The more you get into the whole automotive scene, the more you learn and understand, the more you feel it has a direct effect on the ease with which you can choose the car for you.

The choice is vast and growing unmanageably through niche after new niche, dumbing commercials and the mainstream outlets that always seem to promote the same models generation after generation, partly based on merit, but mainly because their names carry resonance with buyers that brings readers and activity.

However, Consumer Reports has tried to make it easier for some, by picking five “wall flowers” that are often overlooked on the US side of the scene, but shouldn’t because they’re good cars with a whole host of qualities each. They chose the cars based on their individual results from the CR battery of tests, but also because all are underdogs in their respective classes.

See the list of choices in the video posted after the virtual jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

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