Forbes Rips Consumer Reports: "CR Knows the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing"

Guest Commentary

My Analysis Of The Analysis

By Jerry Flint

"Best Car" issues of magazines are always fun. I love them all: Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile. But one of the most visible of such issues is the Consumer Reports annual evaluation, which is just out. The entire issue is devoted to cars, mostly the magazine's ratings and top picks. Of course this issue also has plenty of advice on how to squeeze the dealer out of any profit.

But I think this Consumer Reports issue is a little strange. Here's an example:

The main section of the CR auto issue has 205 profiles of cars and trucks. Sixty-four of the vehicles are checked as "recommended" and among the recommended is the Infiniti G20. Consumers Reports calls the G20 a "family car" although Infiniti-- Nissan Motor 's luxury line--considers it a low-priced ($20,000+) sports sedan.

Here is what Consumers Reports says about the G20:

"Handling isn't very nimble, the ride is unimpressive and the rear seat is cramped. The 2.0 liter four feels lethargic and sounds unpolished and the automatic transmission blunts what engine power there is." In another review, the G20 is called "insipid, underpowered"--and this is a car that CR "recommends." Puzzling.

Of the 64 recommended models, 18 were Toyota/Lexus cars and trucks, and nine were Honda/Acura models. Of the remainder, 14 were Detroit cars, but the order was not what I expected. Six were Fords (including Mercury and Lincoln ), and Ford Motor is in the midst of a self-admitted quality problem. Another five were Chrysler/Dodge vehicles, and only three came from General Motors . Frankly, I think that GM is making the best of the trucks and has the highest quality amongst the Detroit makers.

It is worth noting that CR bases its scores on its own tests and reader surveys. Understand, I like the Consumers Reports issue. Lots of work goes into it, but it isn't the Bible.

Some other CR recommendations surprise me, such as the Pontiac Bonneville, an old-style boulevard cruiser. This just doesn't seem like a CR car. And CR also loves the new king of the boy racers, the Subaru WRX, calling it the most "Fun to Drive," but leaving out one word: fast. It's fun to drive fast. As I say, I don't think of Consumers Reports as a lover of boy racers.

Another confusing thing: Of those recommended American cars, four were at the bottom of the CR safety-assessment list for such cars. Why should Consumers Reports recommend cars at the bottom of its own safety assessment?

And what about the CR "Best of the Best"? Of the top ten picks from the pool of 64 recommended cars and trucks, four were Toyota/Lexus models and two were Hondas. There were also two from BMW , including what Consumers Reports called the best car tested, the BMW 530I; plus the VolkswagenPassat, which was deemed the best family car; and that Subaru WRX racer.

No Detroit cars in the "Best of the Best."

While Consumers Reports loves Toyotas and Hondas, its readers don't feel that way about dealers of those makes. Reading from the bottom up, the brands with the lowest dealer-satisfaction ratings are Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Honda. The dealers giving the most satisfaction (ranked from the top down) are Saturn, Jaguar, Saab, Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln and Infiniti.

In the listing of "How will the 2002s fare?"--meaning projected reliability--many of the recommended cars are rated with below-average dependability, and that includes Detroit brands and foreign nameplates.

CR seems to say that the reliability gap between foreign and Detroit cars is narrowing. For 2001 models, Toyota and Subaru are winners with 12 problems per 100 vehicles; Honda and Nissan have 14 each. It is worth noting that most of the acclaimed models of these four makers are built in North America.

Chrysler was the best of the Detroit makes with an average of 22 problems per 100 of its 2001 vehicles, but GM and Ford are close. Seeing Chrysler on top again is a surprise.

One thing I really don't like is CR's emphasis on price. For example, in the article "Save $$$ on Maintenance," CR says it called various dealers and independent shops and found great variation in the amounts charged for 30,000-mile and 60,000-mile checkups. But there is nothing in that feature about the quality of work performed at various shops. Sometimes good work costs more than slipshod work. Consumers Reports didn't seem interested in this.

Sometimes I think CR knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. That said, it's still a fun issue to read. Just remember: It's going to be your car. Make up your own mind.