[xoxoxoBruce]

From Consumer Reports...

There’s a hard-earned perception that, in general, Japanese cars excel at consumer-focused virtues. If you look at our annual Brand Report Cards, you’ll find several Japanese brands top the list due to high average test scores and predicted reliability. But there have been several disappointing Japanese models lately.

These five cars score too low in our battery of more than 50 tests to qualify for a coveted Consumer Reports recommendation. In each case, they fell short of their potential and face much better competitors.

To earn a recommendation, a car must perform well in our tests, have average or better reliability, and perform adequately if included in a government or insurance industry crash test. While the spotlighted five cars missed the mark on the first criterion, the suggested alternatives all meet the standards to be Consumer Reports recommended. (Overall test scores are based on a 0-100 scale.)

The Los Angeles Times writes, "The magazine dumped some of its favorite vehicles — Toyota's Camry, RAV4 and Prius V — from its list of recommended cars because they scored poorly in an insurance industry crash test."

Toyota and its Lexus luxury brand took the two top spots in the reliability ratings. Acura, Audi, Infiniti, Volvo, GMC and Subaru were also top-ranked brands for reliability. The 2014 Subaru Forester earned the highest predicted reliability rating for a single vehicle, reports the Chicago Tribune.