Best sporty SUVsRav4 tops the ranks in Consumer Reports survey. BMW X3 is second, but not recommended.NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Toyota Rav4 outranks luxury SUVs costing as much as $13,000 more in a new round-up of mid-sized crossover SUVs by the magazine Consumer Reports. The Rav4, which was redesigned for the 2006 model year, earned a Top Pick.
The BMW X3 was the second-place finisher in terms of overall road-test scores, but it didn't earn a recommendation because of its poor predicted reliability. The magazine also tested the Nissan Murano, Acura RDX, Infiniti FX35 and the Mazda CX-7. Photos: Consumer Reports' best sporty SUV Consumer Reports buys vehicles anonymously for its test fleet through ordinary retail dealerships and tests them at a specially built facility in Connecticut. Among the tests performed are acceleration, handling, braking, ride quality and visibility. In addition to track tests, test engineers also drive the vehicles in ordinary day-to-day situations. The CX-7, the vehicle closest in price to the Rav4, finished last of the six. Its road test score was 62 out of a possible 100 compared to the Rav4's 83. The rankings are published in the magazine's January issue. The magazine also includes reviews of six off-road SUVs. Of those, the Nissan XTerra S earned the top ranking. Its road test score of 59 was lower than that for any of the sporty SUVs, but it was just three points behind the Mazda CX-7. Consumer Reports' rankings for off-road SUVs were based primarily on their on-road performance and handling. The Kia Sorento and Jeep Liberty Sport also merited recommendations from Consumer Reports based on "Good" predicted reliability and road test scores of 43 and 42 respectively. The Toyota FJ Cruiser ranked fourth with a road test score of 36. In spite of its "Excellent" predicted reliability, the FJ Cruiser did not earn the magazine's recommendation because of its low road-test score. The Hummer H3 also did not earn a recommendation because of its low road-test score of 26 and "Poor" predicted reliability. Lowest-ranked was the newly redesigned 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with a road test score of 17 out of a possible 100. That score was, at least, a significant improvement from the previous version's score of 5. Photos: Consumer Reports' best sporty SUV Photos: Best resale value cars The year in cars: Biggest flops, CEO surprises Hitler race car could fetch $12 million |
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