Sorry, let me be more clear. The reliabilty rating is determined only from the Survey of Subscribers. But you don't have to own the car to rate it. Unlike JD Power where you get the survey based on having bought and owned the car. I suspect most people are evaluating the car they bought, it's just not a requirement like JD Power.
Also, the difference in models made by two brands is not considered in the survey. It's based on the results, not the magazine editors. They only effect the performance evaluation.
The badge difference isn't from the magazine. It is from the survey. Check the performance part and you will see them rating them the same.
The recommendation is based on:
Does the car have the minimum level of safety performance YES or NO
Does the car have better than average reliability based on reader survey YES or NO
Does the magazine rate the performance better than average YES or NO
You need a YES in all 3 to get a recommended buy. The magazine does not over rule the safety content or the sreliability urvey to give a recommended buy.
So the badge differences are from the customers/readers, not the magazine.
BTW, we heard tales of clinics that were done that had the Prizm and Corolla in the same study. The same car always cliniced higher with the Toyota badge.
Another story, Mrs. Number 3 participated in observing a clinic for the Cadillac XLR (which I worked on
) and a woman gushed over the un branded car in the clinic. Couldn't wait to buy one. When she was told t was Cadillac she said "her mother might like the car".
It is a prejudice that exists in a big way against American made products and sadly the Big 3 earned it with years of inferior products in the 70s 80s and 90s. Now kids are simply reflecting what they heard from their parents about those American made cars.
But I saw data for cars made by GM off the same platform. Century vs. Regal of the old W car platform for example are basically the same car. The Regal had SC V6, bucket seats, floor console shifter. The Century (bought by older buyers) had a NA V6, bench seat etc. The Regal always did much worse in the quality surveys. Same basic car built by the same workers in the same plant using mostly the same suppliers. But one was at the top (Centrury) and another mid pack (Regal). Likely due to the expectations of two wildly different buyers.