For those of you who believe that CR takes paid advertisements and is biased against hybrids -- you need read no further.

For the rest of you, I thought I'd repeat some of the rest of the information about hybrids in the automotive issue.

Best sub-20k sedan: Honda Civic, including the hybrid
Best 20k-30k sedan: Honda Accord, including the hybrid
Best SUV >30k: Toyota Hylander Hybrid
Best Green: Toyota Prius

Most Satisfying: Toyota Prius (winner)
Most Satisfying Small Car: Honda Civic Hybrid (with two others)
Most Satisfying Family Car: Toyota Prius and Honda Accord Hybrid (with four others)
Most Satisfying Midsized SUV: Lexus RX400h Hybrid (with four others)

Best Vehicles under 25k: includes Toyoto Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid

2005 Most Reliable Vehicles: Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid (winners)
2006 Predicted Best Reliability: includes Toyota Prius and Honda Accord Hybrid

Recommended Vehicles:
Sedans if fuel economy is important: Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid
Midsized SUVs: Toyota Highlander (hybrid & V6), Lexus RX400h
Top Recommendations: includes Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and Honda Accord Hybrid
Top Rated SUV 30-40k: Toyota Hylander Hybrid
Top Rated SUV 40k+: Lexus RX400h

The Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are rated towards the top of their groups as well.

I'd say that's a pretty glowing report card for us hybrid owners.

Point well taken, Chuck.

Was the article in question just a mistake, then?

Or has CR been going downhill since its days a half century ago as the premier consumer advocate?

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"

Occam's razor says take the simpler explanation. The only ones who never make mistakes are those who never do anything.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

I think that CR does an honest job of trying to fairly evaluate competing products, and as such it is a great benefit to consumers.

Looking at that particular article, when I figure in my natural bias in favor of hybrids, I'm still not sure if I agree with them or not. I think they raise some valid issues, but as you and others have pointed out, they may have chosen inappropriate comparisons and overstated some costs.

So I'm not sure about that article. What I saw as inappropriate and damaging to us hybrid-lovers was the indiscriminate bashing of Consumer Reports. To me, that just makes us seem hyper-sensitive and hasty to bash and discredit anybody who disagrees with us on a single point.

Hence my interest in posting a thread showing how many of CR's ratings and evaluations turn out to be decidedly in favor of hybrids.

Bob and Chuck,

Your comments are well taken. I am reminded of a quote from Dante's Inferno which translates as This applies both to CR and to those of us that have issue with this particular article.

I have perceived some dropping of the quality of CR over the past half-century (realizing perception is not necessarily actuality). This article is the worst I have seen from them - whether due to carelessness or biasedness.

Nonetheless, I am willing to cut CR some slack - in part because of their great past track record in consumer advocacy.

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"

Hmmm, maybe that helps to explain why I am the way I am. Whenever I'm reminded of a quote, it's usually from Mad Magazine...

Seriously, thanks for your diplomatic and thoughful responses. You represent what is best about this particular forum -- less like talk radio, more like NPR or Meet the Press or <your favorite non-partisan, non-shouting, and civil news forum goes here>.

What, me worry? My favorites are from Through the Looking Glass and from THGTTG (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).

There is a difference between honest criticism and bashing. I may have not have walked the line (thanks, Johnny Cash). I appreciate the comments which helped me take a second look at the difference.

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/060308-6.htm

I guess your voices really did make a difference, good job guys!

i got around 20 km a liter when i drove a civic 5 spd using advanced hypermiler techniques
and now I drive a salvage nwh20 prius that gets almost to 25 km/l with 192,000 km to date.

0wn3d

I think that there were numerous others across the country and around the world that raised voices as well. This is not to take away from the efforts that those here at GH made - they were indeed a significant part of the mix.

I salute CR for their quick reaction to the comments and their public correction of the computational error.

I still have questions about the assumptions underlying the "costs of ownership" for the vehicles. This is particularly true for the four for which CR concluded would cost more than their nonhybrid counterparts. (As an FEH owner, I know that the CR result is invalid for me. I am suspicious of the general applicability of much of the rest of the CR article.)

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"