I didn't know you can get a low quality and reliability rating from a high amount of brake dust

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Psh Benz's have horrid reliability nuff said

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The Present:
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Prestige
The Past:
2013 Lexus GS350
2013 VW Golf TDI
2007 BMW X5 4.8i LOADED & Loved
2009 VW Jetta
2008 VW Touareg VR6
2005 BMW X5 3.0i
2005 BMW Z4 3.0i
2004 BMW X5 3.0i
2003 BMW 325i
2000 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4

I'm not happy with CR either. I hope one day it fizzles and disappears into history. There's inherent bias in the way CR gets these reliability reports through voluntary responses from owners. Usually, only those with strong opinions will respond to a voluntary survey. Since drivers are far more likely to be strongly angry over reliability (when was the last time you saw a driver do a dance singing "My car is so reliable.........my car is so reliable!"), those with unreliable cars are more likely to respond negatively to a voluntary survey like CR's.

Also, people who buy luxury cars tend to be more persnickety about minor problems. Forums like these tend to paint a bad picture of constant problems when driver's moan and b*tch: "Why can't BMW make a non-leaking moonroof?" "Why can't Mercedes engineer a more fun car to drive?". When my dad bought a Toyota a few years back, there was a constant rattling in the headliner due to something loose. Did we care enough to bring it to the dealer? No. Now with our X3, there's the occasional rough start in the mornings which goes away after it warms up. But we make a big deal outta it. Is it annoying? Absolutely not cuz we don't hear it in the cabin. But do we want to care? Yes.

I disagree that CR should pack it up and disappear. I have tons of subscriptions (got to do something with those unused frequent flyer miles), of which CR is one. Their reviews and articles on other items such as foods, appliances, services (such as car insurance), etc. are extremely useful.

I find the magazine to be very informative, but being a diehard car enthusiast, I've never paid much attention to their automotive review section. The criteria by which they judge automobiles has never been aligned with the standards set by motoring enthusiasts.

The CR auto testers are probably a bunch of old people whose parents drove Buicks and they, themselves, drive 7 year old Camrys. Their main criteria for a CR Highly Recommended vehicle is purely value driven which is why the Honda and Toyota lines dominate and will continue to dominate just as Oldsmobiles and Buicks dominated the CR rankings 3 decades ago.