2008 Consumer report car reviews:

[jackknife]

What are they judging on? Everything overall?

[CRAZY HORSE]

I Believe Everything I Read In The Paper
Just Like I Believe The Consumers Report
I Drove An Old Ford Pick-up 100,000 Problem Free Miles And The Report Said It Shouldn't Have Left The Asembly Line.
Sure Had Fun Showing The Report To The Selling Dealer Though

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

I drive several of the vehicles that you have rated dead last, and I have ZERO problems with them.

First of all MIT...I didn't rate them. The consumer reports ratings comes from their research and from talking to people that own the cars.

Just because YOU had ZERO problems with a car doesn't mean problems with that model doesn't exist. My gov't car is a Chevy Malibu and it drives great and is a decent car but that's just one car.

The Ford Mustang is rated average I believe but I haven't had any problems with my "stang. Also you have to look at the fact that if you drive car A...say a Taurus and like it, how do you know you wouldn't like a Accord better?

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by jackknife

What are they judging on? Everything overall?

They send out surveys to millions of owners plus they do their own road tests.
They are judged on price, performance, reliability, comfort, safety, cost of ownership etc.

CR's Recommended models are noted with a check. To earn our first-tier recommendation , vehicles must have performed well in CR's tests, have average or better reliability, and, if crash-tested, provide good overall crash protection based on our composite of insurance-industry and government crash tests. Vehicles also must not have tipped up in the government rollover test or, if not tested, must have available electronic stability control.

To earn our more stringent, second-tier recommendation , vehicles must meet all first-tier requirements, have been included in the front-offset and side-crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and provide very good or excellent overall crash protection.

[Army_of_One]

Here is something about recommended models...

In all, 39 models made the top tier, with scores of 80 or higher. Eighteen, or almost half, are from Japanese brands, with 10 of those built by Toyota (including Lexus). European brands account for 12, domestic automakers have 7 models on the list, and for the first time, 2 South Korean models, the Hyundai Azera sedan and Santa Fe SUV, made the list.

Other top models range from the small, $16,000 Honda Fit, which is our Top Pick for budget cars, to the $76,000 Lexus LS, which earned the highest test score in our ratings, 99 out of 100.

The Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey are the only two minivans on the list.

Of the 22 models on the Least Satisfying list, 20 are from American automakers. GM brands account for 15, Chrysler has 3, and Ford has 2.

The remaining two models are Japanese, including the Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV and Mazda B-Series pickup.

[Made in the USA]

I would rather drive a Ford "Fucus-Focus" than a Lexus, even if I could afford one! It's a thing called PRIDE and helping your fellow American. Now, I am not saying ALL foreigners are bad, but then you aren't at the bottom of Pearl Harbor in a sunken battleship!

Gee ARmy, aren't you glad I am back?? Was you getting bored or anything?

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by CRAZY HORSE

I Believe Everything I Read In The Paper
Just Like I Believe The Consumers Report
I Drove An Old Ford Pick-up 100,000 Problem Free Miles And The Report Said It Shouldn't Have Left The Asembly Line.
Sure Had Fun Showing The Report To The Selling Dealer Though

There is always an exception to the rule. Consumer reports is pretty much an unbiased look at the quality of products. It's not the end all but it helps in making a choice.

Again there is always that one vehicle that beat the reports and was great...but CR tests vehicles scientifically and talks to thousands of owners. A lot of the data comes straight from the owners of the vehicles.

[Made in the USA]

Foreigners bribe better!

I fill out those CR questionaires every year, and they can't use that information because I make up crap to "spill the beans"!

[K C Muffin]

The Review is dead-on with the VW Passat. Wonder why the Jetta wasn't rated. Damn thing's gonna run forever! Wish I'd blown the money for the Passat and extra room now. I don't like the neg on the Ford full-size pickup. My 2003 runs like a top, cept the 4-wheel drive part that I still haven't taken it in for.....

[Bubba]

I just found this on Consumer Reports website. I guess they made this list for people like MitUSA who think they need American cars (even if they aren't built in America).

The list below features the highest-rated, American-branded vehicles in their category that received a Consumer Reports recommendation.

* Fun to drive: Cadillac CTS-V
* Small sedan: Ford Focus ZX4 SES
* Family sedan: Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan
* Upscale sedan: Lincoln MKZ
* Luxury sedan: Cadillac DTS
* Small SUV: Pontiac Torrent
* Midsized SUV: Ford Freestyle
* Minivan: (None apply)
* Budget car: Ford Focus ZX3
* Green car: (None apply)

As we did last year when creating this list, we'll look at some trends. Most of these models are repeats, but there is some positive progress:

* For all of Ford's financial problems, the company offers some strong products. The Fusion/Milan/MKZ siblings are well-designed vehicles that have had impressive first-year reliability. That reliability record for these relatively new models is all the more impressive given Ford's past history of problem-plagued introductions, as with the Focus and Escape.

* Despite its age, the Focus remains a fun-to-drive car with an inviting balance of handling and ride comfort. Hopefully, the 2008 freshening improves on that.We are disappointed that the hatchback and wagon will be dropped from the line-up.

* Ford has been slow to implement electronic stability control (ESC) to its products. The efficiently-packaged Freestyle makes our list as our top-scoring, Recommended domestic midsized SUV, but it lacks ESC to quell its tail-wagging in an emergency maneuver. The MKZ is one of the few upscale cars still available without ESC. (Ford says standard ESC is coming for both vehicles.)

* The Pontiac Torrent is a mid-pack-scoring small SUV, but it was reliable in its first year, so it makes this list. The considerably better Ford Escape would have been listed here, but again, the lack of ESC holds it back. Since the Escape tipped up onto two wheels in NHTSA's dynamic stability test, CR can not recommend it. Most versions of the Escape get standard ESC for 2008.

* It's not really worth complaining about the CTS-V sedan being on the list for Fun to Drive. The car is a blast and has four doors to boot. But it's a shame that the Chevrolet Corvette isn't reliable enough to allow us to recommend it or the rocket-ship Z06 version. The DTS's strong first-year reliability lets us recommend it, claiming here the Luxury Sedan pick.

* Ford and GM are exiting the minivan market, leaving Chrysler as the only domestic contender. The reliability for the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan keeps us from recommending them. Hopefully the 2008 redesign will yield a more modern and competitive van.

And if you were curious, the Fusion/Milan/MKZ are built in Mexico, and the Torrent is built in Canada. Hence, it's not so easy determining what is (or isn't) an American car.