dseag2

The car that you would be most foolish to buy would be the Cadillac ELX because it is overpriced, drives slightly better than a Volt and has a resale value that sinks like a stone. Where was that on the list?

mmarshall

With the possible exceptions of the small, cheap Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius C (which is smaller and less-expensive than other Prius models), and the fact that they didn't like how the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid drove, CR, in general, tends to like hybrids, even those from American-brand manufacturers.

LeX2K

It absolutely 100% does. It removes any possible hand picked/massaged cars from the equation and it removes any chance of CR favouring a car because of perks they received from the auto maker. CR is not perfect but if you go back several years or even decades they have almost always got it right when it comes to the cars they recommended. I can't think of another publication that has done this consistently.

geko29

I assume you mean the ELR, which was discontinued last year? That might have something to do with it not being on the list. Either that or the incredibly low volume--with more than half of Cadillac dealers refusing to carry the model, and a grand total of 1,316 US sales over its two model years, not many people would even have the opportunity to be that foolish. There's effectively no one to warn.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

CR provides different info than the other publications. If I want new impressions and how a car performs when new, the other publications suffice. If I want to find out how a car might hold up 6 months or longer down the road, CR is it. I agree with the others, they've pretty much got it right most of the time.

tex2670

^^This really nails the point. Anyone reading a CR auto review as a true alternative to those in the automags completely misses the point of CR.

chromedome

I also like Motor Trend's long term reviews, I think they keep some cars for a year and write a series of short reviews during that time. It's a great way to really find out what a car is like to live with, any warranty issues and how the manufacturer handles problems.

mmarshall

Several other magazines besides Motor Trend also do that. They are called Four-Seasons Reports, Long-Term Tests, or similar names, and are updated periodically.

bagwell

haha - take a risk on a review? wtf are you talking about? they actually test the cars they review - they don't just issue fluff reviews...stick to your Motor Trend or R&T.

Sulu

They all do it, all the big auto-review magazines and websites. They keep them for a period much longer than the usual 1 or 2 weeks reviewers have them for. I have seen 3, 6 and 12-month long-term tests. Most, I believe, are long-term loaners from the manufacturers but Edmunds buys their long-term testers (from dealerships) and then sells them afterwards, just like CR does.

IMO, you cannot form a real good opinion about a new car with only a 1-week review (and definitely not a 2-day show-and-drive), especially considering the fact that the cars made available for these short-term drives are top-of-the-line trim models. Some of the Canadian reviewers I follow will highlight it if they are given a lower-trim model, remarking that it is a trim level that is much more likely to be close to what most buyers will be looking for.

If you want a list of the flashy new features on a new car, look to the first-drive or early test-drive reviews, but if you want to know how a new car will really fare out in the real world, look for a long-term test.

dseag2

Yes, that's the one. Can't keep up with Cadillac's nomenclature these days. Soon, I guess everything will be a CT-something. Interesting they had it on display last month at the Dallas Auto Show. I guess they're trying to get rid of the remaining cars. They must think we in TX just "fell off the turnip truck". We may talk funny but we're not stupid.