The news today is that the AWD versions of the Lexus GS, along with two Toyotas, have been dropped from Consumer Reports’ 2007 Recommended list. The net result, Toyota as a whole (including Lexus and Scion) has dropped from first overall to third, behind Honda and Subaru.

What were the problems with the AWD GS, which now ranks Below-Average? Consumer Reports asserts that the drop is due to the “accessories and audio system in the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS sedan”, which makes very little sense, as the AWD and RWD both share the same components. For some background, the prevailing complaint among Club Lexus GS owners is of creaks and rattles, as well as overall interior material quality, but nothing to add any weight to CR’s reasoning.

What I found startling is that Consumer Reports was essentially giving all Toyota models a free-pass to their Recommended list until now:

Still, because of these findings, CR will no longer recommend any new or redesigned Toyota-built models without reliability data on a specific design. Previously, new and redesigned Toyota models were recommended because of the automaker’s excellent track record, even if CR didn’t have sufficient reliability data on the new model. If Toyota returns to its previous record of outstanding overall reliability, CR may resume this practice. Typically, CR will only recommend a vehicle if the magazine has at least one year of reliability data for that specific model.

Seems like a bad practice to me, recommending any car on reputation alone, and I’m glad to see them discontinue this behavior.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a report today to bring attention to the rather high cost of low-impact collisions in luxury automobiles. To illustrate their point, each of the test cars were subjected to four low-impact impacts: full front and rear collision, and front and rear side collisions. The damage was then assessed and the value of repair calculated.

Two Lexus’ were featured in the results, which fell in the middle of the pack in terms of cost:

The worse offender was the Infiniti G35, which totalled up to $13,983, and the least expensive, should you consider it a luxury car, was the Saab 9-3 which only came to $5,243.

Automakers were quick to denounce the study, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News:

Automakers said the tests did not assess the vehicle’s safety and only focused on repair cost. They said it was hard for the tests to replicate the low-speed crashes that typically occur on the road.

Nissan Motor Co. spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said it was “highly unlikely that anyone would be simultaneously involved in the four low-speed crash modes under real-world conditions.” Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand.

Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran said the results did not reflect the automaker’s “holistic approach to occupant safety. This philosophy influences vehicle design and development even down to the front bumper.”

It’s hard to fault the IIHS for bringing attention of this, because while deductibles keep this from hitting the customer’s pocket directly, it results in higher premiums over the long-term. Still, how many would trade in their color-coded plastic bumpers for the steel bumper-car look of yesteryear?