I am no fan of Consumer Reports because of their bias and inconsistent practices and methods when scoring cars. But this will surely open up a lot of debate.
First off, their definition of supercars is quite different from what we call supercars. And their choices are cars so wildly different they can't be compared evenly at all - BMW Z4 3.0 vs. Viper???![[bash]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_bash.gif "Bash [bash]")
Anyhow, here are the results, and some excerpts that I find interesting, amusing, ignorant, stupid, or all of the above.
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1. Porsche 911 Carrera $85,520 (96)
2. Chevrolet Corvette Z06$76,730 (93)
3. Porsche Boxster 2.7$49,075 (90)
4. Mercedes-Benz SL550$105,855 (85)
5. BMW 650i Coupe$77,440 (85)
6. Mercedes-Benz SLK350$53,950 (84)
7. Chevrolet Corvette convertible$57,020 (81)
8. Nissan 350Z Grand Touring$42,800 (80)
9. BMW Z4 3.0i$46,070 (79)
10. Jaguar XK convertible$86,300 (74)
11. Lexus SC430$67,084 (73)
12. Cadillac XLR$77,290 (71)
13. Dodge Viper SRT10$91,990 (67)
14. Lotos Elise$45,545 (55)
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In testing the most expensive group of cars the magazine has ever purchased, Consumer Reports rated the Porsche 911 as the top high-performance sports car.
The 911 was tested against the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Dodge Viper and 11 other performance vehicles in a competitive test of luxury sports cars.
The prices of the cars ranged from $45,545 for a Lotus Elise to $105,855 for a Mercedes-Benz SL550.
...
Cars are tested on public roads as well as at the magazine's test track facility in Connecticut. Cars are put through a variety of tests, including high-speed maneuvering, braking and cornering.
The scoring system used for these cars was different from that generally used by the magazine for minivans and sedans, said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center.
While the scoring was still heavily weighted toward safety, including emergency handling, factors like acceleration were given more importance than, for instance, trunk space, Champion said.
....
"The 911 wowed us enough with its acceleration, handling, and braking for us to rate it our top sports car" said Champion. "The 911 is also easy to drive, but its much less expensive Boxster sibling performed almost as well."
...
The Corvette impressed the magazine's test drivers with its powerful acceleration and stable feel. The magazine called its handling "less precise" than the 911's, though.
The magazine called the Corvette Z06's predicted reliability "Poor" which prevented them from actually recommending the car in spite of high scores for performance and comfort.
The V-10-powered Viper ranked as the fastest car ever tested by the magazine with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. But it was only a tenth-of-a-second quicker than the Corvette Z06 and beat the 6-cylinder 911 by just two-tenths.
In other performance measures, it was no better than those cars, according to the magazine, in spite of a price that was $15,000 higher than the second-ranked Corvette Z06.
Ultimately, the Viper ranked second-to-last out of the 14 in the magazine's point system.
The Viper was rated as "Poor" in most "Comfort and Convenience" areas including "Ride", "Noise," and "Front seat comfort".
...
Of the 14 cars tested, only three actually got a"Recommended" check mark from the magazine. To be recommended a car must have good crash test scores and good "Predicted Reliability" as calculated by the magazine from its own survey data.
The Nissan 350Z, BMW Z4 and Lexus SC430 were recommended. Those cars finished in the bottom half of the point rankings, however.
The magazine didn't have sufficient data to gauge reliability for seven of the 14 cars. Of the other seven, three had "Poor" reliability. Those were the Corvette Z06, the Corvette convertible and the Mercedes SL550.
First off, their definition of supercars is quite different from what we call supercars. And their choices are cars so wildly different they can't be compared evenly at all - BMW Z4 3.0 vs. Viper???
Anyhow, here are the results, and some excerpts that I find interesting, amusing, ignorant, stupid, or all of the above.===========================================================
1. Porsche 911 Carrera $85,520 (96)
2. Chevrolet Corvette Z06$76,730 (93)
3. Porsche Boxster 2.7$49,075 (90)
4. Mercedes-Benz SL550$105,855 (85)
5. BMW 650i Coupe$77,440 (85)
6. Mercedes-Benz SLK350$53,950 (84)
7. Chevrolet Corvette convertible$57,020 (81)
8. Nissan 350Z Grand Touring$42,800 (80)
9. BMW Z4 3.0i$46,070 (79)
10. Jaguar XK convertible$86,300 (74)
11. Lexus SC430$67,084 (73)
12. Cadillac XLR$77,290 (71)
13. Dodge Viper SRT10$91,990 (67)
14. Lotos Elise$45,545 (55)
============================================================
In testing the most expensive group of cars the magazine has ever purchased, Consumer Reports rated the Porsche 911 as the top high-performance sports car.
The 911 was tested against the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Dodge Viper and 11 other performance vehicles in a competitive test of luxury sports cars.
The prices of the cars ranged from $45,545 for a Lotus Elise to $105,855 for a Mercedes-Benz SL550.
...
Cars are tested on public roads as well as at the magazine's test track facility in Connecticut. Cars are put through a variety of tests, including high-speed maneuvering, braking and cornering.
The scoring system used for these cars was different from that generally used by the magazine for minivans and sedans, said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center.
While the scoring was still heavily weighted toward safety, including emergency handling, factors like acceleration were given more importance than, for instance, trunk space, Champion said.
....
"The 911 wowed us enough with its acceleration, handling, and braking for us to rate it our top sports car" said Champion. "The 911 is also easy to drive, but its much less expensive Boxster sibling performed almost as well."
...
The Corvette impressed the magazine's test drivers with its powerful acceleration and stable feel. The magazine called its handling "less precise" than the 911's, though.
The magazine called the Corvette Z06's predicted reliability "Poor" which prevented them from actually recommending the car in spite of high scores for performance and comfort.
The V-10-powered Viper ranked as the fastest car ever tested by the magazine with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. But it was only a tenth-of-a-second quicker than the Corvette Z06 and beat the 6-cylinder 911 by just two-tenths.
In other performance measures, it was no better than those cars, according to the magazine, in spite of a price that was $15,000 higher than the second-ranked Corvette Z06.
Ultimately, the Viper ranked second-to-last out of the 14 in the magazine's point system.
The Viper was rated as "Poor" in most "Comfort and Convenience" areas including "Ride", "Noise," and "Front seat comfort".
...
Of the 14 cars tested, only three actually got a"Recommended" check mark from the magazine. To be recommended a car must have good crash test scores and good "Predicted Reliability" as calculated by the magazine from its own survey data.
The Nissan 350Z, BMW Z4 and Lexus SC430 were recommended. Those cars finished in the bottom half of the point rankings, however.
The magazine didn't have sufficient data to gauge reliability for seven of the 14 cars. Of the other seven, three had "Poor" reliability. Those were the Corvette Z06, the Corvette convertible and the Mercedes SL550.
![[rofl]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_rofl.gif "ROFL [rofl]"){kind=icon}
![[hihi]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_hihi.gif "Hi Hi [hihi]"){kind=icon}
Consumer Reports called its handling "sound but not sporty.." The magazine called the car's ride "OK, but a bit unsettled."
