It’s been a long time since buying American really meant something. Many foreign automakers now build their vehicles in the U.S., while American automakers have moved some of their production to Canada and Mexico. Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep are owned by a European company. Lucid has its headquarters in California, but it’s received investments from both China and Saudi Arabia. So at this point, what even is an American car anymore?
And yet, some people still want to buy American. Typically, that means buying a car from Detroit’s Big Three, but don’t forget that Tesla is American, too. Heck, its CEO is even a Nazi! If you’re one of those people who would prefer to buy American, our friends at Consumer Reports released their list of the best American cars, trucks and SUVs to help you with your car shopping. We’ve also included Consumer Reports’ overall score and how it ranks in its segment since the best American cars haven’t always been competitive.
Now, let’s see what made the list.
Entry-Level Luxury Sedan: Cadillac CT4
Base Price (Including Destination): $35,390
CR Overall Score: 70
Rank In Class: 3 of 5
The Cadillac CT4 doesn’t have much history behind its model name, but it’s hard to complain when it starts at just over $35,000 with destination. Especially these days, when American sedans have almost disappeared and rear-wheel-drive American sedans are even more rare. The CT4 also drives great and has a nicer interior than you’d expect. The downside is the back seats aren’t the most comfortable, and there isn’t a ton of storage.
Owner satisfaction is also low, although reliability has been about average.
Luxury Compact Sedan: Cadillac CT5
Base Price (Including Destination): $50,215
CR Overall Score: 70
Rank In Class: 5 of 12
Want something bigger and nicer than the CT4? Well, Cadillac still has you covered with the CT5, its replacement for the old CTS. Yes, the 5 and the S look incredibly similar, and people still get them mixed up. The CT5 also delivers almost the same list of high points as its smaller sibling, but the base engine and transmission aren’t the best, and rear passengers may take issue with the headroom that’s available.
Ownership satisfaction is also low, while reliability is also average.
Electric Sedan: Tesla Model 3
Base Price (Including Destination): $44,130
CR Overall Score: 70
Rank In Class: 3 of 12
Elon Musk is an incredibly dangerous, power-mad monster of a man. Do not give him your money.
Small Car Or Hatchback: Buick Envista
Base Price (Including Destination): $24,795
CR Overall Score: 62
Rank In Class: 17 of 24
The Buick Envista looks like a crossover, but Consumer Reports thinks it’s more of a hatchback. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a small, inexpensive vehicle with an aggressive roofline that arguably makes the trunk opening more of a liftgate than anything else. It’s also much better than you’d expect from a Buick that starts well below $25,000. Consumer Reports praised its braking and handling, as well as how many features you get for your money, but you can’t get all-wheel drive, and the low price really shows inside the cabin.
Owner satisfaction has been about average, as has reliability.
Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette
Base Price (Including Destination): $69,995
CR Overall Score: 87
Rank In Class: 1 of 7
America’s sports car, baby! Now with a slick mid-engine design that can keep up with supercars that cost five times as much. It isn’t efficient in town, but surprisingly, Consumer Reports got 29 mpg during highway testing. And while Corvettes haven’t traditionally had the nicest interiors, the C8’s is pretty nice. Really, the only other downsides are the kinds of things you’d expect in a mid-engine sports car like it not being the easiest thing to get into or see out of.
Ownership satisfaction has been quite high while reliability has just been average.
Four-Seat Sports Car: Ford Mustang
Base Price (Including Destination): $34,210
CR Overall Score: 81
Rank In Class: 1 of 23
If you need more space than the Corvette provides (or simply can’t afford one), the Ford Mustang is still going strong as both a coupe and convertible. It’s technically also an electric crossover, but we don’t talk about that around the two-door Mustangs. Regardless, it still drives great, sounds great, shifts great and looks great, too. Since it’s still a two-door car, though, using the back seats can be inconvenient and a little tricky, but at least they’re there for transporting pets, groceries, children and even adults you like making uncomfortable.
Owner satisfaction has also been quite high, as has reliability.
Minivan: Chrysler Pacifica
Base Price (Including Destination): $44,145
CR Overall Score: 69
Rank In Class: 4 of 8
Since Ford and General Motors stopped making minivans, the Chrysler Pacifica more or less wins this category by default. At the same time a win’s a win, and Stellantis has to take all the wins it can get right now. It makes a great first impression, offering good looks, plenty of space, a versatile layout and a comfortable ride, as well as a flexible, versatile layout with all-wheel drive and plug-in hybrid options. That said, it doesn’t have a particularly refined engine compared to the competition, and you can’t pair the hybrid version with Chrysler’s popular fold-away second-row seats.
Owner satisfaction has been below average, while reliability has been middling at best.
Subcompact Crossover: Chevrolet Trailblazer
Base Price (Including Destination): $24,395
CR Overall Score: 68
Rank In Class: 4 of 14
Like the Buick Envista, the Chevrolet Trailblazer is smaller than you might think, so if you need a good bit of space you probably want to look elsewhere, or you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed. Still, it’s a solid little crossover, especially considering its sub-$25,000 starting price. It isn’t exactly sporty, though, and it certainly can’t off-road like its name would suggest. At the same time, it gets good gas mileage, it’s spacious, and it may even surprise you with how quick it is for the money.
Owner satisfaction has been below average, but reliability has actually been above average.
Compact Crossover: Buick Envision
Base Price (Including Destination): $37,895
CR Overall Score: 73
Rank In Class: 17 of 32
Buick makes another appearance on this list, this time with the somewhat similarly styled but larger Envision. As long as you aren’t looking for the S-Class experience for less than $40,000, you’ll probably appreciate the fact that this is just a nice, well-rounded crossover. It doesn’t really have any stand-out strengths, but at the same time, it doesn’t really have any weaknesses aside from the badge on the front and some nitpicks about the shift knob and the location of the air vents.
Both owner satisfaction and reliability have been about average.
Midsize Three-Row Crossover: Ford Explorer
Base Price (Including Destination): $42,045
CR Overall Score: 68
Rank In Class: 11 of 22
If you need a minivan but don’t want one for some reason, you can always buy a truck with a cap over the bed and an extra row behind the rear seats. OK, that’s maybe a little unfair to the Ford Explorer, as it’s long been a solid family SUV. Not only is it spacious and easy to drive, but it can also be had with one of the best advanced driver-assist systems on the market today. That said, the transmission could probably be smoother at low speeds, and Consumer Reports believes the ride could use to be improved.
Both owner satisfaction and reliability have been about average.
Luxury Compact Crossover: Cadillac XT5
Base Price (Including Destination): $45,690
CR Overall Score: 67
Rank In Class: 8 of 27
Cadillac’s sport sedans are some of the best in the business, but sadly, its crossovers don’t retain much of that sporty feel. The XT5 has a nice interior with plenty of space in the second row, but aside from that, it struggles to stand out against the competition. Plus, the V6 could use more power, and visibility could be better. That may not be a big problem for you since you’re still young and full of life, but let’s just say “young and full of life” hasn’t traditionally been Cadillac’s customer base.
Both owner satisfaction and reliability have been about average.
Luxury Three-Row Crossover: Cadillac XT6
Base Price (Including Destination): $50,590
CR Overall Score: 67
Rank In Class: 7 of 19
It isn’t the Escalade you really wanted, but the Cadillac XT6 does still offer something the Escalade never will again — a base price that starts with a 5. It may not be rear-wheel drive or have a V8, but the XT6 is quiet and offers a great ride. Just don’t go for the V6 if you want to get good gas mileage, and make sure you’re OK with how adjustable the seats are before you pull the trigger. It’s also worth noting that the XT6 doesn’t come with some of the features you might expect in this class.
Both owner satisfaction and reliability have been about average.
Electric Crossover: Tesla Model Y
Base Price (Including Destination): $46,630
CR Overall Score: 73
Rank In Class: 1 of 18
Elon Musk is an incredibly dangerous, power-mad monster of a man. Do not give him your money.
Small Pickup Truck: Ford Maverick
Base Price (Including Destination): $26,210
CR Overall Score: 74
Rank In Class: 1 of 3
Mechanically, the Ford Maverick is more of a car than a truck, but it does have a bed in the back, which makes it a truck in our books. It also happens to be so popular, Ford basically sells them as fast as it can make them. The cabin materials aren’t the nicest, but did you expect actual Acacia wood inserts in a truck that costs $26,000? Basically everything else about this truck is great except for how much demand there is for one. If you don’t need to tow a space shuttle from Florida to Seattle every week, this could easily be all the truck you could ever need and then some.
Owner satisfaction has been above average, while reliability is just about average.
