consultancy, says there is.
``Their plants are just a bit more efficient in terms of ensuring bullet-proof quality - no shakes and rattles,'' he said.
The Consumer Reports auto issue looked at 188 models in 1996 and 186 this year.
The magazine decides whether to recommend a car or truck based on a detailed series of measurements taken during test drives, including acceleration, handling, braking, steering, comfort, convenience, safety equipment, fuel economy and reliability.
Consumer Reports' Pittle said the reason the magazine continued to recommend more Japanese cars can be found not in the 1997 models themselves but in the reliability statistics for those cars in previous years. Japanese models still have much better repair records over time.
Still, the reliability of American cars has improved. For instance, for the 1980 model year, Consumer Reports readers reported 80 to 100 problems per 100 American cars. By the 1995 model year, the number had dropped to 30 to 35 problems per 100 cars.
Japanese-car owners reported 20 to 50 problems per 100 cars in 1980; that figure dropped to 15 to 20 problems in 1995.
CONSUMER REPORTS RECOMMENDED MODELS
Small cars
Acura Integra, Chevrolet Cavalier, Geo Prizm, Honda Civic, Mazda Protege, Nissan Sentra, Pontiac Sunfire, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla
Medium cars under $25,000
Chevrolet Lumina, Ford Contour, Honda Accord, Mazda 626, Mercury Mystique, Mercury Sable, Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat
Medium cars over $25,000
Acura TL, Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Infiniti I30, Infiniti J30, Lexus ES300, Mazda Millenia, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Saab 9000, Volvo 850, Volvo 960
Large cars under $30,000
Chrysler Concorde, Eagle Vision, Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Pontiac Bonneville, Toyota Avalon
Large cars over $30,000
Chrysler LHS
Luxury cars
Acura RL, BMW 5-Series, Infinity Q45, Lexus GS300, Lexus LS400, Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Sporty cars
Acura Integra Coupe, Ford Probe, Honda Prelude, Mazda MX-6, Nissan 200SX, Toyota Celica, Toyota Supra
Minivans
Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Isuzu Oasis, Mercury Villager, Nissan Quest, Plymouth Voyager, Toyota Previa
Sport-utility vehicles
Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota RAV4
Pickup trucks
Ford Ranger, Mazda B-Series
LENGTH: Long : 110 linesby CNB