WASHINGTON -- Japanese automakers dominated Consumer Reports influential annual survey of the most reliable vehicles, with Toyota Motor Corp. nabbing five of the 2009 Top 10 Picks released Thursday.

Japanese automakers held the top four overall spots in the magazine's survey, which is based on more than 50 tests of 80 different vehicles. The winners ranked high in road tests, reliability and safety requirements.

American vehicles were pummeled in the magazine's April survey, which goes on sale Tuesday. Detroit's Big Three finished in three of the lowest four spots among the 15 automakers ranked -- Chrysler placed 15th, GM 14th and Ford Motor Co. 12th.

Overall, the Detroit automakers fared worse than they did in the 2008 survey.

Only one American vehicle cracked the Top Picks list. General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Avalanche was named Best Pickup Truck.

Toyota's five Top Picks were: Best Small SUV, Toyota RAV4; Best Minivan, Toyota Sienna; Best Overall Vehicle, Lexus LS 460; Best Midsized SUV, Toyota Highlander; and Best Green Car, Toyota Prius.

Rounding out the Top 10 were: Best Fun to Drive, Mazda MX-5 Miata; Best Small Sedan, Hyundai Elantra SE; Best Upscale Sedan, Infiniti G37; and Best Family Sedan, Honda Accord.

There were some bright spots for Detroit's automakers, however, especially for Ford Motor Co., which saw 70 percent of its vehicles recommended. The magazine also praised new Ford vehicles like the Flex and new F-150.

"Ford continues to improve in reliability, and some of its cars now rival the best from Japan," the magazine said.

Ford spokesman Bill Collins noted the automaker has improved in Consumer Reports reliability study for the past five years and said the 70 percent figure is "an important sign of progress."

The survey is a critical benchmark for Ford, he said.

"Their reputation as demanding but fair evaluators is well earned," he said. "The goal now is to distance ourselves from our top competitors and become the sole quality leader."

Chrysler LLC, which tied with Suzuki for last place in the 2008 survey, held the bottom rank alone this year.

The magazine again didn't recommend a single Jeep, Dodge or Chrysler vehicle.

Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said the "results weren't unexpected" and noted they didn't reflect the 30 percent reduction in warranty claims over the last 12 months at the Auburn Hills automaker.

"It's not the best news but within it are some bright spots. We are on the right track and continue to work," Tinson said.

The magazine did note the "redesigned and much improved Dodge pickup offers a glimmer of hope. Our tests show it now competes well with the best full-sized pickups."

David Champion, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, said domestic automakers were "catching up" but "Chrysler has a long way to go."

"While Japanese automakers continue to set the standard for the industry in terms of real-world performance and reliability, many domestic, European and Korean manufacturers are narrowing the gap," Champion said.

The magazine also noted that "new models from GM now rank among the best in our testing, although overall reliability, even among some of the new models, still lags behind most of the competition."

GM spokeswoman Janine Fruehan said the company has reduced its warranty claims by 48 percent since 2006 and noted that many of its newer models score well in the tests, including the Buick Enclave, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu and Chevrolet Traverse.

"We take (the Consumer Reports) survey serious and pay a lot of attention to it," Fruehan said, adding that the company is committed to improving reliability. "The products are exceptional and they agreed with us."

Mercedes-Benz saw its ratings improve, with Consumer Reports now recommending two-thirds of its vehicles.

U.S. models accounted for 8 of the 10 worst scores in testing and reliability ratings, with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara scoring just 17 out of 100. The Lexus LS 460L scored a 99 out of a 100 as the all-around highest.

In overall reliability, GM fell below Suzuki to score second-last overall with a 57.

Ford Motor Co. had a 63 score, compared with Suzuki's 60.

Honda Motor Co. had the best overall rating with a 78, ahead of Subaru's 75 and Toyota's 54.

The magazine recommends 95 percent of Honda's vehicles tested, 100 percent of Subaru's and 89 percent of Toyota's. It only recommends 17 percent of GM's and none of Chrysler's.

In light of the sagging economy, Consumer Reports introduced a new group of awards for Best Value in nine different categories, including small cars, family cars, hatchback/wagons, small SUVs and midsized SUVs.

Of 41 vehicles honored for best value, not one was built by a U.S. automaker. Japanese automakers took 35 awards, while Korean automaker Hyundai won three, including Best Value Midsize SUV for the Hyundai Santa Fe.

Toyota had 17, Honda Motor Co. had 10 and Nissan had 4.

Just three were built by non-Asian automakers: Best Hatchback, Volkswagen Rabbit; Best Sporty Car, BMW AG's Mini Cooper; the Volvo C30 was a third runner-up in the category.

Consumers Union -- the parent organization for Consumer Reports -- spent $2.7 million secretly buying 80 test cars. The vehicles are driven for thousands of miles and put through 50 individual tests and evaluations. It also relies on reports of problems on 1.4 million vehicles from its 7 million online and print subscribers.

David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, questioned how reliable the survey is pointing to J.D. Power and other surveys that suggest greater parity between domestic and foreign automakers.