Consumer Reports Admits Error

Not necessarily. While it's certainly true that the Prius currently retains it's value well, that could easily change as hybrids become more and more common. Not that this excuses the apparent lack of fact-checking in the original publication, of course.

 

Its all very subjective and there is likely no statistical signifigance to CR's projections.

I did my own analysis using my current gas hog (BMW 735i, ave 17mpg), with $3 fuel costs, current insurance, and $2500/yr BMW maint reserve. My numbers show an 11 year break-even point!

Costs was obviously not the major factor in my decision.

Brian, '06 White/Tan #8

 

I agree. Consumers Union has been America's unofficial Consumer Protection Agency---regardless of who's been in power---since long before Ralph Nader started doing his own [laudable] thing.

It's indeed a badly timed error, and CR knows it. But I won't hold it against them. They've helped me make more good buying decisions in my lifetime than anyone else ever could or would have.

 

A bit off topic, but there are those that think:

• The HOV lane is used to go speed limit when the other lanes are crawling.
• The HOV lane is for going as fast as you can within your personal comfort level for the vehicle and probability of getting a ticket.

I suspect the latter group is POed by anyone doing the speed limit or a bit over in the HOV lane.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/ne...rm=depreciation

Not fixed on CR website yet; 8 Mar 06 9:46 AM Pacific

Would someone please post if they locate a retraction on the CR website? Thanks.

 

Here's a comparison:
http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.sbk?kbb...2;&&&comparetab

Clearly you get more leg room space.
More technology
Bigger cargo capacity
No need to worry about emission passing for life. (15 years)
Better Turning Radius

You need to get the upgraded corolla to get keyless entry and other stuff....

No SKS

Does the corolla have controls on the steering wheel ?


After all this its still cheaper to own a prius. Amazing.

 

It's too bad more people don't pay attention to what Prius owners say about cost.
* There is no comparable car
* Gas savings are variable to what we owned before,not just the Corolla
* My insurance was no higher with the Prius then it was w/the Sport Trac
* Time is $$, time saved at the pump, at the service station, smogging..
* And maintenance?? How could that have ever been considered higher?

 

Primarily depreciation. I also don't care for the fact that they figured $2/gal gasoline for the next 3 years, then $3/gal and finally $4/gal for the fifth year, but in the article they only mention $3 and $4 gasoline.

I wrote to Vincentric, the source that's mentioned in the CR article. They put up some new numbers and gave me a link:
http://www.vincentric.com/hybrid_analysis/index.asp

Note that this still assumes 56% depreciation on a Prius over 5 years, whereas the Kelley Blue Book value is 35% depreciation from MSRP (private-party transaction, good condition, normal mileage) over 5 years, and actually 0% depreciation on the 2004 MY (first year of redesign) with 33K miles. So there numbers seem like a stretch to me, but at least it's closer to the truth, and the Prius comes out $4600 ahead of a Camry LE and $196 behind a Corolla LE.

I also think the Matrix is the closest competition to a Prius, that's what I was looking at since it's cheaper and still has decent MPG. Also the HCH, but it was a little smaller and not noticeably cheaper than a base Prius.

nerfer

 

Nerfer, thanks for the info. Interesting stuff. It's good to see that vincentric compares a camry as well as a corolla.

 

CR made a mistake, but i still think their integrity is head and shoulders above most other magazines. they will print a full retraction in their next issue. they have done this before.

making mistakes is an unavoidable part of life. bad integrity is not. i am confident they will do their best to right things. and yes, after its out, it does not matter whether it was right or not. its only what people remember

 

The article is rewritten (and availiable to read without a subscription). I didn't see a retraction though.

 

March 9th E-mail from Consumer Reports to me regarding my March 4th notification of their error:

Thanks for taking the time to contact us regarding our April 2006 report,
"The dollars & sense of hybrids". Please accept our apologies for any
inconvenience you may have experienced.

We've corrected a calculation error involving the depreciation of the six
hybrid vehicles that, in the report, were compared to similar
conventionally powered counterparts. The error led us to overstate how much
extra money the hybrids will cost owners during the first five years.

Our revised analysis shows that two of the six hybrids are projected to
recover their price premium in the first five years and 75,000 miles of
ownership. The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid provide a savings of
about $400 and $300, respectively, when compared with their all-gas
counterparts-as long as federal tax credits apply. But extra ownership
costs during the first five years and 75,000 miles for the other four
hybrids ranged from an estimated $1,900 to $5,500, compared to similar
all-gas models.

Previously, our analysis showed that none of the six hybrids we've tested
recovered its price premium in the first five years and 75,000 miles of
ownership.

Please be assured that the error does not affect the main message of the
report, which is that most hybrids do not save their owners money over the
first five years, and that the benefits and costs of hybrids vary
significantly, depending on the model. Because of the wide range of hybrid
vehicles available, it's especially important for consumers to look
carefully at all aspects of a vehicle before buying.

In maintaining our commitment to the highest levels of accuracy and
credibility, we've posted a revised version of the report on our website.
The revised report, including a new and more detailed comparison chart is
posted at www.ConsumerReports.org/autos2006 (Please click on the "The
dollars & sense of hybrids" link that's located in the middle of the page).
We do hope that you will visit our website and review our revised report.

Thanks again for taking the time to write. Your interest in our work is
greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Jenny Martin
Customer Relations Coordinator
840636

 

Here it is:
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/conten...D=1141951801806

 

I ordered a Prius in Sept 05' the dealership kept messing me around, so I called another dealer the 1st week of Dec. He said he had one on the lot, and the SSB was coming in on the 22nd. I took it, and since it hadn't reached port as of then, I could upgrade the interior to leather. Worked out great!

OUscarb

 

The Chicago Tribune has an article about the Consumer Reports error. The first word in the article is "Oops."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/col...hi-business-hed

A search on "Google News" shows that as of today, there are 43 articles about the error. I suspect there were a lot more articles about the initial, erroneous analysis.

 

I had to take a loaner for a day while the prius is getting serviced for these problems:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=16160
http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=15018
http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=16922
http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=16833


So they gave me a 2006 corolla with 1400 miles on it.

I must say i miss my prius

There is no way they are in the same category.

I miss the steering wheels controls, the MFD and i miss the SKS the most. I hate the transmission shifting.

There is no way anyone but a midget or a kid could sit behind me when the seat is pulled all the way back.

I miss the hatchback design (way more trunk space).

I miss the automatic A/C control.

I did feel the my hands have more room in the prius (where the door is)

The corolla is simply not in the same class.


Hopefully they will fix the above small problems.

 

The "outdated" CR page I noted earlier has been modified:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/ne...rm=depreciation

I would not suppose that the Corolla/new Prius comparison is the most appropriate either, but it is up to them to make (and justify) that choice.

I still see their 5-yr projected resale value of new Prius ($9801) as strangely low. A 5-yr resale for the classic Prius is reasonably $13 to 14k. Meanwhile, a 5 yr old Corolla is about $9k at the same sources.

If anyone knows where I might see justification for the $9801 price (without paying to do so), please let me know.