什么车最安全---汽车的质量和安全性。

We approach this question in two ways: Asking for the top three factors and separately, requesting the single, top factor. Either way, the order remained the same.

Where we did find differences was between the sexes. Women considered safety (74 percent versus 56 percent of men) and environmentally friendly/green (33 percent versus 22 percent of men) far more important, while men put more emphasis on value (54 percent versus 47 percent of women).

Safety

Volvo continues to dominate the Safety category, with a dramatic 50-point advantage over Ford, in second place. That margin elevates the Chinese-owned brand to Top 10 status overall. Without leadership in this factor, Volvo would blend in with second-tier brands in consumers' minds. Still, Volvo slid a bit in the safety category this year. The movement may be because Volvo has not played the safety drumbeat as loudly as in the past during the transition to new ownership.

Other brands lost ground, but only slightly and without statistical significance. It is possible that in the year ahead, the results from the more-stringent government crash-test rating system may influence future perceptions. Among the 2011 models tested thus far, only the Honda Accord has earned five stars across the board—a feat that was commonplace just a year ago.

What a difference a year makes. Toyota lost its grip on the hard-won reputation for quality with a series of recalls that affected millions of vehicles over the last 18 months. For a company whose processes were scrutinized for decades by the competition and taught in colleges, this is a tough blow.

In our latest reliability survey (which included 1.3 million vehicles), Toyota dropped three places to rank sixth overall for reliability. Even the usually impressive Prius hybrid lost ground, earning just an "average" predicted reliability score.

In contrast, Honda and Ford ranked higher than Toyota, each without a single model showing reliability below or merely at the industry average.

Aside from Toyota, the quality leaders in the Brand Perception survey remain consistent. Of those top five, only Mercedes-Benz's appearance among them shows how perception differs from reality. While most Mercedes models fare well in our tests and are enjoyable to drive, the brand ranks 22nd in predicted reliability—down four spots from the previous year.

We see year-to-year movement for most brands in the survey, suggesting that the rollout of new models and their associated marketing campaigns can affect consumer perception.

Consistent what we've seen elsewhere in this survey, consumers' perception of Toyota has dropped while their perception of Ford has risen. Honda comes in a respectable second.

While the term "value" can be open to personal interpretation, it is clear that car buyers are looking to get the most for their money, including a good car at a good price. Value-conscious car shoppers can find significant savings on Consumer Reports-recommended vehicles. 

Performance

BMW and Porsche continue to reign as the performance leaders year after year. Their reputation is well deserved, as products from those two German automakers consistently deliver a sporty character. The cars typically do well in our dynamic tests, with strong acceleration and agile handling. While entertaining to drive, several BMW models are not recommended by Consumer Reports due to below-average reliability.

Ford claims third place in performance, with Toyota falling from the top five. The story is more that Toyota tumbled to 15 percentage points, rather than that Ford made great strides, as its score remains unchanged. Last year, we were quite impressed by the updated Mustang and its more powerful V6 and V8 engines.

Toyota's high scores in past years suggest that survey respondents were reacting to more than track-based performance characteristics in their strong support for the brand. It has been a long time since the Toyota brand had a true performance car. The days of the Celica and Supra are well behind us, replaced by the hybrid era that has served the company well. Much of the recent recall news about Toyota surrounded issues related to unintended acceleration, brake issues, and accelerator pedal problems. It may be that when it came to performance in the past, consumers weren't strictly focused on acceleration and handling with Toyota, but today they may be concerned with stopping.

Audi made the cut this year, climbing 8 percentage points over last year—a major improvement. A growing portfolio with high-performance S model variants and an R8 supercar flagship is clearly communicating that there is another performance-focused German automaker.

Given the attention the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, and other electrified cars are getting, you might think that environmentally friendly cars would be a market force. But our recent green car survey showed that while Americans want better fuel efficiency, they are not willing to pay extra for it. Times are tough for many people and the green that matters most these days is money.

Consumers are aware that all automakers are striving to improve their models' fuel economy, and expectations are high for the next new car purchase. This year, we're seeing the green factor reflect that Toyota and Honda no longer have exclusive leadership in this area. While both companies provide several hybrid models and offer other fuel-efficient vehicles, the competition is making significant strides.

The second-ranked Ford now has its Fusion hybrid sedan and it has been spreading its turbocharged "EcoBoost" engines across several model ranges, delivering more power and efficiency than before.

Chevrolet is making its fuel-economy push with the Cruze, Equinox, Volt, and coming Sonic.

This year Scion has entered the top ranks at No. 5, edging out sixth-place Subaru and well ahead of Hyundai at No. 7. The surprising result here is based on official EPA fuel economy ratings; Hyundai would be a green factor leader. It will take time for perception to catch up with this reality. As Hyundai rolls out the Sonata hybrid, redesigned Elantra, and eventually the small Veloster, it may capture more green awareness.

When it comes to cars, styling is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, and consumers have crowned BMW as the winner. Along with BMW, the other top-ranked brands for design and style this year are also prestigious luxury brands.

There has been some movement in the design factor, with Lexus and Cadillac moving down from last year. Both brands continue to drop since 2008. Lexus has dropped 15 points in two years, and Cadillac has dropped 6 points.

Last year, Toyota had 17 points, and this year it came in with just 10. The drop in perceived styling leadership contributes to that brand's reduced overall score. This change cannot be blamed on safety concerns or headlines.

Just off our leader chart, Ford claimed 17 points this year, followed by Chevrolet with 16.

Over time, we're seeing less dominance for this factor, with points increasingly spread among many brands.

Toyota lost its significant lead in technology/innovation this year, leaving the top five brands all clustered with similar scores. In the past, Toyota had a commanding advantage in technology, most likely fueled by its hybrid powertrains and related marketing. As competitors roll out their own hybrid vehicles, electrified cars are no longer perceived as the exclusive domain of Toyota.

It would seem that consumers now take the Prius for granted and potentially are not impressed with the Honda CR-Z and Insight. (That's OK; Consumer Reports isn't impressed with those Honda hybrids, either.) Honda was bumped off the short list with just 14 percentage points this year.

Ford has inched up this year, with numerous recent innovations to its credit beyond hybrid and EcoBoost powertrains. The SYNC driver interface system continues to evolve, and it has spawned MyFord Touch, a customer-configurable touch-screen display that integrates with smart phones to share data using Bluetooth. On the truck side, the Works Solutions option provides handy features for commercial users, including an RFID tool inventory tracker and GPS-enabled fleet management.

Lexus and BMW make the list, with each offering powerful, modern powertrains and advanced safety features.

Just off this list is Chevrolet at 11 points. With the coming Volt and new models in the pipeline, this is a brand to watch for next year.

Two prestige brands that weren't close, Infiniti (8) and Acura (5), focus engineering and marketing efforts heavily on high-tech features. Perception is a powerful influence, but this reminds that again, it is worth looking beyond pre-conceived notions and advertising copy to learn about the cars to see if they excel in the areas that matter most to you.