One of the most important aspects of a vehicle that so many of us take for granted is visibility. Think about it: if your vehicle has blind spots that you could fit a tank in and you find it difficult to monitor all of the goings-on on the road ahead without sticking your neck out or taking your eyes off of the road for long periods of time, then you’ve got a problem. Fortunately, Consumer Reports makes a list for just about everything automotive, which means of course they have a list of the best and worst 2014 cars for visibility.
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Consumer Reports’ formula consists of determining how well drivers of varying heights can see from the front, to the sides, and out the rear while using inside/outside mirrors. There doesn’t seem to be much of a formula, however, for determining which vehicles will fit where: two of the four best are sedans and the other two are SUVs; of the worst, we have a muscle car, two convertibles, a two-seat sports car, and a land tank.
Best Visibility
- Infiniti G Sedan – Good in the front and sides, but mediocre in the rear; this is improved by an additional rear-view camera.
- Nissan Altima – Good visibility all around, but high rear deck and roof pillars limit visibility a bit.
- Subaru Forester – Called “outstanding,” the Forester has a small blind spot in the rear corner, which is made up for by larger side mirrors and available rear-view camera.
- Subaru Outback – Good overall visibility is only aided by available rear-view camera with a sizeable display.
2014 Nissan Altima – Best Visibility
The 2014 Forester led the pack for Subaru’s April 2014 sales
2014 Subaru Outback – Best Visibility
Worst Visibility
- Chevrolet Camaro – Knocked for short windows, bulky hood, and thick roof pillars; CN says a rear-view camera is basically a requirement to drive the Camaro.
- MINI Cooper S Convertible – Short windshield limits view of traffic lights, and high dash makes it difficult for shorter drivers to see.
- Nissan Z – Poor rear-quarter and full-rear view with smaller windows; CN recommends instituting a blind-spot monitoring system.
- Porsche Boxster – Low seataing, high dash and deck, and roll hoops make it difficult to see through front and back.
- Toyota FJ Cruiser – Hate to speak ill of the dead, but the FJ Cruiser suffers from large blind spot zones that make backing out and changing lanes difficult.
2014 Camaro
2014 MINI Cooper S Convertible – Worst Visibility
2014 Nissan 370Z
2014 Porsche Boxster – Worst Visibility
2014 Toyota FJ – Worst Visibility
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