2019 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 392 WidebodyChris Balcerak / Driving If youve picked up a copy of Consumer Reports at all in the past 15 years, you know by now their tests typically rank Japanese manufacturers at or near the top for dependability; see various European automakers fill up the middle of the reliability list, plus maybe a Ford or GM brand; and then round out the bottom with most of the Detroit Three and some luxury car companies.This year, though, that pattern got a little up-ended. Perennial worst-for-reliability automaker Fiat Chrysler actually saw one of its brands, Dodge, take a spot in the top 10 on the list for the first time ever.What gives? The eighth-place ranking in Consumer Reports’ Auto Reliability Survey can be chalked up largely to high reliability scores from the Dodge Grand Caravan and Dodge Challenger two models built right here in Canada.If thats not a big enough upset for you, typically-reliable Volkswagen slipped nine spots, as did Acura yeah, the premium marque built by Honda. The non-profit consumer organizations survey is based on feedback from some 400,000 vehicle owners and their experiences with models from 2000 to 2019. The reliability score is distilled from numbers crunched using that feedback.So what else did this number-crunching show? Well let the top and bottom five brands on the list speak for themselves.The Worst26. JeepThis is what makes Fiat Chryslers meteoric rise this year so incredible typically it falls into the lower third of the 30-strong list, along with many other American brands, like Jeep did as usual. Dodge was the only U.S. brand in the top 10, thanks largely to the above-average reliability of the Windsor, Ontario-built Grand Caravan; and the Brampton, Ontario-built Challenger, but the also-Brampton-built Chrysler 300 dragged the automakers namesake brand out of the dregs, too.Whats the secret? Theyre old, says CR. The 300, Challenger and Caravan havent changed in forever, so all the bugs are worked out and theyre pretty solid now. Unfortunately the same cant be said, somehow, for the Jeep Wrangler, which anchored that brand down here, pulling it from 23rd place.27. VolkswagenDoesnt VW know how to make a good car by now? Sure, but the company is still not as familiar with SUVs. CR blames the companys new Atlas and Tiguan utilities for sinking Volkswagen nine spots on the list. Specifically, the trucks much-worse-than-average reliability rating stems from the frequent failure of their emissions and fuel systems and electronics and power-assisted options.28. AcuraHonda has built a reputation on rock-solid reliability, but move up to its premium Acura brand and that reassurance goes away. Transmission issues and continuing problems plaguing the MDX took the companys scores way down nine spots as did the below-average reliability of the RDX.29. Alfa RomeoOutside of the Detroit Three, the bottom of the list typically is stuffed with niche European automakers that just cant get their dependability where they want it. Mini managed to shake off that ballast this year, moving up five spots, but the Giulia sedan kept Alfa Romeo right at the lists end. We have to point out for ironys sake that Alfa is owned by Fiat Chrysler, parent company of the above-mentioned rapidly-improving Dodge and the not-so-hot Jeep.30. CadillacChevrolets Camaro and Colorado are among the least reliable vehicles on the market today, if you ask Consumer Reports members that own em, but overall the brand ranked 25th on the dependability survey. General Motors luxury arm Cadillac wasnt able to escape the bottom five, though, ending up in dead last.That still seems mostly par for the course for many U.S. brands, though; outside of Dodge, the best America could muster was a dead-middle 15th-place finish via Lincoln, with Ford just behind.The Best5. GenesisIt took a long time, but the Korean trio of Kia, Hyundai and Genesis all owned by parent company Hyundai have gone from regularly showing up in the bottom half of CRs reliability scores to now taking three spots in the top 10. There is no gap anymore between the Korean manufacturers and the Japanese, said Jake Fisher, CRs senior director of auto testing. Their reliability is equal.If you cant afford the automakers upscale Genesis luxury cars, Hyundai itself was just behind in sixth place, and its Kona was ranked one of the top most-reliable models.4. PorscheWhile you arent always guaranteed the reliability youd assume youd be with a luxury marque, you do get it with Porsche, which moved up five spots this year to make it that spot just next to the podium.That bodes well for its upcoming Taycan electric sedan, which has a bunch of hype to live up to and cant afford to break down on buyers, especially with Tesla also climbing in CRs reliability ranks.3. ToyotaWhat can we say? You expected to see it here, and here it is. While Consumer Reports blame some brands falling scores on re-designs they still have to
Origin: The most – and least – reliable brands for 2019, ranked by Consumer Reports
Ranked!
These are the worst roads in Quebec, as ranked by CAA
Large deep pothole in Montreal street, Canada.Marc Bruxelle / Getty Earlier this year, nearly 21,000 Quebecers voted on what they felt were the ten worst roads in their province.Part of a yearly initiative by CAA to spurn various levels of government into road-fixing action, the organizations Worst Roads campaign seeks input from all road users, from cyclists and public transit riders to motorists.So buckle up and hold on to your poutine as we take a look at what the voters in CAA-Quebecs survey deemed the provinces most maddening macadam.The crew at CAA recognizes while every road listed deserves its spot in the top 10, dozens of others could just as well have made it into one of the top slots. Armed with the list, CAA-Quebec went to municipal and provincial authorities and asked them to make a pledge to repair the crumbling infrastructure, promising to report back on that progress. Spox for CAA assert that lists like these do often result in some form of roadwork, whether it be a complete repave or a hurried patch job. About eight months after last years list was published, one road was fully repaired while four more were currently under the steely gaze of a construction supervisor. Two more were on the provinces to-do list, meaning seven of the ten roads received attention less than twelve months after the list was written.Boulevard Gouin Est has been a perpetual habitant of these lists, having the dubious accomplishment of showing up every year since the lists inception. It landed in first spot this year, first spot last year, and somewhere in the top 10 at various other times. Running about fifty kilometres from Senneville in the west to Pointe-aux-Trembles in the east, it is said to be the longest stretch of road on the island. Work has started on it and will continue well into 2020.Here is the full list for those who wish to plug them into Waze as routes to avoid.Boulevard Gouin Est, Montreal Montée du Bois-Franc, Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard Chemin Craig, Lévis Rue Newton, Boucherville Boulevard du Grand-Héron, Saint-Jérôme Route 389, Côte-Nord Traverse de Laval, Lac-Beauport Chemin Cadieux, L’Ange-Gardien Chemin Saint-Henri, Mascouche Rang Saint-Martin, Saguenay Drive safe, kids and watch out for the
Origin: These are the worst roads in Quebec, as ranked by CAA
Ranked: All the best car brand logos
Think Ford was going to max out with the Shelby GT350 Mustang? Think again. A brand’s logo is its face and its signature. In a letter or word, design or crest, it acts as a visual representation of the objects it will be attached to. In the automotive world, brands go to great lengths to design badges that create an identity that will draw fans toward it even before they see the rest of the vehicle. This list represents the crème de la crème in automotive logo design. From the most storied to the most iconic to the most badass, here are the best 15 automotive logos, ranked.1. Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo’s badge floats to the top because, like all great art, it tells a story but still holds some mystery. The red cross, a common medieval Christian symbol, is easy to explain; it represents Milan. The meaning of the human figure being consumed by a snake-dragon creature, on the other hand, is a little less straightforward. The image is known as the Visconti Serpent, another symbol of Milan. It used to be that the figure pictured was usually a baby or a Muslim man, which hardly seems appropriate for a modern international brand, but Alfa Romeo insists its logo tells a tale of birth, not death, with the figure emerging from the mouth of the snake as a new man. 2. ShelbyIf you had to get a car brand tattooed on your bicep, this would be the one to go with. It’s just cool, full-stop. 3. Mercedes-BenzThe Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star emblem is synonymous with luxury. Sure, the marketing dollars behind the logo have a lot to do with the way it makes people feel, but there’s still something incredibly sexy about the simple design. In 1926, the logo had a wreath around it and was often seen in colour, but once the brand converted to an all-silver design, it stuck.4. LamborghiniA powerful machine requires a powerful logo. Imagine Ferruccio Lamborghini had chosen a parrot instead of a raging bull? The Italian automaker had an infatuation with bullfighting, and not only used the ill-tempered animal to brand his company, but named many vehicles after the sport, including the Miura (a Spanish family with a long history in bullfighting); the Jarama (named after a famous bullfighting area in Spain); and the Aventador (a famous Spanish bull).5. Abarth Abarth, the official vehicle of Scorpios everywhere. It’s true, sort of, as founder Karl Alberto Arbarth chose his Zodiac sign (and, fortunately for him, the most badass of the dozen) as the mascot for his brand. The red, white and green bar across the top, meanwhile, is a cross-section of the Italian flag. 6. Ford A Ford logo on the grille of a 2018 Ford Explorer on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show. Ford’s logo recognition is so strong, it even has a nickname based on it. The Blue Oval as we know it today can be traced back to 1903 and the Ford Model A, which bore the same ‘Ford’ font as the current logo and was designed by a friend of Henry Ford’s. The wording inside has changed over the years – the first logo read ‘Ford Motors Detroit Mich.’ – but the oval has been the border of choice since the get-go.7. TeslaYes, it’s a T, but did you know that the electric car logo has a deeper meaning than just the first letter of the brand’s name? Elon Musk offered this explanation on Twitter: “Similar to SpaceX, the T is like a cross section of an electric motor, just as the X is like a rocket trajectory.”8. PorscheHere’s one your word-of-the-day calendar may not have gotten to yet: inescutcheon, or a small shield within a larger shield. That’s what Porsche’s got going on in its badge, the coat of arms of its home town of Stuttgart set inside the coat of arms of the Free People’s State of Württemberg. Where Cadillac fails to restrain itself (Emboss! Emboss! Emboss!), Porsche nails the luxury vibe. 9. JaguarWhile Lamborghini chose a raging bull to represent its performance capability, in 1945, Jaguar opted to illustrate power and luxury in another way: a slinky jungle cat known for its grace, poise and strength. The brand’s first logo, an ‘SS’ for Swallow Sidecar Company, was tossed to the curb following the second world war for obvious political reasons. 10. IsuzuThis Japanese brand was first founded in 1916 and while its logo has been through a few iterations, its understated, minimalist essence has remained for over 40 years. In 1974, the automaker updated its all-caps logo to include two white pillars, though today, the wordmark is most commonly used. 11. Saab The most recognizable iteration of Saab’s logo – the navy circle and mythical red Griffin, a nod to its aviation history – could have passed for a beer logo from the 80s, but that’s what makes it so endearing. Before the auto arm of the brand went kaput, it was using a silver wordmark sans avian, but the Griffin lives. Saab is still very much active in the commercial air, naval, security and civil aerospace industries.12. VolkswagenNot that creative, but simple and iconic, like the brand. And about a million per
Origin: Ranked: All the best car brand logos
Best Automotive Smack Talk – Ranked!
When two tribes go to war – and those tribes are car companies – everyone wins. Whether the weapon of choice is billboard, TV ad or Youtube video, the collateral damage is our split sides. Some are better than others, so here are our top five, ranked for your pleasure. No.5: Truck Bed Wars When Ford started crowing about its aluminum bed in the Ford F-150, Chevrolet’s marketing department frothed at the mouth. Within minutes, they had an advert in which a “real person” tips a toolbox into an aluminum bed, immediately piercing it. Ford didn’t need to respond, because Honda used its Ridgeline to make two very strong points. 1: The Ridgeline has a standard composite bed that can take 830 lb worth of rocks and, 2: Truck beds have liners. Der. No.4: Billboard Battle When an Audi dealership in Los Angeles called out BMW in a billboard ad, Santa Monica BMW was rapid to respond. “Your move, BMW” was met with a Teutonically brief, “Checkmate” alongside an image of an M3. No.3: Britain Beats Germany (With an Assist from the USA) When Mercedes-Benz used a catchy tune and an awkwardly calm chicken as a metaphor for its Magic Body Control suspension, it underestimated the savagery of British marque, Jaguar. Well, Jaguar’s USA arm, anyway. In their parody ad the chicken once again makes an appearance – and then it disappears. This is what the kids refer to as, “savage”. No.2: Kia Forte vs Lamborghini Aventador (yes really). Just because you’re not the biggest, baddest, or most beautiful doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strut your stuff on the world stage. Kia knows who and what it is, and so makes a clear and eloquent case for its Forte over the Italian supercar. No.1: Porsche “vs” Audi When Audi announced it was withdrawing from World Endurance Racing and the Le Mans 24 Hour race after 18 dominant years, Porsche did not forget their chirp of 2014. In that original clip Audi marked its territory with a mischievous welcome message. But this is not your average clap back, this is endearing and charming. We challenge you not to tear up as you watch the charming old bloke in his little red Porsche tractor send some love to his Volkswagen Automotive Group stablemates. This clip wins not because it’s the funniest, or the most brutal, but because it reminds us all that the best sledges come from
Origin: Best Automotive Smack Talk – Ranked!
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