Consumer Reports - 2016 Tacoma - Telling it Like It Is

Just giving an example as to why their reviews can't be trusted. Most sites can't be trusted, everybody has different expectations. CR specifically has reputation issues.

Why are you so invested in a review about a truck from a mediocre review site anyway? Are you looking to it as some sort of weird validation?

 

Guys settle down, actually we should rejoice! Track record of reliability is simply a (very important) statistic, CR surveys are pretty accurate on this and Tacoma has been at the top. The fact CR does not like driving the Tacoma is great news for us because it means it's a very off-road capable truck. This is coming from someone who is driving a newer Wangler which CR really hates LOL. Fun and off road capability rate very little, it's all about mpg, easy ingress/egress, how easy it is to attach infant seats, slalom handling which they translate to emergency avoidance, cup holders, interior cargo space, etc. If you're in the market for a mini van I would seriously suggest looking at CR's ratings. But for a truck or serious adventure vehicle CR will rate the most capable ones last and most car like first.

 

So you disagree with CR when it says Tacoma has great reliability? Why dance away from the question? You were the one who brought up CR's reputation when it comes to their reliability studies.

Stand by your statement or take the foot out of your mouth.

 

Stop trying to force words in my mouth. Again, I cited an example of how their reports can't be taken at face value. The article I had read before cited some aspects of their reliability reports. I could just as easily have grabbed some studies about any aspect of their business.

I don't need a report to tell me how reliable the Tacoma is, nor do I need a report to tell me how it drives, especially a report from a biased and flawed company.

 

Consumer Reports responds:
Please note that CONSUMER REPORTS(R) is a federally registered trademark. We do not grant permission to you to use it.
— Wendy J. Wintman
Legal Services Department
Consumers Union

 

Great response on their part lol

 

You should check out the review and video they did on the 2nd Gen like the one you and I drive its on the consumer reports website. Its a worse review than this one on the 2016 3rd Gen. Consumer reports are looking for a truck that rides like a car.......... I am not and looks like you are not either seeing you have a 2010 2nd gen.

 

That's exactly my point

 

I forgot what I was going to say here.
Insert a witty comment later

Most Tacomas sold are double cab short bed, the minivan of trucks. A few off readers like them because they are shorter but most moms also like them because they are shorter.

 

This. CR road tests are a great resource when your metrics of good match CR's. CR's metrics don't match up when it comes to off road ability. That is fine. Different tools for different jobs. As long as Tacoma customers keep asking for off road capability, Toyota will keep building them this way regardless of how much CR dislikes it. Ultimately we are the customer, not Consumer Reports.

 

Ghandi has spoken...

 

That's too much to ask for? There are a lot of amazing off road capable vehicles like the Four Runner who have a good ride and handling.

 

Haha...juuuuust messin'...

 

You've ridden in a 4Runner? Personally I think they ride harsher by quite a bit than their less off road worthy cousins.

 

"the CR survey may over/understate the reliability of certain cars because the people that own them are not homogeneous. ... many people will have a subconscious need to justify their purchase of a Japanese auto over of a domestic one, and they could do this by believing superior reliability is the reason they bought it. Because of cognitive dissonance, they would tend to overlook or downplay anything that would attack this mind-set. We do see many people who vehemently defend Japan's cars' reliability and smear that of others."

This whole article is basically a defense of Mopar. If you actually read the article it bashes Toyota, and how CR rates them as reliable, throughout the article.

They bash the response rate of the surveys amongst their subscribers when response rate is meaningless. It's the number of surveys they receive and how well they are spread amongst the different models and manufacturers that matters. Whoever wrote this has zero understanding of statistics, population and sample size.

Did you even read the article or just the title and then come to your own conclusion?

 

I can't believe everyone hates so much on CR.

I think a lot of their stuff is spot on.

The Tacoma does ride more truck-like than almost all other pickups. It rides harsher than all the full size trucks. But as Toyota has said, that is the TARGET. It is an off-road biased vehicle for young males.

I agree while the new Tacoma is better than the old version, it is not quite up to certain standards of the competition. It does have an awkward seating position, it does have drum rear brakes, it does have bad rear suspension when loaded, it still does not feel as nice inside as I think it should, and the engine and tranny combo do not blow me away.

What it does have is legendary reliability (although new 3.5L), resale, amazing off road and a decent package overall.

This is coming from a 30 year old Tacoma owner who has owned 3 Tacoma's and 2 4Runner's. Not everyone buys a truck for the reasons us on this forum do, and clearly the nerd middle aged man that never leaves the pavement is not the target audience that Toyota is marketing the Tacoma for.

 

Read the whole thing months ago, read many more like it. The methods are sound as is the theory.

 

With all due respect you need to go back to school.

Define theory for me.....

 

How dare they, the 2016 is the best thing since sliced bread and pockets on jeans. Those bastards! LMAO

 

All reviews are just paid opinions after the "nuts & bolts" facts are released..meaning after technical data is made public is when the car & truck magazines seem to favor one auto manufacturer or another brand & that's when the biased begins..

The game is rigged...