msn's CR best/worst cars

[northvibe]

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CR...engerok seriously this has to be the most biased list ive ever seen in my life. i get CR and the mag. isnt this bad, i think msn took this out of context. check it out and see what ya think. props to the trix but wheres my vibe??

[ColonelPanic]

In case anybody missed it, or if you don't have the time to read the article, here is the summary:IF IT ISN'T A TOYOTA, IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! Toyota this, Toyota that, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, Toyota!!! Toyota schmoyota!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sure am getting sick of hearing about it. Yeah, those guys crack me up:Quote »The Prius is one of three Toyotas to be ranked in the most reliable small cars segment.They sure sound super duper ultra reliable to me! They're so reliable they run into the tow trucks that come to the rescue. I thought at one point in time it would be cool to have one of those, but when I had to discover what a miserable piece of "quality" engineering Toyota served up for me with the Vibe and seeing how it is a dinosaur in comparison technologically, I wouldn't buy one of a Prius with my worst enemy's money. But apparently owning a car that requires frequent trips to the shop is a sign of great Toyota quality, sounds like the Prius has it - CR is raving about it! I guess that makes my Vibe a great car too, lots of Toyota quality there!!!!!!! CR needs to fricken' get out of bed with Toyota already. I hate to burst their bubble, but a Toyota can be every bit as crappy as the next car from brand X that they find it necessary to trash... I've got proof if they don't believe me. Ahh, I can't wait until I go out and buy one of those "lesser" makes that CR loves to hate and maybe I'll finally have something reliable for a change.

[mcgusto82]

the CR guys have always favored the japanse. apparently not all. nissan doesn't fare well with them. maybe it's their connections with opel. which i gotta say, i've read about. it seems everybody is really excited about it.

[ColonelPanic]

Nissan and Opel are in bed together? I was not aware of any connection between the two. That would mean instant disqualification for ANY present and future CR accolades since well, Opel is a GM division after all. That's probably why the Vibe got kicked to the curb and the Matrix got recognition, it has the stupid toyota emblem on the front so it is instantly a better car!

[northvibe]

i agree, but like i said the magazine isnt that bad, BUT they do favor the imports from asia more than american cars. but this review is over the top import bias. the mag has lots of good reviews of american cars and recommends them.

[kostby]

CR has been in bed with Toyota since at least the late 1980's... Somebody must've bribed the CU board, or slept with the entire CR auto review panel... TWICE! They were recommending the Camry way back in 1989!

[Pablo1669]

this list makes me want to vomit

[Baltovibe]

Please try to remember that this list is drawn from surveys conducted by CR ("we've gathered responses on more than 1 million vehicles from Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org subscribers"). I know as a subscriber to CR, I get an annual survey to complete about many items, including cars. But perhaps, the surveys are slightly biased ... I am fairly sure the majority of readers and responders of CR are educated and fairly well-off financially ... just the type to buy "supposingly better" foreign cars.

[mcgusto82]

1 million vihicles. wait, that's not even 1% of cars on the road. they forget to mention that little detail.

[jasonvibe]

Like Baltovibe said, it's just a survey. If you don't subscribe...you can't give them info. I bought the Vibe because of the Corolla engine and massive discount I got. Hope all the reliability hype is true 10 years from now.

[redlava]

I noticed that most of the vehicles listed in the least reliable are either brand new or redesigned. Of course those autos are not gonna be reliable. That list was a waste of time to read. Two minutes of my life I won't get back.

[ajf3ajf3]

One win, one loss... have a 03 Vibe and a 04 Quest (no big probs with the Quest so far though!)

[northvibe]

cr never said the vibe was a good car

[O_Positive]

Actually, CR did say the Vibe was a good car. In its dual review of the Vibe/Matrix in August 2002, they said the Vibe/Matrix offered "good practical alternatives to a small SUV, and we expect them to hold up well." Since they tested dissimilar vehicles, the Vibe scorec lower than the Matrix, but if I scored an AWD vs a base or GT, one would score differently, too. Also, if you don't think a million-car or million-reader survey is statistically valid, I disagree. A lot of political surveys are based on a 1000 people, and the statisticians consider them statistically valid.I am not in bed with CR, and I actually dislike Hondas due to our local dealerships B.S. And, yes, I have seen things go wrong with my wife's two Toyota's. However, I've seen enough "other" vehicles with problems that I'll accept CR's non-biased, reader-based surveys over any advertising-biased survey elsewhere any day.

[Jahntassa]

They at least had one Mercury and one Chevy in the 'Best' List.

[djb383]

I've subscribed to CR for about 27 years now and have never bought a vehicle (new or used) without checking it out in CR first. Where else are you going to get information from thousands of people about different products. I fill out and return the surveys every time I receive them and this is what CR bases their findings on - the survey results, not their opinions. Also, you will never see even one paid advertisement in CR, you can't say that about Consumer Digest.

[Houston]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »I've subscribed to CR for about 27 years now and have never bought a vehicle (new or used) without checking it out in CR first. Where else are you going to get information from thousands of people about different products. I fill out and return the surveys every time I receive them and this is what CR bases their findings on - the survey results, not their opinions. Also, you will never see even one paid advertisement in CR, you can't say that about Consumer Digest. I have subscribed to this great magazine for over half of my life and also respond to those yearly surveys. It's a great, unbiased magazine that reports what their tests reveal and of their experiences with many different products, and further, later reveals the views of those who actually bought the products. In all these years, it has never steered me wrong and I'll continue to purchase what they recommend.I always recommend this magazine to anyone who brings up the subject, so consider it done.