[tyoung]

I have been a subscriber to CR for decades and they used to be fair and apparently truthful. In the last five years, there has been an increased bias AGAINST Honda and Toyota and a bias FOR European cars.

The bias detected is not an observation but a calculation of the problems as reported by owners in CR's own used car reliability charts. I conducted this analysis on data for 2017 and 2018 and the bias was consistent for both years.

In terms of reliability ranking bias Audi, BMW, and Porsche receives a POSITIVE +5 ranking bias and Toyota and Honda received a NEGATIVE -7 and -5 respectively.

I have not worked on 2019 data but I assume its will have a similar bias. As far as the Passport and Pilot are concerned, both received a 'neutral' reliability ranking even though the Pilot had all positive reviews in the last three years except 3 out of 51 year/category combinations which is second to only the Toyota Highlander that had 1 out of 51. The other disparity is the HIGH recommendations for the Civic and CRV that both have serious engine problems that are not reflected in their reviews while they continue to bash the Pilot and Passport for their infotainment system.

As bad as Honda has been reviewed, Toyota has suffered worse because it by far, is the most reliable auto-maker and that has not been reflected in their reliability ranking.

 

[cchambers]

I've never completely trusted CR's reviews. I quit subscribing years ago.

 

[margaret17]

Nice analysis gregc, my father did the same a few years ago but for 5 years and he canceled after subscribing for years and years and he’s much better off I think / he used to say to me “but CR said this” and I would take it like a grain of salt even then as I didn’t trust their bias ?

 

[kristenwilliams]

I've never completely trusted CR's reviews. I quit subscribing years ago.

^this, they say not but sponsorship makes more money than readers

 

[david16]

Some real world opinion: my wife's cousin has owned his own auto repair shop for 20 some years. I recently asked him what he considers the best auto maker based upon how little he sees them in his shop with issues. Without hesitation he said Lexus/Toyota with Honda next.

I asked what are the worst to own in his opinion. Again, without hesitation he said Mercedes Benz and BMW. He said those cars are fine for 5 years but after that they can be nothing but problems.

I've never trusted CR but only used it as an additional source of opinion, not fact, in any type of research I'm doing.

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[matthew51]

My two cents. Honda and Toyota have went down in JD Powers Owners Reviews and Consumer Reports Owners Reliability reviews over the last 10 years. Toyota is an example of a manufacturer that cares more about sales than consumers. The Tundra, Tacoma and 4Runner are dated and have old technology which as well has horrible crash test results. Honda as done well but problems with crash test results and owners frustration with Honda Sensing has taken them down in rankings.

 

[david16]

^ As much as it pains me to say this when the Japanese moved production outside of Japan (e.g., to Mexico, Canada, and USA) the quality went down. That, to me, is part of the reason for the drop in overall quality and reliability over the last 10 years.

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[kristenwilliams]

^ As much as it pains me to say this when the Japanese moved production outside of Japan (e.g., to Mexico, Canada, and USA) the quality went down. That, to me, is part of the reason for the drop in overall quality and reliability over the last 10 years.

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I know what you mean. Just my thought is that it’s not the skill set. It’s all about money. Companies are not giving the same provisions to make them right

 

[richard68]

TBH i think the main focus is that the innovation, Like did they only tweak a little bit? or did they actually change alot of stuff? now days i feel like the innovation is not there anymore people don't see why they should buy a new car...
Like i hate kia and hyundai but from where they started, they are definitely a strong brand competing against everyone. I'm Korean myself and they make the interior like bentley or rolls royce, but the engine quality is like geo metro... so i wouldn't purchase it for a long run.

 

[tyoung]

I'm waiting for a reviewer of cars to acknowledge the engine problems with the Honda CRV. Consumer Reports have commented on it for example but have done nothing to reduce their rating of the car. Most other reviewers don't even mention the issue.

I guess I should not be surprised, the lure of advertising money taints reviews but if Consumer Reports were as independent as they claim, they would not recommend the car until its fixed. In the meantime, they still keep downgrading the Pilot and Passport for the infotainment system which is subjective and meaningless when compared to a defective engine.

 

[daniellerojas]

Consumers Reports finished reviewing/Testing the Passport. They bought a EX-L and added a heated steering wheel from the dealer. 73/100 and is recommended! Road test: 76/100.
They loved the V6 but did not like the hard ride.
I thought they were going to tear it apart over the shifter and such, but they didn't.
I do agree with many of you, however, as I also don't think their reviews are very good anymore.

 

[mnichols]

Consumer Reports seems to be the buying bible of the uninformed. Yep, get that CRV and store that extra fuel in you crankcase. What could possibly go wrong.

 

[pmolina]

One that I rely upon: Car and Driver magazine.

 

[jennifersmith]

I've been reading CR for about 25 years. I used to love reading their annual car buying guides. I've noticed a change of tone over the years especially as the internet grew and products reviews were becoming more readily available and now especially with Youtube videos from ordinary people doing some very compelling comparisons on popular products.

The click bait-esque approach to their content, quality (more subjective than objective data points) and appearance of biases of their overall reviews and findings is becoming more apparent each year unfortunately.