I just received Consumer Reports September 2003 issue. On page 7 they take a "first look" at the Z, full report will be out in December. Last sentence of the article provides a nice summary:

"The new Z looks stylish but doesn't perform like a pure, unadulterated sports car; it's not cheap, and (strangely, for a sports car) it hasn't proved very fun to drive."

 

Ouch, that's harsh. Let's hope they have better things to say about the 8.

 

Other than statistical repair data about cars, televisions, etc, I don't trust Consumer Reports anymore- for anything.

They just ran an issue on pet care. Their advice? "Get a cat- they have less health problems." Any publication that sells out the family dog for convenience in ownership, sorry- I just cannot accept that!

They also gave top rating to a Panasonic LCD projection TV with one of the worst pictures I have seen in a small set. Those of us who live and breath electronics were gagging and shaling out heads. Anyone with a decent pair of eyeballs could see that cartoonish colors, the nasty contrast- what in the world were they thinking?

They were kind to the original RX-7, but given they just sold out the devoted dog because it MIGHT have more health problems than a cat, I don't expect them to be kind to the RX-8. I think they will disqualify it based on the fuel economy. They seem to have been taken over by "Cheapskate Gazette", the publication that recommends recycling Christmas cards you receive by crossing out the names, writing your own, and re-sending the card to someone else.

 

Well, the frozen pizza they put at #1 is pretty good.

 

I wonder what they expected going into it as far as what an "unadulterated sports car" is to them. I haven't driven a Z but from other information, if your bias is slightly more towards torquey power than nimbleness and handling, it's right up your alley. From what it sounds like, their (whoever actually reviewed it) idea of sports car is more the other way around.

For something that starts at $27k and pushes 280hp/a punishing quarter mile out of a n/a V6, I don't know how they can really expect it to be much cheaper.

Sweet, go cats! Although I'd think you'd make up the expenses in carpet-cleaning hairball/other hack-up treatments

 

Hmmmm....I wonder why that is. Oh right, because it ISN'T fun to drive. n:

I take everything CR says with a half of a half of a HALF of a grain of salt, but, for the first time every, I agree with them; they hit the nail on the head with that assessment.

 

I lost faith with CR many years ago for criticizing my beloved Jeep CJ5 because it couldn't do J-turns at high speed w/o rolling. Sho'nuff, if you try to drive a real 4wd like a sports cars it's going to perform as badly as trying to go four wheeling with an RX7.

 

I got tired of CR dinging SUV's for their "tendency to roll." WTF do they expect from 4000+ lbs that high off the ground?

 

cr are great at reviewing microwaves and vcrs. when it comes to cars they're out of their league. they are not a credible source for car reviews (esp performance ratings) outside of their reliability ratings. stick to the dedicated car mags for performance impressions.

 

They seem to be decent for their reliability ratings. As far as I know, JD Powers only judges initial build quality. Consumer Reports tracks average number of repairs over the life of each model. They also have a decent section on safety ratings. I would always check their reliability and safety ratings before buying a car.

On the other hand, I just let my subscription lapse. I think they sent me an extra advertisement or solicitation for more money at least once a month. If I'm paying for the damn subscription, then you're getting enough out of me. Either raise your prices or go out of business, don't send me a special offer I don't want.

 

Does CR ever elaborate on specific reliability issues for each car? My parents get it and I usually go over the auto issues but at best, they seem real vague with statements such as "But the reliability has dropped this year, so we can no longer recommend the _____".

They started handing out poor reliability out the wazoo to BMW and VW/Audis recently. I wanted to know why but could never get more detailed explanations.

 

Maybe they're just telling it how it is. BMW's and VW/Audi's have a long history of reliability problems as they age. Not as bad as they once were, but definately not on par with the reliability of the Japanese autos.

I've always noticed good marks, on the BMWs and Audis for the first several years, but once that free-maintenance & warranty runs out the gray and black marks start appearing.

The only way I would own a BMW or Audi, is through a lease. I wouldn't want to deal with the long term maintenance costs of these two automobiles.

 

Ditto.

 

Like others have said, I wouldn't rely on CR for advice when buying a car. I owned the original Suzuki Samuari and never had even a awkward tilt when driving it. And it was a great little off-road vehicle, and would plow through snow without a hiccup. It wasn't a sports car and any idiot knew that. They are still in use in places like Aruba and are great for scrambling the rocks on the north side of the island.

Ok, so CR's reliability data/problem areas may have a grain of truth to them. BMW's problems were largely with the X5; and, of course, M3 engine failures. But they picked the 525i as the best sedan!

Opinions are like...well, you know the rest!

 

OxyClean is great for spot cleaning the carpet after a hairball hack!! Go CATS!!

 

The reliability and problem areas that Consumer Reports provides are nothing more than the compiled results from the Surveys their database (consumers like you & me) completes.

I just checked their website, and it was not apparant that you can go there a complete a survey.

I do not belive CR adds any spin to the survey results.

 

Yes, they may have rated the 5 series the best sedan - NEW. However look at the long term problems this car has after 3-4 + years, and you can see that it doesn't look like the best USED sedan.

Go Japanese if you want reliability. Go European if you want a great mix of performance, handling, and luxury in a sports sedan. Of course there are a FEW exceptions to that last statement, i.e. RX-8, G35. :D