Reliability Rankings

Japanese cars still hold the edge in reliability, but computers on American vehicles are helping to narrow the gap, Consumer Reports said. Acura and Infiniti, the luxury lines of Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., were the brands with the fewest problems reported by owners. General Motors Corp.’s Saturn and Geo were best among the American brands. Volvo and BMW were the most reliable European cars. Highlights of the Survey:

Reliability

Reliability rankings of 1995 models, from best to worst, based on the number of problems reported by owners:

1. Acura

2. Infiniti

3. Honda

4. Geo

5. Subaru

6. BMW

7. Toyota

8. Mazda

9. Volvo

10. Saturn

11. Nissan

12. Eagle

13. Lexus

14. Lincoln

15. Chrysler

17. Oldsmobile

18. Jeep

19. Pontiac

20. Ford

21. Buick

22. Dodge

23. Mercury

24. Plymouth

25. GMC

26. Volkswagen

27. Chevrolet

28. Saab

29. Cadillac

Best of 1996

Consumer Reports’ selections, based on its testing and reader surveys.

Best family sedan: Toyota Camry

Best inexpensive car: Honda Civic

Best sport-utility vehicle: Ford Explorer

Best high-mileage car (fuel economy): Toyota Tercel

Most fun to drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata and BMW 318ti hatchback

Best regardless of price: Mercedes -Benz E320

Used Cars to Avoid

Least reliable used cars, based on model year 1988-94. List starts with the worst.

1. Dodge Monaco

2. Eagle Premier

3. Hyundai Excel

4. Jeep Wrangler

5. Ford Taurus SHO

6. Chrysler Town & Country

7. Dodge Grand Caravan

8. Plymouth Grand Voyager

9. Ford Bronco

10. Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais

11. Chevrolet S-10 Blazer

12. GMC S-15 Jimmy

13. Oldsmobile Bravada

14. Ford Tempo

15. Mercury Topaz

Note: Some brands or models are not included because of insufficient data.

Sources: Consumer Reports, Associated Press.