Consumer Reports: No to Chevy SUV, Ford crossovers, MyFord Touch

Consumer Reports has never been considered a very good evaluator of vehicles. (or anything else, whatever they rate is excellent is never available in stores for example...)

Not a correct evaluation of Consumer Reports. They are not in a particular manufacturer's pocket.

Most times when CR finds what they call a fault, I call a feature. I have little faith in them.

I did NOT say they were. Don't claim things that are not true.

And if they can't find a fault to show how good they are, they'll gladly make one appear no matter what! Gotta keep selling those memberships...

I dont think that they could've gotten away with being in anyone's pocket although this has long been claimed.

I have, however, seen them recommend items which turned out to be junk, and I really think this has to do with the short term evaluations they do. In specific, they used to recommend certain TV manufacturer's products and domestic appliances that were known in the trade to be troublesome and unreliable. And this could be perfectly honestly reported since those tests were of such short duration and were performed on new items.

I don't think they are in anyone's pocket, but they sometimes have no clue what really goes on outside the labs in real life. Sometimes they are "spot on" other times they don't seem to have the same products I have. Their agenda is supposed to be helping the consumer but it seems to go beyond that.

."...It said the technology is a complicated distraction while driving... first time users might find it impossible to operate..." ********************************* Well there certainly isn't anything hard to believe about that. For years they have been putting ever more of these gee-whiz gadgets on cars, which anyone who isn't computer- or gadget- savvy is going to find operating very aggrivating, difficult, or practically impossible. This of course includes millions of senior citizens, in fact probably the majority of them. You know that saying about teaching an old dog new tricks? It's not about dogs. And then, add to that already staggering number, another huge demographic of people, similar but younger than that, who also are not tech-savvy. The world's full of 'em. There's even all kinds of senators, doctors, you name it -- who have someone else to do all their computer stuff. Most cars, until recently, all had a HVAC you could control effortlessly by simply moving the slider for the temp to the disired position, likewise for the blower and blend door, in under two seconds

-- and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, without taking your eyes off the road! Now, to do the same thing you have to basically get into the operating system and re-program it, for want of a better word. Easy peasy! Even my 1998 run-around car has a climate control which, in order to adjust it, I HAVE to take my eyes off the road -- then zero in on the correct little button; then push it again-and-again while watching the TINY icon for heat, defrost, etc... then do the same with the blower. How the hell is that safe?? I NEVER got used to it and absolutely detest it. I can only imagine what someone 65, 70 years old thinks about all these latest, additional other "improvements." It's hardly even like driving a car anymore! I love the statement one of the spokesmen used in the article: "It couldn't be any simpler." Yeah, simple after you've spend a whole bunch of time learning it -- and typically you have to actually have someone to spend a bunch of time showing and teaching you all that stuff, to actually become proficient at it. Most people aren't going to spend hours reading and digesting the literature to learn all about how to navigate it. I find it "simple" to overhaul an engine -- but I don't think my mom could ever get to that point.

Well, at least not since Toyota made them look like idiots after manufacturing near-junk for years while CM was giving them "recommended buy" status without even bothering to test them in the first place.