Toyota Sienna score in Consumer Reports plunges, no longer top-rated

[TomServo92]

My link

[NickF1011]

So sad.

 

 

Good to see the Flex get an "Excellent" rating in the same test too. :happy feet:

Edited August 3, 2010 by NickF1011

[weiweishen]

My link

The interior noise is "bad enough that CR claims it's not possible to have a proper conversation between front and rear passengers." That is wired? Who is making those noise?

 

"Consumer Reports also tested other people movers, such as the micro-minivan Mazda5 and the large box-on-wheels crossover Ford Flex. Both vehicles got rather positive reviews, and testers found that they may be looked at as realistic replacements for the tried-and-true minivan paradigm of the Toyota Sienna."

Edited August 3, 2010 by weiweishen

[DC Car Examiner]

The interior noise is "bad enough that CR claims it's not possible to have a proper conversation between front and rear passengers." That is wired? Who is making those noise?

 

From the original review:

"The cabin doesn't stay as quiet as the previous model, though. The engine sounds coarse under load, and wind and road noise provide a constant background hiss. Together those things can make it hard to carry on a normal conversation between front and rear."

 

But it still was judged "very good" for noise -- I guess because it's not unusual to need to raise your voice a bit to be heard from the back of a moving minivan to the front.

 

"Consumer Reports also tested other people movers, such as the micro-minivan Mazda5 and the large box-on-wheels crossover Ford Flex. Both vehicles got rather positive reviews, and testers found that they may be looked at as realistic replacements for the tried-and-true minivan paradigm of the Toyota Sienna."

 

This, Autoblog made up. The actual material from CR draws no such conclusion.

[NickF1011]

This, Autoblog made up. The actual material from CR draws no such conclusion.

 

It could be somewhat inferred, given CR gave them both "Excellent" ratings in the same article in which they tested the Sienna. :shrug:

[DC Car Examiner]

It could be somewhat inferred, given CR gave them both "Excellent" ratings in the same article in which they tested the Sienna. :shrug:

 

CR sometimes rates different classes of vehicles in different ways, so they're not necessarily comparable. But even if they are the same way, Autoblog's broader implication is "these are better than a conventional minivan" -- and the Odyssey (and old Sienna) is still rated above any of them.

[NickF1011]

CR sometimes rates different classes of vehicles in different ways, so they're not necessarily comparable. But even if they are the same way, Autoblog's broader implication is "these are better than a conventional minivan" -- and the Odyssey (and old Sienna) is still rated above any of them.

 

I'd certainly take a Flex over a Sienna. So maybe Autoblog is on to something.

[J-150]

why do we care what CR says?

 

 

When they were pro-Toyota and anti-Ford, most of the posters on this site found all of the faults wwith their methodology and posted all the reasons why we shouldn't trust CR.

 

 

 

So now that the pendulum is starting to swing the other way we suddenly feel CR is now worth believing?

 

 

 

 

Don't be a fanboi. Stay with 1 standard, not 2.

[NickF1011]

why do we care what CR says?

 

 

When they were pro-Toyota and anti-Ford, most of the posters on this site found all of the faults wwith their methodology and posted all the reasons why we shouldn't trust CR.

 

 

 

So now that the pendulum is starting to swing the other way we suddenly feel CR is now worth believing?

 

 

 

 

Don't be a fanboi. Stay with 1 standard, not 2.

 

It's not that we are giving them any more credit. It's just that the masses definitely listen to what they have to say, right or wrong.

[nelsonlu]

why do we care what CR says?

 

 

When they were pro-Toyota and anti-Ford, most of the posters on this site found all of the faults wwith their methodology and posted all the reasons why we shouldn't trust CR.

 

I am not sure that they were ever "anti-Ford" -- certainly even through Ford's most problematic years, they recommended a good number of Ford vehicles every year. I do think they were anti-GM and anti-Chrysler, though, but for good reasons.

[V8-X]

What? You're telling me CR doesn't think the "Swagger Wagon" is the best? Either the testers really liked other products better, or they are finally seeing past the Toyota PR illusion. Either way, still don't trust CR for their auto reviews. Maybe more so on their toaster reviews.

Edited August 6, 2010 by V8-X

[ANTAUS]

I had some friends that came up for the weekend (Disney), and they borrowed their mothers Sienna. So in a few short treks I was usually the one driving the vehicle. Well one of the power sliding doors wasn't working, some of the buttons and trim pieces weren't holding well, and some bumps around the vehicle, scraps etc. So just in normal conversation I tell them "Your probably out of warranty, not sure how much it'll cost to fix that", and they tell me "Oh we are still under warranty"...so I look at it and I'm like, "What is this, 05-06?" She tells us "Oh its' a '09, about 14 months old" and I'm like "Hm, and this is what it looks like after a year of ownership?" Like we were all like "Wow, what Crap". BUT again, another consumer who was burned TWICE with the "oil sluge 3.0L V6", remember that one? (they never had Toyota fix the issue, they paid out of pocket because Toyota had no admitted yet they had an engine issue.... One with a Camry, the other with an ES300, YET "OH we love Toyota, they are reliable"...Hm yeah...sure...ok....

[aneekr]

I had some friends that came up for the weekend (Disney), and they borrowed their mothers Sienna. So in a few short treks I was usually the one driving the vehicle. Well one of the power sliding doors wasn't working, some of the buttons and trim pieces weren't holding well, and some bumps around the vehicle, scraps etc. So just in normal conversation I tell them "Your probably out of warranty, not sure how much it'll cost to fix that", and they tell me "Oh we are still under warranty"...so I look at it and I'm like, "What is this, 05-06?" She tells us "Oh its' a '09, about 14 months old" and I'm like "Hm, and this is what it looks like after a year of ownership?" Like we were all like "Wow, what Crap". BUT again, another consumer who was burned TWICE with the "oil sluge 3.0L V6", remember that one? (they never had Toyota fix the issue, they paid out of pocket because Toyota had no admitted yet they had an engine issue.... One with a Camry, the other with an ES300, YET "OH we love Toyota, they are reliable"...Hm yeah...sure...ok....

That 14 month old Sienna you drove, flawed as it was, probably held up a lot better than a Chrysler minivan of the same vintage under the same conditions would have.

[nelsonlu]

What? You're telling me CR doesn't think the "Swagger Wagon" is the best? Either the testers really liked other products better, or they are finally seeing past the Toyota PR illusion. Either way, still don't trust CR for their auto reviews. Maybe more so on their toaster reviews.

 

I've always pondered about the accuracy of their condom reviews...

[ANTAUS]

That 14 month old Sienna you drove, flawed as it was, probably held up a lot better than a Chrysler minivan of the same vintage under the same conditions would have.

 

Oh thats true, Chrysler hasn't put out a reliable vehicle in quite awhile...even in it's heydays, you ewre "forced" to get a Chysler minivan because the competition wasn't any better in the beginning.