One should see what CR has to say, but I think one should generally take it as a starting point and not as the final word on manufactured goods. That said, car brands that consistently have high reliability ratings are certainly more appealing than brands that don't - if all else is equal... ;-)

Which it never is.

I'm sure a lot of people walk away from Subaru cars solely because of the interiors, which are almost uniformly crap.

And yet when I had a 2L Legacy for a 500-mile trip, I was most impressed with it. Comfy, quiet-ish, quick, and it felt very planted on the road. The interior was shit, though.

Cars are complex things and if you buy a modern one expecting it never, ever to break, then you'll be disappointed.

A good website for car owner opinions is [link|http://www.carsurvey.org|Car Survey].