Tesla surges in Consumer Reports auto rankings due to Model 3

[interestedinEV]

For all those CR bashers, it may not be what you would like but Tesla has jumped 8 potions to 11. I agree that it seems strange the brands like BMW and Kia etc are ranked higher than even Toyota, but CR seems to be acknowledging Tesla a lot more than before, which is a step in the right direction


https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/20/tesla-surges-in-consumer-reports-auto-rankings-due-to-model-3.html

Key Points

• Overall, Tesla climbed eight spots to rank 11th out of 33 auto brands, according to Consumer Reports.
• The Consumer Reports auto team made the Model 3 a “Top Pick” among vehicles with a sticker price between $45,000 and $55,000.
• The positive review of Tesla and the Model 3 is the latest indication the automaker is making steady progress improving the quality and reliability of its vehicles.

 

[bwilson4web]

Consumer Reports (CR) staff was consistently negative on the Prius between 2005 when we bought our first, a used 2003 Prius, and 2019 when we traded in our last Prius Prime. Most notoriously, their MPG rating, not the highway but their default was always wrong and I found impossible to replicate (*). It was owner surveys that debunked their staff reporting that kept their credibility from sinking below the water. But in 2012, they crossed the line and we dropped our subscription.

After the third, editorial board change, they nearly closed their doors, I saw a barely accurate report on the Prius and resumed our subscription in 2016. Then I noticed the CR staff decided Tesla cars were crap. We did not own one until March 26, 2019, and I finally realized how full-of-themselves they were. So now I'm supposed to use their newly discovered chart and 'love them?'

During the Prius bashing years, CR was periodically brought to reality when their reader surveys showed up. The CR staff BS speculation was punctured by their subscribers. Huh? What is their problem?

The CR staff problem is they use "corporate" owned vehicles. They don't personally own and operate the vehicles . . . 'they have no skin in the game.' If you have to spend part of your paycheck on your ride, you gain a finer understanding of everything from gas-to-tire costs. But they get to ride around in corporate vehicles and never feel the sting of real world economics.

Will I put this issued on the floor of the parakeet cage, eventually. But it doesn't change my deep distrust of their staff writing. One acorn does not a fat hog make.

Bob Wilson

* - I was able to replicate their MPG by: (1) park overnight in a near-by shopping center parking lot; (2) start the cold car with max heater or A/C; (3) floor the accelerator for ~1.5 miles; (4) maximum brake, and (5) U-turn to repeat. The car never warms up nor goes under 40-45 mph. In effect, cold-start, lead-footed, driver.

 

[R P]

Haha, saw this the yesterday on a Subaru forum. But the news there was that Subaru dropped from first to #3,... big disappointment for those guys. Subaru has been on top for last couple years.

But I also saw the move up to #11 by Tesla, and all the fanboi articles hyping that. So was a little surprised that it wasn't posted here until today.

 

[bwilson4web]

So was a little surprised that it wasn't posted here until today.

I had seen the articles about the Consumer Reports (CR) article but my practice is to go to the source. Too often I've been burned by 'Reader's Digest' reviews that distort the original. But I'm still pissed at Consumer Reports for the terrible coverage of the Prius.

CR has gotten better but their staff has an undocumented (to my knowledge) scoring system that does not match my car buying requirements. For example, their 'score' has no efficiency component (last time I checked in 2012) but focuses on cabin creature comforts. But I have to pay for the gas or electricity that moves the car, a real expense, that CR poorly documents but does not include in their "score."

I'm not a friend of CR because I have to start with 'fueleconomy.gov' before anything else.

Bob Wilson

ps. Consumer Reports advocated for noise makers on the Prius which I call "Bell the Hybrid." Once Congress passed the law, everyone celebrated a law that masks a real pedestrian and bicyclist hazard, the "A" pillar. Fortunately, the right answer, car sensors, are now available and having a real effect. Meanwhile, silly noises add to the background.

 

[R P]

I had seen the articles about the Consumer Reports (CR) article but my practice is to go to the source. Too often I've been burned by 'Reader's Digest' reviews that distort the original. But I'm still pissed at Consumer Reports for the terrible coverage of the Prius.

You keep saying that, but that is not what I have seen. I owned a Prius, too, and CR rated them very highly. In fact, the Prius C (which I owned for 5 years) was their #1 car!!
https://www.carscoops.com/2019/02/10-reliable-cars-2019-according-crs-annual-survey/

Maybe the early Prius's were not as good, but certainly they have been rated very highly the last 5 years or more (since I was following them).

 

[bwilson4web]

I found an abbreviated version on their web site but nothing in their YouTube channel. With luck, in the mailbox today.

In the past year, CR did a YouTube that was unflattering about Autopilot. One complaint was the car passed slower traffic to the right side which struck me as being petty and disconnected from rush hour driving. Autopilot has its flaws but they did not find and report them.

Here is a response describing the CR problem:

The video presenter does not own a Tesla but something else.

Here is the CR YouTube:


Bob Wilson