I find it hard to believe that you can use previous year/models to predict failure rate of this years models. Yeah, maybe you can get a general idea, but good luck. For me, if I am buying a 2015 car, I'm not concerned if it can last 3 years without issues. I'm more concerned about what kind of repairs it's going to need in the next 15 years. There is no way that CR can reliably tell me which model will be the most reliable over 15 years. As others have said, one problem is not necessarily as big a problem as another. If the car has heated seats and they break...guess what, you're going to have a cold butt. I might check the fuses and do some basic work myself to fix it, but I sure will not be paying someone else to fix it.
Speaking of infotainment centers, I've got a 2010 Ford Fusion, and Sync works pretty darn well. I push a button, ask it to do something, and it does it. Yeah, you have to remember key words, but it's not really a big deal. Having said that, I was getting a lift from the Ford Courtesy driver in a newer Ford Flex, and he was complaining because his personal Ford Flex with a big screen infotainment center thingy had locked up 3 times and he had to go to the dealer to get it reprogrammed. I can't imagine that is going to be a free repair after the warranty runs out. All of these car companies are ditching the single/double din stereo form factor, and they're installing their proprietary, irreplaceable stereo systems...That pisses me off something awful. I don't want to have a $600-$3000 repair if the stereo breaks. I want to go to Best Buy or Crutchfield/Amazon and buy a replacement for under $200.
For me, the most important thing in picking a car that will last is to get one that has the least bells and whistles possible. I want things that add to my safety and useability, but not necessarily to convenience. All of those extra things are just one more thing to break. I want air bags, but does a car really need 20 airbags? It's almost to the point that if your brand new car some how triggered all of the air bags in a small collision, the cost of just replacing the knee air bags, the side airbags, the front airbags, the seat belt air bags, and the whatever else airbags would cost more than the car is worth. It's getting out of hand.