Consumer Reports 10 vehicles to avoid

[Depiry]

• Ford Edge (unrefined powertrain ... ride is jittery and road noise invades the cabin. And the MyFord Touch system is convoluted to use)

[cbrescia]

Disagree. Ride is smooth, quiet cabin and MyFord Touch has given me no problems. I love the Sync System, its easy to use and i have no idea why people complain about it. I'm assuming it those who are technologically challenged and feel the need to blame the technology for their lack of knowledge.

Edited February 26, 2014 by cbrescia

[twintornados]

My 2011 MKX is quiet, handles well (20" Pirellis grip the road well) and I have had zero problems thus far with My Lincoln Touch...sad to see it get a bad rap...

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Buy the imports! All American-made vehicles are junk! The sky is falling!

[omar302]

Buy the imports! All American-made vehicles are junk! The sky is falling!

The Edge/MKX are made in Canada!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Still American (continent wise!) I thought about that when typing up the post, but let it go ... I have been used to having Canadian parts as OEM in my cars for a LONG time, so having a vehicle built in Canada is not much of a leap.

[goatee]

This is exactly why I used to be a subscriber. Too much import obvious bias.

[bce]

I think I've told this story here before, but I'm going to repeat it.

 

In 1985 I bought a Dodge Ramcharger. Read the Conaumers Report article about it where they said not to buy it. The reason they gave? Because it rode like a truck. It better!! That's what I got it for!

 

Haven't read anything from them since.

 

Love my Edge. Great ride. Quiet inside. Had a couple of reboots a version or to ago, but nothing with the latest version.

Edited February 26, 2014 by bce

[akirby]

Think about it - if all vehicles were rated as ok by CR - nobody would read CR any more when considering vehicle purchases.

 

They're struggling to keep themselves relevant as even the worst vehicles today are better than the best vehicles 20 years ago.

[JOEHIO]

Sorry to read that some of you out there are so ANTI American (especially Ford). My '12 MKX has been great, and ditto for my wife's '09 MKS.

WWWperfznow, sorry you feel the way you do. We had 2 foreign cars - a Subaru & a Accord. Decent cars, but far from trouble free. Been doing Fords since 1992, now Lincolns, and been very happy with both, and doing it the American Way. True, foreign cars are now manufactured in the states, but who reaps the rewards- NOT US !

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

I was being sarcastic LOL. Whatever you may think of me, I have always tried to buy American-made goods, and promoted American-made goods. Can't take things sitting down if we see quality declining. No different from my view on sports teams. Just because my home team s***s, I am not going to abandon them; instead I am going to hold them accountable. Whatever good it may or may not do

[Mirage52]

Bumpy ride? Loud cabin noise? Did they actually drive the car? Edmunds said it had s smooth ride, vault like cabin, good engine selection, etc. The MFT can be cumbersome, the buttons and controls don't always work the first time you press them but if that's the biggest complaint, I'll take it. I've never owned a foreign car, although my wife prefers them and I've got no bias against them I've just always leaned toward American jars, especially Fords/Mercury.

[rossid]

For every bad review there is a good one. Edge was sixth in mid-size SUVs (KBB?) between $15 and 20k. Five were tied for first.

[Mirage52]

The biggest slight against the 2014 Edge is that the 2015 Edges have a new body style and will be released later this year.

[akirby]

The biggest slight against the 2014 Edge is that the 2015 Edges have a new body style and will be released later this year.

 

Says who? There has been no information on the 2015 Edge published yet even to the dealers for order banks, etc.

 

It's up in the air whether the new one will show up this year as a 2015 or next year as a 2016. If it's going to be this year it better show up quickly.

[frebrd18]

Check Consumer Reports, 07 Edge above average reliability. Mine's been great to 95k, a couple things but nothing major at all....and quiet. CR has a BIG problem with The Sync/My Ford touch thing and it brings their overall ratings down big time on new Edges. I like CR as I think they are more unbiased than any mag (at least they don't have a inside cover opening ad for a 1990's Caprice and have it as car of the year in the same issue). In response to an earlier post, they don't always favor imports, in fact I've seen CR be very critical of them also. I would by my 07 Edge SEL in a heartbeat.

[TheWizard]

These days of globalization make it almost impossible to get an "American made" (including Canada) vehicle. My Mustang has a manual transmission built in China. My Edge has an Ecoboost engine built in Spain. A few years ago, the quintessential American vehicle - the Harley Davidson Electra Glide - had fewer domestic parts than the Honda Gold Wing (when it was being built in Marysville Ohio)

 

I have been a Consumer's Reports subscriber for many years but I always ignore their vehicle reviews. I don't believe they have staff members who really know anything about automobiles or the automobile industry. Perhaps their opinions are meaningful to soccer moms who have a similar level of expertise. They certainly let you know how many cup holders are available.

 

They once concluded that Corvettes were inherently more dangerous cars than Volvos based on reported accidents. They didn't even consider that the type of person who buys a Corvette might not be as safety conscious as those who buy Volvos and therefore might tend to have more accidents due to a more "aggressive" driving style.

Edited August 15, 2014 by TheWizard

[frebrd18]

TheWizard,

I agree that CR's reports on new cars can be lousy and over simplified. Consumer Reports has engineers to evaluate the vehicles which is noteworthy , but if they don't like a feature (Sync) they will lower the rating considerably. One other note, their reliability ratings are based on subscriber surveys on their own cars and I think this is the most important automotive info they offer.

Edited September 17, 2014 by frebrd18

[Uncoiler]

Seriously??? I laughed when I read that. I couldn't disagree with them any more. In fact some of their reasons to avoid are the reasons I decided on my 2014 Edge over the competition. Hec I'm not even a Ford guy (per se).

 

I tested a lot of vehicles in this class and found the Edges ride better than most. Jittery is a term I might use to describe my buddies newer Boss 302 Mustang, and certainly not a SUV/CUV. They lose all credibility with me on that statement alone.

 

Road noise? It was my Edge that was noticeably quieter than the competition based on my ears when road testing.

 

And last we have the Ford My touch system. I think it's only convoluted if you are stuck in the past or just like rotary knobs. In my opinion Ford is leading the way with this technology for cars in this class, so yes there are things you will need to learn, it's called PROGRESS. I'm not sayig it's perfect, and you will never please everybody, but it's a lot to offer than what much of the competition does.

 

Maybe not the best example, but a while back I posted on this form because I couldn't figure out how to get my drivers door handle to unlock all 4 doors. That's not Ford's fault. I think it's great to have the option to turn it on or off, but other complain it's convoluted... get real.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Uncoiler

[roadkill401]

Bumpy ride? Loud cabin noise? Did they actually drive the car? Edmunds said it had s smooth ride, vault like cabin, good engine selection, etc. The MFT can be cumbersome, the buttons and controls don't always work the first time you press them but if that's the biggest complaint, I'll take it. I've never owned a foreign car, although my wife prefers them and I've got no bias against them I've just always leaned toward American jars, especially Fords/Mercury.

 

I took two Edge's for a test drive. As I bought used as that was the only way to get the price down to a level that I could afford on my car budget, you are buying what you get.

 

The first one drove like a dream. Really quiet, smooth drive, everything worked great (except the nav as the SD card was missing).

 

The second one was not. The ride felt like the suspension was bypassed. There was tremendous road noise. The A/C just blew very hot air. The breaks didn't just pulse, they shook the car when you used them. It was a horrible experience and I could not wait to get out, and I didn't walk away from that dealership... I ran.

 

I am sure if I had only gone in the second vehicle, and made my conclusions from that, I would have said that the Edge is a terrible vehicle, but having intelligence, I knew that some used vehicles are traded as they have been abused and not maintained.. not an indications of how all of them are.

[dugster]

its been said already here, but I checked on CR before i purchased too. Oddly enough the edge/MKX were both mediocre on ratings, but 5 stars to the new Impala. With no history. Test drove the Impala, and was not impressed. Maybe a slight bias. KBB and Edmunds (more importantly) user reviews loved the Edge. As do I. Vault like ride (compared to my '07 Taurcedes) SYNC is crazy awesome and voice req makes eveything safer.

 

2 months into this and couldnt be happier. Just hoping to pull 200k miles out of it!!!

[Linkman]

Middling reviews of Edge/MKX, if you examine the detailed ratings in their ratings, are due to MFT issues. We purchased a 2011 Edge SEL with MFT (and I'm both a Ford guy, and long time subscriber to CR, great resource) despite the ratings. The vehicle that was almost within a coin flip of being purchased instead of the Edge was a 2011 Mazda CX-9 GT, which is a Recommended CR model, and built on the same platform as the Edge (stretched a bit to fit a third row seat, about a foot longer bumper to bumper).

 

We're happy so far, no issues with MFT, love keeping us in the Duratec family (already have a 2.5L Cougar, 3.0L Fusion, and now the 3.5L Edge), and I'm betting on Ford given our successful history with the brand. Of course, it's only been three weeks :-)

[BergerKing]

Disagree. Ride is smooth, quiet cabin and MyFord Touch has given me no problems. I love the Sync System, its easy to use and i have no idea why people complain about it. I'm assuming it those who are technologically challenged and feel the need to blame the technology for their lack of knowledge.

I was reading an article recently where one of the biggest complaints people had was with infotainment systems, and people are dinging reviews for them, big time.

 

Sad, but if something isn't dirt simple, there are gonna be complaints. My wife loves Sync, but then, she's taken time to get familiar with it, too.

[TheWizard]

I think you are making assumptions that aren't necessarily true. I am the IT Director for my company so I certainly have no fear of or problem with complicated technology yet I absolutely hate My Ford Touch and merely tolerate SYNC. My reason has nothing to do with complexity or familiarity... in this case familiarity breeds contempt.

 

The problem is that far too many of the basic car functions require using the touch screen instead of real switches. That requires taking your eyes off the road... and not just a short glance to find a button but a longer time because there is no tactile feedback to let you know that you actually got the function you wanted. Even the limited set of switches provided are flat panel with no tactile feedback. This is the primary complaint that has led Ford to redesign new models so that there are real switches and buttons for commonly used functions. Sure, there's voice activation but that seems designed for deliberate disobedience. I say "call home" and it says "deploying airbags". There are a number of voice commands that I have been able to make respond as expected but most do the wrong thing or just stop and do nothing. Besides, who wants to tell a car full of people "shut up, I want to change the temperature using SYNC"?

 

And what ever happened to real gauges in front of the driver? There is no way to make MFT display speed, tach, temp, fuel, battery and oil pressure at the same time.

 

I have the electronics package in my Mustang including SYNC and navigation (but thankfully no MFT). It has real moving switches for climate control and audio that are laid out in a way that I can find most by touch alone without ever taking my eyes off the road. And it has a full set of gauges.

 

So don't assume that everyone who dislikes/hates MFT and SYNC are just cavemen who haven't learned the technology - the technology design has a fundamental flaw when used in a driving environment. It's great for impressing prospective buyers in the showroom but it misses the mark in actual use.

[Linkman]

Agree almost 100% with TheWizard.

 

The SEL has capacitive buttons, but they're raised so there is tactile feedback that you've touched it, and the sound should let you know it registered. MFT works, I have not run into any bugs yet, and I like the functionality (text message notifications on the center stack mean I never take my phone out of my pocket any more, for example) but touch screen interfaces for basic functions (HVAC - I like the foot well vents for heat, for example, and there's no way to switch to that without multiple presses on the flat feedback free display that requires you to look at it) are dumb. And I have to keep cycling the cluster displays to see tach / temp / fuel (is there digital speed readout anywhere?) while the right side is basically useless to me, I just keep the compass displayed all the time. One of the advantages of the Mazda CX-9 that was competing with the Edge in our buying decision was that the radio / navigation was touch screen, but the HVAC was standard switch gear.

 

In a mild defense of Ford, no one seems to have gotten the touch screen interface right, which to my mind is then damning, and perhaps should indicate that the touch screen belongs on your tablet or phone, and not on your instrument cluster / HVAC controls.

 

As always, your mileage may vary