Consumer Report readers take mag to task on 2006 Top Picks
As Autoblog Green reported last week, Consumer Reports' (CR) April issue received the largest response from readers in the magazine's history, with its hybrid article receiving the most outcry. But people also wrote in to question whether CR is "anti-American" in its ratings. A casual read of the sample letters indicates that many people think the publication is biased, prompting the magazine to reiterate its neutral stance on vehicle origins. Sample letters can be found at the link.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Sid 8:56AM (6/04/2006)
Actually, I don't think they are anti-American. They simply recommend the most appliance-like vehicles and Toyota and Honda happen to the best at making such vehicles. Vacuum cleaners on Page 3, Toyotas on Page 5.
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Sam Heisen 9:13AM (6/04/2006)
Doctors told us for many decades to avoid coffee, nuts and wine; and to consume more bread, rice and chicken; well they were wrong and so is Consumer Report. The initial quality gab between domestic brands and the Asian is so minimal, however, the cost of repaire, and the Asian brands do break-down, is remarkable. I personally believe that US and Asian cars have similar quality, but they differ in how they make you feel when driving them, some give excitement and the others put you to sleep. Is CR anti-american? Big time yes, because they often magnify the US cars weaknesses and microfy the Asian cars, God Forbid, imperfections.
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Lithous 10:00AM (6/04/2006)
If the name of the mag is Consumer Reports why do they need their own test facilities? So if THEY feel their readers are getting it wrong they can add their own opinion? Sure in theory them testing things seems like a good thing but 1) they are called Consumer Reports not Consumer Reports and Lab Testing and 2) to what extent are their black and red circles affected by their own tests involving 1 sample vehicle?
I think they should provide a breakdown of where by city or at the very least state, of where their automobile feedback is coming. I'd like to know. I don't think that is too much to ask. The way the Asian car companies have over stated HP and used gov't backing for decades it wouldn't surprise me if a TON of "subscriptions" and replies to their auto ratings don't come from Georgetown KY, Marysville OH and Smyrna TN.
In the article one of the readers stated...
"My Honda Civic is assembled in Ohio. How much more American can you get?"
Let's see. How about if the company was American that get's you "more American" for one. How about is it American to take part in destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs while supplying tens of thousands? Maybe it is, I just never knew that was the case.
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Mario 10:04AM (6/04/2006)
Well, Consumer Reports is the only magazine that does car reviews that refuses ALL ADVERTISING money (which is why there is no ads in the magazine). Also, they actually buy their car from the lot rather than the car company giving it to them.
Most importantly, CR reviews based on boring things like safety, resale value, reliability, cost of owner ship, etc. that are really important to the average buyer but bores the hell out of readers of Road&Track, Car&Driver, Motortrend etc.
The fact that no US makes made the top picks is more telling of the US car industry than of CR "bias".
With their employee-pricing, massive reabates, and 0% finacing deals, US makes dramatically damaged the resale value previous owners of the brands; When you can only sell your car that for 40% of what you paid few years ago versus 60% for a Honda Civic, that's important, other things like reliability, mileage, etc are important with high gas prices. US automakers focused to much on SUVs for the last few years forfeiting focus and quality on their passenger cars, and the market has changed.
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panasianbiz 10:07AM (6/04/2006)
I'm speaking from personal experience here, and am not attempting to make generalizations. As far as engine quality goes, I would say that the American cars I've owned have pretty much been on par with Japanese brands. But it's the other little things that make me consider Japanese cars to be of better quality. For example, plastic pieces (vents and other things) kept falling off my Chevy Silverado after a few years, but I never had any problems with my Tundra.
As far as CR goes -- yeah, I stopped listening to them years ago!
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Edsel 10:08AM (6/04/2006)
Lot's of car owners *want* their transportation to be as reliable as a toaster because they can't afford high performance maintenance bills, quirky design features and unreliable operation that might inhibit their very tight work & family schedules. I own a Toyota and a BMW. I've spent more money & time fixing the BMW this year than I've spent in the seven years I've owned the Toyota. I will never buy another vehicle without first consulting Consumer Reports.
Sometimes you just need to get where your going as efficiently and safely as possible.
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caffee 10:16AM (6/04/2006)
Yes they are bias, I don't buy or subscribe for that very reason. I hope they go out of business, if they depend on my dollar they certainly will.
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mike 10:19AM (6/04/2006)
I agree with #2. Japenese cars in general ride horrible, seats are like a wooden bench with cloth pulled over it. Repair bills are outragous. No car is perfect but the gap between American and Japenese cars is not as great as CR would have you beleive. And for the people that say that their Honda/Toyota is American are misinformed. The bulk of profits still go back to the parent company in (Guess where??) Japan.
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James Sonne 10:33AM (6/04/2006)
I thought capitalism was American... :-/
Where's that invisible hand when the domestic car companies are being asked to be bailed out of their own whole? I personally am glad Bush is American.
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Lithous 10:36AM (6/04/2006)
"Well, Consumer Reports is the only magazine that does car reviews that refuses ALL ADVERTISING money (which is why there is no ads in the magazine)."
This is one of the biggest nothing facts in the history of the world. So do the companies that do accept advertising ALWAYS give good reviews to their advertisers? They must. The LA Times sure were biased for GM because of GM advertising. Never would there be a situation in the opposite where if you are getting advertisement money you might make an effort to be harder on your advertiser's product so people don't think you are compromising. CR's no advertising thing reminds me of this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114694/quotes#qt0221887. Just there to make you feel good about them but doesn't mean much. We're talking about a place like America where you are able to call the President of the country and idiot, do you really think people are going to hold back for advertising money when someone else would be waiting in line anyway? Give me a break.
SO, HERE IS SOME LOGIC FOR YOU... If CR really can't trust themselves (like an alcoholic the need to stay cold turkey or they will do the wrong thing, I guess) to accept advertising and not be biased then how can they trust themselves to not just keep giving Japanese cars the nod even when American cars are as good because their money payers (instead of from advertisers it is the mag purchasers) seem to like foreign cars and they want to please them with results?
"The fact that no US makes made the top picks is more telling of the US car industry than of CR "bias"."
Except that they are the only ones of all the ratings companies which don't rate American cars at least pretty good. So it might be them and not the American auto industry. Oh, but wait, they are the only ones not accepting advertising and JD Powers only gets money from GM and Ford (no, wait, they get money from EVERY major car company so that evens things out I would say).
"US automakers focused to much on SUVs for the last few years forfeiting focus and quality on their passenger cars, and the market has changed."
Since EVERYONE including CR rates quality of American cars better now than ever I don't think this is all true. Have they concentrated on SUVs more? Yes. Um, does your company have something they "win" in and something they a terrible in? Do they want to stay on top of the thing they are winning in? Does Oracle (the DB software company) concentrate on their DB more than the application server software? Um yes, it is their money maker so you make sure you keep making that money. It is logical.
"I own a Toyota and a BMW. I've spent more money & time fixing the BMW this year than I've spent in the seven years I've owned the Toyota. I will never buy another vehicle without first consulting Consumer Reports."
The problem with that logic is that not just CR is stating that the German vehicles have the worst quality. SO, you happen to be comparing a vehicle that everyone, not just CR is saying is worse than Japanese cars (and American). So, CR isn't really giving you any data no one else is. But you assume CR is right about everything because they are right about this (but so is everyone else).
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AJ 11:03AM (6/04/2006)
I haven't written in before but CR boils my blood. I used to subscribe ages ago, but the obvious bias would have me so furious that I finally chucked the magazine.
So I'm another blind "American cars rule" and "Japanese cars suck" guy? Hardly. I currently own a Lexus GX470 for the family and drive a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Limited. I say this to show I'm blind bias towards any type or car. I have owned both Amer/Jap cars recently, and truth be told, most (not all) of the Japanese brands have bored me to tears (The GX470 comes to mind, as does the two Acura's I've owned, a TL and RSX type S), have had as many problems as anything American I've owned, and haven't driven/riden any better than the newer American cars I've owned.
So why do I own my current cars if I like American cars? The Lexus was the wife's choice, although she says her next car won't be another Lexus. The Subaru was mine becasue it was the only AWD drive car on the market that was a pocket rocket, refined, and didn't cost me over 32K, American or Japanese. My BMW wasn't able to to make it out of my driveway in winter her in Mass (I had just bought it before I moved to NE), so something AWD was a must.
Someone above hit the nail on the head above. CR glosses over Japanese branded cars problems while at the same time magnifying any issues the American brand might have. The day I chucked the magazine finally was the day I noticed that on many American cars, their charts would show above average to EXCELLENT repair histories, but their reviews would say "But has a history of repair issues" Say what?? Your own data shows that statement to be bogus. At the same time, certain Japanese cars that seemed to have average to below average repair histories from Honda or Toyota would never have that mentioned in the reviews. I knew then that I couldn't trust anything the magaizine was telling me about any cars. I'm likely to get negative reviews of great American cars, and positive reviews of average to below average Japanese brands. What good is that when shopping for a car? Especially if I don't really care where it was made or by whom? If I followed their advice, I'd have missed out on some of best cars I've owned. Give me any CR edition about cars and I guarantee I can show you, in writting, what I'm talking about. Three co-workers already lost this bet, and no longer subscribe to CR after I showed them to their faces.
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Rob Lowe 11:06AM (6/04/2006)
Anti-American? Are Americans the stupidest as well as the most delusional and jingoistic people on the planet? It's a rhetorical question, the answer of course is yes
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Rob Lowe 11:09AM (6/04/2006)
Anti-American? Are Americans the stupidest as well as the most delusional and jingoistic people on the planet? It's a rhetorical question, of course the answer is yes.
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JR 11:14AM (6/04/2006)
Problem is not only does those rags not mention all the "funding" they get from non American nameplates but this blog is loaded with riceballs pretenting to be Americans.
Check out this sneaks website when you click on his user name http://www.panasianbiz.com/
I think his real name is panzyass
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5. I'm speaking from personal experience here, and am not attempting to make generalizations. As far as engine quality goes, I would say that the American cars I've owned have pretty much been on par with Japanese brands. But it's the other little things that make me consider Japanese cars to be of better quality. For example, plastic pieces (vents and other things) kept falling off my Chevy Silverado after a few years, but I never had any problems with my Tundra.
Posted at 10:07AM on Jun 4th 2006 by panasianbiz
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Not all on this blog are not as dumb as you riceball lovers think !
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Jerry F 11:17AM (6/04/2006)
Lithous and AJ,
You have both written my exact sentiments. CR panders to the Japanese products, and it's become so obvious that only the most misguided could not come to the same conclusiion. Toyota and Honda are their darlings and they are doing their best to protect their behinds, while destroying whats left of Detroit.
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Michael Karesh 11:18AM (6/04/2006)
I don't think CR is biased. Any scoring systems is arbitrary (aspects scored, relative weighting), and with the system they use Japanese cars score highest.
The only selection that's truly controversial is their selection of the Ridgeline as "best pickup." Depends very much on what you need a truck for.
They've selected the Passat as top family sedan in the past, but they're not going to do that with the new one because its reliability is unproven and VWs are unpredictable in this area. The Focus lost its best small car status because of marginal side impact performance. And German makes lost the best upscale sedan slot because CR (and at least one or two of the pro mags) liked the Infiniti M better.
My take on ALL comparison tests and best pick lists:
http://www.truedelta.com/pieces/comparison_tests.php
I'm currently working on a better way to evaluate cars. The first phase should be up mid-month.
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Lithous 11:20AM (6/04/2006)
"Are Americans the stupidest as well as the most delusional and jingoistic people on the planet?"
LMAO. How many executives in Japanese companies are non-Japanese? No, I don't mean in America how may Japanese companies have non-Japanese execs, though the number is low I'm talking about in Japan. The answer is pure Jingoism and racism at it's finest.
Go Japan! Take that $300 billion a year you don't have to spend in defense because the U.S. is your defender and spend it on destroying the American industry. Yeah, baby. Good stuff. [/sarcasm]
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Ed 11:23AM (6/04/2006)
Ah, nothing like some multi-page, semi-literate rants from Lithous to liven up my morning.
Let me summarize the argument: Everyone who says anything negative about American cars is simply biased and can therefore be ignored. We know they are biased because American cars are clearly "#1", just like everything in this country full of overconfident, underinformed, proud-to-be-minimally-educated, jingoistic people is "#1". Since we KNOW we're #1 at everything, it's easy to spot biases - anyone who says otherwise is biased.
It really takes a powerfully biased publication to deny that the Chevy Malibu is the finest car on the road today. And to question the greatness of the Uplander or the Cobalt? Why, you'd have to be downright UNAMERICAN to criticize those palaces on wheels.
Japanese car companies are costing American jobs - unlike GM, who certainly hasn't been moving its parts and manufacturing to the third world for the last 20 years.
Thanks, Lithous! Cleared everything up for us!
You're everything that's wrong with America. Cockiness, proud ignorance, a sense of entitlement, and whining (about the media, the damn liberals, the "Japs", you name it) have replaced inventiveness, hard work, and a drive to be the best. If GM spent half as much time actually trying to BE the best as it does just trying to get people to SAY they're the best, they wouldn't have these problems.
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Jerry F 11:24AM (6/04/2006)
The Honda Ridgeline Controversial? That was about the most dumb-ass pick of all, and proves without a shadow of a doubt the ignorance and bias of CR. The Ridgeline is a peice of crap as trucks go, you got that CR? Get your Rice poppin heads out of your butts.
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Bruce 11:25AM (6/04/2006)
While I think CR probably isn't as biased as some claim (they're just a bunch of non-car people who judge them as appliances, which is not what most people want out of vehicles), I found it annoying that they chose to print only the most ignorant sounding protest letters in their "blog". The obvious reason was to discredit any criticism of themselves by painting critics as ignorant brand-loyal knuckle draggers.
That's a common tactic. Doesn't surprise me. But it's also why I don't trust this magazine and haven't for about 15 years or so. Like almost all publications, they're more interested in being "right" in arguments with their readers than being factual.
I wonder if this attitude is why I get reams of offers for magazines for $10 a year. People are tired of the arrogance and bias.
I've owned a Tundra, two Rams, an F150, three Chevy trucks, and they all have had pros/cons. Only one has left me stranded and needed a tow (Silverado at 1250 miles). Trying to "rate" trucks is idiotic, since what is important to one user is unimportant to another. I care more about handling than max towing capacity. Another user might need lots of rear seat room, while I usually drive alone, and never with more than one passenger. The scoring systems they all use are just a symptom of the dumbing down of America. We can't be trusted to read the attributes and make a decision. They gotta make it simple for us.
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