Consumer Reports

Nothing wrong with their review, you just need to keep in mind what they are reviewing and their perspective. CR is geared toward daily drivers as far as their reviews go. They are not off-roaders, nor are they performance reviewers. Case in point, one of the lowest rated vehicles is the Jeep, one of the best off-roaders around, but as for living with it day to day, it's safety features, it's ability to get out of it's own way on the road, not so good. Also their highest rated full-sized for the longest while was the Avalanche....

Again, all reviews are done from a specific perspective, CR, Motor Trend, 4x4 & Off-Road, Trucks,,, all review for their readers. Criteria are geared toward that.

I've subscribed to CR for many many years, they are not always right from my perspective, but you have to read your own needs into the reviews,,, anybody's reviews.

Also, fully agree on the reliability ratings that they have. I use them all the time. Also I use their safety ratings to get the best safety features for my money. Helped me focus my search for a first car for a teenager recently.

 

I had a Honda Ridgeline prior to getting my Tacoma. It's a nice vehicle but in no way is a 'truck'. It has has little clearance on the bottom. I use to bottom out while driving on non maintenance mountain roads. It doesn't have a full frame. It's a unibody combined with a partial frame hybrid.

It's also front wheel drive. Unless the newer ones are different it doesn't have a user actuated 4wd. It runs front wheel until slippage occurs and kicks in what ever tires it needs to stabalize or move. It's sends different amounts of power via clutches in the differentials to different tires depending I what is needed. It works really well in slippery situations but gets frustrating to not be able to just have 4wd.

The bed trunk option was nice but put any stones or dirt back there then all that needs cleaned out of the crevices to the trunk. Plus the spare tire is in the trunk which is a donut tire.

It works well for people that just drive without any hard use. It's definitely more of an SUV. It was nice, but I love my Tacoma a hundred times more.

 

My dad was into reading CR when we were browsing for my vehicle. I originally had serious thoughts about an FJ and he read all this crap about it being the worst vehicle ever, yadda yadda. I eventually got fed up with him telling me all that sort of stuff (he was deadset that if CR said it, that it must be true) and so I listed off all the positives and negatives that I had ACTUALLY heard on fjcruiserforum, which the negative list was very small (fender tearing, bad mpgs reported, windshield being a rock magnet, not much else).

Point being, CR can tell you whatever they want, but the real information comes from the communities that actually drive the damn things. CR won't tell you about driveline vibes, or the hood whistle for example. They just tell you the interior color scheme was not to their liking, or the acceleration seemed "off". But what can you expect from people who only have the object/vehicle for a short period of time and are quickly trying to find the best/worse in everything at once.

 

Had a RL, it's only water tight from the top, I found mouse droppings in the trunk, so they had to get in through some opening. I got rid of the RL because of transmission hunt while towing, it would shift about every 20 seconds. Tried changing speed as suggested in the manual to no effect. There is no control over 4th and 5th gear, only option was to drop it to 3rd. I talked to Honda service about it and the only thing they would say is "Honda doesnt' recommend towing in 5th gear". They wouldn't discuss it further, actually walked away when I tried to continue the subject. I thought the RL was a great SUT otherwise, but it's not a pickup. On snow packed city streets it was fabulous, but no low range for off road use.

CU thought the Frontier handles good and the Tacoma doesn't. I'll bet they drove the Frontier just after driving a F350 and the Tacoma after driving a Miata, because I test drove both the day I bought the Tacoma and thought it was better. I had a 2000 forntier and my wife complained about harsh ride all the time. In 2011 I was going to get the Frontier because it was 4K cheaper and after driving both my wife said "no-way! Get the Tacoma."

I have a friend who's subscribed to CU for 40 years, but he constantly complains about their car reviews. He just bought an FJ.

 

I agree the reviews are written for the targeted readership of the publication. I always wanted a Taco but before buying I researched everything I could. Did not hurt that one buddy of mine had a Taco and another had the Frontier. I looked at some of the domestic models that were more expensive then the Taco. While I was out to sea my GF went out on a whim without research and bought a new Forester. I almost croaked when I asked her how she decided she said " I though it was cute and it drove well" That's it??? WTF!!!

 

People are so finicky and picky in this day and age, that is why. Biggest complaint I see is choppy ride and lower creature comforts in the Tacoma on CR, well what the hell do you expect? You bought a TRUCK not a sedan!

 

CR has always had a bee in their bonnet about the Tacoma. On the other hand their reliability ratings are based on polling people who actually own the vehicles - about the most accurate you can get. What gets me is they rate the Tacoma's weak point as "handling" and then you go to the vehicle description and they rate handling as a strength. So which is it CR? I have owned several trucks in my life and my current Tacoma is the sweetest riding, best handling of all of them.

 

Funny stuff. No love from CR and all the Tacoma guys here say they suck. I'm betting if they thought it was the best truck ever, then the forum would be praising CR as the best ever.

 

My dad owns a 97 pathfinder just like this one. 207,xxx miles so far. Only thing replaced on it was the shocks and thermostat that gave out at around 180K. Stil drives smooth when warmed up. The tranny jumps a little when cold.

 

Hahahahahahah

How true!!!

 

Meh, I can accept the Tacoma is not number 1, but making a Honda Ridgeline which is not even a truck #1, is blasphemy!

 

My guess is the CR staff feels the handling isn't so great, but others who give feedback rate it as good? Just a guess.

All I can say about CR is..the Chevy Citation. It was ranked as one of the worst ever. My father bought one about 2-3 years old and drove it 25k a year for a few years. Only had 2 real issues..the tranny slipping (just needed adjustment) and the head gasket that let go around 170K, after which he just sold it since he drove 100 miles a day anyway.

I get that a lot of that rating was on the rear brake locking issue but he never had one bit of trouble with it.

 

Actually I love and subscribe to Consumer Report. Never gone wrong buying their recommended products. I just think they must have used a different criteria than mine when they evaluated the Tacoma. Not my experience with the Tacoma at all. My Brother in Law has a 4WD Honda Ridgeline and it is a stretch to call that unibody thing a truck.

 

I remember seeing pictures of your Pathfinder years ago on a Pathfinder forum. My Mom had a 98 SE that she absolutely loved (and I was always "borrowing" when I didn't feel like taking my STi. When she went to buy her new Rogue I had planned on buying it off of her for $1,000 since I figured they'd give her jack on the trade in (had some minor rust bubbling and the transmission was just starting to be a little wonky at low speed cruising), but they ended up giving her something like $4,000 for it when similar examples were selling for $1,700-2,500 online.

I still am bitter I didn't get to keep it for at least a year or so. But, because I didn't get a hand on that, I got to buy my Taco sooner than I had originally planned.

 

Consumer Reports reviews cars for people who live in the suburbs.

Their take on trucks is useless. People who want or need a truck have different priorities.

 

Had a 1st gen, then a Ridgeline, now 2nd gen. Liked them all. Hated the bed and rear seat room in the first gen. Also bated the fading black wheel arch moldings.

The Ridgeline was great. Roomy. More of a sport truck though. Got pretty good MPG. Loved the trunk and the swing gate. Rode great with a great engine.

The Ridgeline is expensive and UGLY. It is a great utility vehicle.

The 2nd gen is much smaller and a little cheaper than the RL. I leased this time as I am waiting for the RL replacement. I would prefer to go Honda.

The Taco is Spartan and in need of a redesign with powertrain and styling updates. DI engine and more gears tor better MPG. THey need to get the cost down also. These trucks are creeping up into full size price ranges.

 

CR is just one source you might want to check. I too have found that they make bad choices on some products. Take their comments with a grain of salt, but still worth looking at.

 

Your argument is completely invalid, because you think the Ridgeline is a truck.

 

I would not be part of that group.

I have never read a CR magazine. Or CR online. Only news reports or online posts where CR was quoted.

 

Here's what CR said:
"The Tacoma remains a workhorse compact pickup. Fuel economy is competitive, but clumsy handling makes it a chore to drive. The 4.0-liter V6 provides strong performance and sounds polished. Its constantly jiggly ride is fatiguing and is particularly stiff with the TRD suspension package. The cabin's high floor and low roof makes access tricky and the driving position uncomfortable. Towing and off-road capabilities are impressive. Reliability has been average, but the Tacoma scores too low to be recommended"

I'd have to agree with a little of what CR says. Tacoma doesn't have a refined road feeling, but that's not what you buy a truck for. ITS A TRUCK! Not a car...

Anyway, I wouldn't mind driving a frontier for a week just to see how it compares. But I don't like frontiers. Even if it was super awesome I'd still stick with tacoma.