When "Worst" Really is "Best"

One of the most interesting elements of the Internet involves people making hay from other folk’s original material – reporters reporting on reporters, in other words.
Just such a piece has attracted our attention. It’s titled, "11 worst cars - Consumer Reports." And its subhead entices readers with, "Here are the cars and SUVs with the lowest scores in Consumer Reports' annual auto tests."
OK, so far, so good. But this piece appeared on CnnMoney.com, rather than on any site affiliated with Consumer Reports, and since it appeared there, has appeared on several other Web sites. Wherever it appears, it is, in our view, not only a serious distortion of the information published in the April issue Consumer Reports, which contains the magazine’s annual car ratings, but also is a serious disservice to readers everywhere.
The list names the Toyota Yaris and the FJ Cruiser as members of this ignominious list of 11 Worst Cars. But interestingly, neither the Yaris nor the FJ Cruiser is anywhere to be found on Consumer Reports’ "Worst-of-the-Worst" list, also published in the April issue. Rather, it’s a figment of the author’s imagination, the result of the story’s author reading and interpreting Consumer Reports’ material and extrapolating that for himself.
In reference to the Yaris, the piece notes that "The Yaris is the smallest and least expensive car Toyota sells in the United States. It actually ranks at the top of the list in both reliability and low cost of ownership, but those factors are not included in Consumer Reports' basic vehicle score."
It criticizes the Yaris’ acceleration without acknowledging that small engines are, with light weight and efficient aerodynamics, part of the equation for good fuel economy, which the Yaris delivers. Its EPA rating, in fact, is 29 city and 36 highway with its standard 5-speed transmission.
In fact, surveys rate the Yaris the most reliable vehicle in its class, and Yaris also scores at the top of its class for its low ownership cost. So we wonder how it is fair, or appropriate, to categorize Yaris as one of the "11 worst." Clearly, that’s not the case.
CnnMoney.com also took aim at the popular FJ Cruiser, criticizing the FJ for its ride, handling and access, among other things, even as it congratulated it for its off-highway prowess, its excellent powertrain and for its reliability scores.
At the risk of stating the obvious, we’re compelled to remind the folks at CnnMoney.com, and elsewhere, that the FJ Cruiser is aimed at a niche market of serious off-road aficionados who are looking for a vehicle that is an off-highway athlete. The attributes that make off-highway performance possible include a stiffer suspension and a bit of ground clearance, two factors which might compromise a limo-like ride and sportscar-like handling and access.
Obviously, the FJ Cruiser is not for everyone. We have five other SUVs for our more mainstream customers. We could understand if CnnMoney.com criticized the FJ Cruiser for not having certain levels of refinement. But it’s hard to fathom criticism of a vehicle for being good at the job it was designed to do, for meeting the needs of its intended buyers.
Surveys rate the FJ Cruiser well above average in reliability. As with CnnMoney.com’s take on the Yaris, listing the FJ Cruiser among the "11 worst" vehicles in Consumer Reports is a serious misuse of the magazine's data.
We’re left with the view that CnnMoney.com’s "11 worst" write-up is serious misrepresentation of our vehicles as evaluated by Consumer Reports. It takes some ratings out of context and does not convey the full picture of our vehicles. And that’s a shame. We’d hoped for better from the folks at www.fivestartoyota.com.