June "Consumer Reports" Glowing Review.
 

Upscale Sedans Tested: G35, ES350, Maxima, MKZ, and Lucerne.

That is the order in which they "finished."

HIGHS for the ES: Ride, quietness, acceleration, TRANSMISSION, fuel economy, fit and finish, front-seat comfort, crash-test results.

LOWS for the ES: Lackluster handling, rear-seat headroom, rear visibility.

And, here's the comment about the transmission: "The six-speed transmission optimizes throttle response and economy by keeping engine speed down while cruising, and responds to throttle inputs with timely downshifts."

Another comment: "All the vehicles in the group have proven reliable in our subscribers survey and are recommended."

All you happy ES owners should go out and get the June issue of "CR." I guess all the unhappy owners should also get one to read about what they're missing out on.

Personally, I find the whole thing MADDENING!

BTW, I took a test drive in a Camry Hybrid (CVT) yesterday and mentioned the "problematic" transmissions in the ES and Camry to the salesgirl. She hadn't heard of any problems in either but said that if there were, you can bet Toyota is working on a solution.

I don't think I'd have noticed what total liars those of CR are if not for buying an ES350 and then paying attention to CR claims based on guessing.

You cannot lie that bad and not be being paid to do it on purpose.

Maybe Elvis participated in their fictitious subscriber survey they mention.

My June CR hasn't arrived yet (maybe the mailman isn't done reading it yet). I would pretty much agree with their assesment. The handling is fine for us and the type of driving we do here in the midwest. It's certainly no sports sedan in the handling dept., but is comfortable. IMO, the rear seat headroom is OK. And agree the rear visibility could be better, but once you're used to it, it's not a big problem. In CR's annual Buying Guide they give the G35 92 points and the ES 91.

All right already!!!
I've been a subscriber to Consumer Reports, most likely before you were born, and through the years I've found that their tests were highly accurate, in all areas. This publication is non-profit, so lying is definitley not part of their credo!
I would have expected a reply like this from you.....but you are in the vast minority concerning your dissatisfaction with this recent report about the ES350.
I'll ask you nicely, please stop bashing the ES350, and go about your business enjoying your new Honda Accord.

Pointing out that there has been NO subscriber survey on the ES is not bashing.

Misleading people by claiming something has been surveyed when it has not is not a good "credo" for any outfit that reports to consumers.

There certainly has been a subscriber survey, which I filled out a few months ago! Let's get with the program, and stop giving fictitious information!

Subscriber Survey...
 

I think ES350BOB means that data on the ES350 has not been included in the 2007 auto issue. It only covers up to the 2006 ES330. NEXT year's "Reliability Ratings" will include data from the ES350.

Regardless, I've subscribed to "CR" since the early 70's and have come to trust their judgment in most cases. I even have a lifteime subscritpion. To be sure, they have dropped the ball a couple of times over the years, most notoriously in recommending the mid-70's Fiats.

But, for the average "non-enthusiast" car buyer, you won't find a better and HONEST resource on cars...or most anything else you want to plunk down your hard-earned cash for.

The only other "real world" sources for info is on message boards like this one. It will be very interesting to read the 2008 Auto issue and see if any transmission woes pop up.

That is exactly what I was talking about. I feel it is misleading to claim things have been surveyed when they have not been, would feel the same whether it's a toaster or a car as in thge ES.

We had another thread on this very thing months ago. Since they send out the survey in March/April it did not include 07 ES, yet they implied it did and doing it again with the June issue this year. To me that is wrong.

"You cannot lie that bad and not be being paid to do it on purpose."

I guess Infiniti/Nissan paid CR BIG bucks to get G35 and Maxima rated #1 & #3 in this comparison?? Personally, I don't believe CR operates that way or they wouldn't be in business too long.

the salesgirl never heard of any problems? you think?!
they're trying to sell camrys. they'd never say anything bad about them.
they water things down.
Of course totyota is working on a solution. whether it comes out in 1 year or 5 years, who knows..

I was being flippant with that must be being paid, but you have to admit something is very strange when they repeatedly state something has been surveyed when they know it has not been.

Like I said before.........I received two emails from ConsumerReports.org, inquiring about the year and type of car(s) I now owned. They were interested in finding out the current auto manufacturers offerings. They were NOT interested in older models! If so, they asked if I would participate in a survey about this car. This survey was then sent to me through a link to their website. If I recall, I took this survey in October or November 2006.
So in reality it's not very strange at all.

IT HAS BEEN SURVEYED!!!!

I don't subscribe to CR online, but DID get my survey in the mail.

I also received my survey in the mail a month or so ago and I looked to confirm it include the ES350 (noted by year). I like Elvis, but I filled it out for my LS430.

Hey, no discrimination of younger CL member :D I'm also not surprised how older ES350 owners would rely more on CR or any other *trusted* publications from old school. While the younger crowd only reads its while waiting in dentist office. Lets be realistic in here, people who test drive cars for magazine review only get a chance of the 15-30 min impression. They are not doing any long term testing and driving it everyday from cold start for 3-4 month. And, no offense to Alan and to other ES350 drivers who are grandparents or grand-grandparents, most of the older people who will be the target of CR survey and own ES350 might not even be aware of these tranny flare problems. So, how accurate is that survey going to be?

The more time passes by from the day when ES350 was introduce, the more we can see that getting this car without a tranny problem is like flipping a coin, or like a box of chocolate - you never know what you're going to get ;) Run Forrest, run!!!

PS never received any survey from CR. I guess buyback ES350 drivers need no apply.