Overall, high mileage cars are also some of the most reliable, David Champion, senior director of the magazine's auto test division, said at an Automotive Press Association luncheon in Detroit. Additionally, fears over hybrid technology seem unwarranted. 'A lot of people are worried about having trouble with hybrids, and we haven't seen that,' Champion said. 'They all have better reliability than their gasoline counterparts.' The comprehensive reliability list was compiled from 1.4 million surveys collected from magazine subscribers in April and June. Consumer Reports has 7 million subscribers. Earning a red recommended check mark in Consumer Reports can make or break a new vehicle, said Aaron Bragman, an automotive analyst at Global Insight. 'Consumers value these surveys,' he said. 'They put a lot of stock in these findings.' Among European automakers, Mercedes Benz showed marked improvements overall. Six models earned recommendations; last year none did. Ford 'getting better'Ford's Lincoln and Mercury brands landed in the top 15 and General Motors Corp.'s Buick brand fell from 10 to 18. Ford builds vehicles as reliable as the top Japanese carmakers, Champion said, and is continuing to slowly pull away from Detroit's other automakers. 'Ford is extremely close to Honda and Toyota in terms of quality and reliability,' Champion said. 'They're getting better, better, better, incrementally, which is what you want to see.' That's what Ford likes to hear. 'It certainly doesn't hurt us when David Champion comes out and makes these kinds of statements,' said Bennie Fowler, Ford's group vice president for global quality. Fowler attributed Ford's continued improvements to the automaker's leadership, dealers, United Auto Workers and suppliers. GM, Chrysler stumbleDetroit's remaining carmakers have stumbled. GM saw its three new large crossovers, the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, as well as the new Cadillac CTS, fall off Consumer Reports recommended list. Only Chevrolet and Pontiac improved as brands over last year, Chevy, led by its high-scoring midsize Malibu, jumped five spots to 24th and Pontiac moved up two positions to 29th. Chrysler continued to fall in the magazine's rankings. Champion called the company's new Chrysler Sebring convertible one of the worst vehicles tested and the brand was now ranked the third least reliable brand, ahead of Saturn and Land Rover. Global Insight's Bragman said he was surprised to learn Consumer Reports dropped its recommendation of the CTS and large crossovers but applauded Ford's continued improvements. 'Ford is doing exactly what Toyota did,' he said. 'It can take a generation to change perceptions.' Toyota, which suffered an embarrassment last year when Consumer Reports removed three vehicles from its recommended list and took away the company's automatic reliability rating for new vehicles, said it was pleased to see that the magazine noted the company's improvements. 'We've addressed the issues and all three vehicles have improved in Consumer Reports,' said Curt McAllister, a Toyota spokesman.