Consumer Report .. Worst Used vehicles Ford Flex /Linclon MKT -- Ecoboost

[SwampRat]

As usually ...  getting crapped on again .

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/03/13/consumer-reports-names-23-worst-used-cars-to-buy/?intcmp=features


Steer clear of these troublesome vehicles
These models, listed alphabetically, are the worst of the worst. They have multiple years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability, based on 2004 through 2013 models, according to our Annual Auto Survey. Each one has at least three model years of reliability data.

BMW X5 (6-cyl.)
Ford Flex (3.5L EcoBoost)
Chevrolet Cruze 1.8
GMC Acadia
Chevrolet Impala
Lincoln MKT (EcoBoost)
Chevrolet Uplander
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Chrysler PT Cruiser (nonturbo)
Mini Cooper S
Chrysler Town & Country
Mini Countryman
Dodge Caravan
Saturn Outlook
Dodge Grand Caravan
Saturn Relay
Dodge Journey
Volkswagen Beetle, New Beetle
Ford Explorer (V6)
Volkswagen Touareg

[Josephm]

Guessing the early years is what gave it a bad name. (09)

[SwampRat]

Guessing the early years is what gave it a bad name. (09)

They say its based on a 3 year average.

[BiGMaC]

I've long ago cancelled my consumer reports crap when I realized they just don't evaluate much of anything the same way I do..

[krdiesel]

was reading another report that stated the Sync radio was killing the ratings.  The ratings count Nav locking up the same as engine locking up.

[BiGMaC]

was reading another report that stated the Sync radio was killing the ratings.  The ratings count Nav locking up the same as engine locking up.

When sync initially came out it was hailed as an industry standard, but attempts to make it more useful and comprehensive resulted in a less than intuitive and relatively labor intensive system for the end user. Likely why Ford has dumped Microsoft and is going to RIM to get a new OS behind Sync.  The ratings scale you mention is exactly my point, and in the case of Consumer Guide, I've seen times when a perceived weakness in a product was corrected and they just continue the same report....

[MeanKS]

was reading another report that stated the Sync radio was killing the ratings.  The ratings count Nav locking up the same as engine locking up.

yep, which is pretty ridiculous!

not to excuse Ford and the issues with Sync, but CR really needs to learn to make better qualitative judgements when it comes to interpreting their already potentially biased surveys...

[mval]

call me a flag waver & i'm ok with that  but not one Japanese or Korean car on the list, with all the problems that Toyoto has recently & like tom i gave up consumer reports along time ago as well as a lot of the car mags.
mikev

[MeanKS]

call me a flag waver & i'm ok with that  but not one Japanese or Korean car on the list, with all the problems that Toyoto has recently & like tom i gave up consumer reports along time ago as well as a lot of the car mags.
mikev

the dilemma of a Ford fan, lol!

our brand gets largely dogged on by the Japanese car loving appliance pushers like CR and the gear-head/boy-racer mags like C&D  .

but the real test is the marketplace, and in that arena Ford has been doing very well!  which is my main concern...

[black99lightning]

I read awhile back there negative ratings of Ford products and was solely based on Sync.  Not the engines, transmissions, etc...  They gave pretty much all Ford products a negative rating based on that.  Not a subscriber, never a subscriber.

[krdiesel]

I have a 03 6.0 powerstroke with 240,000 miles.  I know all about perception!  The 6.0 did have a few minor issues, but it was techs that did not know how to fix them, and drivers that did not know that a diesel was different killed there reputation. 

[Josephm]

What is so bad about the Sync? I have no qualms at all in my 6 months of ownership.

[Brucelinc]

What is so bad about the Sync? I have no qualms at all in my 6 months of ownership.

I think a lot of people and many in the press use the terms Sync and MyFord touch interchangeably and that is not really appropriate.  My 2010 has Sync and Nav.  It has been flawless.  The only issues I have ever had were early in my ownership and they were my own fault - user error.  The voice commands work great, it syncs up with my phone and music and it works perfectly.

When MyFord touch came along, it initially had some nasty bugs - slow response times, unintuitive screens, confusing menus, etc.  I  had rental cars with it when it first came out and I hated it.  Since then, there have been updates and revisions.  Now, when I get a rental with it, I seldom have a problem.   The thing is, a lot of the press referred to the entire system as "sync" when, in fact, the change to MyFord touch was the real problem.

[TSS]

I've long ago cancelled my consumer reports crap when I realized they just don't evaluate much of anything the same way I do..

Me too.  I was a loyal subscriber for 16 years and cancelled when they made the same mistakes year after year - (ie. typos  - same ones year after year; totally being incorrect on engine choices/options for specific models; etc)  Not to mention, as you stated, they evaluate things different than me.  They place emphasis on stuff i honestly don't care about or can live with, and downplay/ignore things very important to me.   Motor Trend/Car and Driver/Automobile Magazine evaluate like I would.