With each passing year the standards for what defines a competitive car are generally raised as the industry continues to be fueled by ever present competition that requires automakers to deliver exceptional products, or find themselves scrambling to make changes in order to keep metal moving off dealer lots.
But despite the free market generally doing its part to deliver the best products possible for consumers, Consumer Reports (via Autoblog) points out that for the latest generation of vehicles, at least six models appear to have taken a step backwards.
The six models in question were called out in the 2011 Annual Auto Issue: Stuck in reverse, which compares CR’s scores for the latest model and the model that it replaced. Based on scoring alone, the clear winner – or loser depending on your perspective – for the year is the Volkswagen Jetta. CR points out that the car’s handling, steering, braking, interior noise levels and interior fit and finish all moved backwards compared to the previous model, with the score dropping a full 16 points to 60.
With the roasting of the Jetta by CR one would assume that the sales must have taken a nose dive to prove the correlation between the need to improve vehicles and continued sales, but they haven’t. In fact, Jetta sales have soared since the redesign.
How so, you ask? Because Volkswagen decided that in order to get a bigger piece of the market share pie in America, it would need to dumb the car down a bit, and in turn, drop the price significantly to compete on price, not content. It’s hard to argue with their strategy given the fact that Jetta sedan sales are up 44 percent so far this year, and a staggering 63 percent last month.
Next in line for a ratings drop was Toyota’s redesigned Sienna minivan, which depending on the model, dipped as much as 13 points. CR cites decreased steering feel, increased road noise and decreased interior fit and finish as the reasons for the drop. Since Sienna went on sale in February 2010, the newest iteration of the minivan enjoyed only a modest 17 percent bump in 2010 compared to 2009, but so far in 2011 sales are up a significant 129 percent.
Toyota has another model on the list, the 4Runner SUV, which dropped from a score of 66 to just 55, the lowest current score of the bunch. CR took issue with the 4Runner’s ride control, handling characteristics, noise levels, driving position, front compartment occupant access and the interior fit and finish when justifying their score drop.
But despite the laundry list of reason why CR thinks the newest 4Runner isn’t so hot, Toyota’s rugged SUV’s sales soared in its first full year on the market in 2010, up 138 percent compared to the year prior. Despite its early sales success, however, 4Runner sales appear to have already peaked and begun to normalize, looking to be on track for around the same annual total of just under 50,000 units for 2011.
CR didn’t take much of a liking to the redesigned BMW X5 3.0, dropping the score 10 points to 67, and pointing to the change in controls, the shifter and poor visibility. Mercedes-Benz’s latest efforts on the E350 earned a similar drop from 88 to 79 points, with the consumer advocacy group citing the poor steering, ride quality and fuel economy.
Rounding out the list was Honda’s redesigned Odyssey minivan, which dropped from a high of 91 to a still respectable 83. CR cited the handling, braking and cargo space as the reasons for the score drop. Honda is reporting sales increases of roughly 28 percent year-to-date for the Odyssey.
So what does this mean?
That depends, for starters if you don’t follow CR or care for their reviews, these score changes may hold little to no value. If you are the type of person who refuses to accept a product that is anything short of the best it can be, it might help you knock a few options off of your potential shopping list right out of the gate.
But before you make any decisions based on the list, keep in mind that CR isn’t writing off all of these vehicles as bad cars. In fact, the Honda Odyssey, Mercedes-Benz E350 and Toyota Sienna all still received a “recommend” rating from the consumer group. CR didn’t have anything to soften the blow for the other three models, however, as the group called them “clear disappointments.”
References
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2.’Consumer Reports calls…’ view
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