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David Champion, the magazine's director of automotive testing, blamed one model for Lexus' fall, the midsize GS that was redesigned last year. He said the car had problems in three areas — body integrity, defined as rattles or poorly fitting panels; body hardware, such as locks and trunk mechanisms; and the sound system.

The model still rated average and earned a purchase recommendation. All other Lexus models were better than average.

Toyota officials looked at the bright side. "We had three of the top five. It reflects well on our products," spokesman Xavier Dominicis said.

Mercedes, DaimlerChrysler's luxury brand, tumbled four places to the cellar, "a very poor showing for a very expensive car," Champion said. Mercedes' quality is so imperiled that a 9-year-old Lexus LS 400 has potentially fewer problems than a new Mercedes ML. Champion said of Mercedes: "They perform well, have great fit and finish. But they seem to have a lot of problems with the seven-speed automatic transmission in all their products, and power accessories and electrical systems."

Predicted reliability of brands by Consumer Reports survey

1. Toyota
2. Honda
3. Scion
4. Acura
5. Lexus
6. Subaru
7. Hyundai
8. Infiniti
9. Mitsubishi
10. Mercury
11. Mazda
12. Audi
13. Lincoln
14. GMC
15. Volvo
16. Ford
17. Kia
18. Buick
19. BMW
20. Pontiac
21. Chevrolet
22. Dodge
23. Chrysler
24. Nissan
25. Saab
26. Suzuki
27. Volkswagen
28. Mini
29. Porsche
30. Saturn
31. Cadillac
32. Jeep
33. Jaguar
34. Hummer
35. Land Rover
36. Mercedes-Benz

Good bets | Bad bets
Acura Integra | BMW 7 Series
Acura MDX | BMW X5 (v8)
Acura RL | Chevrolet Astro
Acura RSX (except '06) | Chevrolet Blazer
Acura TL | Chevrolet Express
Acura TSX | Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Buick Regal | Chevrolet Venture, Uplander
Chevrolet Prizm | Chrysler Town & Country (awd)
Honda Accord | Dodge Caravan (awd)
Honda Civic | GMC Jimmy
Honda Civic hybrid | GMC Sonoma (4wd)
Honda CR-V | GMC Safari
Honda Element | GMC Savana
HondaOdyssey | Infiniti QX56
Honda Pilot | Jaguar S-Type
Honda Prelude | Jaguar X-Type
Honda S2000 | Jeep Grand Cherokee
Infiniti FX | Kia Sedona (except '06)
Infiniti G20 | Land Rover Discovery, LR3
Infiniti G35 | Lincoln Aviator
Infiniti I30, I35 | Lincoln Navigator
Infiniti QX4 | Mercedes-Benz CLK
Lexus ES | Mercedes-Benz M-Class (v8)
Lexus GS | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (v8)
Lexus GX | Mercedes-Benz SL
Lexus IS | Nissan Armada
Lexus LS | Nissan Titan
Lexus EX | Oldsmobile Bravada
Lexus SC | Oldsmobile Cutlass
Lincoln Town Car | Oldsmobile Silhouette
Mazda Millenia | Pontic Aztek
Mazda MX-5 Miata | Pontiac Trans Sport, Montana, Montana SV6
Mazda Prote'ge' | Volkswagen Cabrio
Mazda3 | Volkswagen Jetta (turbo, gas)
Nissan Altima | Volkswagen Jetta (v6)
Nissan Maxima | Volkswagen New Beetle (4 cyl.)
Nissan Pathfinder | Volkswagen Touareg
Pontiac Vibe | Volvo XC90 (6-cyl.)
Scion xB
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza WRX
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra

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