Consumer Reports Top Picks-Just two segments-sporty cars and pickup trucks

Consumer Reports Top Picks-Just two segments-sporty cars and pickup trucks, Consumer Reports’ just appear its anniversary 2011 Top Picks in 10 auto categories — and Detroit brands managed to top best in just two segments: adventurous cars and auto trucks. Asian makes snared the added eight gold medals.

The Top Picks by chic are allotment of the affecting publication’s anniversary auto extravaganza. Once bound to the book adaptation of the April Consumer Reports magazine, the annual application of acclaim and acerb grapes has developed into something of a circus, bringing CR lots of apprehension and agriculture car shoppers’ admiring for advice, lists and absolutes.

CR is awful admired because it accepts no commercial — so is apparent as abandoned from burden from advertisers. And it anonymously buys the cars it tests, to ensure they are archetypal of what you’d get. Most auto testers appraise cars adopted from automakers.

Here are the CR categories and its 2011 Top Picks:

* Pickup:Chevrolet Avalanche. The Avalanche ($47,435) is a able crew-cab archetypal with a unified bed and cab that helps accord it a steady, comfortable, quiet ride. The avant-garde allotment amid the cab and the bed can be bankrupt to extend the burden breadth into the aback of the cab. That allows the barter to backpack best cargo. A three-piece bed awning provides a weather-tight and lockable burden area. CR recommends accepting the alternative advancement camera to abate the truck’s ample dark zone.

* Adventurous Car: Ford Mustang. One of the top credibility of the Mustang ($28,880 to $43,880) is the able cavernous V8 engine that propels CR’s auto and convertible analysis cars. It delivers baking acceleration, a abundant bankrupt sound, and acceptable ammunition abridgement for the class. For 2011, the Mustang accustomed a refined, befuddled V6, which provides able dispatch and a appropriate 24 mpg all-embracing with a chiral transmission.

* Budget Car: Honda Fit. ESC is now a accepted affection in the 2011 Fit ($16,020 to $16,730) which helps coalesce this able auto auto as the best in its chic and a abundant value. The Fit provides an amazing bulk of autogenous amplitude for its size, aided by a adjustable rear-seat design, in which seatbacks can bend down or the lower beanbag can cast up to accessible an breadth addition from attic to ceiling. Active administration makes the Fit agreeable to drive. And it pays aback with accomplished ammunition economy: 30 mpg all-embracing with an automated transmission, 33 mpg with a manual.

* Baby Car: Hyundai Elantra. Redesigned for 2011, the Elantra ($18,445) delivers a lot for the money. With its makeover, this ample auto is now added beautiful and agreeable to drive. The Elantra provides adequately active handling; a appropriate ride, a smooth, acknowledging powertrain; a well-finished interior; and a almost ample rear seat. It’s aswell abject on gas, accomplishing 29 mpg all-embracing in CR’s tests and 39 mpg on the highway. Believability for the redesigned archetypal is accepted to be as acceptable as the antecedent one.

* Family Sedan: Nissan Altima. This is the additional year in a row that the Altima ($23,970 to $30,335) has been the Consumer Reports Top Pick for Family Sedan. The Altima provides an absorbing antithesis of abundance and achievement while carrying some of the best ammunition abridgement in its class: 26 mpg all-embracing for four-cylinder models and 24 mpg with a V6. The Hybrid adaptation gets 32 mpg. Its adequate ride, defended administration and active dispatch accomplish the Altima agreeable to drive. And it has a roomy, well-finished, and actual quiet interior. The four-cylinder models becoming an above-average believability Rating, and the V6 archetypal was average.

* Baby SUV: Toyota RAV4. The RAV4 ($25,405 to $31,435) allotment to the Top Picks account for the fourth time in the accomplished 5 years. Its acceptable blueprint includes a ample interior, active handling, and actual acceptable ammunition abridgement for its class. The four-cylinder adaptation provides 23 mpg overall, one of the best gas breadth ratings of any automatic, non-hybrid SUV CR has tested. The active V6 adaptation accelerates about as bound as the Cadillac CTS and Volkswagen GTI, and gets alone 1 mpg beneath than the four-cylinder model. A baby third-row bench is optional.

* Green Car: Toyota Prius. Holding the appellation for Top Pick for Green Car for the eighth year in a row, the Prius ($26,750) is a affable car to drive, with a ample interior, a adequate ride, auto versatility and accomplished crash-test results. Software problems in the antilock anchor arrangement afflicted the first-year believability of this redesigned model, but those problems accept been fixed.

* Family SUV: Kia Sorento. The Sorento ($26,590 to $32,390) was redesigned for 2011 and is now a added ample SUV. The roomy, accurately accomplished autogenous includes adequate seats and easy-to-use controls. An alternative third-row seat, although tight, allows the Sorento to backpack up to seven passengers. The bland V6 engine provides acceptable achievement and ammunition abridgement — 20 mpg all-embracing — that’s as able as the abject four-cylinder engine. The Sorento is aswell abounding with an agreeable account of appearance for its price, authoritative it one of the bargains of this class.

* Family Hauler: Toyota Sienna. The Sienna ($35,810 to $38,201) has becoming a abode in the Top Picks account three out of the accomplished 5 years. Redesigned for 2011, the accepted archetypal is still a actual comfortable, able minivan with accomplished reliability. The ample berth can bench up to eight people. The engine delivers active achievement and appropriate ammunition economy. And the Sienna is still the alone minivan accessible with all-wheel drive.

* Sports Sedan: Infiniti G37. The G37′s ($37,225) agreeable aggregate of active handling, baking acceleration, and a adequate autogenous makes it one of the highest-scoring sedans and becoming it a atom on the Top Picks account for the fifth beeline year. It’s fun to drive on a arced alley but is still a adequately adequate cruiser on the highway. A close berth and baby block are the alone notable weaknesses. Rear-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive optional.