Consumer Reports - At least it's subscribers tell it like it is.

Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Survey Sees Gains For Detroit

A couple of weeks ago, Nelson Ireson reported on Consumer Reports' latest Reliability Survey, which put Ford and Lincoln at the head of the reliability pack. Now Consumer Reports has more good news for Big Three automakers thanks to its new Auto Survey, which places several American autos on the magazine's "top satisfaction list".
Even better for Detroit fans, the Dodge Challenger has charged to the top of the rankings, earning the survey's highest marks and the honor of being the most satisfying car in America. For several years, the Toyota Prius has taken the top spot on the annual Auto Survey, but this time around, the Prius was edged out by not one, but two American rides: the Challenger motored to the top spot, with 92% of buyers saying they'd definitely buy one again, and the number two spot was taken by the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which earned a 91% score. Prius fans shouldn't fret too much, though: the flagship hybrid still ranked near the head of the class, alongside the AWD Acura TL, the Chevrolet Corvette, and the Porsche 911.

To make Consumer Reports' "top satisfaction list", no less than 80% of buyers must respond "definitely yes" to the question "Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, com-fort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?" Of all American autos, 9% earned that ranking -- an improvement over last year.

Despite these bright points, the news isn't all rosy for U.S. automakers. Although 9% of American models made Consumer Reports' "top satisfaction list", Europe and Asia trounced that figure, earning 23% and 12%, respectively.
Worse, of the ten models that earned less than a 50% rating on the Auto Survey, all fared from Detroit -- three from Chrysler, the other seven from General Motors. The worst of the lot? The Dodge Nitro, the Pontiac Torrent, and all the way at the bottom, the Chrysler Sebring sedan.

Story here.

Found some quotes from Consumer Reports... that shows how out-of-touch they are...

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/08/aut...campaign=Feed:+rss/money_latest+(Latest+News)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dodge Challenger, the Chrysler Group's retro-styled muscle car, is the car best loved by its owners, according to Consumer Reports' survey of 380,000 readers of its magazine and Web site.
"Ninety-two percent of Challenger owners said they would definitely buy another one given the same opportunity," reads an article in the influential magazine's January issue.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid ranked second in the magazine's "Predicted Owner Satisfaction" survey, with 91% of owners saying they would buy another. The Prius dropped to fifth place in the survey this year, behind the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911.

The survey -- which asks car owners "considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?" -- tends to favor vehicles that people purchase for design, driving performance, or other emotional reasons rather than to simply fill practical needs.
Recently introduced or redesigned models also tend to do better in the annual survey. The Challenger, a car designed to evoke memories of Chrysler Group's classic Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars of the late 1960s and early '70s, went into production in late 2008.

The opinions of its readers notwithstanding, Consumer Reports itself does not recommend the Challenger. While the car's reliability is about average, according to Consumer Reports' surveys, the Challenger fared poorly in the magazine's performance tests. While Consumer Reports car testers lauded the Challenger's acceleration and engine sound, the car received criticism for its handling, braking, visibility and fuel economy.

The Challenger received an overall rating of 53 out of a possible 100, which is close to the lowest score in Consumer Reports' "Sporty Car" category. The highest score in the category, a 97, was received by the BMW 135i, a car the magazine doesn't recommend because of poor predicted reliability.

The Chevrolet Camaro and the redesigned 2010 Ford Mustang, the two cars that compete most directly against the Challenger, were both too new to be included in the owner satisfaction survey, which requires that a car be on the market for at least a year.

John Linkov, Consumer Reports managing editor for autos, said he saw no conflict between the magazine's low rating and consumers' opinions of their own cars. The magazine's testing doesn't take into account factors like design that can greatly influence customers' vehicle choices. The purpose of the magazine's testing is to provide a baseline for comparing vehicles, he said, and car buyers need to reach their own decisions.

Linkov recommends that car shoppers consider multiple vehicles before buying one, and factor in the results of their own test drives.
"Make your choices totally informed, and if, at the end of the the day, it adds up to something else for you, that's fine," he said.