U.S. News and World Report, known for its consumer advice and rankings, has published its 2024 list of the best brands for different types of automobiles. One surprising mark that defines the annual list is the multiple brands that have won in consecutive years, the publication’s senior automotive correspondent John Vincent said.
“The surprise is the consistency of these brands,” Vincent told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re in a tough marketplace where there’s a lot of competition in every segment, and these brands rise to the top consistently.”
U.S. News compiles safety and reliability data, along with user feedback and opinions of the automobile press to rank and analyze 38 brands.
Honda took top honors in the “Best Car” category for the fourth straight year on the strength of its long-running Accord and Civic Type R.
“It’s a tough category. There are some really good players out there with the Camry and the Hyundai Sonata, but the Accord just does it better. And then you have the Civic Type R, which is a fantastic little rocket ship. A whole lot of fun to drive,” Vincent said.
For all the practicality infused into decision-making about cars, something that we spend hours each week within ought to be fun to operate.
Vincent noted that American automakers have pretty much abandoned sedans and coupes.
The SUV market is saturated and Hyundai scored the best in that category partly because it has models in each subset of the market, small to large, Vincent said. And Hyundai’s benefits set it over the top: “With all of these Hyundai products, you get a 10-year powertrain warranty, which is unsurpassed in the industry.”
Vincent and I discussed the South Korean automaker’s transformation over the last few years. They used to be considered less reliable, cheap cars. But Vincent noted how Hyundai has started leaning into quality and upped its warranty benefits to show the public that it stood behind its automobiles’ durability.
The only American company to win a category in the U.S. News list is Ram, which aced the truck brands for the sixth straight year. Ram used to be a model under Dodge, which was a subsidiary of Chrysler. Chrysler’s various mergers in the last two decades have materialized as Stellantis, a multinational conglomerate of 14 brands.
While the Ford F-150 normally leads in truck sales, Vincent explained, “The Ram has a more comfortable cab than anything else out there. And for their light duty 1500 pickup, they use a pretty sophisticated rear suspension. That costs them some towing capacity, but gives the trucks a much, much better ride.”
Vincent also noted that Ram, like Hyundai in SUVs, has several different types of pickup trucks to cater to many different tastes. Included is the Tungsten, which Vincent described as “a luxury car with a bed.”
That statement encapsulates how tastes for trucks have shifted from rugged and tough to large and luxurious.
Speaking of luxury, the only German brand to win a U.S. News award is Porsche, doing so with its array of offerings in the luxury category. And while we may initially think of Porsches as sleek, compact sports cars, Vincent said that notion is rapidly changing. “The SUVs are really what drive that company now.”
Toyota, Vincent said, has been the gold standard in most categories for years. The Japanese company routinely leads in sales and quality. But Toyota’s slipping in some of these surveys because, Vincent said, “Toyota’s quality hasn’t gone down, but everybody else’s quality has come up to meet them.”
And competition is very good for the consumer.
Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years and written “Gridlock Guy” since 2017. Doug also co-hosts the “Five to Go Podcast,” a weekly deep dive on stories in motorsports. Contact him at fireballturnbull@gmail.com.
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