CarBuyersNoteBook

Consumer Reports named Toyota the #1 best-rated automobile in America for 2008, with Honda coming in second, Ford coming in third, Cadillac coming in fourth, and Mercedes-Benz finishing out the list at number five. Suzuki, Mazda, and Hummer received the lowest ratings out of all the automotive brands. The ratings were arrived at by polling consumers on their personal opinions, and aretherefore based heavily on perception and not so much on testable assertions. According to Jeff Bartlett, Consumer Reports’ deputy online automotive editor, “Ultimately, these cars make a wonderful first impression, not only on car shoppers, but also in the media,” he said. “There are a lot of positive road tests on these vehicles that ultimately don’t hold up well over time.”

In other words, as they say in the advertising industry, perceived value is everything when it comes to sales. For more substantial information on performance, buyers will need to look to other data.