Avenger not a surprise. Restyling on the front facia would be my first target and then some meaningful targeted advertising at the right demo and as always offer a potent fun power train. Is it that hard to do?



[quote]U.S. News & World Report Releases 2008 Car Rankings: Honda Still King, GM Rapidly Improving





SEE ALSO: New Car Reviews, Specs, Rankings and Prices - New Car Buyers Guide

SEE ALSO: Ranked Car Reviews
Best & Worst New Cars, Best Green Cars, and Overall Winners

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- U.S. News & World Report today announced its 2008 Car Rankings, available online at RankingsAndReviews.com. The 2008 rankings cover the best and worst cars, trucks and SUVs based on an analysis of consensus opinions from America's top automotive experts.

New Car Hits

GM shows the greatest improvement from the 2007 to 2008 car rankings with several new or redesigned vehicles ranking near the top of their classes. The redesigned Chevy Malibu, all-new Buick Enclave, and redesigned Cadillac CTS (winner of Motor Trend Car of the Year) fare well in the rankings.

Experts laud the Malibu (ranked #6 out of 25 midsize cars) for its driving dynamics, exterior styling and affordability. The new CTS (ranked #4 out of 14 upscale cars) is praised as an American car that can finally compete with the BMW and Lexus nameplates. Finally, experts generally agree that Buick hit a home-run with its all-new Enclave (ranked #3 out of 23 midsize SUVs) based on classy styling and a superb ride. Joining the highly ranked Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Silverado 1500, these new entrants help GM to achieve a good overall showing in the 2008 rankings.

The all-new Infiniti G37 and Mazda CX-9 also debut high in the rankings, as do the newly remodeled Honda Accord, BMW 5-Series, and Chrysler's minivan siblings the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan.

New Car Misses

Some new cars miss the mark. In the same class as the Accord, the all-new Dodge Avenger places last out of 25 cars. The all-new Nissan Rogue is also a less-than-stellar performer, placing in the bottom half of the compact SUV rankings. Surprisingly, the newly redesigned Toyota Highlander is a merely decent performer among midsize SUVs. The 2007 Highlander was ranked #1 in its class.

The 2008 Winners

A complete listing of all the car, truck and SUV rankings and meta-reviews are available at: RankingsAndReviews.com. As of December 13, 2007, the #1 ranked automobiles in the most popular categories are:

Economy Cars: Honda Fit
Midsize Cars: Honda Accord
Upscale Small Cars: Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Midsize Cars: BMW 3-Series
Luxury Cars: BMW 5-Series
Compact SUVs: Honda CR-V
Midsize SUVs: Honda Pilot
Large SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe
Luxury Midsize SUVs: Lexus RX 350
Full Size Pickups: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Affordable Sports Cars: Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, Mazda Speed3 (tied)
As with the 2007 rankings, Honda occupies more #1 ranking spots (7 in total) than any other nameplate. Honda's Fit, Civic, and Civic Hybrid take the top three spots on the Economy Cars list.

BMW retains the #1 ranking spot in the popular upscale and luxury car categories. Among the very competitive upscale midsize cars, the BMW 3-Series remains the benchmark, but now has strong competition from the Lexus ES and all-new Infiniti G37, each tied for the #2 ranking spot.

Japanese Hybrids Outrank New American Hybrids

For 2008 there are several new entries from GM and Ford in the rapidly expanding Hybrid segment. The challengers (the new Saturn Aura and VUE hybrids, Chevy Tahoe hybrid, and siblings Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner hybrids) underperform the more established Toyota and Honda models. Experts agree that these newcomers do not yet offer the combination of fuel economy and driving performance exhibited

 

It sure would be nice if we had an American car manufacturer be a market leader.

 

I agree Jeremiah, what happened to the in your face lines of an American car? Now all the vehicles are looking the same.. somewhat. I'm just bored with the lack of imagination I guess.

 

Chrysler still has a very American feel...but I get what you're talking about...it killed me when they made the Mustang of the 90's look like a supra or some other Asian design derivative....