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Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Consumer Reports praises Toyota Tundra 
134 messages, Last post on Apr 15, 2000 at 2:00 PM
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| You should be ashamed! While I'm putting my life on the line to keep that oil coming, your bad-mouthing my choice of vehicles. | |
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I purchased the Consumer Reports Sport Utility Special 2000. I must admit, the mag has added quite a bit of splash and color since those days of 30 years ago when I read it in the school library. While they may not accept advertising, that hasn't kept them from hawking their own used car pricing service, auto insurance pricing service, etc prominently on the magazine pages. In this regard, they have to sell to keep the presses rolling, just like the mighty Petersen Publishing empire, no different. In the section on reliability forecasts, they state: "We give results only for models for which there were sufficient survey responses to make a judgement. So you won't find all-new or recently redesigned models listed here. The zero line in each graph is the average trouble rate for all 1997 to 1999 vehicles." I note that in the reliability history for Tundra trouble spots, "NO DATA NEW MODEL" is the wording used. But unlike for all other vehicles for which data is not available, this aspect did not restrain the editors from making a reliability prediction of "better than average" anyway. Bias? I found it ironic also, that Tundra was praised for being "relatively frugal" on fuel, yet according to EPA figures for city and highway, the class leaders are GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado. But if you dismiss this as part of the same EPA conspiracy allegedly responsible for denying the Tundra Limited models a factory receiver hitch consider the following: Trucks are not directly compared to each other in Consumer Reports. Rather, they are compared to each other indirectly, by how well each are able to fare against all cars, minivans, trucks, suvs tested from 1997 to 1999, as a group. The flaw in this, is the natural bias towards the center. A truck that is more car like gets better scores. And as trucks and suvs gather a larger percentage of total vehicle sales, scores for all trucks and suvs improve for this reason alone, even if there are no improvements in reliability. Put another way, if you adjust the floor height, we can all be 6 feet tall. |
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I find it hard to believe that if money played a part in consumer reports, they'd still have the Tundra as their top pick. Ford easily makes 10 times more money off the f-150 and could easily "buy-off" the editors of CR, if that were the case. The simple fact is that they liked it better. Motor trend also picked the Tundra as their top truck, along with 4x4&off-road magazine. If it makes you feel any better, the writers at "truckin" magazine didn't like the Tundra that much. Especially because there's not a lot of aftermarket "lowering" parts for it yet. 
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| Agree, the editors like the Tundra better. The buying public on the other hand, doesn't seem to be headed that way. | |
| If you fought and protected this Country thats great and I respect that, but when you bad mouth American made products I can't live with that if you are so displeased then leave and allow another Mexican across the Border to come and purchase a Chevy. | |
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| It's called freedom of choice! It's a good thing! I have the freedom to bad mouth anything I want and you have the freedom to badmouth me, if you want. I may not like what you say but I will defend to my death, your right to say it. | |
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ENOUGH with the personal attacks people!!!!.... this is an AUTOMOTIVE site. Nothing else is relevant or allowed. Not your gender, your sexual orientation, your age, your religion, your politics.... Edmunds doesn't care. And neither do the overwhelming majority or the other conference members. KEEP IT ON TOPIC!!!!! Front Porch Philosopher SUV, Pickups, & Aftermarket and Accessories Host |
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agree with quad on post 46 and 48. consumer reports is a biased magazine (who knows why) that leans toward the center. the buying public has not been swayed. i've seen MAYBE one tundra for every 50 silverados around here (columbia, south carolina). and prob'ly 1/4 of the 'rados i see are "fleet" or "work" trucks of some commercial sort. here's the skinny on magazine ratings. motor trend (and several others i can't recall) chose the silverado as "truck of the year" in 99 -why? because it was new. go read the posts reference 99 silverados to see how good they were. the ratings on new trucks mean nothing in my opinion. i've got a 00 silverado that runs like a pearl. am i lucky? perhaps. but i'd say the other 100+ 'rados i've seen running around here look to be pretty lucky too. answer this question. how can consumer reports rate the tundra on reliability? they can't. they may be able to trash the big three, but they can't pass educated judgment on tundra reliability. it's too new. lastly, and this is just me, i don't think i'd ever leave it up to consumer reports to dictate to me what to buy. i would take their opinion into consideration, maybe. but i would use a much wider scope of opinion - more geared toward what i was shopping for. edmunds, truck trend, 4 whl & offroad, etc...for buying a truck. consumer reports would be almost an afterthought. but that's just me. sorry for the long post... kyle |
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First, they love any truck that is not truck like. They could care less about capacity or power. They rate every single type of vehicle they test as if they are family secans. They like the trucks that are least trucklike(eg. they love the Ford Explorer and the Tundra) Also, The Tundra sells in smaller numbers than either of the other two brands and idoesn't have as much capacity, so You can't compare reliability. What kind of sense does it make to compare Silverados and F150's that regularly may haul or tow large trailers with Tundras that may occasionally carry antique furniture home from the second hand store? For tundra owners who to have just spent 30 large on a truck and are still trying to convince themselves that it makes perfect sense to buy a truck that has less capacity than all competitiors but costs more, you can't do it with consumer reports. They mostly trash domestics and kiss import ass and they know nothing about rating anything other than minivans and family sedans. |
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| I agree with most of what you say. I wouldn't let a magazine influence me to buy a truck. I based my choice by my own excellent luck with the Toyota trucks I've had and of those I Know personally. I also took into account the people I know that by Ford and chevy exclusively | |
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