[torqueaddict]

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...r-reports.html

Hopefully not a repost.

[Royal Tiger]

I’d agree with every one of those selections.

Our 2012 Grand Caravan has had fit & finish issues since new. If it wasn’t for the Sto ‘n Go seats we’d buy something else. We’ll be in the market for another van in the next year or two.

[DGthe3]

I ignore whatever Consumer Reports says about cars.

[ssrs2lt]

Not a fan of CR and every time I listen to their suggestions ie purchased recommended I got burnt..

[StreetRage320]

I was not able to find or understand the method they used to predicate reliability.

I am not surprised about the number of FCA brands.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by ssrs2lt

Not a fan of CR and every time I listen to their suggestions ie purchased recommended I got burnt..

I trust the hell out of them for almost every purchase of big ticket items I have made over the years. They are far far more focussed on reliability versus any other measurement, but that can be important.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

I was not able to find or understand the method they used to predicate reliability.

I am not surprised about the number of FCA brands.

If I'm correct, they send out surveys to their subscribers or something.

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

If I'm correct, they send out surveys to their subscribers or something.

And something like a slow/laggy entertainment system is enough to bring down a cars reliability rating. Which is ridiculous as long as it was functioning correctly( even if a POS). That should bring down an owners satisfaction rating, but not reliability.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

If I'm correct, they send out surveys to their subscribers or something.

Yes, and that's the problem with their reports.

The only people who give input to the CR surveys are people who subscribe to CR. Which leads to confirmation bias.

The people who respond are the same ones who've been told repeatedly that these brands are great & those brands are crap. So, when it comes time to fill in the survey if you had bought a 'good' car, a lot issues get rationalized away as not being a big deal. Afterall, it was a good car -it just has a few quirks. But if you had already bought a 'bad' car, well every squeak and rattle is a telltale sign that your car was indeed crap.

Its a garbage survey.

[Royal Tiger]

Things like JD Powers and Consumer Reports have led to increased reliability across the board as auto makers actually act when they get blasted repeatedly. It’s why GM is climbing up these “surveys”. Their interiors have come a long way, but they are still behind the imports. Buick wants to compete with Audi, yet as stated in the last issue of Road & Track or Car & Driver (I get both) they are still behind Honda & Mazda let alone challenging a German brand.

[torqueaddict]

I think the German brands in general get an unfair pass, riding the coat tails of the 'superior German engineering' propaganda. Sure, they generally handle well, have loads of electronics and nice interiors, but you pay a lot for that, and their reliability does not match the hype more often than not. The engineering that's so 'superior' can be found today on many brands who have better long term reliability.

Having known several Mercedes and BMW owners, and having done the research before considering them as options over the years, I found that the majority of owners love their cars, but readily admit they're expensive to maintain since a lot of little things break and/or the replacement parts and labor costs are priced way higher than average. They either lease, or get rid of them after the warrany expires for good reason.

[Royal Tiger]

As a former German car owner I agree.

In case anyone bothers to look (I just did in the issue I bought in February) but the garbage survey magazine from people in love with thier expensive German cars have them rated lower than their Japanese competitors. Hmmmm....

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

And something like a slow/laggy entertainment system is enough to bring down a cars reliability rating. Which is ridiculous as long as it was functioning correctly( even if a POS). That should bring down an owners satisfaction rating, but not reliability.

Yeah, I remember the ****show that resulted with the first early builds of CUE. Just because the grandmas who subscribed to CR couldn't figure out how to work the touch controls, every Cadillac with the system got downgraded.

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Yes, and that's the problem with their reports.

The only people who give input to the CR surveys are people who subscribe to CR. Which leads to confirmation bias.

The people who respond are the same ones who've been told repeatedly that these brands are great & those brands are crap. So, when it comes time to fill in the survey if you had bought a 'good' car, a lot issues get rationalized away as not being a big deal. Afterall, it was a good car -it just has a few quirks. But if you had already bought a 'bad' car, well every squeak and rattle is a telltale sign that your car was indeed crap.

Its a garbage survey.

By the way, the article posted here just continues to confirm how CR's methodology makes no sense. How is GMC on there but not Chevrolet? Every single GMC is mechanically the exact same as a Chevrolet. You can't tell me that Chevrolet's passenger car lineup is of such insane quality that it boosts their rating so much as to cancel out a low truck/CUV/SUV score, or that the body panel differences for a Terrain vs Equinox or Canyon vs Colorado results in any measurable quality deficiencies.

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Yeah, I remember the ****show that resulted with the first early builds of CUE. Just because the grandmas who subscribed to CR couldn't figure out how to work the touch controls, every Cadillac with the system got downgraded.

I was thinking of the early myfordtouch days, but yeah overall same point. Ford was like top 5 I believe in reliability rankings, enter myfordtouch, and to the bottom they went. The system worked, but was just laggy.

But yes early CUE was a POS. I remember checking out a 2013 ATS and CUE was laggy as crap.