I just got the 2012 Consumer Reports Buying Guide and it's good news for the Outlander. The Outlander is rated with the best of the best for 2001-2010 model year vehicles.

The 07, 08, and 09 Outlanders are rated above average in reliability and the new car prediction for Outlanders is much better than average. Also for those 3 years the Outlander scored average or above for paint, trim, body hardware and integrity which helps take away some of the criticism Outlanders have gotten in those areas. FYI. For the 2010 model year CR did not have enough data to make a rating.

 

Awesome!!!.

 

where is the link?

thanks

 

I found that their system is fundamentally flawed when they rated a car I had previous with AWD to be worse than the RWD model in parts that were exactly the same on both cars (like stereo system and brakes). They rated the RWD best in class, but the AWD worst in class.

I pointed this out in a blog and they deleted my post, but left a flame war between two other users.

I'm sure other cars have this issue as well, but I knew the above was not true. Hopefully they are at least a bit more accurate now.

 

There is no link. I subscribe to Consumer Reports and the 2012 Buying Guide was mailed to my home. Also you have to pay extra to subscribe to Consumer Reports online and I've opted not to subscribe online.

I agree that some of their vehicle reviews seem inconsistent. I know that part of the ratings is from input they receive from their readers as I've filled out their survey on my Outlander. I guess if the people who have the AWD version of a vehicle complain about problems and the RWD people don't that would explain part of it.

 

Ehhh, a bit off topic but isn't the 2007-UP 2WD Outlander front wheel drive?

 

i think he meant a different car entirely, not the Outtie

 

Does the idea of paid access to rating based on member-submitted biased and unqualified reviews look strange only to me?

 

Yes, and that's the problem I have with them precisely. They focus too much on feedback that is highly dependent on the person filling out the survey.

For the record, I purchased a subscription to CR and bought the best dishwasher in the class. It turned out to be junk and barely cleans anything...the only good part of it is that it looks nice...which is probably why it was rated best in class.

After those two things, I just started ignoring CR and cancelled my subscription.


Fully agreed. They never even asked me to fill out anything for my car/dishwasher. Thankfully I bought both cars based on days of research, but the dishwasher I just trusted them.

Oh btw, for cars, they rank brake dust as a "braking system problem." So any car with high friction brakes is automatically bad in that category.

 

I agree their ratings are only as good as the input they get from their readers, but in all fairness companies like JD Powers have the same situation. When I bought my Hyundai Elantra new in 2003 I did a survey for them on the initial quality of the vehicle.

As far as other products like dishwashers, refrigerators, even car tires and batteries there are so many choices out there that they usually only test about 10-20% of the products available. Same with store customer services ratings. While they rate the big chains like Walmart, Target, K-Mart and Sears, they often include smaller chains that may not even be in your area.