Thirteen GM vehicles, including the Saturn Vue, received the coveted 'recommended' rating from Consumer Reports in its annual 2003 New Car Preview. This is a big improvement from last year when the magazine recommended only four GM vehicles. GM's renewed focus on quality seems to be working. Earlier this year, J.D. Power & Associates ranked GM third in initial quality behind Toyota and Honda.

The GM vehicles making this year's list included the Chevrolet Malibu LS, Chevrolet Impala LS, Buick LeSabre Limited, Chevrolet Avalanche 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LS extended cab, GMC Sierra 1500 SLE extended cab, Pontiac Vibe AWD, Saturn Vue V6, Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LT, GMC Yukon XL 1500 SLT, Chevrolet Tahoe LT, GMC Yukon SLT and Saab 9-5.

"They have improved reliability in trucks over the last three years. They're now clawing their way back to average reliability," said David Champion, who heads Consumer Reports' automotive testing operation.

"Our belief has always been that our efforts to improve initial quality would lead to improvements in long-term reliability," said Gary Cowger, president of GM North America. "These welcomed recommendations from Consumer Reports are the first demonstration of those efforts."

Not all GM vehicles did so well. The 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, and Oldsmobile Bravada were ranked worst in their class. All were found to have poor reliability in their first year of production. The magazine reportedly expects that the midsize SUV’s quality to have been improved for 2003. The Pontiac Bonneville is also no longer recommended.

Some popular foreign models didn't score well either.

Consumer Reports says the reliability of the new Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Impreza all dropped to 'average'. The Detroit News reported that the major complaint for all three: squeaks, rattles, and loose trim, which are part of the survey's body integrity and body hardware categories. However, despite their lower ratings, all three are still recommended by the magazine. The Volkswagen Golf and Jetta weren't as fortunate. They are no longer recommended, as Consumer Reports says their reliability dropped to 'below average'. Interestingly, no Mercedes-Benz vehicles scored high enough reliability ratings to be recommended.

To establish reliability, Consumer Reports sends annual surveys to its approximately 4 million subscribers, seeking insight on vehicles they own. Approximately 480,000 readers responded to the 2002 survey, spokesman Douglas Love said. The full results will be published next April. The auto results spanned eight model years, 1995 to 2002.

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Source: Detroit Free Press, Detroit News