While some General Motors nameplates had been among the least reliable brands in past years, Consumer Reports indicated they now rank above some major European competitors such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

The survey found two factors are aiding GM’s reliability improvements.

First, officials noted GM’s recent introductions, such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox, Buick LaCrosse V6, and Cadillac SRX, are proving reliable from the time they were launched. In addition, they pointed out GM shed many models with subpar reliability when it shut down the Saturn, Pontiac, and Hummer brands.

“Even some older models, such as the Chevrolet Avalanche, Corvette, and Suburban have improved to average,” Consumer Reports declared.

As a company, the survey determined GM is still a ways from the top when it comes to reliability. The major Asian automakers, including Honda and Toyota, are still out in front.

Among the three domestics, Consumer Reports said Ford continues to build the most reliable vehicles. However, Chrysler lags behind both GM and Ford.

“Still, GM made the most progress of the three domestic manufacturers in this survey,” report authors stated.

“Across GM brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC), 69 percent of models had average or better reliability,” they continued. “Cadillac improved the most, rising seven places from last year’s ranking. Chevrolet had its best showing in years; 83 percent of models had average or better scores in predicted reliability, up from 50 percent.”

In the new survey, based on 1.3 million vehicles, officials indicated 90 percent of Fords, including Lincoln models, have at least average reliability. As a brand, they found Ford now outranks Mazda and Nissan and ranks just below Lexus.

“Leading the OEM’s quality renaissance has been led by the Fusion, a design that has been very reliable since its debut five years ago,” Consumer Reports insisted. “Ford vehicles are tops for reliability in two categories: family cars (Fusion Hybrid) and large SUVs (Ford Flex EcoBoost).”

David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, elaborated about how well GM and Ford in particular have advanced their performances in the publication’s survey.

“General Motors and Ford have taken different paths to improving reliability,” Champion stated.

“Some of GM’s redesigned vehicles have scored well,” he went on to say. “The company has also dropped many of its below-average models. Ford has put its emphasis on fine-tuning existing platforms and limiting the number of new-model introductions.”

Meanwhile, Consumer Reports said the following about Chrysler: “The Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands are saddled with dated models."

In fact, the survey revealed 12 of automaker’s 20 models the publication had sufficient data for rate below average in reliability.

“None of Chrysler’s models score above average,” Consumer Reports offered. “With Fiat’s acquisition of Chrysler, many of its products will either be replaced or redesigned in the near future.”

Asia Still Dominates

Despite recent safety recalls, Consumer Reports insisted Toyota models, including those from Scion and Lexus, remained among the most reliable and earned top scores in five vehicle categories. Those units included small cars (Toyota Yaris), midsized SUVs (Toyota FJ Cruiser), luxury SUVs (Lexus LX), minivans (Toyota Sienna V6), and full-size pickups (Toyota Tundra V6).

The publication said only the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS and the new Lexus IS 250 convertible are below average.

“The redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius, hurt by antilock brake problems on early vehicles, scored only average,” Consumer Reports determined. “That is quite a drop from previous years.”

Honda and Acura are among the top four brands along with Scion with their models topping five vehicle categories, according to Consumer Reports.

The survey revealed Hyundai and Kia continued to do well, with only one model, the Kia Sedona, rated below average.

“All six new models for 2010 (Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Sonata, and Tucson; Kia Forte, Sorento, and Soul) had average or better reliability, an impressive first-year showing,” Consumer Reports indicated.

Turning to Nissan, the survey noted all its mainstream models scored well as the Altima and Maxima sedans and the Murano and Pathfinder SUVs all rated average or better in predicted reliability.

“The Titan had shown improvement in the last year or two, but both 2WD and 4WD versions have once again dropped to below average reliability,” Consumer Reports noted.

“The small Nissan Cube had a below average score in its first appearance in Consumer Reports survey. The Infiniti models were all average or better,” officials added.

Finally among Asian brands, Subaru had a good record overall, with a top rating going to the four-cylinder Legacy sedan and the non-turbo version of the Forester SUV. The WRX was the only model that rated below average.

Europe’s Bumpy Road

While European reliability had been improving, Consumer Reports believes momentum seems to have stalled.

The survey indicated all Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz were not rated as favorably, according to officials.

“BMW had a bad year, with five of its 11 models scoring below average,” Consumer Reports declared. “While the BMW M3 topped the sporty cars category, the 1-, 3-, and 5-Series models with the 3.0-liter turbocharged (N54) engine had high problem rates related to the fuel system, among other gripes.”

Continuing on to Mercedes-Benz, officials noted:"Six of Mercedes-Benz’s 13 models were below average, and the GLK SUV was far below average. However, the redesigned E350 sedan was above average, a promising start. The new E-Class coupe, a wholly different car from the E-Class sedan, languished in the bottom ranks.”

With regards to Audi, nearly three-quarters of the brand’s models Consumer Reports analyzed were below average.

“The A6 with the new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 was tied with the Jaguar XF for the worst new car prediction score,” testers declared. “Volkswagen did better, with its Golf, formerly the Rabbit, doing very well and the various Jetta models scoring average or better.”

The Porsche Boxster has the best predicted reliability score in Consumer Reports survey, while the Audi A6 3.0T and Jaguar XF have the worst.