Consumer Reports' Vehicle Picks For Teenagers, Seniors and Families
Consumer Reports' Vehicle Picks For Teenagers, Seniors and Families
By Liz OpsitnikTuesday, Aug 03 2010 13:44
Consumer Reports magazine is giving car shoppers some recommendations on what car to buy your teenager, as well as which vehicles would be good choices for families and senior drivers.
Consumer Reports recommends that teen drivers and parents look at vehicles with safety features like electronic stability control and curtain air bags, as well as cars that rate well in crash tests.
The Mazda5 was a Consumer Reports pick for family movers, and received and excellent score from the magazine.
"Often parents think that putting their child in the biggest car is the safest thing they can do, but that's not so," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports automotive test center in East Haddam, Conn. "Teens are the most inexperienced drivers on the road, so you want to make sure they're driving something that handles well, is agile and has as many safety features as possible, especially electronic stability control."
Hyundai Elantra SE, Mazda3, Scion xB, Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue
Honda Odyssey, Subaru Forester XT Limited, Hyundai Azera, Honda Accord, Kia Rondo
Mazda5, Ford Flex EcoBoost, Toyota Sienna, Honda Accord Crosstour
The Mazda5 received an "excellent" score from the magazine, whose test featured three different types of family movers. Although smaller than a standard minivan, Consumer Reports says it is an affordable choice.
"The Mazda5 hits a sweet spot for families on a budget," said Champion. "It provides most of the versatility and convenience of a minivan along with stingier fuel economy, more agile handling and a lower price."
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3 comments on this story so far.I disagree with Consumer Reports with respect to Honda. Thirteen people in this country die each day in Hondas. This company has the distinction of being involved with 14.26% of all auto related fatalities in the country. According to the NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 14.26% of all motor vehicle fatalities in the United States were in Hondas for 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. Every day, 13 lives are cut short while behind the wheel of or traveling inside of a Honda. Don't let yourself or someone you love become one of the 13 to die in a Honda today. Remember, Toyota is not the only car company to have safety and design issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has over 1100 complaints on file about the 2003 Honda Accord. Of the 1139 complaints (as of August 3, 2010) referred to this agency, 379 fall into the "power train: automatic transmission category." Information from the NHTSA web-site reveals that in the 2003 Honda Accord, transmission failure occurs quickly and many times at highway speeds. The complaints from NHTSA are mostly similar to each other in that the vast majority of the failures happen suddenly at higher speeds and the car's occupant(s) are often unsafely jolted forward while coming to a near stop in the travel lanes. This is a serious safety issue. Coming to a near complete stop from 60 or 70 miles per hour, in some reported cases, has resulted in some injuries and will eventually result in someone's death. In April of 2004, Honda issued a recall on the automatic transmissions of Honda Accords, Odysseys, Pilots and Acura 3.2CL and 3.2TL models. According to Honda's own press release, "this condition may lead to gear breakage and possible locking of the vehicle's transmission, creating a potential safety hazard." The very same potential failures cited in the 2004 recall have become frequent for owners of these vehicles in the years subsequent to the recall and the resulting "transmission lockup", referred to in the recall, that "could result in a crash" has become a reality for many. Honda was supposed to fix the problem when it issued the 2004 recall, however, it appears the company tried to do the cheapest thing for its bottom line in an attempt to have these vehicles fail after the warranty had expired. By not fixing the problem they are putting lives at risk. Honda's blatant disregard for the safety of its customers and the public at large is best exemplified its refusal to take responsibility for the safety and design flaws engineered into their cars. It is no wonder that Honda has 14.26% of the share of automobile fatalities in the United States. E-Mail: [email protected] Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-2003-Honda-Accord/128740053827828 Twitter: http://twitter.com/Recall03Accord Web: http://www.wix.com/Recall03Accord/Recall-The-2003-Accord YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Recall03HondaAccord