2015 Honda CR-V Fails to Impress Consumer Reports

To keep the CR-V SUV relevant in an increasingly competitive segment, Honda applied a mid-cycle makeover consisting of both styling and equipment updates.

Consumer Reports Weighs in on New Chrysler 200

Launched in a sector of talented and well-established model lineages, the all-new Chrysler 200 had to be very good to compete against rivals like the Toyota Camry or VW Passat.

Volvo V60 Labeled as a Lifestyle Wagon by Consumer Reports

The Volvo V60 Wagon looks very different from traditional boxy Volvo wagons, and Consumer Reports’ Tom Mutchler believes that’s a good thing from a styling point of view. However, when it comes to practicality, the V60 doesn’t live up to its predecessors. That’s why Consumer Reports see the V60 more as a lifestyle wagon.

After GTI, Consumer Reports Tries out Regular VW Golf Too

The Consumer Reports first drive of (a Euro-spec) Volkswagen Golf leaves nothing to question, just like the car itself. It makes it clear that you can’t really fault it on the mundane stuff (space, practicality, economy or drive), and that American buyers should give it more of a shot than they previously, as this seventh incarnation coming in early 2014 is bigger inside and out, yet lighter than before and very efficient.

The Golf, like most other US-bound VWs, ditches the 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated petrol engine as the range base, replacing it with a new 1.8-liter turbo unit that offers the same power as before (170 hp), yet a bit more torque, most of which is served low in the rev range.

As usual, whenever a car reviewer climbs aboard a modern VW, he or she raves on about how everything is nice to the touch and feels well screwed together – the new Golf is no exception, though I do feel that it’s a step down in perceived solidity from the brick-like Mark V model.

To me it just felt a bit flimsier than before, and the seat no longer goes down as low as it did in the older models thanks to the MQB platform (SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia both have the same issue).

However, Golfs destined for the American market are not going to be imported from Europe, being built instead at the group’s Puebla plant, in Mexico.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Tesla Model S Tops Consumer Reports’ Owner-Satisfaction Chart [+Video Review]

After racking up the most impressive test score ever recorded by Consumer Reports in one of their reviews, the Tesla Model S does it again, this time in the area of owner satisfaction. Here, the all-electric sedan mirrored its near-perfect score of 99/100, cementing its place as the highest-rated car they’ve ever tested, even though they admit, it’s not really for everybody.

It was most appreciated by the 600 owners that responded to the survey for “its innovative design, outstanding performance, surprising practicality, long 200-mile-plus driving range for an electric car, and low driving costs.”

This stands out as a ray of good news in these slightly dark and… awkward times for Tesla, with the three fires and the inherent investigation they sparked. Even Gorge Clooney badmouthed them in public, but he seems to have been deliberately deceptive as to saying which Tesla he had encountered problems with, or what their nature was; we do know it was a Roadster…

The Model S was followed in CR’s survey by the Porsche Boxster, Audi A6 sedan, Mazda6 sedan, Subaru Forester, Dodge Challenger V8 and VW Golf TDI. They were chosen out of a total of 350,000 responses that covered 285 different models and variants stretching between the 2011 through 2014 model-years.

By Andrei Nedelea

Note: Below you will find CR's new half-hour-long in-depth hands-on video on the Model S

VIDEO

Consumer Reports Says Jaguar F-Type is "a British Corvette" that Sounds and Looks Great

There was nothing really new that Consumer Reports could have added to the series of tests and reviews of the Jaguar F-Type that we’ve seen so far, at least not in terms of the way it drives and/or drifts or the pretty styling that everybody, including ourselves likes.

However, they did approach the drop-top Jag from a more practical perspective, and even here, it was found to meet the criteria.

As we’ve already heard, the F-Type in roadster form (we'll see if Jaguar has improved the coupe in this department) is not the best handler in its niche, being outclassed around the bends by the Porsche Cayman S and Boxster S, but it’s still pegged as being engaging to drive and very controllably tail-happy – it’s handling limits are easily approachable.

In fact, reviewer Tom Mutchler even calls it “a British Corvette,” though he goes on to say that he does not mean it in any kind of pejorative way - it's actually a compliment...

Speaking of the aforementioned practical aspects, CR praises the two-door’s seats, liberal use of stitched leather and the quick-operating electric soft top that stows away in 12 seconds.

Not that you needed more incentive to conjure up additional mental pictures of yourself holding its thick-rimmed wheel, but the full video drive lies (with a bonus track from Jay Leno's Garage) after the virtual jump, below.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Consumer Reports' First Drive of 2015 VW GTI, Calls it a Grown-Up Car

The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI has been on sale in Europe for more than six months, but in the United States, the car will only arrive early next year as a 2015 model.

Given that the GTI is traditionally a high-volume seller in the U.S., Consumer Reports was acquainted with an Euro-spec model to find out what buyers should expect from the new GTI when it launches next year in the country.

As far as the design is concerned, the publication noticed the car has retained its understated looks, with only GTI enthusiasts recognizing that it’s a new model when seeing it on the street. First driving impressions are positive with CR praising the car’s “phenomenal” grip and describing it as a grown-up GTI that knows how blend fun and refinement.

The engine gets good marks too, although it doesn’t offer as much power as some rivals, while the double clutch gearbox receives credit for quick and smooth shifts. Scroll down to watch the review.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Consumer Reports Says Mercedes CLA Has the Looks, but Falls Short on Substance

You must know what you’re getting yourself into when purchasing a Mercedes-Benz CLA, a car that apart from the styling and badge is, worlds away from any Three Pointed Star sedan to come before it. It’s front-wheel drive, it’s not particularly spacious or practical, nor is it as cosseting as a Benz should be to drive or/and be in.

These are some of the conclusions drawn in this first drive of the CLA done by Consumer Reports. Their car is a CLA250 model, the one most will go for in the States, though they called it poorly equipped in and around its base price of just under thirty grand.

They moved that closer to forty ($36,500) by ticking not that many boxes at all: a ‘premium package,’ special paint, opening panoramic glass roof, wood trim inside and bi-xenon headlights.

In the end, they were not won over by it, primarily because it doesn’t feel like a Mercedes ought to and the attractively low youth-corrupting starting price quickly rises and the CLA almost ends up costing just as much as the proper rear-wheel driven Mercs that we’re used to.

Check out the full video below.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Honda Gets its Mojo Back: Consumer Reports Puts 2013 Accord on Top of its Class

Despite the (in)famous 2012 Civic episode, there seems to be no bad feelings between Honda and Consumer Reports (CR). The publication may have dropped the 2012 Civic from its recommended list pressuring for a quick redesign, but Honda can relax as far as its U.S. market best-seller is concerned.
In fact, it may even smile as CR has put the 2013 Accord at the top of its class in four-cylinder guise while it notes that the V6 version is “challenging the Toyota Camry for the top spot” in its ratings.