From Consumer Reports®: Kia Optima edges out Honda Accord

The redesigned Kia Optima outpointed the high-selling Honda Accord in Consumer Reports' recent face-off between the two family sedans.

The Optima now ranks sixth among the four-cylinder family sedans CR tested, ahead of the Honda Accord and behind the Suzuki Kizashi. The Optima edged out the Accord by just one point. Both vehicles achieved "Excellent" overall scores.

Consumer Reports' top-scoring four-cylinder family sedans include the Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry, in that order.

Kia's Optima drew praise from CR's engineers for its handling, transmission, controls, fuel economy (25 mpg overall in CR's own tests), and its crash-test results. Its lows included road noise, low rear-seat height and limited rear visibility.

CR also released its evaluations of three midsized SUVs, the redesigned Ford Explorer, the gas/electric Toyota Highlander Hybrid, and the diesel-powered Volkswagen Touareg TDI. The Highlander Hybrid outpointed the others and posted an "Excellent" overall road test score. The Touareg came in close behind the Highlander and now ranks fourth overall in CR's ratings of midsized SUVs. The Explorer fell short in this competitive market segment and now ranks 17th out of 19 vehicles in the category.

All five newly rated vehicles were either redesigned or freshened for 2011.

The Highlander Hybrid gets a newer V6 engine that helps boost its gas mileage to 27 mpg overall, up from its previous 24. That makes it the most fuel-efficient SUV in CR's ratings with gas mileage far better than any conventional SUV and comparable to a small sedan's.

The Highlander Hybrid and the Accord are the only recently tested vehicles that are "Recommended." The Touareg, Explorer and Optima are too new for CR to have adequate reliability data to "Recommend." CR only "Recommends" vehicles that have performed well in its tests, have at least average predicted reliability based on its Annual Auto Survey of its more than 7 million print and Web subscribers, and performed at least adequat

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