Can 187,586 Buyers Be Wrong? Consumer Reports Thinks So

"Just because a car generates a lot of buzz or is a best seller doesn't mean that it's a good choice for you. The five models here may be on a lot of buyers' shopping lists, but we suggest you steer clear…" So says Consumer Reports with respect to their list of "Five popular cars to avoid". CR says that the vehicles "…didn't perform well in our testing or they suffer from subpar reliability," and that's reason enough to stay away. I'm not entirely convinced. We at TTAC respect the hell out of Consumer Reports. Unlike other parties in the buff book business, we never crack appliance-related jokes about their testing methods or dismiss them as lab coated slide-ruler jockeys. When they have something to say, we take it seriously. Whipping boy number one is, of course, the 2012 Honda Civic. There are elements within TTAC who don't like the car, for valid reasons. But as I explored in a previous column, it does have enough merit that it's worth buying. And it's been vetted by my Grandma. CR even recommends the Subaru Impreza over the Honda Civic; make no mistake, it's a nice car, but there's no way that they can criticize the Civic's "mediocre interior" while ignoring the Impreza. CR also lists the Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Prius c, Ford Edge V6 and Jeep Liberty as vehicles to stay away from. Having had inadequate seat time in them, I can't say in good faith how accurate these picks are. Feel free to let me know in the comments. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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