Consumer Reports HATES Elise!!!

[jhnmdahl]

Originally Posted by fpitas

"Dry Breaking" (sic)? Don't these magazines have an editor?

I keep mine wet, it hasn't broken so far.

The quoted section is full of misspellings, such as "Didge Viper", "Nissan 350Z (convertable)", and "Volkswagon GTI". I don't think it was the magazine, more likely the transcriber.

John

[ShelfLife]

My Dad subscribed to CR as far back as I can remember. I have been a subscriber most of my adult life. One thing I learned long ago is to take some things they say with a grain of salt, or, as just one opinion. Their car ratings are pretty subjective and should be treated as such, just like any other magazine. I have bought a Mustang GT 5.0, and Corvette, and a Land Rover Discovery within the last 15 years been happy with all those vehicles, and had very few problems with any of them.

Case in point: The first time I had ever heard of an Elise was in last year's 'Auto' issue. It piqued my interest, despite what they said - because I have learned to look at their testing results, and not their opinion. So, thanks to CR, I am here (gathering even more info), and will have my Elise soon.

[JoshS]

Originally Posted by Serebo1

One of my first cars. '79 superbeetle convertible. I loved it too.

My first car was a VW Karman Ghia! I had so much fun in that puppy. $3 filled the tank in those days.

[yelnsx]

Originally Posted by JoshS

You guys are so thick!!! The avoidance manuver is when you pull into a 7/11 get out of your car, get a red bull, beef jerky and a lotto ticket and get back in your car while avoiding anyone coming up to you and saying "Lotus...who makes that?"

DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!!!!!

[Devious]

Originally Posted by fpitas

"Dry Breaking" (sic)? Don't these magazines have an editor?

I keep mine wet, it hasn't broken so far.

Definitely a transcription error on my part.
However, you can feel free to find your information elsewhere and transcribe it correctly at anytime.

[fpitas]

Originally Posted by Devious

Definitely a transcription error on my part.
However, you can feel free to find your information elsewhere and transcribe it correctly at anytime.

Sorry about that, I thought it was verbatim from CR. I realize that typos happen.

[LotusUSA]

Consumer reports suck!

[swistun]

Originally Posted by fastliz

Even better... The Lotus Elise / Exige is not a car. It is an experience. If you want a car, don't buy it. How's that?

Mike

Mike

[KryptonGreen]

Originally Posted by SKYVUE

I was in the drug store today, picked up the Car & Driver and I glanced through Consumer Reports 2007 Cars and I read the evaluation about 2007 Elise. The said the Elise handles no better than a Miata, and the Elise wildly goes out of control if the limits are exceeded.-SKYVUE/STARVUE

CR is wrong 50% of the time. It is hard to get excited about their reviews. If it is not Japanese, they don't like it. Remember that piece of junk called the Datsun? They loved it!!

[LARRY]

Originally Posted by LotusUSA

Consumer reports suck!

Good for toasters and microwave ovens. That's about it.

[fireball111]

WHY WOULD YOU EVER LOOK FOR ADVICE FOR A CAR IN CR. IF YOU DO, YOU DON'T BELONG OWNING ONE OF THESE CARS ANYWAY

[Mark16q]

Whatever CR says on a car....I go 180 degrees. They're fine for getting featurs of electronics and the like, but there is more involved with a car than specs...

mg

[glb]

There is a lot of animosity on ET (e.g. Hybrids, CR) that escapes me.

Because CR doesn’t feel the same way as we about sports cars, does this mean that none of their automotive judgments are accurate? I think not.

Where else would you find such accurate Frequency of Repair data? (J.D. Powers’ stuff is close to useless. CR has the largest sampling.) Would like to see crash data, both in lab and real world on a vehicle? CR makes it easy.

Do C&D, R&T, MT, etc. tell you this? No, they wouldn’t even tell you if the headlights on the car you’re considering suck. Did C&D make a big deal out of most of their BMW test cars failing? Nope. Would any of these tell you about recalls? Nah.

Maybe you have a child, would like to know how well the car holds the kid’s seat. Try asking one of the above mags.

If, after statistical analysis, you disliked a source, that would be one thing. What seem to me to be mindless attacks are another.

Yes, CR doesn’t “get” the Elise, but as stated earlier by others in this thread, nothing they said was incorrect. Most people don’t “get” this car. I found the report both accurate and amusing.

Remember, please, they are trying to give us a reasonable picture of products. I’m pretty sure they don’t hate you if you disagree.

Moreover, they’ve been sued many, many times and not really lost a one. They even correct their own errors, loudly and publicly.


Mark16q - Many mags (& internet sites) give us specs. CR also does road tests, which have proven some vehicles to be unsafe. This is somehow not a good thing? With most enthusiast mags, one must "read between the lines".

Fireball - Pls fix your caps lock. Are you contending that if I read the CR Elise test I shouldn't own one? And, if I look up an Accord or something in CR, I should sell the Elise? Is this really what you meant to say here?

Larry - you know you know better.

KryptonGreen - Would you like to try to back up that statement with facts? And, did they love all Datsuns? (Hint: no.) I had a 510 and their FoR charts were 100% accurate in terms of what broke and what didn't. Japanese products, esp cars, are often superior for the average human.

Swistun & Fastliz - I'm pretty sure the Elise is a car. All cars are compromises. We just happen to love the Lotus, in spite of - and sometimes because of - its strengths and compromises.


Finally, no I don't work for CR. I've supported CU since the 70s and know they've done much good in educating the public, improving product safety, influencing consumer protections, etc.

So, they didn't love the Elise. BFD. You'll survive their accurate opinion. Public insecurity is not a pretty thing. We love our cars; that's more than enough. Isn't it?

[LARRY]

I know better? I know this...

Reviewing these cars has be done in a class by class way. NOT comparing apples to oranges.

Read EVO magazine for a fair representation of Lotus cars.

It's like comparing Reader's Digest to Playboy.

[glb]

Originally Posted by LARRY

I know better? I know this...

Reviewing these cars has be done in a class by class way. NOT comparing apples to oranges.

Read EVO magazine for a fair representation of Lotus cars.

It's like comparing Reader's Digest to Playboy.

Wow, you're quick.

I'm unsure what you meant. Didn't CR test of bunch of sports cars together?

Sure, EVO has a more similar auto-outlook to us. But, this doesn't mean non-enthusiast publication can't test sports cars. EVO is, like us, quite willing to sacrifice A to get B. But, we are a small minority, no?

I'm sorry if I missed your point.

[LARRY]

Actually I agree with your statement:

"So, they didn't love the Elise. BFD. You'll survive their accurate opinion. Public insecurity is not a pretty thing. We love our cars; that's more than enough. Isn't it?"

Amen to that.

[glb]

Originally Posted by LARRY

Actually I agree with your statement:

"So, they didn't love the Elise. BFD. You'll survive their accurate opinion. Public insecurity is not a pretty thing. We love our cars; that's more than enough. Isn't it?"

Amen to that.

Thanks, Larry.

[Genomaxter]

To me, being a consumer and looking for info on a product I want means I have to do research before I buy. I would not and never will rely on info from a general magazine. I look at very specific material in which the only thing they focus on is the area in which the product I want falls in. If you want the best quality items, you dont go to Wal-Mart. Its the same thing with reviewers of products in magazines IMO. If I want car reviews that are accurate in the areas I care about, I'd get a car specific magazine.

[tsunami racer]

someone said it earlier but i want to bring up again that Consumer Reports has ZERO credibility after their biased rigged testing of the Suzuki Samurai. they rank maybe one notch above Dateline NBC and their GM C/K pickup 'exploding fuel tank' bogus story and one notch below the Daily Express and their "Elvis Marries Alien" story....

Consumer Reports is a biased rag that supports their own selfish political motives and hides behind the curtain of "we don't give in to advertisers" routine. they use drama and controversy to sell their publication just like the supermarket tabloids and worse, they lobby their positions politically to support special interest groups in washington.

it's just a damn shame so many ignorant shoppers think CR is truly "objective" in their evaluations. if anything, this should serve notice to all that you must do your own homework and not rely upon other people/pub's biased and subjective opinions.

[senna]

i will never forget a teacher who lived across the street from us asked my dad what kind of midsize car he should buy in 1975,my dad told him to buy a nova,he said consumer reports said the best midsize car for 75 was the newly released volare,which he bought and had more problems with than you could imagine,within a year the front fenders were rusted right off it,moral of this story is consumer reports has a bunch of school teachers testing cars!