It's Here!! Consumer Reports.

[rocket23]

Maybe I'm biased, Cr is located in Connecticut (as do I). The location , an old drag strip, I miss those days of rubber, methane, beer and peanuts. Well they tested the Kia Stinger finally....The annual ''book'' has a 2.0t premium as the guinea pig...Now being there are 5 levels they took the one closer to the gt ,then the gt itself. So the report will be more towards the semantics rather than the performance, sadly. But it's not a complete waste of 18 minutes.......until they get to the ''kona'',lol

 

[rocket23]

 

[rocket23]

sorry about the boring first video....edited, thank the christ

 

[mldavis2]

Decent review. I don't put much credibility in CR for auto reviews because their emphasis is on "practicality" not performance. They also tend to give top marks to "best buy" products, ignoring the best overall as often more expensive. Sometimes that's exactly what you want, depending on the product. I might trust them for vacuum cleaners and can openers, not cars.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Is this more of the CR stuff or a rehash of the earlier CR thread?

 

[rocket23]

No, now is the first mention of stinger in the annual best/worst book ..it's not their monthly rag ,but the hard copy book they put out.......last year was the 2018 book, and stinger was put in the 2019, book. (we have a subscription).That just showed up in the mail.They ony put one stinger in the book, the 2.0t premium, sorry no 3.3's yet.......but the score was in the middle...owner satisfaction thru the roof.

 

[MerlintheMad]

but the score was in the middle...owner satisfaction thru the roof.

That is weird. The other CR thread said the 55 score was based on owner feedback.

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

Decent review. I don't put much credibility in CR for auto reviews because their emphasis is on "practicality" not performance. They also tend to give top marks to "best buy" products, ignoring the best overall as often more expensive. Sometimes that's exactly what you want, depending on the product. I might trust them for vacuum cleaners and can openers, not cars.

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

CR has the more expensive brands rated higher. I can understand folks may not agree with what they read, but I’ve found CR to be spot on about the cars I’ve purchased. They rate cars by segment and have a road test score, as well as surveying owners about problems. I don’t understand the antipathy here

 

[rocket23]

CR has the more expensive brands rated higher. I can understand folks may not agree with what they read, but I’ve found CR to be spot on about the cars I’ve purchased. They rate cars by segment and have a road test score, as well as surveying owners about problems. I don’t understand the antipathy here

could be 2.0t envy........they tested the lesser of the brand and not the bigger brother.

Look, I just posted this thread to get the word out that stinger finally made it t the cr list.....A credible list it seems. I know the cars that are rated the worst, are the worst...there is no question there.

 

[rocket23]

 

[Mike_TX]

CR has the more expensive brands rated higher. I can understand folks may not agree with what they read, but I’ve found CR to be spot on about the cars I’ve purchased. They rate cars by segment and have a road test score, as well as surveying owners about problems. I don’t understand the antipathy here

I think the antipathy comes from the fact CR has traditionally been best known for evaluating toaster ovens and refrigerators, not cars. The testing processes they utilize are generally better suited to things like measuring vibration, cleaning power, energy usage, wear cycles, and so on.

They might excel at things like measuring how many times the doors can be slammed before failing, or how many pounds of pressure the leather on the seats can sustain without puncturing, but not necessarily for subjective opinions on ride quality, handling feel, power delivery, and that sort of thing. They would be (and are) the last place I'd go for automotive reviews.

By the same token, I don't place a huge amount of faith in some of the car magazine hotshoes, who think the only thing that makes a good car is skidpad numbers and how much the car will hang out its rearend in hot laps on a track. Give me an Alex on Autos, or that Asian dude who does a lot of reviews.

 

[MerlintheMad]

They would be (and are) the last place I'd go for automotive reviews.

But, if they keep at it, won't they get better at car reviews? How long have CR been reviewing cars?

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

I think the antipathy comes from the fact CR has traditionally been best known for evaluating toaster ovens and refrigerators, not cars. The testing processes they utilize are generally better suited to things like measuring vibration, cleaning power, energy usage, wear cycles, and so on.

They might excel at things like measuring how many times the doors can be slammed before failing, or how many pounds of pressure the leather on the seats can sustain without puncturing, but not necessarily for subjective opinions on ride quality, handling feel, power delivery, and that sort of thing. They would be (and are) the last place I'd go for automotive reviews.

By the same token, I don't place a huge amount of faith in some of the car magazine hotshoes, who think the only thing that makes a good car is skidpad numbers and how much the car will hang out its rearend in hot laps on a track. Give me an Alex on Autos, or that Asian dude who does a lot of reviews.

Funny you mention Alex. He’s probably the main reason I considered the Stinger. But, who the hell is he? CR hires auto writers just like all the magazines do. I like their methods because they combine both qual and quant. They drive cars like normal people and also put on the track.

I think lots of folks on this forum are dismissive out of hand without understanding CR’s approach. People have suggested they are on the take. FFS they don’t even accept ads. You don’t think the full page ads for the Ultimate Driving Machine impact editorial coverage in MT and R&T?

Before the Stinger my #1 car criteria was long term reliability and I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a better source for that than CR.

 

[Mike_TX]

Funny you mention Alex. He’s probably the main reason I considered the Stinger. But, who the hell is he? CR hires auto writers just like all the magazines do. I like their methods because they combine both qual and quant. They drive cars like normal people and also put on the track.

I think lots of folks on this forum are dismissive out of hand without understanding CR’s approach. People have suggested they are on the take. FFS they don’t even accept ads. You don’t think the full page ads for the Ultimate Driving Machine impact editorial coverage in MT and R&T?

Before the Stinger my #1 car criteria was long term reliability and I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a better source for that than CR.

It's just personal opinion. I've read some of their reviews and seen some of their videos, and I just can't accept them as true automotive people.

And yes, I agree the MT and C&R guys are under advertiser pressure, and that, along with the boy racer mentality, makes me take their reviews with a grain of salt, too. "Independents" like Alex seem to me to be more knowledgeable, and since they reviews tons of cars, they have a sound basis for comparison. And they just seem more like "ordinary consumers" to me.

But again, it's just my opinion.

 

[Audible Silence]

I'm 3rd generation vacuum shop owner. As far as vacuums go, they are all over the place from year to year. One year something that is junk is top ten the next. No idea how they test them but it isn't taking them home for 6 months.

Based on that I have a very low opinion about there showss and reviews.

 

[rocket23]

But, if they keep at it, won't they get better at car reviews? How long have CR been reviewing cars?

They took over the dragstripin the late 80's.


Consumers Want to Know, a 1960 documentary on Consumer Reports
Product changes after Consumer Reports tests[edit]

The Consumer Reports auto test track in East Haddam, Connecticut.
In the July 1978 issue, Consumer Reports rated the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon automobile "not acceptable", the first car it had judged such since the AMC Ambassador in 1968. In its testing they found the possibility of these models developing an oscillatory yaw as a result of a sudden violent input to the steering; the manufacturer claimed that "Some do, some don't" show this behavior, but it has no "validity in the real world of driving".[29]Nevertheless, the next year, these models included a lighter weight steering wheel rim and a steering damper; Consumer Reports reported that the previous instability was no longer present.
also copy and pasted from wickapedia
Consumers Union has been sued several times by companies unhappy with reviews of their products in Consumer Reports. Consumers Union has fought these cases vigorously.[35][page needed] As of October 2000, Consumers Union had been sued by 13 manufacturers and never lost a case.[36

 

[YEH]

Decent review. I don't put much credibility in CR for auto reviews because their emphasis is on "practicality" not performance. They also tend to give top marks to "best buy" products, ignoring the best overall as often more expensive. Sometimes that's exactly what you want, depending on the product. I might trust them for vacuum cleaners and can openers, not cars.

As long as all that stuff is understood, don't see what the issue is.

For instance, Motor Trend's the Big Test (haven't done one of those in while) takes a more holistic view of things than say, C/D, which places an inordinate emphasis on performance and handling (too much in certain segments where a compliant ride is more important).

Along the same lines, AoA takes a more holistic view of things than say, The Throttle House (think Alex does a type of video review that CR would do).

I think the antipathy comes from the fact CR has traditionally been best known for evaluating toaster ovens and refrigerators, not cars. The testing processes they utilize are generally better suited to things like measuring vibration, cleaning power, energy usage, wear cycles, and so on.

They might excel at things like measuring how many times the doors can be slammed before failing, or how many pounds of pressure the leather on the seats can sustain without puncturing, but not necessarily for subjective opinions on ride quality, handling feel, power delivery, and that sort of thing. They would be (and are) the last place I'd go for automotive reviews.

It's not like the people testing toasters are the ones testing autos.

The people testing autos are all gear-heads and that's all they do.

It's just personal opinion. I've read some of their reviews and seen some of their videos, and I just can't accept them as true automotive people.

Have separate their overall scores (which takes into account things like storage space) w/ their road test scores.

And what they publish versus what they personally prefer (in their Talking Cars segments, they light up when talking about cars like Mazdas or the Stinger or G70 3.3T).

Now, that hardly means I agree w/ everything they say about a certain model, but they (personally) hue closer to the more enthusiast-oriented publications than you might think.

A few years ago, CR had a list of the Ten Most Boring Cars to Drive and 5 were Toyota/Lexus models (which sounded about right).

 

[Dick Dastardly]

If you take the review as being about 'white goods' rather than a pure car review it comes out pretty well, which I guess suits their target audience.
What I find strange is that they found the suspension "stiff" and "brittle" while at the same time saying it performed well as a sport saloon on the track - which is always the compromise on set up. If more compliant they would complain it was not handling properly at speed!
The complaint about the infotainment screen being a bit too far away is immediately contradicted by footage of a guy reaching it extremely easily.
The gear shifter comment was really looking for something to say - 24 hours with any new car and those issues disappear.
Otherwise a fair review about a car for non-car people.

 

[rocket23]

The ''book'' also had handling as a ''high'' and ''ride'' as a low........seems a car that handles well, would also be a good ride......they also listed it as a compact luxury sedan......instead of a sport sedan which it clearly is.....but I'll take the luxury tag any day.....I always get bystanders saying...'' What kinda car is that?!

I think Cr did the same thing here.