Honda made a comeback taking three spots in Consumer Reports' annual list of Top Picks.
The newly redesigned Honda Accord was named top midsized sedan. The four-cylinder engine gets 30 miles to the gallon overall and 40 on the highway. It's priced between $23,270 and $30,860.
The CR-V was the Top Pick in the small SUV class. And, for soccer moms who need to haul a lot of kids, the Honda Odyssey regained top minivan status.
To be named a Top Pick, vehicles had to score high in a battery of tough road tests, get positive reliability rankings from Consumer Reports readers and do well in crash tests. More than 280 vehicles were evaluated.
Noticeably missing from the list were American models. They were shut out.
However, two European cars made the list for the first time in several years.
The Audi A6 was named the Top Pick luxury vehicle. It's priced at $56,295.
"It's a very comfortable car," said Consumer Reports' Jake Fisher. "It's got an amazing interior, nice ride and agile handling."
The BMW 328i was tops in the sports sedan category.
"It's always been a really sporty, fun-to-drive car," Fisher said. "But now, with a two-liter turbo-charged engine, it's actually very efficient, too."
The BMW 328i gets 28 miles to the gallon overall.
If a sports car is your speed, the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S lead the pack in that category. They are nearly identical because they were co-developed by Toyota and Subaru.
Another Subaru, the Impreza, was top in the compact car category.
If you're looking for a car for less than $20,000, the Hyundai Elantra was the Top Pick for budget car.
Two Toyotas made return appearances on the list. The Toyota Highlander for midsized SUV and the Prius for green car.
As for pickups, Consumer Reports made no Top Pick because new model year GM and Dodge trucks have yet to be tested. However, the Toyota Tundra scored well in the tests.
For a list of recent stories Marilyn Moritz has done, click here.